GWRRA....thinking of joining, any thoughts on this group?

[1BigDog]

Thinking of joining the GWRRA as an assoc member. A few friends have wings and have hinted at my joining. They seem to have some good benefits. Anyone else here a member and do you have any feedback, pro and con. No, im not getting a wing either so lets nip that one in the bud.

Edited October 23, 2009 by Ruffy

[FreezyRider]

Thinking of joining the GWRRA as an assoc member. A few friends have wings and have hinted at my joining. They seem to have some good benefits. Anyone else here a mamber and do you have any feedback, pro and con. No, im not getting a wing either so lets nip that one in the bud.

 

I was a member for about 6 years, did not renew the last time it came due. Never used any of their benefits.

In my opinion, they are a much less friendly group. Seem to have constant spats, like to tear someone apart for asking a question if they feel that it has been asked to often.

 

Venturerider is far an away the best I've ever been involved with.

[frogmaster]

There is a huge thread here http://gl1800riders.com/forums/forums.php

[ScottXD45]

They put on a charity ride here in Terre Haute. They all seemed very nice and welcoming to me and my girlfriend even though we were riding my Venture and not a Goldwing. It was a fun ride.

[1BigDog]

I was a member for about 6 years, did not renew the last time it came due. Never used any of their benefits.

In my opinion, they are a much less friendly group. Seem to have constant spats, like to tear someone apart for asking a question if they feel that it has been asked to often.

 

Venturerider is far an away the best I've ever been involved with.

 

Oh, no doubt about that one. I have no plans to leave here at all. Just looking for a local group to go riding with on occasion. I like the towing benefits and after my last few outings with the battery, well, you know. I got a meeting with them on Tuesday night. Ill see how I feel about them then. The local chapter is relatively small here, which is good.

 

Oh, Joe, PICS???? Or have you forgotten???

 

There is a huge thread here http://gl1800riders.com/forums/forums.php

 

Thanks for the link. Ill check it out....

[capn eddie]

I was a member when i had my GW they were always nice to me and my friends it 's a good club you won't be sorry if you join. i always got awnsers to posts in there tech forum with no problems. Everyone i met at the rallys were friendly and willing to help in anyway they could.

[irydasteelhorse]

im a charter member of MT-B here in billings mt. i have been a member now 17 years. i have to say that the local group has been great to me, and in fact, one of the best men i ever knew (now deceased) was a charter member also, and hes the reason i ride a venture today. i also have a hotrod goldwing. if youre joining only for the bene's, remember that full benefits apply only to full members, those with a wing. ive never had to use any of them. there is a lot of socializing, which is great , and dinner rides etc. the only gripe i have, as a group, is more emphasis on recruiting and volunteering, than on the bike and the ride. thats why i ride........the BIKE and the RIDE. overall a great bunch of people, and if you ever get to go to a "wing-ding" youll enjoy it alot.

[1BigDog]

From what I was told as an assoc member I would get full benefits, other than being able to run for any kind of official position for which I have no interest in. Ill see how the meeting goes on Tuesday. The treasurer is a co-worker and he has been talking up the group. Im kinda sorta a loner myself so ill see how I feel after the meeting.

[KarlS]

I was a member when I had my Wing. Went to the weekly dinner rides and a couple of their sponsored rides. Nice people but a lot more riding done on this site by far.

[BOO]

(I'll try and make this short)

One of the fellas I ride with belongs to the Goldwing deal. A bunch of us were riding out to Iowa to meet some guys for breakfast and one of the other Goldwing riders bike broke down. Alternator went bad. We sat under an overpass for a couple of hours trying to get a dealer to come get the broken bike to no avail. Finally the guy that belonged to GWRRA called them just to find out who would be sent if the member needed a tow. Turned out if you are riding along with a member and your bike breaks down they will tow your bike for free. I'm going to repeat that..... If you are riding along with a member of the GWRRA then you can have your bike towed for free.

I have towing insurance/motel stay etc but I'm pretty sure it won't cover people riding with me.

Just a little info.

BOO

[MPK]

I am a member of GWRRA, although don't have time to be active in a chapter right now. I was a member of a chapter when I lived in the Binghamton, NY. They were all very nice and didn't pressure me to do anything I didn't feel like. Several of the members rode other brands. They scheduled quite a few rides, especially Ice Cream runs or some other eating event (we all hate those) during the warmer weather. As far as benefits, I haven't used any either, except for receiving the Wing World magazine each month. If you travel, the Gold Book is worth the membership fee alone. I have talked to guys who have called for help, and like I've seen from comments regarding the group here, do so with no fuss.

[ediddy]

I was a member for one year. Good bunch of people but a little too structured for me. I have been in civic clubs over the years, kiwanis, rotary, jaycees, and don't care for that anymore. All of the GWRRA rides usually start around 4:00pm and you get home after dark. I don't like to ride much after dark. It probably varies by club but I just wasn't looking for all the structure, meeting, officers, projects etc. I just want to get together and ride when I can.

[tazmocycle]

I HAVE SEVERAL FRIENDS THAT ARE IN THE GWRRA AND THEY DO HAVE A LOT OF RIDES AND FUN AT THEIR MEETS. a close friend started a new chapter here and he make sure everybody has a good time and he keeps a close watch and deals with anything that comes up with his chapter. i think that is the right way to do it. in 2000 i had a 82 wing and 99 v-star 65o and was invited by a gwrra member thats was a friend of mine to see if i wanted to join. i rode my v-star to the meet and nobody would even talk to me even thro i was with my friends, until they told them who i was and 'THAT I HAD A GOLDWING'. went i left i told them i wouldn't be joining because of the way i had been greeted at first. i have found out thru the years that about all of the BRAND NAME CLUBS ARE LIKE THAT if you don't have the kind of bike they all have in common, you are treated differant(gwrra, star touring, hog and bmw- ones i have delt with). you can always give it a try and see how it is and then decide(some will let you attend a few ride without being a member).

[1BigDog]

I was a member for one year. Good bunch of people but a little too structured for me. I have been in civic clubs over the years, kiwanis, rotary, jaycees, and don't care for that anymore. All of the GWRRA rides usually start around 4:00pm and you get home after dark. I don't like to ride much after dark. It probably varies by club but I just wasn't looking for all the structure, meeting, officers, projects etc. I just want to get together and ride when I can.

 

Yea Eddie, I too gave this some thought. Anyone who knows me knows im not a structured person.

 

I HAVE SEVERAL FRIENDS THAT ARE IN THE GWRRA AND THEY DO HAVE A LOT OF RIDES AND FUN AT THEIR MEETS. a close friend started a new chapter here and he make sure everybody has a good time and he keeps a close watch and deals with anything that comes up with his chapter. i think that is the right way to do it. in 2000 i had a 82 wing and 99 v-star 65o and was invited by a gwrra member thats was a friend of mine to see if i wanted to join. i rode my v-star to the meet and nobody would even talk to me even thro i was with my friends, until they told them who i was and 'THAT I HAD A GOLDWING'. went i left i told them i wouldn't be joining because of the way i had been greeted at first. i have found out thru the years that about all of the BRAND NAME CLUBS ARE LIKE THAT if you don't have the kind of bike they all have in common, you are treated differant(gwrra, star touring, hog and bmw- ones i have delt with). you can always give it a try and see how it is and then decide(some will let you attend a few ride without being a member).

 

Thought about that too. Most of the wing riders I have encountered always seem to place themselves on a higher playing field. Just yesterday, while cruising on A1A I waved to a pack of passing wings and all I got were a bunch of hard stares. Guess im leaning on not joining after taking into consideration all of the responses here.

[wild hair 39]

try riding a COWasaki voyager with ther group,i was totaley ignored,almost as bad as sume other bikers i know of:ignore:

[1BigDog]

Well, after meeting with the group on Tuesday I went ahead and joined as an associate member. Told them one of my priorities was to get my RSV pic in Wing World magazine. I was warmly welcomed by the group so I figured ill give it a shot for a year.

[The Hat]

My wife and I were Charter Members of a GWRRA club here in Canada. At first most of it was great! Good people lots of rides.

Then we started noticing that it was always costing us money. Buy these crests, buy these same colored shirts (can you say uniform), buy this, buy that, buy this meal. The rides were also starting to cost. Food gas & accomodations.

Then there was the safety aspect and training (which was a great learning tool for riding in groups). Once we were told we all had to back our bikes into the parking area and turn our front wheels to the left so they all face the same way and look great...that's when I had enough.

The leader of the club also had a problem with someone that came for coffee where 2 groups met. He came to be with one group and was told he couldn't ride with the GWRRA group because he didn't have a Goldwing. I almost lost it.

However, I must say that not all groups are like that. Only the one we were with. That group is now all but gone.

[dynodon]

I have an '86 VR and NO "wing". I am a STAR member, and a member here, and I also joined the local GW chapter and national after seeing that they met in my home town every month.

 

I was welcomed from the start, even though I wore my STAR vest to the first few meetings!

 

I have been to a few meetings, and am going through some of their safety/ride captain sessions. But I mainly go on their local/area rides. I may go on a longer ride with them at some point.

 

I am glad you joined up, as you have read, there are differences between all sorts of groups, but mostly any group just wants people to have fun with and bike make/model is not much of a deal.

 

If you decide your aren't into the meetings, don't go to many, choose the rides you like, nobody said you have to do everything!

 

I have always been greeted warmly, and people always like to see my "old" Yamaha.

 

This group locally is somewhat older than I am, so a benefit is that I feel young! But don't assume they let grass grow under their tires. First few rides with them I had to really crank the throttle to keep up. Those wings fly!

 

The Gold Book is a valuable tool, and the benefits are real and worth much more than the membership fee.