Any Ulysses riders here?

[Holy Roller]

Now that I'm old enough to join as a junior member and have attended two mandatory runs all that is left is to pay the subs.
How long have you been in Ulysses?
How many Rallies do you go on?
Any advise for a young un....
Gordon

[Two Smoker]

Now that I'm old enough to join as a junior member and have attended two mandatory runs all that is left is to pay the subs.
How long have you been in Ulysses?
How many Rallies do you go on?
Any advise for a young un....
Gordon
Im a infant in Ulysses Club terms lol.... although i went on the westpac Fundraising Ride..

[Lou Girardin]

I've thought about it, but it's the last step in the biker ageing process. Maybe when I buy a Bandit.
Lou

[Blackbird]

I've thought about it, but it's the last step in the biker ageing process. Maybe when I buy a Bandit.
Lou

I'm 56 but NOT a Ulysses member. Some branches have a good mix of people and machinery, but my local branch are just into cruisers and that is definitely not my scene! I go along with growing old discracefully though! :rockon:

[White trash]

They're not too disgracefull though, are they.

I'm looking forward to growing up and joining, so I can be called a wanker and told to piss off for my riding style :D

[merv]

I joined in 1996 Wellington Branch. I always liked the monthly runs many of which you can see the pics of on my website http://bikemerv.topcities.com/

I've never bothered with the rallies as I'm more into the comforts of home at my age than to be sleeping in a tent or a cabin.

Ulysses always seems to suffer on and off from too much bureaucracy - they are an incorporated society I think, so there is always the officialdom that goes with that, so there's all the election of officers, rule books and stuff like that. Me I'm just a rider and I don't get into the politics of things. I like to leave all that kind of stuff at work and relax in my time off.

The real key to how enjoyable it is for me is who takes on the role of runs coordinator and where they decide the rides should go. They do need to make up a runs schedule that suits all types as there are some faster riders and there are some very slow ones. So the success or otherwise of all this is very dependent on who is taking charge at your local branch and whether you like the way they do stuff.

In the last year I have not been on one of their runs for a number of reasons. One is few of them seem to have embraced the technological age and they don't keep in touch electronically so unless you go to the monthly meeting (and I don't - can't be bothered put up with the smoke filled air at the Petone Working Men's Club - just go to the annual AGM each May) you never know where the next run is going to. Next reason is I have been run off my feet of late doing other stuff in my time off work and lastly just about every week the Ulysses monthly ride has been on wake up Sunday morning and look out the window, the weather's been crap so back to bed. Case in point was February's ride was due to go to Apiti on Sunday, by Monday the area around Feilding was a disaster area and it was pissing down in Wellington on Sunday - rang my mate who's a fellow Ulyssian and we agreed yeah back to bed. No point being stupid just because we are old.

When I first joined others seemed to ridicule Ulysses for being nothing but a pub crawl - it may have been before 1996 - but it has not been like that in our branch since I have been a member. We stop at pubs at times for food and minimal drinks - me I stick to soft drink. There may still be others in other branches that drink too much but I haven't met them.

I have also been a member of e-Riders since 1994 (it started as Sawyers by invitation club so I got invited along when I bought my VFR) and it runs altogether a whole lot easier than Ulysses - no rules, no fees just fun and with Lynda at the helm now we are all kept on our toes and everything is totally informal and we seem to have no hassles. All communication is now electronic except when we are actually together face to face. The guys starting Club 250 and others on this site are probably taking a similar line and my advice to them would be keep it simple, just enjoy.

With this website there is now such an easy means of people being able to meet each other. Ulysses have a threaded discussion page on their website but its not so easy to use and is not as active. I am up for membership renewal end of this year for Ulysses - $55 for 3 years - can't begrudge it really and you get a quarterly glossy mag for that. I still pay my membership of Hawkes Bay Motorcycle Club too and I haven't lived in HB for 31 years but I started my riding with them and have continued to support the club.

Look out for me as I have a Ulysses badge on both my bikes #3590. Motu you shouldn't have any problem recognising me at Pukemanu anyway as I doubt there will be too many short arse WR250s there.

