Re: LDMCC Spares - list on forum?

[Dirt Track]

G'day all
Would it be at all possible to show a complete list of available club spares on this site?
It may be a good thing to list them so non members can see what is on offer for paid up members.
Just a thought..........
Howard.

[Chris]

G'day all
Would it be at all possible to show a complete list of available club spares on this site?
It may be a good thing to list them so non members can see what is on offer for paid up members.
Just a thought..........
Howard.

This question was raised some time ago by Doug and put to the LDMCC Committee. The suggestion was rejected for various valid reasons. It was agreed however, that it was not appropriate to detail the reasons on a public Forum. It is easy and cheap enough for any owner of a Douglas to become a member of the Club when they will receive an interesting, informative and well produced magazine six times a year. They will also be able to ascertain whether spare parts they need are available from the Club. If the spares are not held, advice and information on alternative sources, where available, may be freely given.

[tommy]

Good Day to you all.
I think Howard has a very valid point.
As the committee (working on behalf of L.D.M.C.C members) feel that they can decide behind closed doors that they do not need to justify why not on a public forum, perhaps they would like to publish the reasons to regular members of the club through the private medium of the New Conrod?
Many of the people on this forum are members of the club, but it is interesting that most Douglas business is done through this forum rather than on the official LDMCC site.
The debate on this, spare part sales and swaps, technical info etc, should be done through the LDMCC site?
The fact is that most people needing information, buying & selling of spare parts and generally chatting about Douglas events is done through this site.
Surely this should not be so????
Should it not be through the LDMCC site? That no one logs onto if they need this info?
 
The mag is indeed interesting and informative, but no use whatsoever if you have to get spares and get a bike back on the road. There is no point of email contact and no telephone numbers.
Telephone I understand. No one wants disturbing in their home life. Email, I can not.
Most of the people you would want to email for information are active on this site, so why not on the LDMCC site!!!
It is cheap enough to become a member, but not so easy. A point I have raised with the club previousley and have just done so again.

I have asked for the same spare parts list to be made available through the club mag and once after a small list did appear in print.
Bit of a poor do though, when the topic of conversation is if both pistons appear at TDC at the same time after 100 years of Douglas.
Stroll on!!
When you bolt the engine back together you have marks on the cam gears. When they all line up, where are the pistons?

Till then, keep chiming on both cylinders, if you can time the thing!

Just a thought.

Tom

[Doug]

All,

It is important to remember that this site is in no way affiliated with the London Douglas Motor Cycle Club (LDMCC). It is true that many folk that visit and contribute to this forum happen to be members of the LDMCC. While this forum is open to discussion about all aspects related to Douglas motorcycles, we walk a fine line when discussions of the LDMCC turn critical. This is a public medium, and the LDMCC has no official presence here, and members of the club are not empowered to speak on behalf of the club in an official capacity. Nor would I expect the Club to respond to criticisms; constructive or otherwise, in such a public medium. So hardly fair play to have a dig at them, when they can not respond.

So complaints about why the LDMCC does not post their spares list here is not a suitable topic to pursue beyond saying they declined the offer. The spares department and list of items are the property of the LDMCC, not the public domain. The avenue to pursue the matter further if you wish, the reasons and the why-nots, lies with members contacting their LDMCC committie. And if more public support is felt necessary, then via the club's official medium the New ConRod magazine, or attendance and proposals at the Club's annual general meeting. I know, much slower than the internet that we have all become spoilt by.

It is not the intention of this Douglas Forum to compete with, or antagonize the LDMCC. So any posts that look like they may be leading towards (wether they realize it or not) airing dirty laundry will be reined in. Anything slanderous will be removed. I am sure all of us that are LDMCC members have no desire to create an unfavorable impression of the club to potential new members in this public forum, while we set about with the best intensions trying to improve it. 

Club matters should be dealt with via official club channels.

The Scott Owner's Club addressed this very problem on their official website forum by having a special area that was accessible only by club members, where such club topics could be discussed out of the general public gaze.

