The Suzuki Owners Club of Great Britain began as a branch of a club that didn't exist.

In 1971 the One Seven One Club was formed with thirty members and by the end of 1974 there were almost a thousand. The One Seven One Motorcycle Club had its own premises (based in an old church hall) which housed the Triumph, Honda and BSA Owners clubs, but it soon became obvious that Suzuki's were becoming more numerous than any other make at the club.

Their owners got together with the view to opening a branch for the Suzuki Owners. A meeting was held but when the owners tried to trace the headquarters of the club, they found there was no club!

So under the guidance of the reverend Tony Lloyd, who at the time rode a GT750 Kettle, the initial meeting was held at the 171 Motorcycle Club in Press Street, Openshaw, Manchester. They contacted Suzuki GB for their approval and founded the Suzuki Owners Club.

Regular meetings got off the ground in September 1973. Within a matter of weeks there were a hundred members. Very soon afterwards the idea that branches in other parts of the country could be viable was muted and a London branch was formed in February 1974.

The Southern centre had their initial meeting on the 22nd of February 1974 at St Anne's church hall, South Lambeth, about fifty people turned up but the area was unsuitable for regular meetings to be held there.

After a call for volunteers, an Ad Hoc committee decided that no meetings would take place until a permanent place had been found. This proved to be a difficult task as they wished to remain in the London area and it was not until the 8th of April 1974 that regular meetings actually commenced, but the pre-meeting advertising fell flat due to a printing dispute and the posters they had managed to get printed arrived late.

The first combined meeting of North & South Suzuki Owners was held at the 171 club, the southern guys riding up in really heavy rain. There was, from all accounts a good turnout, which made their efforts worthwhile. The Church has now been demolished and as far as is known the 171 Motorcycle Club faded away at the same time.
 
The initial committees for the respective Suzuki Owners Club centres were:
Northern centre
James Denton - Secretary
Charles Parr - PRO  
Southern centre
Raye Marshall -Secretary
Ian Barr -Treasurer
Julian Clark - Social secretary
Tony Fagan -PRO
Peter Redman - Editor

The initial meeting places were: Northern - 171 club, Openshaw, Manchester.
Southern - 'Cranbrook', Brookmill Road, Deptford..  

The first annual membership fee for the club was £1.80 (plus 20p for a membership badge), for which the Northern members got the use of all the facilities at the 171 club, which included legal aid, a coffee bar, reading room, shop, recreation room and a games room which could be turned into a cinema if required.

Specialist tool hire was available and a monthly newsletter containing a programme of planned events at the centre, technical articles and general chat was printed.
Each week at the headquarters there were films, talks, demonstrations or runs out.  

The Southern centre was still in its infancy and had not organised anything at this time  The aim of the founding club was to help members to enjoy the ownership of their Suzuki machine as much as possible.
 
The club bi-monthly magazine now known as the Hustler was originally called the Suzuki Owners Club Official Magazine and had a Yellow cover.
It was printed in Bristol, as that was where the then editor lived.

At a committee meeting in Croydon in 1976, it was decided that the magazine would be called Hustler after the classic T20 and T250 motorcycles.
The club magazine now incorporates an events guide that gives a brief description of events that are being organised by local centres, National Committee and individual members.
These events provide a venue to allow members to meet and get to know each other. They also qualify as part of the Clubs annual attendance/mileage competitions. Each member has the opportunity to win one of the many trophies on offer.
The prizewinners are presented with their awards at the Clubs AGM.
 
The Club very soon became a national organisation and opened "branches" or Centres as we call them now, throughout the country, at its height, 22 centres.
With the downturn, some centres are dormant but we do  have large active centres dotted around the UK, one in Czech Republic and one in California in the USA.
We also have sister organisations in the USA (SOC-USA) and Denmark (SOC-DK).

Club members obtain a range of benefits for their annual subscription, access to a comprehensive dealer/supplier list that offers a range of discounts on parts, services and accessories, this is incorporated on the SOC website. Membership also gives the opportunity to secure discounted insurance deals simply by the virtue of being a Suzuki Owners Club member.

Membership also include affiliated membership to the British Motorcyclists Federation (BMF), Motorcycle Action Group (MAG) and the National Association for Bikers with Disabilities (NABD). The Club also supports the work that is undertaken by FEMA .
 
