Should I join?

Our club (Gypsy Wheels) became affiliated with GWRRA back in the early 90's... That's when I was Assistant CD of our Chapter... My self and my buddy who was the CD built our Chapter from about 10 members to somewhere between 70-80 active members at any one time... We were the biggest Chapter in Illinois...

About 2 years ago, a lot of our members became very disenchanted with GWRRA and all the things we were being forced to do to if you were to be a Chapter Director, Assistant Director... Most of our membership didn't have the time and some didn't have the money to travel downstate to attend the required training classes...

Se after a club caucus we decided to drop out of GWRRA (as did a lot of other Chapters at the time)... State reps came up to our last GWRRA meeting and tried to talk us out of it, but the members said no deal... It was a very, very, heated meeting nearly coming to blows between one rep and one of our members... Anyway, we left and they said we wouldn't last a year...

It is now 2 years later and we have 68 active members on the roster (I'm Membership Coordinator so I know) and the club is strong as ever... For tax reasons, the club is currently affiliated with AGWA (American Gold Wing Association) and that seems to be working out pretty well...

I still belong to GWRRA mainly for Wing World... I rarely go to GWRRA sponsored events anymore but sometimes will attend Wing Ding...

Many people still like the organization but they lost a ton of members about 2 years ago when all this started with mandatory training... The best thing to do is go attend a meeting or two and ride with the group a few times to see if you like it, then make your own decision...

For us, it was time to leave and I doubt we will go back... We were Gypsy Wheels before GWRRA and we will be Gypsy Wheels long after our GWRRA affiliation ended...

Just one man's opinion - no offense intended - like I said, make your own decision...

Les

I'm a GWRRA member and you certainly meet a lot of Great people who love Goldwings

you also get a cool wingworld magazine each month and rescue plus and something called the Gold Book directory with names phone numbers and area of people who will come to your rescue if you ever break down

of course there is the social aspect.... the chapter near me are super friendly but I live to far away to do much socializing or join the chapter... I can also see how some groups could be lets say clicky... for me love the training ... a 2 day ARC course that is specifically tailored to the Goldwing and when your done your amazed at how tight a turn you can do ... all for $40.00

would I join again ...maybe.. money being an issue and not into group riding ..good to try for a year though and see what happens

My Wife and I joined about 2 years ago and I have to say it was the best decision for our Motorcycling experience we could have made. We have made many new friends with common intrest. We have been on rides to places we never thought of going on our own. The rallies are nice and I actually won a ton of Money at the Wings Over N.C. rally the first year we joined. That was nice for sure. The weekly rides are fun but my work prevents me from going sometimes. The training is not forced on us but I actually look forward to it. The whole focus on Safety and Fun is a winner in my book. The dinner rides are a favorite of mine because everyone is so friendly in my Chapter and we go to some great places to eat. Mmmmm Food. I know it isnt for everyone and there will always be a few folks that for whatever reason dont get along or complain about something. But my experience has been fantastic. I have a whole nother Family to hand with. Just try it out for a while. It isnt that expensive and the benifits will make up for the cost of a years membership fees. Try several chapters in your area before deciding on you new home. We finally settled on NC-L2 Mooresville, NC Lake Norman Wings. Come visit us soon!