The future of OzVMX

[35elsinore]

Thanks for all your past and present efforts Graeme, everyone gets were your coming from.

[LWC82PE]

I think the 'general discussion' section should only be for general 'bike stuff' that does not fit into an existing section and not for talk on politics, the PM, global warming, the economy, football, V8 supercars, F1 etc. I am sure there are full forums out there just for discussing those things.

[firko]

There was a time when this forum was the strongest, most active VMX forum on the whole internet. I was on here almost from the start and absolutely enjoyed contributing. By nature I love a good old shit stir and must admit that at times I contributed a bit of mischief to the place which prompted some fun and frivolity but on the other side of the coin prompted awful exchanges which in retrospect I'm not proud of. There were/are posters on here that annoyed me and I reacted to their rubbish in my own way which also caused me becoming a sort of Snidely Whiplash character and had my own group of haters and contributing in quite a few leaving the forum. At first I wore it as a badge of honour but one morning when reading back on some o fmy old posts I realised that I'd been as big a wanker as the posters I was acting against and became deeply embarrassed by some of my behaviour. From that very moment I vowed to stay away from potential trouble and leave the shitfights to others.

All went well for a few years until a discussion started about Evolution Rules. It grew, and grew and became nastier and nastier and a new generation of forum wanker emerged from that one seemingly simple post. I saw a side of people whom I'd respected and liked and it pissed me off. I made my point early in the piece and decided to pull away from the forum and catch up with other things that I'd been neglecting in my life.

Then, after almost a year of self imposed absense I signed on to have a look at what was happening and I found that those same old antagonists were still attacking MA, the Evo rules and making personal attacks on a guy who has done more for our sport as an official, racer and mentor than all of his keyboard antagonists combined. I was saddened to see that these people had reduced this forum and our sport to a nasty antagonistic venom filled soap box for their cause. The good stuff was still there but this rubbish, and it is rubbish, dominated. Once again I walked away, returning only briefly last week to contribute to another rule shitfight about pre 65 rules. I later slapped myself in the chops for that bit of personal idiocy!

Graeme has been a veritible pillar of rock during all of the shit that's gone on here. I've known for a long time that he's been well over it and I wouldn't blame him if he did shut up shop. He's had a fu*king gutful. It's time that a few of you did what I did and take a good long look at yourselves and ask if you've really done anything good for the forum or the sport or have you just created more disharmony and angst while destroying the reputations of people who don't deserve it. I've become a bit disillusioned and disappointed in the sport that I had a big hand in actually starting. I've got to that teeter-totter decision in my life where I could and probably should sell up and move back to my other love of drag racing. Where this forum once was a great meeting place for lovers of old bikes, it's now driving us away..........Get rid of the rulebook preachers and those wanting the sport to fit into their vision and this will be a better place.

[micks]

thankyou Graeme for this forum.I like this site for all the info you can get. how many of us Google a subject and it give reference to ozvmx. so again thankyou

[William Doe]

i had no idea of the shit that was happening behind the scenes

To those that have Rang, threatened law suits, verbal abuse of Graeme should buy a full length mirror and have a good look at themselves. for forks sake this is a hobby and he was doing this as a volunteer, we all have other commitments in life as who needs this type of shit for a hobby.

Really, why...........hang your heads in shame ! silly people its a discussion group, would you take the same action in a pub? 

Hoony I agree 100% well said .

I joined this forum as my previous persona when it was created . It is and will always be the best Vintage bike forum on the web and a huge thank you Graeme for providing it for all of us .

Hoonys analogy of a pub is the way I have always seen the forum , I left as my former persona as I felt the place had changed a lot and many of the locals had moved on ( still a great landlord but wasn't so keen on the new locals )

Couldn't stay away long though as I still enjoy the knowledge shared even though the banter is long gone .

To all the gutless pricks who felt the need to go running to teacher and threatening action or even ringing the man fork you, you are very sad people .

The Morons mentioned above have IMHO no place in the vintage scene, the Eras we celebrate through motorcycles were a time when men were men and if you won something it was an achievement to be celebrated. Blokes sorted things out man to man not running and snivelling to someone about it,since all this rule crap has been banded about on here of late the atmosphere of the place has gone downhill further. The underlying issues are not as a result of this forum but as a result of a dysfunctional organisation and its representatives .
People on this forum only voice their opinions, the forum carries no weight with the organisation or its representatives, we are told this regularly but those in official roles , those who ride the coat tails of those in official roles and those who find they are losing a debate on here.

There are those on here who try to bully and silence anyone who dare have a difference of opinion or speak out against the dysfunctional organisation .     