-Doug
Site Moderator

[eddie]

Dear All,
              Regarding what the LDMCC does or does not publish to the general public - i.e. the spares list.
              First and foremost, the Club was formed to cater for the riding needs of Douglas owners. After the factory closed, the Club saw the need to provide a spares service, so that it's members could keep their machines roadworthy. Providing that service has become quite a time - consuming task, and is done on a voluntary basis. If members need spares, then all we ask is that they write - enclosing an SAE - to enquire whether we can help. If they cannot be bothered to write, then the need for those spares cannot be very urgent!! For overseas enquiries that include an e-mail address, we will reply by that method in order to speed up any transaction. We try to restrict the use of our e-mail address because we can ill- afford to waste time trawling through the resulting junk mail.
            Our Club now has in excess of 1100 members - the largest it has ever been - with only a handful of them being prepared to take on a post within the Club. The way the Club operates is governed by many factors, such as number of volunteers, time available, security, insurance constraints, etc. and not just convenience to the membership. We walk a tightrope - fall off either side and we crash - then there will be no Club to complain about!!!
          We know the system is not perfect, but we are doing our best. If any bona fide member wishes, he/she can get in touch with any committee member for a fuller explanation.
                               Regards,
                                         Eddie.

[KiwiJohn]

I think it is actually a bit on the nose to be discussing LDMCC here,  if everyone here was a member (but are they?) it may be different but while I expect there are non members here I believe the only discussion of the LDMCC on this site should be to direct Douglas owners to the club to make their own enquiries.

On the subject of LDMCC spares specifically I must state that I have only admiration and gratitude for members of the LDMCC post-war spares department who never failed me when I sought parts and advice in getting my 80 Plus back in one piece.  If any of those people are reading this, then well done guys!

As for posting a LDMCC spares list outside the club,  I as a member, would vote 'No way!'.  I have seen this sort of thing in the past and what it leads to non-members pleading with their 'mates' to buy on their behalf while being too miserable to pay the reasonable subscription and certainly never going to help with the actual running of the club,  whichever club that might be.

[tommy]

Dear All,
There is no dirty laundry to be aired here. The club was mentioned in the reply to the origional thread (not by me, but Chris) therefore the club has been mentioned again.
If the club do not wish to reply on a public forum (although they have unofficially already) and they do not wish to answer questions through their own channels, so be it.
There is no complaint of the club, just an observation of what goes on and is happening with general information on Douglas related matters and a desire to make more information readily available through either official or unnoficial channels.
The club is the club and operates within the constraints Eddie has mentioned. 

The point is that the club declined to post the spares list on this forum and also declined to do the same or any reasons why not, within their own medium.

It is pefrectly simple. When was the last time any of you went to a resteraunt and when ordering food were told that you could not view a menu, as that was rerserved for private members?
You can eat of course Sir, but we are not going to tell you what we serve or offer!
If you are a private member of the said club, you are told that you can not view the menu, because the committee has decided that it would not be good for you to do so.
How do you now order??
John, I have been in business for many years. Your mate buying parts on your behalf will go on already. You can become paranoid on this issue.
If a Douglas owner can not afford the membership fee, they should not be even trying to run an old bike.
If they want to aviod it and save £12.00 they are not worth the effort, but if they manage to get a machine back on the road via a mate or otherwise, it should be viewed as a good thing. Long term, they may well see the benefit of club membership and convert. If they can see the menu!

Chris replied and said Doug had asked for this to happen in the past, so as a global moderator, did Doug make the wrong call.
I don't think he did.
What he and Howard requested makes good sense, but looking at Doug's reply it would seem that the more urgent issue now is that no one gets sued. Another sign of the times and a trend from the US.
Sadly this trend is following to the UK, but for now we have freedom of speech.

I will not bother you on this issue any longer, but what I will say is that whilst the club membership is at 1,100 right now and the biggest ever, there is little going on to promote it to the younger end.
We are, like it or not in an age were the internet is the biggest part of most peoples life. Information is fast and they pay on credit/debbit cards. All of us are guilty of using the internet and being spoilt by how fast we can access information and reply. Look at the responce to this thread!
You are competing with many other leisure activities, not to mention other marques of motorcycle and the harder it is to obtain parts and information, the bigger the turn off.
I just rebuilt my MK1V engine for the first time at the age of 37. Douglas bikes have been in the family all my life.
I called my father each step of the way and he gave me advice. That was fast and efficient, so I got on with it.
On this occasion I did not need club spares, maybe next time I will and they do a damded fine job. It is the comms that suck.

