MOA President speaks Live...

[STUFF2C]

Most of us here are BMWMOA members. Well heres your chance to hear Dave Swider the Pres of the MOA speak live and awnser your questions live. Check it out @ www.sidestandup.com tonight at 9pm EST.

[bakerzdosen]

Already got one thread going on the matter...

[Matts_12GS]

Hi Jerry, missed you at lunch Sunday!

[STUFF2C]

Matt, man I hated to miss the Astor lunch. I was in Tallahassee with family and decided to knock out the panhandle for my 67 county grind. Not only did i miss the great BMWSportTouring company, but I enjoy the Blackwater inn as well. I look forward to the next get together at cedar key. Thats a good one too. Hopes alls well with you and yours.

[OlGeezer]

Most of us here are BMWMOA members. Well heres your chance to hear Dave Swider the Pres of the MOA speak live and awnser your questions live. Check it out @ www.sidestandup.com tonight at 9pm EST.

 

Yawn.

 

Does he even ride a BMW?

[STUFF2C]

A lot of Riders ride, Dave has dedicated many hours of his time to help advance our sport.

[skinny_tom (aka boney)]

Most of us here are BMWMOA members. Well heres your chance to hear Dave Swider the Pres of the MOA speak live and awnser your questions live. Check it out @ www.sidestandup.com tonight at 9pm EST.

 

Yawn.

 

Does he even ride a BMW?

 

Several.

[OlGeezer]

Most of us here are BMWMOA members. Well heres your chance to hear Dave Swider the Pres of the MOA speak live and awnser your questions live. Check it out @ www.sidestandup.com tonight at 9pm EST.

 

Yawn.

 

Does he even ride a BMW?

 

Several.

 

I'm under the impression that he owns several.

[OlGeezer]

A lot of Riders ride, Dave has dedicated many hours of his time to help advance our sport.

 

Just curious, how has our sport advanced due to his efforts?

 

I'm not trying to bash Dave here. It's just that I wouldn't stop what I was doing to watch him being interviewed on TV. That's all.

[Paul Mihalka]

Just curious, how has our sport advanced due to his efforts?

I think the first question should be if the existence of BMWMOA is good and useful to us BMW riders, or we wouldn't miss it if it didn't exist. I think it is good. It collects a lot of pertinent information and makes it available to us and does the national BMWMOA rally which is attended by many thousand riders and provides a showcase for all the stuff available for BMWs old and new.

If BMWMOA has merit to exist, somebody has to run it. I understand all the MOA directors are volunteers giving their time and money expenses to make it happen.

I think we should be grateful instead of making snide remarks. If you don't like it or don't find it useful, just stay away from it.

[STUFF2C]

A lot of Riders ride, Dave has dedicated many hours of his time to help advance our sport.

 

Just curious, how has our sport advanced due to his efforts?

 

I'm not trying to bash Dave here. It's just that I wouldn't stop what I was doing to watch him being interviewed on TV. That's all.

 

That may be a good thing too...fishing is best left for fishermen.

[OlGeezer]

If you don't like it or don't find it useful, just stay away from it.

 

Sooo...I'm not allowed to be critical?

 

Without getting into an analysis of the MOA, my comment was fairly innocuous. At least it was intended to be. It was an opinion about an upcoming interview. Some were excited about the prospects. I was not.

 

I'll state again, I'm not bashing Dave here. From what I understand, he's a nice guy. However, he did take over for someone who had to leave office for medical reasons and has since been re-elected in an organization where approximately 10% of the membership bothers to vote. During that time, I have not seen a lot of change in the organization and the changes that have been made have not made me a more devoted member. I do not personally know Dave (so this leaves the door open for the flamers), but it seems to me that he spends more time on forums (ADV and MOA) I don't recall seeing a post of his here) than on the seat of his motorcycle and, from what I understand, his favorite ride isn't even a BMW. That's all O.K., but when the original poster states something like "there are a lot of MOA members in this forum", which I believe is true, I just didn't want to be counted as one of those who drinks the koolaid.

 

That's all I was trying to say as briefly as I could. Apparently, I was too brief.

 

Peace.

[skinny_tom (aka boney)]

If you don't like it or don't find it useful, just stay away from it.

 

Sooo...I'm not allowed to be critical?

 

Without getting into an analysis of the MOA, my comment was fairly innocuous. At least it was intended to be. It was an opinion about an upcoming interview. Some were excited about the prospects. I was not.