Thanks again Graeme for this awesome forum and the freedom you have given us all , to the spineless minority karma will get you .

[Kenneth S (222)]

Graeme, this is an excellent move and I believe a turning point for this forum. This forum is a valuable medium for us old dirt bikers, and if this move clears out the negativity and brings back the fun, it will remain so, and grow.

I love the sport of MOTOCROSS (Love that word!), and the whole camaraderie of the VMX events I go to. VMX has brought dirt bike fun back into my life. In my early days on this forum I felt some of that feeling filtered through this site, so enjoyed that part of it, and visited daily for my fix. I am one of those readers who in the last couple of years got very disillusioned by the growing nastiness and negativity of those hiding behind their keyboard who seemed to enjoy putting people down, and now I am lucky to visit once or twice a month because of it.

Can I make a suggestion? I don't see the point in handles. If the forum is going this way, why don't we show our support and all use our name. I certainly have nothing to hide with what I have to say, and if the other members don't then wouldn't it contribute to us getting to know our community better? It has always frustrated me trying to work out who is who as I read through threads, and one of the reasons I find Facebook more user friendly. Infact, as a sign of gratitude for your efforts Graeme, support for these changes, my wish for the forum to grow & continue, and become the positive and friendly place it has the potential to become, and a stand against the 'past' negativity on this forum, I am changing my handle now to Kenneth Swan(222), so you know who I am and what my race number is.

[KIWImxer]

I'm new to VMX despite racing but have been racing since 1980, have just sold my new KTM350 to jump into VMX in a bigger way. I have found the forum very informative and helpful, and the knowledge of some of the guys on this forum is awesome. Facebook pages have lots of guys who know just enough to be dangerous and probably never raced/worked on bikes in the 70s or 80s, or raced at all, so have very little real knowledge to pass on. As a newbie I am not influenced one way or the other in the politics of the sport, and just am wrapt that bikes I love are out on tracks around the country.

The forum is great and detractors, shit stirrers and soapbox types can stick to FB.

[Iain Cameron]

In response to Kenneth (222) what a good idea , Iainyz will now be Iain Cameron .
and to KIWImxer Ive found the same with the FB pages some info is so far away from the right answer its dangerous . If your after info the gents on here will have the answer . look at the wealth of knowledge here there are gents that raced the bikes when they were new ,on FB Ive  read answers that have made me wonder how the bloke even thought motocross even started . Iain

[Kane Mcguire]

in response to Kenneth and iainyz towards openness and as a way to show support for graham my handle is now my name Kane McGuire.

[mposs]

Unfortunately with an issue like this, some people won't get that they are a part of the problem with this site. It takes a real man to admit to mistakes and I tip my hat to Firko in standing up and admitting he may have been caught up in the venom of the past. Maybe if we all looked at ourselves in the same way more of us would have to admit maybe we were part of the problem also.
    It will require all of us as contributors to take the time to ensure that whatever we post is not just relevant to the discussion but will  bring positivity to the forum. I'm not advocating free love, just being accepting that other people may see things differently to you and that that's o/k.
    I for one have been enjoying the posts that have been put up recently about the early VMX race meetings here in Australia. More of that sort of post and in my opinion your well on the way to returning to the forum of old.
   I have been a member of this forum since 2007 and hope to have the privilege of being allowed to be a member into the foreseeable future. I just hope that things lighten up and the good spirit of old times returns and this forum powers on into the future.
Many thanks Graeme for the effort you put into providing this forum for us to enjoy.


Cheers Mark Possingham

[Doc]

In response to Kenneth (222) Iainyz will now be Iain Cameron .

In response to Kenneth(222) Doc will always be Doc Chris Wright if you prefer but most of my friends simply call me Doc

Many thanks Graeme, still the best vintage dirtbike forum on the net

[oldmxracer]

Thanks for the effort Graeme. I mostly soak up the info here and the politics of Aussie rules is only for me to observe. This IS the best vintage moto site on the net.

[William Doe]

The webmaster at play

CD 5 Barleigh ranch

[David Lahey]

I'm also pretty well over the forum pseudonym thing
It's fine if you know the person, but can be detrimental when there is someone who contributes to forums, riding at an event somewhere far from home and you only know them by their forum name and miss out on meeting them in person because you don't recognise the name on their name plate (trials bikes use name plates rather than racing numbers). It's happened to me a couple of times.
I'm now going to use my name on motorbike forums

[Ken 737]

Sounds like a very positive move Graeme.

Thanks

Ken Lilley (formerly Retro Rocket)