Pete Gagan

Presidents Message - Spring 2007
Wheels In Motion


Two thousand seven promises to be another banner year for the AMCA. We have four national road runs on tap, beginning with the Cherokee Chapter's expedition in south Texas. If you've never been to Texas, you may be surprised to learn that it's not all tumbleweeds and long horn cattle. In August, the Empire Chapter is hosting their run in the 1000 Islands area and those New York folks really know how to roll out the red carpet. The very enthusiastic Yerba Buena Chapter is taking us to Yosemite Park this year and, once again, we have the world famous Death Valley Run hosted by the SoCal Chapter.

We also have 11 national meets this year, beginning with the relatively new indoor meet in Fremont, Nebraska. It's also well worth a visit by those in other areas. Next is an opportunity to escape winter altogether and travel to Eustis, Florida. A sideline is "Bike Week" which takes place in nearby Daytona, so you can make a major vacation out of that one. Next is Oley, Pennsylvania, run by the Perkiomen Chapter. That's my lucky meet as I always find great early stuff there. Rhinebeck is brand new, more on that below. The Fort Sutter Chapter will again host their meet in Dixon, California, the only one in the west, so everyone west of the Mississippi ought to be there. The Viking Chapter has moved its meet to the State Fairgrounds in St. Paul, Minnesota, and are trying some new things, so that will be worth visiting. Our European Chapter is moving to Dinkelsbuhl, Germany, this year, so make sure your passport is up to date.

Our Wauseon National meet is next, and is always a winner. The Yankee Chapter meet at Hebron, Connecticut, starts off August. Next comes Davenport, which needs no introduction to most AMCA members. The final meet of the year is in Jefferson, Pennsylvania, run by the Chesapeake Chapter and gives late shoppers a chance to stock up on parts for those winter projects.

Our brand new event in Rhinebeck, New York, June 8 - 10 is the beginning of a new concept in AMCA events. Rhinebeck will be run by the six chapters in the New York and New Jersey area with more than the usual financial help and input by the National AMCA administration. We have noticed that some of our smaller meets are actually shrinking, while our club is growing. This is likely due to the internet, as many people are buying and selling parts there. Our vendors are all doing well, as success is usually measured in dollars. More money is changing hands at meets, but, are more parts? Even at Davenport, the crowds seem somewhat lighter, although as we have never charged a gate fee, we have no way of counting. We've decided to try something different at Rhinebeck, but not until 2008. This year will be a dry run, with the meet run in a conventional manner.

In 2008, Rhinebeck will have a major motorcycle show as its main drawing card, and we hope to attract 200 of the finest machines we can find, located at the fabulous Rhinebeck Fairgrounds, within commuting distance of New York City. There will also be a swap meet, but it will include sections for sellers of motorcycle-related items such as helmets, tools, etc., a section for "future antiques" and parts, and an Avenue of Clubs, where invited clubs with similar interests to ours, such as the Indian Four Club, Hummer Club, 101 Club, etc., will be invited to set up complimentary booths. Lots of indoor areas are available in case of rain for all of the above. The additional swap meet areas will be separate from the conventional central AMCA area, and vendors there will pay a premium.
Change is not always popular with everyone. There is no intent to kill any of the smaller events many of us enjoy. However, we do need to look at serving our members with the best events we can. There are too many non-participants out there. We need to attract them.

Cheers,
Pete Gagan,
National President, AMCA

© 2007 AMCA