Time for a heads up as they say in the states!

On a lighter note, has anyone figured the TDC issue yet?

Tom


 

[tck]

"It is pefrectly simple. When was the last time any of you went to a resteraunt and when ordering food were told that you could not view a menu, as that was rerserved for private members?"

When I was eating in the AJS Club and the Vellocette club
 However the Vincent club has a better way its spares company sell to all BUT the majority share holder is the club and a club member gets a discount. The spares company has prospered to the point that it can produce a entire motorcycle.there is a thriving non-club e-mail site AND a club site with a forum with a members only part. e-mail can only save officials time if it were not so then companies would not use it.
I can order any part for my Vincent and in 2days its there (this is not a slogan its a fact!)

[trevorp]

Well all i can say is wow i welcome any advice from members of this forum whether they are a club member or not this is what this site is about
I joined the club and admire and respect the volunteer labour that goes into running a club, they have give impeccable service and great advice, and i fully understand there reasons for what they do because we don't have the volume of bikes made in a lot of instances to representing a complete spares listing i wonder what the logistics would be for holding a complete Douglas stock

Maybe we could advertise on here for person with spare warehouse willing to work full time for no pay and willing to run down post office everyday for nothing spending there time after work trying to find new suppliers and general bookeeping for the wee hours i bet we wont get flooded with responses

I believe though in the future the 2 sites should join resources but i think that will take some time but look how far we have come from Dave's origanal site and i applaud him for creating it, Dave will tell us one day how many hours went into creating this fantastic forum
And yes the tdc problem has been solved but just take into account that for some members on here this may be there first British bike and i think i have had both cheeks slapped already and continuing the debate will possibly drive members of this forum if they cant ask questions without being ridiculed

[Doug]

All,

My comments on maintaining separation of the Douglas Forum topics, and London Douglas Motor Cycle Club topics are not directed to any particular individual. This just happens to be the first thread where the subject appears to be veering towards LDMCC business, and seems as good a place as any to mention that we do not want to be deciding club policy here. I am sure this point will come up from time to time in the future as new folks join in on the forum, hear about the LDMCC, and start asking questions where the responce in the quickest (like right here!)

Actually the thought of the club suing us for liable did not occur, as I hardly think it a likelyhood. Where something slanderous to be posted, it would be treated as any other offensive post and removed by one of the moderators. More so for the fact that it would be insulting to the club (and therefore many of us that are club members), than any litigious potential. With different time zones and working hours, we do manage a reasonable 24/7 monitoring.

That is not to say LDMCC topics are verboten, but do give some thought to posts and replies about the club. We do want folks to know about the club, and hopefully take up membership. So to that end we support the club, its events, and membership services. But as far as how the LDMCC runs itself, that is between club members and their elected officials. This is not the best medium for that discussion.

If anyone needs further clarification or is not sure if they are getting a grey zone between LDMCC business or general Douglas motorcycle business, then feel free to PM me and I will try to help out.

-Doug
Site Moderator

[prentii]

I too have been frustrated by the lack of a spares list - but I am truly thankful that there is a service (and a very good one), which being honest I would not want to run.

This forum is useful to share information especially to those of us (me) who haven't much of a clue, to get useful information. 

However it is in talking to other owners, on the phone or face to face, that really helps - for my part I'll try to get to some of the meets.

So thanks to all at LDMCC - I think we are all on the same side at the end of the day - running and keeping old bikes on the road.

[tommy]

Dear All,
Eddie must by now think that I am enemy NO 1!!
This is really not so. The post war spares were by all accounts desperate before Eddie took them over. Eddie has ALWAYS tried to help out with both new and second hand spares and advice.
One that has been forgotten is Margaret, whom without her support, I suspect parts would not be sent or invoiced.
I applaud them both and feel they have done a superb job for the club.
Eddie is a superb engineer and his advice is always valid, even if sometimes he pokes a tongue in cheek question on crankcase breathing and TDC issues. I have to say I support him all the way.
The Douglas is a horizontally opposed twin. If you ever looked at a crank assembly or tried to time the bike, you would know.
Not everyone can work it out and all are not engineers, so don't feel bad about it.
We all try and learn. If you do not learn and move forwards you/we move backwards.

