Can we discuss anything other than CB1100?

[Ridem32_imp]

Agreed. A large number of threads do have some thread drift. Some innocuous, boring and blessedly brief; like what do I care what's on the menu of a diner in Poughkeepsie. Some annoying and just a hinderance to the serious intent of the OP. Guth and ferret do a great job keeping a great balance between these extremes and I congratulate them. It can't be easy. So it's up to them. As Cormanus said, and maybe MacArthur should have said, "I'm not leaving". . Well said !
But read ferrets threads about eating pie and pics of food and go back and read what you just said! I don't think it's what said on this forum but WHO SAYS IT ! I agree with rules if speed limit is 55 and your doing 65 you should get a ticket but if your the sheriff you get out of the ticket ! If we gonna have rules then it should apply to each and everyone not a pick and choose! The rules state CB1100 only. Ferret writes a thread a month or so back about his anniversary with his wife ! I did not mind at all but it was not CB1100 related then the whole post was congrats to him and his wife I even posted on it ! No harm to me but it still broke the rules and Guth said nuttin at all. I don't think anyone should leave forum if they do the forum will die out. Again about. 30 or so active members read the post and threads everyday. I say enforce the rules for everyone don't just pick out the guys that the ferret and Guth see fit to push on! They both should be the ones to start the right threads and not post anything that's not cb1100 related. I can go way back and start a thread of nothing but copying and posting the post from ferret and Guth It's just not fair for grown men to decide what is wrong or right when they both post wrong stuff also. If it's a RULE KEEP IT A RULE FOR ALL MEMBERS ! Don't bow down to 2 guys that can throw in a post non cb1100 related and think it's ok. So let's all go by the same rules ! Sound fair to all ? Hope so now crank up your CB and do a burn out!
Signed Michael Vance

[Cormanus]

Ironically it appears you were the last post in that forum on April 14 Cormanus lol

Not any longer, but you're right. That forum has been most notable for the the lack of activity on it. Therein, perhaps, lies the problem?

[Houtman_imp]

I do not mind if some post are not strictly CB1100 related , if I do not want to read them than I don't.
As long as we keep politics, religion etc. out of it its fine with me.
I am a member of the Honda CB1000 forum in the UK and they have a joke tread with some blue jokes but no one HAS to read them.
However as it is Guth forum to start with I will stick to the rules.

[the Ferret]

Michael, first off I am not perfect, I try and do a good job, but some things do get posted that aren't totally CB related, however in my defense in the two violations you mention both were CB related. The pie thing was pictures during a seat time ride report on my CB 1100. They were incidental to telling the story of the ride. Similar to your Trail of Honor ride report about the Harley Davidson dealer serving free food with cannons and stuff. Guess we could say " went for a ride on my CB 1100 and here's a picture of it" but that would IMO make for uninteresting ride reports, wouldn't it?

The anniversary thread showed a pic of two new CB1100 tee shirts, a Honda reference manual, a pair of motorcycle gloves, a book about motorcycles to read my grandson etc did it not? The only pic? Guess I could have said my wife gave me these gifts and let it go at that without mentioning the anniversary, but it was all tied together, the anniversary and the CB 1100 related gifts.

As far as most people would be concerned both CB 1100/motorcycle threads related with the pie and the anniversary being incidental to the bike. As long as there is a thread of a link to the CB or motorcycling in general, we usually let it ride. It allows for some personal info to be related to other members.

Whereas there was nothing relative to motorcycles in the World Cup thread. Even then I was letting it ride, until I received a complaint from another member, then I had to do something. The Famous Ferret thread I pulled the plug on myself because it was not about motorcycling or the CB 1100, even though I was flattered that someone discovered/mentioned my accomplishments in another field. Don't know how to be much fairer than that, for me to pull the plug on a thread about me?

I don't pick on anyone in particular, or at least I try not to. Like I said I'm not perfect but I try to be fair. I can guess you think I was picking on the person who started both of the threads that I recently locked up, but it had nothing to do with that person. It just happened to be the same person who started both threads. He has started a couple dozen other threads I didn't lock up. I haven't even locked up this one ( which he also started), even though Guth clearly stated early on (post 7) regardless of what the poll says ( and it clearly says the majority would like to keep it the way Guth set it up), that the forum is not going to change.

All I can say is I will try and be as fair as I can, given that I am human, I can and will make mistakes. My PM and email are clearly listed on my info page, and there is a box at the bottom right of each and every post, and if you, or anyone else for that matter, thinks a post or thread is out of line, notify me and I will review it and make a decision, whether it is a post or thread Guth or I started, or anyone else.

Don't know what else to say. Let's move on.

[emptysea]

You have said it well, Mickey. However, I would have been a bit more vehement in defense of food-related posts, and especially those regarding dessert items, as I believe food is an integral part of the motorcycling experience. Ride To Eat, baby!

[Capo]

There are General Motorcycling and Other Bikes sections of the forum, so to say it's CB1100 only is not accurate. I think the general sense is that we don't want this to slip down the guns, religion and politics slope that other motorcycle forums have devolved into. And saying 'ignore it' isn't the answer. The entire tone of the forum changes when that happens. I suppose a Pub/ Cafe/ General Banter sub- forum would work, but it would be something that Guth would have to approve and moderate based on his sensibilities.

[CIP57_imp]

I think the site is well designed and moderated. There are sub forums for non related CB topics as long as there kept to motorcycling. The have stretched many threads and allowed them to get off topic to a certain degree.

There are many motorcycles with multiple forums. Anyone is free to start a new forum if you have the time and energy it takes to run one.

[the Ferret]

It is IMPOSSIBLE to keep every thread on track and focused without being so heavy handed in moderating that it would take the fun out of it for everyone. A single word can send a thread off on a tangent. The goal is to ride it out and stay "mostly" on track or bring it back around to on track. We are dealing with over 1300 different personalities, from a dozen countries, each individual with their own thoughts, beliefs, quirks and temperaments. The forum has been unbelievably civil and on track, considering what I have seen on other forums. Amazingly so. I applaud you all for that, and thank you. Good group of people here.

Now I am going out to wash my CB since I got caught in the rain the other day and my baby is all dirty.

Thanks all for understanding.

[rboe]

While this is a very useful forum for CB1100 owners and potential owners; it's only an Internet forum. We shouldn't take it all that seriously.

We have been invited here to discuss and share our interest in the CB1100, not unlike going over to Bob's place to watch a football game. Now we're demanding that Bob expand the rumpus room, put in a bar, maybe get a pole for some dancers all the while forgetting this is Bob's place, not ours. On one hand it's kinda cool that we take ownership of a forum like it was our own. But on the other hand, it can lead to cliques which freeze out new people or scares them off as folks loose sight of the fact that it's not really their forum.

In a sense, success can kill this place unless the owners maintain control and stick with the original mission statement.

Back to this being only an internet forum; sure there are basic rules, but you have volunteers running this place, that are only human. They and we are not perfect, but if it works "good enough", then that is good enough. If they said that the rules apply to everyone but them; well, it's their house. As I see it, while we are here we can abide by those rules. If only the rest of life could be so simple.

[Guth_imp]

Michael, I think that Mickey has provided you with a straightforward and well thought out answer. But I'll tack on with my own two cents anyway (never a good sign).

Fortunately I have an active life outside of this place. If this forum burns out it saves me a lot of time and money. In addition to trying to keep up with this place, I have a regular day job and a family, both of which take priority over this forum. Don't get me wrong, for the most part I find running the forum enjoyable, and I certainly like participating here just as many others do, but there are times where packing it in doesn't sound so bad.

That is not to say that I do not listen to member input, because I do and I believe that I've proven this time and again. But in this case, we're butting heads over a matter that is only going to result in headaches. Like I've said before, anyone that doesn't like the style here — or doesn't approve of the way this place is administrated and moderated, is free to find another forum or start one of their own. I'm proof that most anyone can do it. I'll echo Mickey's comment that we're human and while we make mistakes, we do the best we can. If this place isn't providing some of you with enough social interaction, then I'm sorry but you're just going to have to look elsewhere.

Bill