2022 - Issue # 3
COGnitions:
Ramblings from the Northeast Area Director
Greetings COG Northeast Have you been getting in lots of riding this year? I’m doing better that the last 2 years, but still not up to par. My bike needs new tires, keeping me to mostly local riding. The tires are in the garage, but I’m waiting on bearings, TPMS batteries, and Murph’s 90-degree stems to arrive before beginning the work. FALL RALLY: A ver y r ecent calendar addition is a no-fee Fall Rally, September 15-18 in Great Barrington MA. We’ve Steve Smith #3184 never had a rally here before, and the location offers terrific riding in all directions – especially the NY Hudson River Valley. Please book rooms ASAP - The room block is only being held until July 30. As I am wrapping up this column Kevin Martin submitted a Return to Vermont event over Labor Day weekend. Don’t forget the August Dog Days Weekend in Marlinton WV and Jason’s FOJ Weekend at the end of September, Bridge Day Weekend in October , and Brrr Ride in November . along with sever al day rides mixed in. Be sure to check out the club’s Event Calendar for details for all club events. The internet motorcycling community has been discussing the news that the Gold Wing Road Riders Association (GWRRA) announced they are shutting down operations. Their announcement stated the club was not sustainable due to a sharp drop from 82,000 to 10,000 members. If I recall correctly the GWRRA owned a building in Phoenix and had paid staff, a significant contrast in business model to that of all-volunteer operations as COG.
photo courtesy Bob Barbanti #7134
COG membership growth rate was always slowed by a relatively consistent churn rate during my tenure as the Northeast Area Director. When this means is the annual influx of new members slightly outnumbers those who leave the club. Most of the overall membership decline (possibly close to 40-50% attrition) was during the 2008-2010 years when the COG web domain was “hijacked”, and the economy busted and there were many fewer new members joining. Looking back at the past the past 2-3 years, COVID didn’t help, but the club membership numbers remained stable, although overall attendance at events was down. It is important to note that unlike many other clubs, COG does not rely on regional or national rally fees to sustain the club. All our events try to be self-funding, and all-volunteer run. I feel this is a factor why dues remained consistently low for many years. (Continued on page 2)