The club is ran by a National Committee of unpaid volunteers, elected by the membership.

The Suzuki Owners Club is an independent Club, and whilst Suzuki does not own us, we work in close partnership with Suzuki supporting them and promoting the Suzuki marque at every opportunity. We are a family orientated Club and have many young people amongst our ranks. Some of these youngsters work just as hard as their parents when out and about with the Club.
 
It is the belief that if we teach our young members to respect bikes, to be aware of the dangers of motorcycling and to learn what motorcycling is all about, they will then become safer and better motorcyclists in the years ahead.

Rules and Regulations of the Suzuki Owners Club

1. Name;

The Suzuki Owners Club was formed in Manchester in 1973 and will be hereinafter known as the “Club”.

2. Objectives;  

The object of the Club shall be the promotion of such diverse motorcycling activities deemed appropriate by the membership, with particular emphasis towards owners of Suzuki motorcycles. All profits incurred from Club activities shall be used to provide increased facilities and benefits for the Club members.

3. Membership;

Any person is eligible for membership subject to the discretion of the National Committee, except those that have been expelled from the club under Rule 11

Each membership (single or family) will receive one club magazine and full use of the Club facilities.

The majority of members present at a National Committee meeting shall determine membership fees from time to time, subject to acceptance by the membership at the next Annual General Meeting

Membership fees are payable on or before the due date. After this date the member shall forfeit all benefits and rights of membership. Junior membership is free to full member’s children who are under 18 years of age.

Every member shall receive a membership card and may be asked to produce it when claiming entitlement to Club facilities

Upon a member having had twenty years continuous membership, they will, at the discretion of the National Committee be granted a “life” membership to the club

4. Management;

The Club shall be governed by a committee elected at the AGM of the club and shall consist of at least the following officers; Chairperson, National Secretary, Treasurer and Memberships Secretary. Other committee posts may be created or dissolved at the discretion of the National committee.

All committee posts shall be subject to re-election bi-annually at the Club AGM. Casual vacancies may be filled until the AGM and extra members may be co-opted at the discretion of the National Committee. All committee posts shall be of two-year duration or until the next AGM, whichever is sooner?

To allow continuity, 50% of the National Committee will be elected/re-elected at each AGM; starting with the 2003 AGM and the current officers concerned will be as follows;

Chairman, Webmaster, Regalia officer, Events Co-ordinator, Shows Co-ordinator (South), Public Relations officer and Technical officer.

The following year the remaining committee members will stand for election/re-election, these being currently; National Secretary, Vice Chairman, Editor, Riders Rights, Membership Secretary, Shows Co-ordinator (North) and Treasurer. Any additional National Committee post holders would be allocated to whichever half of the committee happens to be due for election at the first AGM after the National Committee has created the post.

All officers on both National & Centre Committees must be in possession of a valid membership card. In the event of an officer failing to renew their membership their post shall automatically fall vacant. Only current full members may vote at the election of officers.

5. Election of the club president;

A new club President can be elected at any AGM.

6. Meetings;

There shall be an Annual General Meeting of the Suzuki Owners Club in the autumn of each year on a date decided by the National Committee. A period of at least 50 weeks and no more than 54 weeks should elapse between Annual General Meetings.

The purpose of the meeting shall be to;

• Receive officers reports for the previous year
• Elect club officers & the President (if appropriate) for the maximum period allowed
• Discuss and vote upon (if required) any proposals
• Discuss any Emergency motions (subject to the conditions mentioned below)
• Discuss any other business, at the Chairpersons discretion

A full member is entitled to vote and advance motions at the Annual General Meeting of the club, a full member being someone in possession of a valid membership card and at least 18 years old

Nominations for the Annual General Meeting must be submitted in writing and include the member and seconders names, signatures and membership numbers and must reach the National Secretary no later than the date stated on the nomination form for the Annual General Meeting of the year in question; This is to allow for postal voting (if required) and allows time for nominees to be published in the club magazine in good time for members to send in voting slips should there be more than one nominee for a post

All proposals must reach the National Secretary no later than one week prior to cut-off date for publishing the last Hustler that will get to the membership prior to the AGM date to allow them to be published in the club magazine so the membership can see what has been proposed

No proposals or nominations will be accepted from the floor, if any member has anything that they wish to be tabled at the Annual General Meeting and it is after the above-mentioned cut-off date they must submit it in writing with all accompanying paperwork or documentary evidence to the club chairman no later than seven days prior to the meeting and its inclusion under the Emergency Motions topic is entirely at the discretion of the chairman.

