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Front Page
The MAG Annual Group Conference 2002
Annual Reports by National Officers to the
AGC 2002
Why Me?
Possible New NC Post - Network Communications Officer
Daytime Headlights
Vehicle Excise Duty - Where MAG Stands and Why
Henry Marks Gets MAG into Parliament!
Free European Bike
Events for MAG Members
How Your NC Really Works
MAG and the Motorcycle Industry Association
Communicating With Clubs
Running a Local MAG Branch
MAG Events
Previous Issues
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Free European Bike Events for MAG Members
FEMA
As all MAG Reps will know, MAG is a key member of FEMA - the Federation of European Motorcyclists' Associations. The BMF is another major contributor as is SMC of Sweden. It
is a fact though that, apart from SMC with 65,000 individual members, none of the other national organisations is big enough or rich enough to put anywhere near enough money into FEMA.
Antonio Perlot
FEMA gets by on a shoe-string budget. The new General Secretary Antonio Perlot is without doubt one of the smartest, most sincere and most committed individuals that the world-wide riders' rights movement has ever
had the privilege and good fortune to recruit. Even so he is paid a pittance because there just isn't enough money to go around.
Recruit!
In the UK the main way for us to do our bit is to build MAG
up. The more money our events make and the more members we recruit, the more money we can put into FEMA. None of this is easy. Unlike the Swedes who are, it seems, great 'joiners', the Brits tend to be rather more
apathetic. There is however something else that all of us that are involved in the running of MAG events can do.
Just think how great it would be if we could say to every individual member of MAG
"Because you are a member of MAG UK you can get FREE entry to events in Europe that are run by other FEMA Member organisations!"
Well now we can. A few meetings back I discussed with other
leaders of the European Riders' Rights movement what we could do to boost membership of the individual national member organisations - MAG Belgium, CMI (Italy) and all the rest. The idea hit me that if we could each
offer free entry to our events to attendees who were members of other FEMA National Member Organisations, then those organisations could use that as a 'selling point' for to recruit members to their own
organisations.
Basically for us this just means formalising and advertising something that many of our events have always done. The Farmyard party is typical. The Farmyard always let foreign visitors in for
free just out of sheer camaraderie. Now it is a formal decision: Anyone who shows up at the Farmyard Party with a foreign registered bike, a passport for that country and a membership card for the FEMA member
organisation in that country will get in for free.
Our brother organisations love it. The can now say, in Germany, or Italy, or anywhere else on the continent - "Join us and because we are such a great
organisation with international connections, you can get into MAG UK events for free!" They recognise it for the recruiting value it holds. And because we have started the ball rolling, because we, MAG UK have
had the guts and the goodness to throw some MAG events into the hat, the continentals are responding. First off the mark (no pun intended!) is Kuhle Wampe, the great little German organisation that was a founder
member of FEM with us back in 1988. The Norwegians and Greeks have been quick to follow.
Biker Brotherhood - Walk the Walk
I've heard people talking about Biker Brotherhood for years. It means
different things to different people. All any of us can do is try and live up to our own interpretation of it. For me, amongst other things, it has always meant never passing anyone on a bike that has broken down
without stopping and trying to help, and always trying to be hospitable whenever I have had the pleasure of having fellow motorcyclists stay with me. It seems to mean a lot more on the continent though and British
bikers should take note.
The reaction to our offer of free tickets for Members of other FEMA Organisations was brilliant. The continental organisations were genuinely appreciative and all announced their
intention to advertise MAG UK events in their countries. These are sincere people. If we are going to get anywhere in the Riders Rights movement we have to start looking after each other more. Personally the best
Christmas or birthday present I could get would be the news that the membership of every other FEMA Member organisation had doubled or trebled. If that happened then FEMA's future would be secure and we would soon
have the politicians on the run.
