Newbie

[clumsen]

Hi I'm new to this forum and usually lurk in biker banter, but after my new purchase today I am a proud owner of a new to me superllight 150. Bought from Sevens and Classic and hopefully pick up tomorrow.

I have a few questions:

Are they any other good Caterham forums I should join?

Are there any good Caterham car clubs/meets in or around Beckenham/ Kent?

I will put some pictures up when I work out how to.

[downsman]

Hi, you'll find plenty of Seven owners active in the North Kent Lotus Seven Club.
You'll have to pay to join the club, but the magazine is a good read and there are plenty of events to go to.

If you want a free forum and club with loads of run outs with Seven style kits, the Southern Kit Car Club are very friendly.

[coppice]

To clarify I think what was meant was the Lotus Seven Club (which is UK wide) Kent branch . Google Blatchat and you will see it's a very active club.

[IBDAET]

And you don't ahve to be a member unless you want to post on their forum (which if you express anything other than a very moderate left wing view will be removed) or if you want their rather dated club magazine.

You can turn up ast any of the area meets and they will make you welcome, member or not. People such as Carl Van Bars and myself organise groups for trackdays better and cheaper than the club ones.

There is also a meeting at Penshurst 3rd Tuesday each month.

[Krismuss]

Get on FaceBook too if not on there already, plenty of 7 banter groups on there! Far more lively than the L7C forum is these days!

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1523037167911654/1...

Chris


There's always the trip to Croix coming up too, that Arnie's organised if you fancy coming?????

[IBDAET]

I think it's full Chris. A fair few Elises to hold us up!

[Grubbster]

I think it is worth joining the Lotus 7 Club (a monthly mag, blatchat forum, discounts etc). There are other forums (apart from here of course!) maybe take a look at http://www.7-dna.com/ as well.

[Eugene7]

We use www.7-dna.com

It's for all 7 related vehicles, so has a decent mixture of owners.
And the various events are great - such as the Le BOG Club Le Mans, and Llandow Track & Curry days!!!

You can also see info on Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/7DnaForums
and
https://www.facebook.com/LeBogClub

Feel free to join in!

[clumsen]

Thanks for all of the help and forum links.

Sorry I didnt get back on here sooner but I picked the car up Saturday afternoon and can not stop driving it.

It didnt go down to bad with the wife either considering I popped in for a test drive Friday and came home having bought one. She seems to like it, which more then said about any bike I have bought home.

I have joined the Facebook Caterham & Lotus 7 Owners group and will look in to my local 7 monthly meet.

Does any one on here go up to the Ace cafe for teh 7 nights?

[ajroberts]

You might see me driving around in my caterham in Beckenham/ Shortlands area as I live there with a dark blue roadsport. At the moment it has a double D cage and an areo screen on though it changes all the time. A nice drive round here is head out behind West Wickham to the country roads head up passed Layhams farm and out towards warlingham take a left go passed Botley hill farm ( the pub there is fantastic amazing food) chuck a right before the round about and end up near ish to Godstone come up back by Caterham bypass and take a right back through Warlingham and via the White bear pub for a refreshment.
AJ

[clumsen]

ajroberts said:

You might see me driving around in my caterham in Beckenham/ Shortlands area as I live there with a dark blue roadsport. At the moment it has a double D cage and an areo screen on though it changes all the time. A nice drive round here is head out behind West Wickham to the country roads head up passed Layhams farm and out towards warlingham take a left go passed Botley hill farm ( the pub there is fantastic amazing food) chuck a right before the round about and end up near ish to Godstone come up back by Caterham bypass and take a right back through Warlingham and via the White bear pub for a refreshment.
AJ

Thanks AJ, I will look in to that route and you just round the corner if you're shortlands.

I don't suppose you were on the A22 yesterday afternoon as I saw a very similar 7?

[framerateuk]

I find the Lotus 7 Club forums (Blatchat) very useful. Lots of good technical advice for fixing things and there's usually an answer within minutes.

I've not seen any issues with internal politics at all, I wouldn't get involved anyway. I'm there (and here!) to talk about cars not about anything else!

[ajroberts]

It might have been me, I can't remember I was out in the car for a bit. I do live in Shortlands, you can hear my caterham for miles around.

[Andy Bell]

framerateuk said:

I find the Lotus 7 Club forums (Blatchat) very useful. Lots of good technical advice for fixing things and there's usually an answer within minutes.

I've not seen any issues with internal politics at all, I wouldn't get involved anyway. I'm there (and here!) to talk about cars not about anything else!

I tend to find that politics are seen by people that are looking for it. I personally have found it massively useful.

[Helluvaname]

Hi Mark,
You have mail

As an Area Rep for the Lotus 7 Club I would say that it's well worth joining, not only for the social side and the monthly mag, but to take part in local and national events, excellent Club trips to Classic Le Mans etc, participate in the club forum Blatchat, and take advantage of discounts available with a membership number.

As Arnie (IBDAET) says you don't have to be a member to regularly attend the local meets (if you're happy to scrounge off the efforts of the local members and organisers Arnie), and you'll be most welcome at the North Kent meet, but you will need to be a member to take advantage of most of the local events, offers, etc.

Look forward to seeing you around
Ian

[IBDAET]

Very happy Ian. I put in 10x the effort and risk anyone in that club ever did, and got little thanks.

My efforts inlcude founding the North Kent Area Meeting, as you are aware. If you wish to get mugged in this way, I can't stop you!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_censorship should have an entry to cover Blatchat

[Helluvaname]

Thought you might respond

I've thanked you, and love you really

[Eugene7]

I was a member of the 7 Club for some 25 years... one of the longest serving members, bar a select few.
I also ran the Berks/Wilts area for many years.
I also had a number of falling outs with Arnie during that time!
But, I actually have to agree with assessment of the club., and his approach now to offering events that are better tailored to the enthusiast's need and wants..
A lot like Carl and Le BOG Club.
It's also why what 7-DNA does is not for profit, for anyone.
It harks back to the original days of the 7 Club, when it was a club for its members, not a limited company.
When Dave Myrlees and Dick Dikko Dixon ran things, with Brian Soaper chucking rocks for the side-lines, and life was fun.
The bottom line is clubs should be for the members, and run as such.
They should not be limited companies run by a 'board' or 'team', or what ever you want to call it.
And do not raise the ' we have to protect our members from legal stuff' crap - as it is just crap!
And to be really pedantic, who stipulated FIA roll bars had to be on 7's for track days?
Not the circuits, that's for sure.
My 7 is old enough that it pre-dates FIA bars, and I will not be fitting one any time soon.
But I still do track days.
And who within the 'club' sanctioned 10^x pounds to be spent on a new website and forum?
Money that could have been better used for the members elsewhere.
Actually, how many members actually know just how much the new website has cost (or will have cost when it eventually goes live?)
And how many knew it was even being discussed, and was then agreed - all in secret???
Forums are actually simple to generate and manage - just ask anyone who has done one...

Ok - rant over - but I guess I'm pissed off that I actually agree with Arnie!!!

[Helluvaname]

Eugene7 said:

I was a member of the 7 Club for some 25 years... one of the longest serving members, bar a select few.
I also ran the Berks/Wilts area for many years.
I also had a number of falling outs with Arnie during that time!
But, I actually have to agree with assessment of the club., and his approach now to offering events that are better tailored to the enthusiast's need and wants..
A lot like Carl and Le BOG Club.
It's also why what 7-DNA does is not for profit, for anyone.
It harks back to the original days of the 7 Club, when it was a club for its members, not a limited company.
When Dave Myrlees and Dick Dikko Dixon ran things, with Brian Soaper chucking rocks for the side-lines, and life was fun.
The bottom line is clubs should be for the members, and run as such.
They should not be limited companies run by a 'board' or 'team', or what ever you want to call it.
And do not raise the ' we have to protect our members from legal stuff' crap - as it is just crap!
And to be really pedantic, who stipulated FIA roll bars had to be on 7's for track days?
Not the circuits, that's for sure.
My 7 is old enough that it pre-dates FIA bars, and I will not be fitting one any time soon.
But I still do track days.
And who within the 'club' sanctioned 10^x pounds to be spent on a new website and forum?
Money that could have been better used for the members elsewhere.
Actually, how many members actually know just how much the new website has cost (or will have cost when it eventually goes live?)
And how many knew it was even being discussed, and was then agreed - all in secret???
Forums are actually simple to generate and manage - just ask anyone who has done one...

Ok - rant over - but I guess I'm pissed off that I actually agree with Arnie!!!

As far as I know (and I'm on "the team") the Lotus 7 Club is not run for profit for anyone, other than the members.
With 2500+ members the Club needs to be run by more than two people, hence the Management Team, all of whom are volunteers and none of whom take a salary.
The new website, and it's cost, was proposed and discussed in advance in the Clubs magazine, and at the Area Reps meetings (so they can discuss it with their local members), so hardly "in secret"!
FWIW I think it's a shame you (and Arnie) decided to leave the club, and also that you're still trying to stir up bad feeling, but I guess that's life.
Have fun

(and Mark, sorry your threads been hijacked by ex-7club members with an axe to grind. We're certainly not all like that )

[culminator]

I'm a returning 7ner, now on number 6 and rejoined the club. Personally, I've got real value from it, especially the helpful tech stuff on the club forum, Blatchat. Join the club for a year and decide yourself😊 just don't post anything even mildly politically incorrect!