Tom's Words of Wisdom November 05

[M]

Well, thats an interesting thought about formalising the club - though I think that goes against the original ethos of its formation. The bit about liability needs careful thought - read the legal bit of the forum.

Otherwise a good and informative months ramblings. Good luck with the floor - Im in the process of contamplating ripping up the floor to the extesnsion to re-lay a DPM and limur the floor (currently chipboard) as I feel the existing DPM has failed as there is a patch of damp rising in one small area - you have my sympathies.

Intersting thought of how much your HP cit can actually get away with lugging? How much can the rear spheres lift before they say "NO"?

[Philip Chidlow]

Inevitable that the Club will need to be more formalised, because as membership grows there is going to be a lot more for the active members of the Club to coordinate.

I have no problem myself with a small membership fee and have no issues over establishing a structure. The problem clubs in general have is that they become dominated (and PLEASE don't take this as applying to this Club) by a few members who, for often purely innocent reasons (more time to participate for instance), are regarded as a clique by the other, more passive members. I think a Club needs meets - including an annual rally, a newsletter/online magazine, a welcome pack for new members and pan-European partnerships. It needs a more accessible Classifieds element, that will encourage advertisers and make finding the right car more than a hopeful daily check on eBay.

All in all, despite the utopian dream of a loose association, I think to be realistic we should embrace the challenges the Club faces and provide a good framework before it gets too nebulous.

PS I would argue that regionalising the Club á la CCC would be a mistake at this moment.

[mat_fenwick]

I wouldn't be averse to paying a fee - I mean after all we are all getting something out of it; and the people who run the site/club are giving up their time to do so. (A big thanks to them all!)

[mat_fenwick]

Intersting thought of how much your HP cit can actually get away with lugging? How much can the rear spheres lift before they say "NO"?

I've had 400kg of steel in the back; maybe we should start a new thread with our records

I'd make sure the rear struts are in good nick before attempting a load, they have a tendency to corrode through...

[Stewart (oily!)]

I once loaded an awful lot of chain in the back, wrongly too as it was right at the back of the boot, the car felt very light on the steering going home but lifted up as if empty.
Stewart

[Calfskin]

I think formalising this club would be inevitable eventually. I also would have no qualms paying a fee, I mean, it is a valuable resource for this car (as are the members! ).

The club isn't big enough for regionalising, and with a model specific club like this, it may not ever be viable, especially up here in Scotland as you can probably count the number of runnning BXs on your fingers! Linking up with other clubs is definately a good idea. As I'm sure many of us love more than the BX, indeed, I have a penchant for an XM, SM & DS.

As long as the place keeps to its original brief, then it should continue to prosper.

The heaviest load Rene took on the rear was three pushbikes and a slightly rotund Halfords bloke showing how strong his bike rack was... Needless to say that I wasn't impressed... LOL

Calfskin
Counting down the days till Rene is back on the road!

[cavmad]

I think there`s probably a lot of good to be had from a membership fee. If you look at how much help is freely available on this forum then a fee would be a small price to pay for stuff like technical help and explanations. I`ve certainly benefitted hugely from the members on here and a yearly `donation` of a club fee would be fine by me.

[Philip Chidlow]

I agree. Thanks to everyone who's helped.

[Geoffrey Gould]

Amazing club, friendly and ever helpful long may it prosper. My sincere thanks to everyone.
A fee would not present a problem and would be a small thank you for all the hard work ( unpaid may I say.) provided.
Cheers.
Geoff.