What it means is walking the walk - actually doing the 'Biker Brotherhood' thing rather than just talking about it. It means, ideally, that every MAG UK event, however large
or small, should say to the continentals - "You come to our events, and provided you are contributing to this great international movement, provided that you are a paid up individual member of your national
riders' rights FEMA-member organisation, we will welcome you into our event free of charge. We will do that because we think it is just as important for Germany, for France, for Finland and every other European
country to have an organisation that is as robust and dedicated and true to the principles of the Riders Rights movement as is MAG UK" Please do it. Don't just talk the talk - walk the walk.
It Pays Too!
I have heard objections to this arrangement on the grounds that "But Neil, if 100 Germans turn up then we'll have lost £1500 in gate money!" Yes you will. That is a fact. But if
your event had never pulled in 100 Germans before anyway you would never have had their money in any case. Neither would you ever have been able to sell them beer, or patches, or pins, or T-shirts, or food or
anything else. All it boils down to is organisation. If you are going to let FEMA members in for free then have a dedicated 'Welcome Tent' where you can send them on arrival. Get ready to sell them patches, pins and
T-shirts. I know you don't all get a share of the bar profits on your events but at the end of the day, the more bikers you have on site, the more you can get from sponsorship, traders and the rest, if not this year
then next year.
I cannot make anyone do this and in any case, I don't want to MAKE anyone do it. All I can do is appeal to your common sense and something that - hopefully - all of us share; the desire to
build a massive unified European bikers' movement that can really change things for the better. Along the way we all might find that we have enriched our lives by living out something that has hitherto been
something of a cliché in the UK - real biker brotherhood.
I believe in it. Don't you?
Neil
List of Free European Bike Events for You to Enjoy!
Germany Kuhle Wampe Member Club events welcoming members of MAG UK:
"Pinguintreffen"
, Penguin Rally, 8 to 10 February 2002, KW Freiburg, near Triberg/Black Forest, Baden-Württemberg State.
"Familientreffen", Family Rally, 19 to 21 April 2002, KW Marburg, near Bracht, about
20km north-east of Marburg, Hessen State.
"Ziegeleitreffen", Brickworks Rally, 10 to 12 May 2002, KW Mainz, in the south, slightly out of town, Rheinland-Pfalz State.
"Megaphontreffen", Megaphon Rally, 26 to 28 July 2002, KW Hannover, location to be confirmed, Niedersachsen State.
"KW Sommertreffen", KW Summer Rally, 16 to 18 August 2002,
Federation of the Motorcycle Clubs Kuhle Wampe, Dassel-Lauenberg, between Holzminden and Northeim, Niedersachsen State.
"Heidelberger Herbsttreffen", Heidelberg Autumn Rally, 18 to 20 October
2002, KW Heidelberg, near Aglasterhausen, 30km south-east of Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg State.
These rallies are almost traditional type long-established German motorcycle events. All are camping events.
Some require self catering. Some provide full catering. Attendees should bring their own cup, plate, spoon/fork/knife. All are held in picturesque locations.
Greece
The 21st PanHellenic Super Rally. The
PanHellenic runs from 21st -24th June 2002 at a proper campsite, and is one of the most popular events in Southern Europe. Not only will MAG members get free entry, because Greece is so far away MOTOE is
offering MAG UK members a whole week's free camping as well from 17th to 24th June 2002. And it gets better. Those taking the boat from Italy to Greece (with the Anec - Lines) get a 30% discount if they
mention the PanHellenic Super Rally when booking!
Norway
The Norgestreffet Rally NMCU of Norway is offering free entry to the Norgestreffet Rally, Norway's largest motorcycle event. Norgestreffet attracts
some 2-3000 participants and is organised by NMCU each year in co-operation with one of its member clubs. Norgestreffet 2002 hosted by Sandnes MC will be held in Sandnes, near Stavanger, south-west Norway on 13th -
16th June 2002
Holland
MAG Holland has announced that all its events will participate. Details of events to follow.
To be eligible for free entry you must present a current UK passport and a
current, matching MAG full individual membership card. You must also be riding a bike with a UK registration plate.
Biker Brotherhood - Don't Just Talk the Talk, Walk the Walk
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