Message from Chairman Mike McGee

[AVAChmnMike]

By now, the current edition of the Voyager’s Voice has reached your mailboxes! The cover states, “Big Changes”; and the chatter on the forum since the Logan, Ohio rally has also raised many questions. I’d like to address them for everyone’s benefit.
The Board officially met in Logan, Ohio, just like it does every year, prior to the rally beginning. It is the one time a year that we actually meet face to face to discuss issues and make decisions (we communicate throughout the year by email). A vote was taken (11 of 12) to shut down the AVA based on declining registrations, and the resulting loss of operating funds. As you can imagine, it was a very difficult for the Board to vote to shut down the AVA. But, after additional hours of discussion at the rally by the Board, we talked about the possibility of keeping the AVA going. The Board reconsidered and held a second formal vote. At that time the majority (10 of 12) voted to keep the AVA operational.
For the record, there was no vote (ever) to remove Duane and Charlotte. Bob Jones was present as a witness, at this meeting. The entire Board sincerely thanks and appreciates Duane and Charlotte for their countless hours of hard work over the years, and their devotion to the AVA. With the exception of Bob and Jean Decker, we were all brought on the Board by Duane Ash.
The Board members, with the exception of Duane and Charlotte, have all remained on the board. You may look in the Voyager’s Voice or on the website to see that our responsibilities are the same. I will now fill the position as Chairman, Dave Wirtz is now Vice-Chairman, as agreed by the entire Board, and the blessing of Bob and Char Jones.
I will continue, with the help of the Board, to keep the AVA running from one year to another. We are struggling financially. The Board will continue to do everything we can to keep the AVA the fantastic organization that has made us a family!
We appreciate your continued support of the AVA and we look forward to celebrating our 25th annual rally with all of the members of the AVA in Asheville, North Carolina, July 7-11, 2014. See you there!

Respectfully,
Mike McGee
AVA Chairman

[kawabunga]

Well I guess there's no sense in joining now. If the club is going under, why wait a year to kill it? IMO Nobody is going to join knowing it won't be around in a year or less.

Also I think requiring people to join so they have full access to the forums is a huge mistake.
One can get any info needed on any bike with a simple web search. It's not secret information

And the Voyager 1700 owners have several free forums to choose from on the web. Makes no sense to join a club that charges for forum use. They need a good reason to join the ava

Something needs to happen so people want people to join. What? I have no real answer.
Maybe some local or regional rallies, rides? I think getting involvement at the local level is a key.
I hope things work out for the club.

Maybe readers here could post some revival ideas ? Then the board could see what's on everyone's mind

[debron]

Well I guess there's no sense in joining now. If the club is going under, why wait a year to kill it?

James - Apparently you haven't been reading the posts. The club is not going under. The board is seriously interested in keeping it going and growing it. Stay tuned. . . .

[Bruce in OK]

Well I guess there's no sense in joining now.

No, there's no need to join. The folks with their names in blue have assisted you in any questions you might have had. They have ponied up their own funds to make this forum available for you to access it in the first place. Why should you invest a little of your own money to show appreciation for anything you've been able to glean from this forum?

I don't wish to do anything that would cause ill feelings which would prevent you from joining. However, since you only joined the forum in July of this year, I would appreciate your opinions of what the AVA could do to make you wish to join--nothing else. It is my opinion that if one isn't a dues paying member of the AVA, he/she should keep their opinion of our group dynamics to himself/herself.

If your name isn't in blue, you should just be grateful for the gracious hospitality provided to you.

Mike or Ron: I apologize if you think this post crosses a line. Please remove it if you deem it too critical.

[kawabunga]

Holy crap! Excuse me sir!!

I'm outta here. The ava isn't for me. Take Care

Well I guess there's no sense in joining now.

No, there's no need to join. The folks with their names in blue have assisted you in any questions you might have had. They have ponied up their own funds to make this forum available for you to access it in the first place. Why should you invest a little of your own money to show appreciation for anything you've been able to glean from this forum?

I don't wish to do anything that would cause ill feelings which would prevent you from joining. However, since you only joined the forum in July of this year, I would appreciate your opinions of what the AVA could do to make you wish to join--nothing else. It is my opinion that if one isn't a dues paying member of the AVA, he/she should keep their opinion of our group dynamics to himself/herself.

If your name isn't in blue, you should just be grateful for the gracious hospitality provided to you.

Mike or Ron: I apologize if you think this post crosses a line. Please remove it if you deem it too critical.

[kawabunga]

You're correct, I read his message wrong, sorry

Well I guess there's no sense in joining now. If the club is going under, why wait a year to kill it?

James - Apparently you haven't been reading the posts. The club is not going under. The board is seriously interested in keeping it going and growing it. Stay tuned. . . .

[forplay]

Hi everyone, At this time I'm not a paying member not by choice so if you don't think my opinion counts thats your right as a paying memeber. I will say that having a bad attitude toward non members is not how to expand a group. I was at the Logan rally and it was very enjoyable. I thought the board did a nice job putting the rally together with limited funds. I think I spoke with most of the board members and they where all upbeat and pleasant to be around, even when an issue poped up on Tuesday. Duane, Mike and Robin handled the issue with grace and tack. Thank You!!!!
Mike, I am wondering about membership. Is there a correct address for me to send in my check to join again. I will attach my email address if you would like to send me the info.
Long live the AVA
Keith Stumpf

[forplay]

I guess it would help if I attach my email address
stumpf2000@ameritech.net
Keith Stumpf

[Bruce in OK]

My intent wasn't to offend anyone. Please don't allow my comments to be the reason you don't affiliate with a great group of people. It really bothers me when someone criticizes an entity when they have no skin in the game. I guess I should have not posted my feelings. Please forgive me.

[Rlmcgee]

I guess it would help if I attach my email address
stumpf2000@ameritech.net
Keith Stumpf

Keith: I have sent you an email with membership information!
Let me know if you need anything else. Glad you enjoyed your time in Logan and we look forward to seeing you at our 25th Annual Rally in Asheville, NC in 2014

Respectfully,

Robin L McGee
Board of Directors AVA
Treasurer; Safety/Rider Educational Director

[joerod777]

Mike,

Thanks so much for the explanation especially for those of us who were not at the rally. I appreciate AVA and find it to be value-added. For any question I have had about my 2003 Voyager, the answer has been found on the forum. Everyone is very helpful in providing good advice. I would not want to see AVA go away. Obviously, the Board has considered cost cutting measures and has prioritized use of funds. One resource that I do not find particularly useful in the magazine. I live in Virginia where we don't have a Voyager chapter so the articles are not of much interest to me. I don't mean to step on those who may find the magazine useful but if funding is limited then "we" will need to make choices. I only speak for myself and I respect the opinions of other members. Bottomline: Let's work hard to keep the AVA going. Thanks for your leadership and many thanks to Duane and Charlotte for their many years of faithful service. God bless!

[96desertXII]

Count me in! I never saw anything about joining......cgallisonjr@gmail.com

[Rlmcgee]

Count me in! I never saw anything about joining......cgallisonjr@gmail.com

I will forward you via email the same information I sent Keith!! Welcome aboard! Let me know if you need any further information.

Respectfully,

[96desertXII]

Count me in! I never saw anything about joining......cgallisonjr@gmail.com

I will forward you via email the same information I sent Keith!! Welcome aboard! Let me know if you need any further information.

Respectfully,

Got it.................thanks. Didn't have the home page saved.

[chevyman1]

I live in Virginia where we don't have a Voyager chapter

check out the topic (new chapter in the north east) I have some people vary interested so I will be proceeding with getting something started in the next couple of weeks,
Virginia and W. Virginia people will be more then welcome.

[FBT]

Well I guess there's no sense in joining now.

No, there's no need to join. The folks with their names in blue have assisted you in any questions you might have had. They have ponied up their own funds to make this forum available for you to access it in the first place. Why should you invest a little of your own money to show appreciation for anything you've been able to glean from this forum?

I don't wish to do anything that would cause ill feelings which would prevent you from joining. However, since you only joined the forum in July of this year, I would appreciate your opinions of what the AVA could do to make you wish to join--nothing else. It is my opinion that if one isn't a dues paying member of the AVA, he/she should keep their opinion of our group dynamics to himself/herself.

If your name isn't in blue, you should just be grateful for the gracious hospitality provided to you.

Mike or Ron: I apologize if you think this post crosses a line. Please remove it if you deem it too critical.

Bruce, I'm a relatively new member of the AVA. I get your point about non members, but I take a bit of a different tact. I think it's important to find out what it is that's keeping these folks from joining? Maybe there are things that can be easily tweaked to get more of them joining instead of just sitting on the sideline.

Honestly, other than the magazine, tech tips, discount membership to ROK, and a few other perks, what can we do as a group to attract more Voyager owners to join?

It's a tough sell considering the bike many of us know and love hasn't been built in aver a decade, and the age of the current Voyager owner (not to mention the age of their rides) is starting to advance.

I bought my Voyager from an older guy who couldn't ride the bigger bikes anymore. I love my bike, but I know it's more of a novelty now as the market is dominated by cruisers, sport bikes, and Gold Wings. We're a dwindling breed unfortunately.

That doesn't mean we're dead. There's still a very loyal following among owners who know what a great bike these are. We need to find a way to tap into this group and find out what can be done to entice them to join. Or, if that's not an option, we need to look for other revenue streams to support the group.

I think there are opportunities to change the current direction of the group, and everyone, especially those who aren't currently members since they're the target audience. I would think any suggestion would be welcome if it helps this group maintain current membership levels.

[David (N. Alabama)]

It's a tough sell considering the bike many of us know and love hasn't been built in aver a decade, and the age of the current Voyager owner (not to mention the age of their rides) is starting to advance.

Actually, the bike many know and love hasn't been built in over 20 years.

and the bike many know and love only started it's life in 2009 and continues into the near future.

You see there are more Voyagers out there than just the one you own.

[debron]

Actually, the bike many know and love hasn't been built in over 20 years. . .

The XII was last built in 2003, ten years ago, so what bike are you referring to? The 1300?? Or. . .?

[Me Again]

It's a tough sell considering the bike many of us know and love hasn't been built in aver a decade, and the age of the current Voyager owner (not to mention the age of their rides) is starting to advance.

Actually, the bike many know and love hasn't been built in over 20 years.

and the bike many know and love only started it's life in 2009 and continues into the near future.

You see there are more Voyagers out there than just the one you own.

Don't forget about the 1983/1988 1300 Voyager.Many of us think that was the greatest bike ever built on the planet earth.
Although from what I have read about the 1700 Voyager ,it may have some stiff competition.

[FBT]

It's a tough sell considering the bike many of us know and love hasn't been built in aver a decade, and the age of the current Voyager owner (not to mention the age of their rides) is starting to advance.

Actually, the bike many know and love hasn't been built in over 20 years.

and the bike many know and love only started it's life in 2009 and continues into the near future.

You see there are more Voyagers out there than just the one you own.

I'm well aware there's a modern cruiser that has the Voyager badge, but those owners aren't gravitating to this site when there are plenty of Vulcan sites they can get more information from.

I owned an 86 1300 prior to my current Voyager XII, and that's an even more rare bird than the XII.

The majority of the people on this board are here for the 1200, last built in 2003.

I know the history of the bike. That's not really the point of this discussion. The bottom line is the ranks of owners are dwindling, and the membership numbers reflect that alarming decline. We either figure out a way to stabilize that, or the AVA won't be here for ANY iteration of the Voyager.