Message from Chairman Mike McGee

[vxiirider]

Sorry to report that I am one of the "dwindling" membership, didn't realize until to day that my membership expired last March, I have been a member since 2002 so you would think that I would remember. My renewal form and a check will be in the mail on Monday. I guess what woke me up was that I did not receive the last issue of the Voyagers Voice and started checking why that might be, must be "old timers " kicking in. Hope to be around to see many of you in Asheville next summer for our family reunion.

[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.

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.

Responding to your original post. You made it seem like only Voyager XII owners come to the AVA and that may be true. But the future is attracting the Voyager 1700 riders, and we can only do that when you XII owners stop making comments like Modern Cruiser with the Voyager badge.

The Voyager XII actually has a cruiser riding position. An engine configuration does not make a cruiser. The riding position does. Take a look at the Triumph and BMW cruisers. Remember the XS650 cruisers? The Kawasaki LTDs?

[ekap1200]

Well said David, Same Road, Same Wind... Personal preference of what a person rides should not make them a target for ridicule. And while I am not a big fan of V/engines I never make it point to put a person down for his/her choice. I like the looks of them all, and It should have no bearing on belonging to the AVA. As a mechanic I would try to offer advice on any make or model, to any member here on the forum, and would gladly welcome all riders to our family of the AVA. Gene and Marie Kap.

[debron]

You made it seem like only Voyager XII owners come to the AVA and that may be true.

Not true. While there were a lot of XIIs at the rally, there were also a lot of 1700s (more each year). . . and quite a few Goldwings. . . and (gulp!) a few Harley's! And a mix of others.

[gearheadfla]

Well said David, Same Road, Same Wind... Personal preference of what a person rides should not make them a target for ridicule. And while I am not a big fan of V/engines I never make it point to put a person down for his/her choice. I like the looks of them all, and It should have no bearing on belonging to the AVA. As a mechanic I would try to offer advice on any make or model, to any member here on the forum, and would gladly welcome all riders to our family of the AVA. Gene and Marie Kap.

Very true, I have both, a XII and a V-Twin Nomad, love riding both of them. It ain't about what you ride, it's how you roll.

[suzib6sw]

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.

where in Va? .. Im not far from Roanoke..

[AVAChmnMike]

I've read through all the comments and I have a couple of thoughts if you don't mind me wandering a little.

I do ask each and every one of our members when on the forum to treat others as you would like to be treated. I understand the comments made by Kawabunga. He was new here and I don't think we left a favorable impression. I don't think we should ever quantify someone's opinion based on whether they are paid members or not. Many of us have been long standing members. We would like others to join us, make us stronger. We are still representatives of our organization.

The board is re-structuring, taking into account how much many of us love the AVA. There is no doubt we have a lot of loyal members. As I asked before, we politely ask for your patience. A lot of things have been going on transferring leadership. It has not been without problems. That is to be expected. What we are doing is to keep the AVA operating. Those of you who would offer the opinion that the AVA is doomed and jump ship, I'm sorry. We have great people and bikes, no matter what make you ride. If you are a naysayer, most of us are here for a common reason; riding, friendship, sharing the ride, eating, charity work, technical information, etc.

Regarding the aging fleet of Kaws. No doubt many of the bikes (1300s, and 1200s) are getting long in the tooth. As well some of us are getting long in the tooth. When we hit our 50s, 60s, 70s, and now 80s, no traded us in. Okay, some of you have! We just treat the older ones a little differently. I groan everytime I get out of bed so I have to treat myself differently. Same with your bike. We have to treat them a little differently. Pay a little more attention to items you have not checked in a very long time. I have a 1976 KZ900 LTD, 37 years old this last May. I treat "her" differently than the other bikes. I am more cautios about giving her a good "once over" more often than the other bikes. We have five. I am now commuting to work with her once a week at least, 50 miles round trip. My point is, if you ever talked to Carl Leo whose XII has 250 or 300,000 miles on it. Carl will tell you this bike will last forever; if you take the time to take care of it. Fix the little problems. Don't wait for something to break and become a big problem.

