Thoughts as of late.

[Dupo]

I posted this under "final word for this mod" and thought it needed to be posted out where it can be seen as well. Take the time to read this. If it offends you, good, i got my point across. Comments, as always, are welcome.

Threads in this forum have been taking a turn for the worst and this needs to stop. Posting from new members has really decreased over the past few weeks and i can see why.

I know we all are starved for information here but this is getting out of hand. Nit picking words in sentences then wanting numbers, percentages, surveys, pie charts is just absurd. "...than many think it is" is obviously just a general statement that did not need a graph to back it up.

Seriously, what the F happened to THIS thread in particular? A member asked what the +/- is to the holesaw mod and it turns into a pissing match of knowledge and i honestly do not see any answers. Only a battle of wits and attitude problems. How about answering the guy and not just tell him NO, then turn the thread into shit.

You guys need to realize that these are machines .... and since the first firing of an engine people have wanted to modify them. These are bikes, extensions of our personality. Our bikes are what we make them, stock or custom. I, for one, will always support someone who wants to modify or change something to make it to their liking or personal taste. We, as a group, should encourage someone or give them help/direction in what they want to do and not knock them for wanting to change something that might involve rejetting or taking something apart and modifying it. I mean, really, every time someone wants to either mod something beyond what you guys think is normal .. or <gasp> upgrade to another bike they are whacked across the knuckles with a ruler and basically degraded/told not to do it.

This was the same crap that happened on the shadow forum i once belonged to. Buncha old farts on there that jumped on anyone who wanted to modify their bikes past new pipes and a windshield. I left that group very quickly due to the close mindedness of the members there. Luckily i found another forum that bitches at you for not removing the reflectors on the radiator cover lol. They support and guide anyone who wants to change something on their machine without getting on their ass for wanting to do so.

Lately, this forum has been showing the following:

1. You do not need a loud pipe or pipe modification. Stock is good enough.
2. No air box mods are necessary. Stock is good enough.
3. My bike does not go past 70 mph, even in wind with a truck pushing me down a hill, neither does yours.
4. No upgrade to a bigger more powerful bike is necessary. You are a noob and can't handle one. They are too heavy, you'll drop it. The GZ is the only thing you'll ever need.
5. If you say anything remotely close to "they say" "its been said" "people have said" you will need a pie chart, signed affidavits, notarized letters or any other legal document to back up your claim. Otherwise your argument is mute.
6. If you ask a question and need help on modifications, make sure you are only talking about the needle shim, windshield or 16 tooth sprocket. Otherwise you will be told its beyond your knowledge and discouraged into doing it. Then the thread will take a wrong turn and never answer your question.
7. Your 6'9" 280 lbs? Sure you'll fit this bike.


Sound familiar?

If this kind of support keeps up i will have no choice but to lock threads that go south.

I shouldn't have to get multiple emails from members asking why their questions aren't answered and asking why other members are being jerks to them in threads. NO reason for that whatsoever. Either participate in a mature manner or have threads locked / get put on a time out.

I have owned atleast a dozen other forums over the years, some very large (one with over a million unique hits, ranked #2 on google) so i am no spring chicken when dealing with this sort of stuff. I also currently run a yahoo group locally with 1500 members buying/selling things ... which gets out of hand at times. I have a zero tolerance policy there and i don't want to have to implement that here.

[Easy Rider]

Originally Posted by Dupo

I have a zero tolerance policy there and i don't want to have to implement that here.

All points well taken.....or at least close enough that I think an arguement is counter productive.

HOWEVER.......
Some people are never going to "get it" and sometimes that includes ME.

I suggest that general admonitions may not have the desired result and some very specific "knuckle raps" might be in order, in private, of course. :skull:

It worked (for me) in the past. :biggrin:

Just be careful that YOU don't over-react.

A LOT of the things on your list represent valid opinions. It is not what is said but HOW you say it. I don't think that you intend to encourage us to stop expressing our considered opinions, do you?

Let's all play nice, children! But that doesn't mean stop playing althgether.

[alanmcorcoran]

I plead guilty as charged. I'm going to sentence myself to a two week timeout. Hopefully when I get back, "they'll say" there's been some fresh faces in the threads. See you guys in a few weeks.

[Dupo]

Originally Posted by Easy Rider

I don't think that you intend to encourage us to stop expressing our considered opinions, do you?

Absolutely not. Of course express opinions .. thats what this is all about, people asking for opinions. Just do it in a 'nicer' way is all im asking. If anyone has an opinion, share it ... but also consider that someone might be asking for help moving forward with something or other they may have in mind. Be opinionated but also help em out if you can without trying to discourage, unless its something dangerous .... like riding on a bald tire to 'get by till next month'. Common sense, thats all.

Great example is the holesaw thread. Ok, some say its a waste of time (to them) and its fine to say you don't agree. But on the other hand some could have added 'well if you still want to do it, this is what needs to be done' or 'thats my opinion but we're here to help if you decide' ...

I also heard a lot about 'ruining' a bike by modifying it. Well i guess i got one hell of a ruined motorcycle sitting behind my place lol. Its got loud ass pipes with big city thunder baffles (washer mod), its been rejetted, air cleaner removed with hypercharger installed with K&N filter, shocks removed and hard tailed, stock seat removed to a pan seat, stock mirrors gone, stock turn signals replaced with hi power halogen bullets, sprocket change, stock risers swapped for harley straights, LED purple lights, 4" fwd controls, throttle return cable removed, 3" fork extensions, cut subframe to adapt to the 5" lowering in rear, wider tires and god knows what else ive done ..... yep, ruined to hell. So yea, i kind of take offense to the 'ruined' comments tossed about lately.

