| Columns - Youth Report | ||
Talk About A Tech Seminar As luck would have it, I had finished gathering up all the pieces for my '36 EL and had started pre-assembling the bike. The next morning, I called my dad and told him my idea. He was supportive but thought it would be a heavy workload so I contacted our mutual friend, David Monahan. I asked him to help my father and me during the seminar. After the Knucklehead reunion was over, I rode back to South Dakota and started tying up the loose ends to prepare for the seminar.  Team Olsen (L to R): David Monahan, Carl Olsen, and me Matt. While I was waiting to receive my parts, I contacted several mainstream motorcycle magazines to stir up interest in the AMCA. I wanted to show the general motorcycle public that old motorcycles were not stationary objects to be viewed in a museum but functional pieces of machinery that can be worked on and maintained by anyone with basic mechanical knowledge. After all if a 22-year-old-kid can do it, anyone can. These publications were not interested in covering the seminar, but one requested an article on the AMCA Youth Program, so that is in the works. I realize that to attract more young members I have to try to recruit them not only from inside the club, but also from other sources. 
Early on we just got the engine in place. Everything came together the week before the meet. I received all my finished parts back on schedule. I loaded everything up with the appropriate tools, and headed east to Davenport. Friday afternoon rolled around, and a small crowd had gathered along with Dale Walksler and his Time Machine video crew who recorded the seminar. The event went off without a hitch. We assembled the bike in 3.5 hours, filled it with fluids, and it started on the first kick! I rode the bike around the meet for the next couple of days and submitted it for judging on Sunday where it received a Junior First. Dale's video crew did a great job capturing the assembly process through to the judging process on DVD. By the time this issue is mailed, the Las Vegas Auction will be over but you folks who attended will have witnessed the viewing of the videos and the actual bike as the club has agreed to sponsor a trip to the auction and a booth for the AMCA Youth Program. Hopefully, the auction will help me recruit some new members as well as stir up some interest for the rest of the club. In one of my first articles I mentioned that I was trying to set up an apprenticeship program where young people could get connected with shops and individuals to learn more about old motorcycles. I received my first inquiry, and set the individual up with a shop in his area. Please keep those apprenticeship applications coming my way. I'll do my best to help.
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