The 1700. Most of you know I have a red/black 2010. Love the bike. The V-twin pulls nice and strong. Yes, it puts out more heat that the 1200 because it is 500 cc larger. More engine, more heat. It trailers great. Now it is not an in-line four; which I really wanted (I'm thinking about 1600 cc). So many people have heard AVA members talk the 1700 down. It is a great bike and the next step in the Voyager evolution. I'm am loyal to Kawasaki since 1974 (16 years old). If you want an in-line four, look at the Concours. Great bike, different configuation, different leg postion. Unbelieveable torque. Many riders loved the 1500 and 1600 Vulcans, great bikes. 1700 is a follow-on to a great platform. My point is, if you no longer think your 1200 is up to the challenge, put your baby aside for the short trips and round-towners, like my 900. Kawasaki makes other great bikes. Open our minds to possibilities. If you choose to move to another brand, Honda, HD, etc., you are always welcome. Ask anyone who comes to our rallies on another brand. All are welcome.

[Kevin B in Illinois]

Is there a reason that MaKaw hasn't put the AVA membership information pamplet in the new Vulcan Voyager 1700 paperwork as they did with the Voyager XII's. I know that this is something that created a lot of membership growth during the boom years of the Voyager XII. Still have the original paperwork package that has the nice little information page for the AVA inside the other paperwork for the Voyager XII and noticed the absence of this when I purchased the Vulcan Voyager 1700. I know that ROK has been supportive of the AVA over the last few years. This little piece of information in the ownership packet for a new owner of a 1700 might not seem like much, but it could spark interest and new members the way it used to. This was discussed during our club meeting this weekend and we were curious as to why this has stopped with the new bike's introduction.


Kevin Braddy
IPVMC
President

[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.

Responding to your original post. You made it seem like only Voyager XII owners come to the AVA and that may be true. But the future is attracting the Voyager 1700 riders, and we can only do that when you XII owners stop making comments like Modern Cruiser with the Voyager badge.

The Voyager XII actually has a cruiser riding position. An engine configuration does not make a cruiser. The riding position does. Take a look at the Triumph and BMW cruisers. Remember the XS650 cruisers? The Kawasaki LTDs?

Don't lump me in with those who bad mouth the latest iteration of the Voyager. I love the look of the bike. I just prefer the old configuration. They're beautiful bikes nonetheless.

Yes, we do need to attract those riders here, and I guess that means those who want to trash the bikes will be forced to be more accepting. As Jim said, it doesn't really matter what you ride. It's how you roll. My best friends ride Hondas, Harleys, and other brands. We ride together, tease each other for the stereotypes associated with our brands, and enjoy the fellowship of being on 2 wheels.

We love our bikes. We love riding. What we ride shouldn't divide the group.

[gearheadfla]

I have both a 1200 and a Nomad 1600, love them both for different reasons, when we was shopping for a second bike in the stable we shopped everything out there, if we would have when with a new bike it was down to between a Victory and a 1700, spent a lot of time at both dealerships checking them out, the 1700 was really singing and winking at me then we ran up on my Nomad at my buddies Victory store, and the deal he gave me I couldn't turn down, like Tim I ride with all the other brands, poke each other about rice and oil leaks but all in fun, it is how you roll that matters. To Mike Mcgee, I have also joined the Kawasaki Vulcan Forum, I see a few ways they raise money there with ads, all the forums there are open to everyone but the members only (sorta like here), they have 2 stages of paid membership, one year by year, one lifetime (20 year), the non-paid members are limited to X amount of post and pics, when you post a pick and someone reads the post the pics has a ad banner attached to the bottom of it. If you our another board member would like to check the out PM me and I will send the link via PM, it is a very busy site and includes all the V-Twin models from 800cc and up. Just a thought.