[Cajun]

Now that I'm old enough to join as a junior member and have attended two mandatory runs all that is left is to pay the subs.
How long have you been in Ulysses?
How many Rallies do you go on?
Any advise for a young un....
Gordon


Well i'm a little young to be in Ulysses but my father in law is the Presient of the Tauranga Ulysses branch.

Most of our local ulysses know us, cause we help out at lot of the local events/rallys they hold, so we are pretty much members go on all the rides can go on all the events.

We normal go on 2 rallys a year father in law goes on a good 6 to 7 a year. Its really up to you how many you go on what you feel like, you should always go to your local clubs rally, and often just choose different rallys each year to go to, if you tryed to go to everything you would be out of the house all weekend which normal doesn't go down well with rest of family most of time. He has been a member for about 10 years now.

Not all ulysses clubs are slow, there are quiet a few of them in the tauranga branch which are on rf900 vtr1000 and so on and we go for a good blast, there are the others at other end that don't go over 100km/h but thats what its all about.

One of the best things i have found is alot of the old members know alot of the old country roads and find many different ways of getting places.

[Blackbird]

Well i'm a little young to be in Ulysses but my father in law is the Presient of the Tauranga Ulysses branch.

I've probably met your father in law then as I showed a whole bunch of riders from Tauranga Ulysses round the Kinleith pulp and paper mill a while back. Great bunch of people and some good machinery, including an Aprilia.

Cheers

Geoff

[Andrew]

Hey KK - How long till we can join the Ulysses club? :banana:

[Two Smoker]

Hey KK - How long till we can joing Ulysses club? :banana:
About a million years........, 40 to become a junior member

[Cajun]

I've probably met your father in law then as I showed a whole bunch of riders from Tauranga Ulysses round the Kinleith pulp and paper mill a while back. Great bunch of people and some good machinery, including an Aprilia.

Cheers

Geoff
Yeah could of done he is a fat man with a bmw k12rs(horrible machine these)

[bondagebunny]

Now that I'm old enough to join as a junior member and have attended two mandatory runs all that is left is to pay the subs.
How long have you been in Ulysses?
How many Rallies do you go on?
Any advise for a young un....
Gordon


they should down da gang HQ eh boy, wiff da rest of da bro's

[White trash]

they should down da gang HQ eh boy, wiff da rest of da bro's

What the.....? :laugh:

'Bunny, you crack me up every time!

[Yarg]

I've been in Ulysses since 1997. Never been to Rally yet but working on it.
need to pick the runs that interest you and pic the right RIC.(Rider in charge)
I have certaintly found more interesting roads to ride since I have joined and most members are happy to share their knowledge.
each to their own I guess. :yeah:

[NZred]

They're not too disgracefull though, are they.

I'm looking forward to growing up and joining, so I can be called a wanker and told to piss off for my riding style :D


Shucks.. you don't gotta be a member for us to bad mouth you.. we can do that now. :laugh: :rolleyes:

[White trash]

Shucks.. you don't gotta be a member for us to bad mouth you.. we can do that now. :laugh: :rolleyes:

:D Yeah. My wifes uncle is quite into it here in Wgtn and whenever we meet him and the crew on the road it's always a bit of humour.

They don't seem like a bad bunch of guys all in all and as Keith Code says "Anyone riding is already doing more right than wrong"

[MikeL]

I joined Ulysses at the beginning of last year. Having got back into riding after a lengthy absence I didn't know any other riders, so it was a good way to make some new friends. For most of last year I went on almost every Ulysses weekend ride as well as the monthly meetings. The rides were well organized and lots of fun. The reason I don't ride as much with the group now is that since then I've made quite a few other biker friends and I generally prefer the smaller group rides. But I would still recommend Ulysses because of the social activities and also the fact that for the older beginner or person getting back into riding it's a friendly, non-intimidating scene with lots of helpful advice from experienced members. There's no pressure to out-ride your capabilities, but you can still push yourself if you want to as most rides generally split into 2 or 3 bunches with the faster riders going ahead (and sometimes getting lost!).
A great bunch of people, I think.

[Podo]

I'm glad to see the positive comments outweigh the negative comments on this subject. Like many others I returned to motorcycling after a long absence bringing up family etc. By joining Ulysses on my return opened many excellent riding opportunities, rider training with Fred Merkel and Brian Bernard, lots of social activity, information and technology. Yep there is the politics too but remember this exists in all groups of people (even this one) and some enjoy that aspect anyway. I don't intend repeating what has already been covered, but one thing to remember is Ulysses is a strong political voice for the world of motorcycling, all ages, I promise you that your registration fees would be seriously higher if it were't for the political lobbying (and I mean lobbying at the highest level, not protesting) of Ulysses, so if you see a Ulybod be nice to him or her, they probably already helped save you a $100 during the past year alone!

[merv]

Good to hear from you Podo and after saying I hadn't been on a Ulysses run for a while I went on the Wellington one two Sundays ago pics here http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showthread.php?t=2258 and because our weather seems to have finally settled we got a good turnout.

Certainlly agree with what you say about rego fees as Peter McIntosh (and the rest of the National Committee) put a lot of effort into lobbying Ruth Dyson to keep the ACC fees down. It seems the war is not fully won yet though.

[Podo]

Yeah Merv,

it's hard to beat the tax juggernaut eh, but hey we get in there and try, anyway just giving the Ulybods a plug, which we deserve! I know of no other Motorcyclists Club that is more active, I guess 5,000 plus NZ members tells its own story.

[Cajun]

damn striaght podo you tell them

how many kms on that zrx or yours now??

Do you need any more marsels for the easter egg run, i be avaiable if ya want, got my own bright vest from work

let me know

[Podo]

Have done 2,746 kms, yet it seems like we have been nowhere, nearly all in the rain! Love to have ya on board at the EE Run as a Marshal, bring vest.

[Cajun]

Have done 2,746 kms, yet it seems like we have been nowhere, nearly all in the rain! Love to have ya on board at the EE Run as a Marshal, bring vest.

Yeah i not done a great deal or riding lately been busy with the new job and stuff, but getting there tho
Sweet as i bring my vest its fun racing down main mount beach on wrong side of road going fast (c:<
Hopeful my new bike be here soon i'm looking at getting a gsxr600

[Motu]

I'm the guy who overcharges low income earners to fix their cars,finding faults that don't exist,or damaging already good parts so I can replace them - inflating the prices 3 or 4 times their real worth,my workmanship is so low standard that I have a steady inflow of return work,then I charge them again to do the job I just did,replacing the still perfect parts with second hand ones I took off another car.This is the reason their kids get no Xmas or birthday presents and have to wear rags,it's me who is the cause of their suffering,the reason they go to school with no lunch or just a bag of cheezils.

It's a tough life,but someones gotta do it.

[merv]

I'm the guy who overcharges low income earners to fix their cars,finding faults that don't exist,or damaging already good parts so I can replace them - inflating the prices 3 or 4 times their real worth,my workmanship is so low standard that I have a steady inflow of return work,then I charge them again to do the job I just did,replacing the still perfect parts with second hand ones I took off another car.This is the reason their kids get no Xmas or birthday presents and have to wear rags,it's me who is the cause of their suffering,the reason they go to school with no lunch or just a bag of cheezils.

It's a tough life,but someones gotta do it.

Enough to drive anyone to join Ulysses huh!!

[Motu]

What the hell happened there???!!! I posted that in the job thread,when it didn't appear I thought I must of closed explorer before it went or a mod stepped in.WTF,it can stay here!

[shafty]

Yeah could of done he is a fat man with a bmw k12rs(horrible machine these)Hey Cajun, don't go offending Mac!!l :banana: ol

[Menial]

gg this thread is a bit old lol

[Cajun]

Hey Cajun, don't go offending Mac!!l :banana: ol


I offend him if he want, i see you bright a peice of junk as well.
hehehhe

any rides happening this weekend shafty??

I wanna go for a ride on saturday

[Podo]

That sounds like Mac' speak!

[Cajun]

yeah it takes the tauranga Ulysses rides a little while to catch up with the plot

hahaha

[magnum]

shit if you gotta be 40 to be a junior member how old to be a senior,120? :puke: :baby:

[pete376403]

they not called seniors, just not juniors - happens at 50

[shafty]

Cajun, no rides Saturday that I'm aware of - weather looks bleak anyhow so I'll be studying, but there is that Sunday one I e-mailed you at work about.
This months E-Newsletter came out today also...................Shafty :banana: