Unfortunately I can only comment on the state of the BSA Owners' Club because that is the only club of which I am a member.
Yes, the BSAOC does have younger members and these youngsters are appreciated. Without them the club will not survive.
I believe that the BSAOC is a more family orientated club and the two major events of the year reflect this. The "National Rally and Open Day" has become immensely popular amongst the members since the move from the traditional rugby site type venues to that of a Theme Park. Camping is still popular amongst the stalwarts but an increasing number of members are bringing along their children and grand-children with caravans and motor homes becoming the norm for accommodation. Here the children mix with each other and make friends to the extent that they contact each other via email and Facebook and look forward to meeting up with each other again the following year. I suppose that this is called moving with the times.
The "International Rallies" are much the same but not on such a large scale. In particular, those held in Europe attract a certain number of families and it is not unusual to find several nationalities mixing together. In fact there were children of about eight nationalities got together and played an organised game of football (soccer) at an International Rally held in Scotland. This was where I first heard the comment that "these youngsters are the Club's future".
In fact, the BSAOC has an annual award (James Sapsford Memorial Trophy), awarded to an under 25 year old who uses his or her bike the most to attend organised events.
Yes, as I stated earlier, the BSAOC has younger members. They are appreciated and hopefully will be the members of the future who keep the marque alive. However, it's the parents and grand-parents who introduce them to club life who should also be given credit where it's due.
Beezageezauk.