Mostly the point is ... lets just get along and help out the new people here. Not make them afraid to post again wondering if their thread will get hijacked.

Alan, you don't have to take a break lol. Stick around ... your wit in a lot of these posts make them interesting reads.

[Joho]

Just calling 'em as I see 'em:

(edited by dupo) call *everybody* out on *everything*.

But i'm just an objective lurker, who happens to ride a gz.


-----------------(added by dupo)
I'm not going to allow any name bashing in this thread. :poked: Thats not the point and i don't want this thread to go the wrong direction either. "General" statements without names only. We don't want to single members out or cause hard feelings. All members here are valued.

Play nice! :tongue:

[Easy Rider]

Originally Posted by Dupo

Great example is the holesaw thread.

So yea, i kind of take offense to the 'ruined' comments tossed about lately.

Alan, you don't have to take a break lol. Stick around ... your wit in a lot of these posts make them interesting reads.

Perfect example. How did you arrive at calling it the "holesaw" thread? I'm going to have to go back and read it again but I don't think the work "holesaw" appears anywhere in the original post.

MOREOVER, it would appear that you interpreted that message one way and several of us got an entirely different meaning out of it. It seems that you thought he had already made up his mind to do it and was asking for help. I, on the other hand, didn't get that at all, but thought he was still trying to decide WHAT to do, if anything.

One of us is wrong; might very well be me.

On the modification thing, I think you are letting your personal bias interfere with your objectivity. I am sure that nobody discouraging mods. is even the least bit intending to critisize those who ARE inclined to do it or have already done so. IMHO, what you have or have not done with your present bike has NO BEARING on any discussion of mods. to a GZ; NONE. Whole different ball game.

And finally, Alan's reaction is EXACTLY the reason that broad, nameless pot shots seldom have the desired affect. The people who DO react are often not the ones you are aiming at.......and the ones you ARE aiming at often just don't get it.

Cheers! :cool:

[Water Warrior 2]

Yup, things have been getting a bit testy here lately. Thanks for stepping in and doing the Boss thing. Might just be winter coming on for some of us but there is still no reason to start snapping at each other. We all have our opinions but sometimes things get a little out of hand and a topic makes a hard left turn into the crapper.
Really can't fault a new member sitting back and being afraid to bring something up for fear of being beat up verbally and getting abuse heaped upon them. Having been a member here for almost 2 years now I can honestly say the general attitude and well mannered comments of the membership here were/are a real treat compared to some forums I have lurked on.
We need to play nice. We are after all a bunch of adults not spoiled brats and should conduct ourselves accordingly. I do not always comment on a proposed mod to a bike. If I don't agree with the idea, well it isn't my bike and beauty is in the eye of the beholder. If it is a potentially dangerous mod then I will comment. I believe a mod should serve some function to make a bike more comfy or safe but that is just my opinion.
I may not agree with some visual mods that serve no useful purpose but then again it is not my bike and so I just let it be. Some mods are truly innovative and appealling even to me. These are the mods I will comment on. I think we need a more positive attitude here and less back biting and verbal slaps to the back of the head.
The few mods to Lynda's GZ have been greeted with positive comments and a few PM's for more info. That is what it is all about. This is a fine forum for owners of small bikes with a common goal. Let's not spoil a good thing. Now back to your regular programming.

[deadman13]

Like I always said, internet name calling, sniping, flaming etc is like the special olyimpics;
Even if you win you're still retarded.

Sure, some people on here have thicker skin and some joshing is great. I have seen some random threads go the way of the creek, but for the most part this place is great. I actually check for answers here before I deal with the rapists, I mean dealership.

[music man]

I have a couple of things to add to this conversation, First of all, I will agree with Dupo to a certain extent as far as it applies to the Newbies around here. When I first registered on this site I noticed that pretty much every time that I(or anyone else for that matter) would post anything, Easy Rider, Sarris and a couple of others would immediately comment, and most of the time not in the nicest way, but now that I have been around for awhile I realize that they are like me and my friends are when we talk in person, we rag each other CONSTANTLY, you can't say anything around my group of friends without a smart-ass comment, but its alright because thats what we do, but I can see how an outsider would be ran off cowering by that if they didn't know us well enough to know that we are doing it to be funny (sort-of). :poked:

(Note To newbies, don't leave, we are just Hazing you, Kinda like a rookie football player, carrying donuts and washing jock straps)

Second of all, I think that part of the reason (not excusing it, just pointing out) that there has been a little more of a nasty tone around here, is first of all because, there is alot more of us on here = alot more conflicting personalitys, and secondly, A Small percentage (I said a Small percentage) of the new posters have been some real morons, (probably myself included, but that conversation is for another day) That either don't have a REAL question and just want to stir the pot, or they ask a question and then get their panties in a wad if anybody does anything but tell them (Yes dear it is a very good idea to take ALL the lights off your GZ and ride at Night). Some people have been getting on here lately and not wanting anything but an argument.


I know I probably made no sense whatsoever but oh well, thats what I think about it anyways.

[Easy Rider]

Originally Posted by music man

I know I probably made no sense whatsoever but oh well, thats what I think about it anyways.

No, actually very well put, I think.

I do think that we have, at times, been a little too quick to jump on newbies who appear to have a less than pure motive in coming here. We should give them the benefit of the doubt at first and then when they PROVE to be a dumb ass.......hang them with their own rope !! :skull: :biggrin: