Dry Club or Not?

[Magdave]

If you have a DUI you cannot enter Canada. They consider it an aggravated felony up there I just heard this when John Stamos (Full House) got picked up over the weekend. He is filming in Canada and if convicted he won't be anymore. :dontknow:

 

[MouthPiece]

It's all about choice.

Chris

 

[MEP]

We have a chapter of SRA here in Sacramento and we have made the decision that we would be a "Dry Club", ie we don't allow the consumption of alcohol on any of our Club Sanctioned Rydes. I am totally in favor of this as I don't want anything clouding my mind while I am ryding, and I recall the scenery much better that way. I have my cocktail when the motorcycle is put away! This has caused some issue with some members and I was wondering, how do other clubs out ther handle this? Is alcohol consumption tolerated out there? Do you I force any kind of limits if you are not dry? I would be interested in your responses.

Thanks,

Wise move on the part of your group to prohibit alcohol altogether while participating in a group sponsored or sanctioned ride. Trying to figure out and enforce some kind of a limit on alcohol consumption has its own set of problems, and leaving it up to individuals to monitor themselves would need to work consistently 100% of the time to be effective and reliable. There is no margin for error. In my opinion, your group's policy keeps it simple and safe for everyone.

 

[ARtraveler]

I have a feeling we are in for a lively discussion on this subject.

Way to go Pirate :bowdown:

Our club does not have a written policy on the use of alcohol. I have been in the club since 2001 and am now the "longest" member with the group.

We have never had an issue with drinkers, or had to drive someone home because they came to the meeting blitzed.

Peer pressure seems to be the rule. Most do not drink and ride. Our meal stop is at the end of each ride and there are a couple that will have a beer with their sandwitch or meal--myself included--sometimes. I have never seen anyone put down more than one beer--most of the time they drink about half. The meal lasts for an hour or more. The group breaks up at the restaurant and most do their own ride home.

DUI is a hefty fine now in Alaska and they are putting people in jail for many years if they are involved in an accident/death situation.

Ideally, the drinking of alcohol should not be mixed with motorcycling or any driving and should be done after the ride and at home. Realistic: Similar to the above is what is going to happen.

My two cents on the subject.

 

[cuznjohn]

i don't drink, i hate people that drink to the point of being stupid, but my 2 cents on this is that a person in the club should have a 1 to two beer limit. i ride with people that when they get off a bike after a ride, they like to sit down and eat and have a beer, so this my my thought because you might lose riding members who enjoy a beer or just walk off and sneak one

 

[Pirate looks at --]

Agreed

I have a feeling we are in for a lively discussion on this subject.

Way to go Pirate :bowdown:

Our club does not have a written policy on the use of alcohol. I have been in the club since 2001 and am now the "eldest long standing" member.

We have never had an issue with drinkers, or had to drive someone home because they came to the meeting blitzed.

Peer pressure seems to be the rule. Most do not drink and ride. Our meal stop is at the end of each ride and there are a couple that will have a beer with their sandwitch or meal--myself included--sometimes. I have never seen anyone put down more than one beer--most of the time they drink about half. The meal lasts for an hour or more. The group breaks up at the restaurant and most do their own ride home.

DUI is a hefty fine now in Alaska and they are putting people in jail for many years if they are involved in an accident/death situation.

Ideally, the drinking of alcohol should not be mixed with motorcycling or any driving and should be done after the ride and at home. Realistic: Similar to the above is what is going to happen.

My two cents on the subject.

Thanks for the reply. I am sure the discussion will get deep. I personally have no issue with people that want to have a drink on a ryde, and in the correct situation (not a club ryde) I will have that beer too. I am just interested in the input from all angles. Thanks!

 

[robmorg]

Curious... How Did This Come Up?

We have a chapter of SRA here in Sacramento and we have made the decision that we would be a "Dry Club", ie we don't allow the consumption of alcohol on any of our Club Sanctioned Rydes. I am totally in favor of this as I don't want anything clouding my mind while I am ryding, and I recall the scenery much better that way. This has caused some issue with some members and I was wondering, how do other clubs out ther handle this? Is alcohol consumption tolerated out there? Do you I force any kind of limits if you are not dry? I would be interested in your responses.

Thanks,

It has never come up at our club. I've seen one or two guys have one beer with lunch, but have never observed anyone drink any more than that while on a ride. Frankly it struck me as odd that this would even be an issue with an SRA club. What caused it to be a concern at your club? Were there members who were consuming too much alcohol on rides? Does SRA require that this issue be addressed in the club rules?

 

[pitzerwm]

Unlike a Harley club, the average age of a Spyder owner is probably 60. Most people 60 unless an alcoholic controls their drinking. Making rules probably wouldn't really fix anything and might turn off some. I'd think that if you had a member that was a problem you could deal with that one member. I'm personally not much of a joiner because that a lot of "clubs" make a bunch of unnecessary rules which are then unevenly enforced.

IMO I'd leave it alone. Deal with any problem on a needed basis.

Personally, I drink some and really DO NOT care for a person that can't handle their booze. They are excluded from my circle.

 

[viperryder]

Drinking and driving

We ryde with GWRRA members most of the time. We have drinkers, myself included, but when the bike is put up for the day or night we will at times have some alcohol, but not to extremes. This is sort of an unwritten rule, but everybody follows it. Good points.