[Me Again]

when you post a pick and someone reads the post the pics has a ad banner attached to the bottom of it.

One of the really nice things about this forum ,is you don't have to deal with the ads.This was done intentionally and at the request of people who use the forum.I am not saying it couldn't /shouldn't be done ,but it is nice not to have them.(3cents)

[Bruce in OK]

when you post a pick and someone reads the post the pics has a ad banner attached to the bottom of it.

One of the really nice things about this forum ,is you don't have to deal with the ads.This was done intentionally and at the request of people who use the forum.I am not saying it couldn't /shouldn't be done ,but it is nice not to have them.(3cents)

It is nice to come to a site without ads. I would like advertising to be used as a "last resort" to keep the forums going.

[phill12]

It's not the marque that makes the group great, It's all about the friends and people you get to know. I ride a gold wing trike and have been a member here over 6 years.

[Neill004]

Although my Xii is in NJ, I live in Ireland and will be back Stateside on Aug.23rd for a 3 week coast to coast trip. I only joined last year when I purchased the Voyager to replace a Concours. I will be renewing as soon as the online facility is back up.
Last year my back shock burst in upstate NY and it was so usefull to consult my members book and phone a nearby owner who pointed me to an excellent dealer, Ithaca Recreation Sports, who sourced and fitted a Progressive shock inside 24hrs. This alone was worth the membership fee.
As an aid to the club finances, can I suggest that a lot of money could be saved by giving members the option of receiving the magazine online. For members who are overseas it would also make their subscription much more affordable.
Neil & Sandra
Xii
Concours
Ninja 650
VFR800
RC30
CB1100R

[VoyKimmer]

Good point. This is how I found out about the AVA when I brought my 2002 XII brand new in 2004. I have run across a lot of Voyager owners that have never heard of the AVA.

Is there a reason that MaKaw hasn't put the AVA membership information pamplet in the new Vulcan Voyager 1700 paperwork as they did with the Voyager XII's. I know that this is something that created a lot of membership growth during the boom years of the Voyager XII. Still have the original paperwork package that has the nice little information page for the AVA inside the other paperwork for the Voyager XII and noticed the absence of this when I purchased the Vulcan Voyager 1700. I know that ROK has been supportive of the AVA over the last few years. This little piece of information in the ownership packet for a new owner of a 1700 might not seem like much, but it could spark interest and new members the way it used to. This was discussed during our club meeting this weekend and we were curious as to why this has stopped with the new bike's introduction.


Kevin Braddy
IPVMC
President

[Okie34]

I've often wondered why we can't come up with Brochures (printable trifold duplex) and ask our local Kawasaki Dealers to include this with the various bikes that are sold. For those on the 1700's there are two options available, VROC and AVA. Concours has COG, and of course, our venerable moldy oldies the XII and XIII.

If a Local Chapter is available, then one would include that as well as the National AVA Contact information. Don't get me wrong, I know cash is scarce or we would be discussing this right now, eh? It would mean getting the Dealer on board simply by placing a appropriate Kawasaki Sponsored group brochure in with the final paperwork and send it home with the Buyer. Having a good rapport with the local dealer would be a plus. Printing them ourselves or paying a local print shop for say, 100 copies really isn't that much.

-- JD

[Kevin B in Illinois]

I'm pretty sure the AVA has attempted to get the membership information to be put in with the other new owners brochures and paperwork that MaKaw supplies with the new bikes, the AVA used to have this accomplished on the new Voyagers that dealerships sold. Not sure, this may be a direction that MaKaw is taking since they have established the ROK club. Don't really know. I do know that it doesn't cost much to make a trifold brochure on your computer and to take it to your local dealer and ask that they have these to distribute to new owners. I have done this as well as contact cards that several local dealers have to give to owners. Definitely something that hopefully will be addressed with the new leadership to help put the word out to new owners through the manufacturer.


Kevin Braddy
IPVMC
President