 

I'll state again, I'm not bashing Dave here. From what I understand, he's a nice guy. However, he did take over for someone who had to leave office for medical reasons and has since been re-elected in an organization where approximately 10% of the membership bothers to vote. During that time, I have not seen a lot of change in the organization and the changes that have been made have not made me a more devoted member. I do not personally know Dave (so this leaves the door open for the flamers), but it seems to me that he spends more time on forums (ADV and MOA) I don't recall seeing a post of his here) than on the seat of his motorcycle and, from what I understand, his favorite ride isn't even a BMW. That's all O.K., but when the original poster states something like "there are a lot of MOA members in this forum", which I believe is true, I just didn't want to be counted as one of those who drinks the koolaid.

 

That's all I was trying to say as briefly as I could. Apparently, I was too brief.

 

Peace.

 

Not flaming here. Did you listen to the interview or are you really not interested? I've talked with him in the local shop and bumped into him here or there while out riding. He's an interesting guy. Very smart. I don't know him, or his interests well enough to know what's in his mind about the MOA. I suspect that as the leader of a national organization who's membership is mostly older than he, there will be some toes stepped on.

 

I also suspect that the more interesting conversation would be the discussion of what he did say in that interview. But from sound of the crickets in the non-existent thread covering the topic, I suspect that you and I aren't the only ones who missed the show.

[eskimo]

 

He talked mostly about final drive failures and the right time to switch to synthetic oil

 

 

 

no, just kidding. In the part I heard, he talked about growing the sport with younger riders (such as BMW is going after with some of the newer bikes), maybe some specialty clinics (e.g. dirt, sport) instead of just rallies for guys with bellies and beards (my words, not his)and improving relations with the manufacturer.

[Dietrich]

Thanks for the tip. I missed it.

These discussions here can go off an a different tangent though at times. This poor guy Swider wasn't taking part in a presidential debate. Just being interviewed in relevance to his position as a club president. What's wrong with that?

I am glad I am just a member of the MOA because I like the magazine. I don't vote for anyone, don't know anyone there, just pay my dues. Am thankful they organize rallys. That's about it. Some people just take this thing too serious. But hey, its a free country, we can choose. But let's be fair.

Ride safely.

Dietrich

[ghaverkamp]

Dave's post here. Like Tom, I've also bumped into Dave both at my BMW dealer and while on the road, as well as on the local shop rides. Also like Tom, I don't know what Dave's done or wants to do with MOA, but that's largely because MOA itself doesn't interest me much, and I don't know what would have to change to change that. On the other hand, I'd be suspicious of a person who came in and immediately set about making sweeping changes. My limited knowledge of the MOA is that such things have happened in the past, and the outcome has not always been a long-term positive.

 

I gather you must have some idea of the changes you'd like to see. Care to share?

[OlGeezer]

Dave's post here. Like Tom, I've also bumped into Dave both at my BMW dealer and while on the road, as well as on the local shop rides. Also like Tom, I don't know what Dave's done or wants to do with MOA, but that's largely because MOA itself doesn't interest me much, and I don't know what would have to change to change that. On the other hand, I'd be suspicious of a person who came in and immediately set about making sweeping changes. My limited knowledge of the MOA is that such things have happened in the past, and the outcome has not always been a long-term positive.

 

I gather you must have some idea of the changes you'd like to see. Care to share?

 

Don't read something into what I write. I'm not that complex

I didn't say I had something against Dave or the MOA. I'm a 10 year member. I enjoy the magazine. I didn't suggest that sweeping changes needed to be made. Where did you get that? All I said is that I don't drink the koolaid. That's all.

[ghaverkamp]

Don't read something into what I write. I'm not that complex

I didn't say I had something against Dave or the MOA. I'm a 10 year member. I enjoy the magazine. I didn't suggest that sweeping changes needed to be made. Where did you get that? All I said is that I don't drink the koolaid. That's all.

 

I'm not looking to belabor the point. After all, I'm not a member and haven't been in years. However, you did say, "However, he did take over for someone who had to leave office for medical reasons and has since been re-elected in an organization where approximately 10% of the membership bothers to vote. During that time, I have not seen a lot of change in the organization and the changes that have been made have not made me a more devoted member."

 

Now, to me, that suggests that you were looking for changes, sweeping or otherwise.

[David]

That's all I was trying to say as briefly as I could. Apparently, I was too brief.

 

You weren't too brief as much as too grouchy. Dave's a good guy who cares a lot about riding and the community.

 

If you'll look at the summary someone posted above, one of the things Dave talked about was bringing in younger riders, maybe to balance out the Ol'Geezers.

[Dietrich]

Quote: If you'll look at the summary someone posted above, one of the things Dave talked about was bringing in younger riders, maybe to balance out the Ol'Geezers.

 

Good one!

 

Dietrich

[OlGeezer]

That's all I was trying to say as briefly as I could. Apparently, I was too brief.

 

You weren't too brief as much as too grouchy. Dave's a good guy who cares a lot about riding and the community.

 

If you'll look at the summary someone posted above, one of the things Dave talked about was bringing in younger riders, maybe to balance out the Ol'Geezers.

 

Fine.

 

Aren't I entitled to disagree once in a while? I didn't bash anyone. In fact, compared to my average opinions, I was relatively polite. I only made two points. One was that I wasn't interested in watching a half hour interview of the President of the national BMW club. The other point was that , just because I ride a BMW and belong to the aforementioned national BMW club (for ten years now), I'm not drinking the koolaid.

 

I can't say that without getting bashed?

 

Crap!

 

No wonder I'm cranky!

 

[notacop]

Golly Bill, you put foot in the meat grinder this time, try to buy your way out. You started to sound like me.

I was a long time MOA'er and gave it up along with the RA when the politics of using too many members subscriptions became a business. Used to be a club that gave folks an outlet to go meet other folks on BMW's in the guise of Rallies. The Anonomous book was an essential to gadding about the country.

I don't know about Growing the membership with young guys, takes a lot of money you don't earn slinging burgers and being sales reps at the Mall to afford the high zoot bikes that would appeal to the under 30 set he may aspire to.

Any exposure a group Pres can get on radio and TV cannot hurt his intentions but I agree with Bill, he's preaching to the choir with the likes of us crumungeons.

Bill, stick to the relays and don't let your true nature be exposed, we'll share a chat and regale in being Ostresized!

[OlGeezer]

Bill, stick to the relays and don't let your true nature be exposed

 

I think it's too late for that

[Kbasa]

Most of us here are BMWMOA members. Well heres your chance to hear Dave Swider the Pres of the MOA speak live and awnser your questions live. Check it out @ www.sidestandup.com tonight at 9pm EST.

 

Yawn.

 

Does he even ride a BMW?

 

Well, actually, yes, I do.

 

I've got a pair of hexheads: RT and GS, a 94R11RS, an R100Cs and an R60/2. I've also got a VFR, which I love.

 

Interesting comments from folks here. Some folks aren't "club people", which includes my brother, who has an R11RS. That's fine with me. If he's not into it, I can understand; people oftentimes have other priorities in their lives.

 

There were comments in here about younger riders, which I thought I'd talk to a bit. Make no mistake, while attracting younger riders is a big goal for this organization, we're not looking for 20 year olds. We're looking to attract someone in their late 30s or thereabouts. They've got a bit of financial stability, the kids are a bit older and they might be re-entering motorcycling or are now able to devote more time to that activity.

 

We see that these folks often don't camp, which has always been the MOA's prime market. We're working to try and provide events that appeal to this different audience.

 

The intention is to try and provide a more compelling value proposition to non members, while still honoring our commitment to our long term membership.

 

And finally, comments regarding riding. I've been working in a startup for about 4 years now, which has consumed significant amounts of my time and put a serious crimp on my ability to get out riding. Add in commitments to attend the MOA national, the various BoD meetings and the International Council of Clubs and I've not much time left to actually disappear into the country for two weeks at a whack. For the last few years, I've spent a ton of time working on motorcycle related activities, but most of that vacation time spent has not involved much in the way of actual riding.

 

Two more years and I'll be able to get out riding again, which will be welcome.

 

Ride safely and best wishes for the upcoming holiday season.

 

Dave

[BFish]

thanks dave...enjoyed the interview.

[Kbasa]

thanks dave...enjoyed the interview.

 

You're welcome! I'm glad you enjoyed it. I hope it gave some insight into the MOA's agenda.

[Bobmws]

If anyone is interested in the interview with Dave, you can go to the website and listen to it. It is episode 5. Episode 6 featured Baldy from ADVRider.

If anyone has an interesting ride tale and wants their 15 minutes of fame, contact Tom at sidestandup.com.