 

[Ex Winger]

I belong to a CMC club where they have a no alcohol policy.It,s all across Canada and I think it,s a great idea out on club rides.If I,m with a buddy out for a Sunday ride we,llstop for lunch have a nice meal and a cold beer.Sit and talk probably an hour or so.Then finish our ride.
Bill

 

[Pirate looks at --]

Never a problem

Unlike a Harley club, the average age of a Spyder owner is probably 60. Most people 60 unless an alcoholic controls their drinking. Making rules probably wouldn't really fix anything and might turn off some. I'd think that if you had a member that was a problem you could deal with that one member. I'm personally not much of a joiner because that a lot of "clubs" make a bunch of unnecessary rules which are then unevenly enforced.

IMO I'd leave it alone. Deal with any problem on a needed basis.

Personally, I drink some and really DO NOT care for a person that can't handle their booze. They are excluded from my circle.

This was never a problem. Just a decision made when the club was formed.

 

[SpyderAnn01]

Pirate, I think that you guys have the most organized SRA club and I commend you for having this rule. Nevada just changed the classification of a Spyder from a motorcycle to a tri-mobile. Tri-mobiles in NV are not required to have a motorcycle endorsement or to wear a helmet. I am seriously considering changing our SRA bylaws to require all riders wear helmets and proper riding gear on club rides and that newcomers be required to pass some sort of skills test. The issue of drinking has never come up on any of our rides and I can honestly say that I have never seen one of our members order a drink when we have stopped. Sometimes we meet for dinner and I think some may have had drinks then but we are not riding to or from these dinners as a group.

I guess it boils down to do your members want to follow this rule or not, and if not, then they should be removed from the club.

 

[mxz600]

It's the law Don't Drink and Drive. jtpollock

Technically you are wrong.

You can't drink while driving and you can't drive if you are over the legal limit. But it is not illegal to drink a beer and then drive.

 

[flaggerphil]

Safety?
While drinking and driving is unwise, one beer is not going to affect your cognitive abilities.

You don't know that. It completely depends on the person drinking the beer. Safety? Yes, safety. The overall safety of the group...regardless of their ability...is going to be greater if there is no drinking.

"While drinking and driving is unwise..." is one of the most ridiculous understatements I've seen on here. Drinking and driving isn't "unwise", it's stupid.

 

[NorCalBud]

As a member...

Lets put this into some further perspective... After all, this is California, where the possibility of litigation waits around each and every corner.
We as a club, don't have deep pockets. Heading something like a lawsuit off at the pass is, IMHO a prudent stand.
It only takes 1 "dumas" with a low alcohol threshold and the inability to take personal responsibility, to ruin the lives of every member of the club. I certainly don't believe its in any way based in a morality judgment or pushing a pro-temperance movement. It's a simple case of CYA/better safe than sorry. If that rule doesn't suit you...It's easy enough to find a club with rules that do.

 

[flaggerphil]

If you have a DUI you cannot enter Canada. They consider it an aggravated felony up there I just heard this when John Stamos (Full House) got picked up over the weekend. He is filming in Canada and if convicted he won't be anymore. :dontknow:

That's absolutely true. We race up in Canada and there are always people in the race series who can't go because Canada won't let them in because they've had a DUI.

 

[flaggerphil]

It's all about choice.

Chris

Not for drinking and driving. At least if I'm understanding you correctly.

 

[flaggerphil]

Technically you are wrong.

You can't drink while driving and you can't drive if you are over the legal limit. But it is not illegal to drink a beer and then drive.

Again, it depends on how the person's body reacts to the alcohol. If someone drinks one beer and is impaired...and there are people out there like that...it is illegal.

Do. Not. Drink. And. Drive.

 

[Pirate looks at --]

Thanks

Pirate, I think that you guys have the most organized SRA club and I commend you for having this rule. Nevada just changed the classification of a Spyder from a motorcycle to a tri-mobile. Tri-mobiles in NV are not required to have a motorcycle endorsement or to wear a helmet. I am seriously considering changing our SRA bylaws to require all riders wear helmets and proper riding gear on club rides and that newcomers be required to pass some sort of skills test. The issue of drinking has never come up on any of our rides and I can honestly say that I have never seen one of our members order a drink when we have stopped. Sometimes we meet for dinner and I think some may have had drinks then but we are not riding to or from these dinners as a group.

I guess it boils down to do your members want to follow this rule or not, and if not, then they should be removed from the club.

Thanks Ann,

the he officers of our organization have done a great job of keeping us organized, and I am in total agreement that the no alcohol rule will serve us well.

 

[bruiser]

If the club is chartered or has written by-laws, the rules for consuming should be included there. If it's not in the by-laws or charter, it should be considered by the officers, then brought up to the general membership for a vote. If there is no charter or by-laws, I would think it would be up to the general membership to decide what they want to do. One thing to remember, if you wear the patch of your club, you directly represent that club whether you are riding in the group or solo. Your actions, good or bad, reflect on the club as a whole.

It doesn't matter whether you drink or not, we should all be responsible for each other when we ride in a group. Just my opinion.