Trevorp, there is no one pointing the finger at you, but if this has not been worked out and you can not work it out, you should take your engine/bike to a person who can. There is no one asking you to produce a complete Douglas stock.


No one expects people to do this for nothing. The the CLUB is a Ltd COMPANY.
That is by definition a business.
A business provides a service and sells items for profit (spare parts etc)
I rest my case.

Tom

 

[trevorp]

i think more like this on this topic
i have a small island with 1100 villagers we grow the only watermelons the world unfortunately the rest of the world no longer have watermelons as disease killed them all and no more can be grown
as the chief of this island i have a big decsion to make as i have found that if i advertise these watermelons on a new thing called the internet i could make a lot of money buy selling them quickly
i even had one chief who said he would buy all of my stock of watermelons but if i wanted to buy them back they would cost a lot more
So the dilemma is do i sell the watermelons to anyone or do i keep feeding my own island that have been eating them for 100 years because if i don't keep feeding them then they will be all forced to move away an my island will no longer exist
Now  tom lets get something clear, i  was mortified when i just saw the Douglas crank pic and realised of course both pistons are at tdc as i said i have mainly worked on Japanese bikes which do not have both pistons at tdc so for my stupidity i am sorry but it was a learning discussion for me not so much for Eddie to discuss crankcase compression which is the subject we were discussing if u have any great depth of knowledge on the subject feel free to let us have some of your knowledge as i feel the subject is not really closed

[tommy]

i think more like this on this topic
i have a small island with 1100 villagers we grow the only watermelons the world unfortunately the rest of the world no longer have watermelons as disease killed them all and no more can be grown
as the chief of this island i have a big decision to make as i have found that if i advertise these watermelons on a new thing called the internet i could make a lot of money buy selling them quickly
i even had one chief who said he would buy all of my stock of watermelons but if i wanted to buy them back they would cost a lot more
So the dilemma is do i sell the watermelons to anyone or do i keep feeding my own island that have been eating them for 100 years because if i don't keep feeding them then they will be all forced to move away an my island will no longer exist
Now  tom lets get something clear, i  was mortified when i just saw the Douglas crank pic and realised of course both pistons are at tdc as i said i have mainly worked on Japanese bikes which do not have both pistons at tdc so for my stupidity i am sorry but it was a learning discussion for me not so much for Eddie to discuss crankcase compression which is the subject we were discussing if u have any great depth of knowledge on the subject feel free to let us have some of your knowledge as i feel the subject is not really closed

OK, we should break these two issues apart.
The melons are very interesting as I once said to my wife.

So your Islanders only have watermelons to eat (they think) as there is no internet and no flow of information.
The islanders have to eat melons as that is all that is provided by the Chief.
The Chief by the way eats far more than melons.
If the only food your Islanders have to eat are melons, life would be very dull and they would die of starvation and boredom.

What happens if you have a bad crop that season. No rain/too much rain. The Governor will end up with rotten fruit on his shelf and no takers. (Rusty cams and tappits, valves etc)
 
The islanders are happy for a while,contented knowing they will get their melon at some stage of the week.
Then there is a rain storm (Douglas Rally) and the truck could not get through to the villiage, but as they only eat melon and have no other supplies, will starve.
Now they have a big problem.
With no other options available, they have to go and source food other places.

They find the internet and discover that OK, melons are not available elsewhere, but that you can buy fish, chicken, other fruit and vegetables. Sick to the back teeth of melons anyway. Damned seeds and all. The Islanders now find other BRANDS to choose.

In fact, life is much better out of the grasp of this one make melon.
You too can have the high life and exist the same as the Governor.
 

It is not about selling your melons fast on the internet to make profit.

It is about telling your existing islanders (1,100) or so, that more than melon is available when the delivery van comes through. They can order many other things when the Governor lets them see the menu.

No need for a peasants revolt!

Time to leave this and put it to bed. It is not going anywhere. Just ideas that maybe do not work, unlike engineering matters.

For crank case breathing, I will not go further on here, but will move to the blog about the subject.

Take care

Tom