Other national meetings may be called either by the National Committee, a centre committee, or not less than ten members by written request to the National Secretary who shall arrange a meeting within six weeks of receiving the request.

In the event of the National Committee failing to organise a meeting within six weeks of the request from members, a minimum of 25 members may call an Extraordinary General Meeting, which may elect a new National Committee. Notice of an AGM shall be circulated giving adequate notice and all relevant details.

Notice of a National Committee meeting shall be given by the National Secretary to all centre secretaries as soon as arrangements are finalised.

Notice of an EGM shall be advertised in the motorcycling press, giving at least four weeks notice. Expenses incurred in calling an EGM may be refunded after the meeting

Unless otherwise agreed, a quorum of any committee shall be sixty percent of the total number of that committee. A quorum of the National Committee shall be five officers.

All members may attend a meeting of the National Committee and put forward points for discussion by the National Committee, but they are not allowed to take part in any vote that may be required. All members must inform the National Secretary of their wish to attend in advance of the meeting in question

7. Local Meetings;

The National Committee may authorise the establishment of local centres. Each centre shall elect a committee of at least three officers, one of who must be appointed as centre secretary. The centre secretary shall undertake to communicate with the National Committee on any matters within the local centre that may be of importance or interest to the National Committee.

The centre committee shall supervise the running of the local centre and shall be sub-ordinate to the National Committee.

Financial assistance may be given to a centre in the early life of its formation in the form of a bank draft/cheque for an amount decided on by the National Committee.

The payment of this sum shall be approved at a National Committee meeting. Each respective centre must be financially self-sufficient and must not undertake any expenditure beyond its immediate resources without first consulting with the National Committee.

Local Centres may not issue their own cards, documents or logos without the specific approval of the National Committee.

8. Events;

Club Centres or members shall not organise any events in the name of the ‘Suzuki Owners Club’, which involve racing, pace making or speed competitions. Members may organise runs to such events, provided they are not involved in the organisation of such events

Members running an event under the name of the club in which significant finances are involved, i.e. a rally, must notify the National Committee, and supply accounts for said event to the treasurer if requested. Such request will be dependant upon the size/finances involved. Any member running such an event should carry out a risk assessment for the said event, a copy of which must be supplied to the National Secretary to be kept on file.

Members shall not run an event for private profit or attempt to pass that event off as a club event, unless the club National Committee grants official recognition of the same. Any member doing so shall be liable to expulsion from membership by the National Committee.

Members engaged in the promotion of such an event shall not in any way trade on the clubs reputation when dealing with customers or suppliers. Any member doing so shall be liable to expulsion from membership by the National Committee.

9. Regalia and Titles.

All emblems designed by or on behalf of the Club are subject to copyright and may only be used as directed by the National Committee. Regalia bearing the legend "Suzuki Owners Club" may only be produced by agents on behalf of the Club.

10. Affiliation to other Organisations.

The Club shall be affiliated to other organisations as decided at the AGM; Club members shall abide by any rules required by the organisation to which the Club is affiliated. In addition, local centres may be affiliated to any local or national motorcycling organisation and shall abide by regulations associated with that affiliation.

11. Expulsion.

Any member who, in the opinion of a local centre committee or the National Committee, brings the club into disrepute or is undesirable may be suspended pending a full investigation into the incident/actions. If after the investigation the member is found to be guilty of named incidents/actions they will be expelled from the club but have the right to an appeal with any new evidence they have at the next National Committee meeting.

If the member is found to be innocent after a full investigation into incidents/actions, then they will be re-instated & any membership time lost will be added onto the member’s expiry date.

12. Dissolution.

Dissolution of the club will only be achieved by the resolution of at least seventy five percent of the members present at a meeting called solely for that purpose. The National Secretary shall give one-month notice of such a meeting to all members. The dissolution to become effective after all debts and liabilities incurred in the clubs name have been discharged. Any remaining funds and assets to be realised and disposed of in accordance with the wishes of the members at the aforementioned meeting

13. Alterations to the rules.

The National Committee may issue temporary modifications to rules 1 to 11 to stand until the next AGM.

     The National Committee

Suzuki Owners Club

August 2012.