The future of OzVMX

[Mike52]

I have been amazed at the amount of tolerance you have shown over the years Graeme.
Often wondered how hard it was/is.
If you do pull the plug then I for one will miss reading and participating in this forum.
Cheers
Mike

[g465b]

enjoying how positive this thread is. I'm sure when Graeme kicked this off he was catering to enthusiasts with a common love/interest/
obsession in all types of old dirt bikes,not egos,intolerance and selfish attitudes. thanks Graeme for the huge effort and hopefully your advice
will be taken seriously so Ozvmx can be enjoyed into the future.   safe riding  Grant

[Graeme M]

Thanks again for all the positive words. I will emphasise that not all those who contact me behind the scenes do so to complain or threaten - often it's just to put a point of view or express concerns etc. The hard part has always been deciding what decision to make or when to bow to pressure or whatever. So please don't go throwing out criticism on this thread - I appreciate the sentiment but it's not THAT bad. As I said, on the whole the feedback is good but over time the negative does add up.

I hope this change will help to reinvigorate the forum.

And using your real name isn't such a bad idea, that's true. As long as you feel comfortable doing so - and bear in mind the darker side of advertising your name and what sort of bikes you have...

[firko]

I refuse to use my real name. I want to remain anonymous.

[Graeme M]

The webmaster at play

CD 5 Barleigh ranch

Nice one Bill... I remember how muddy and messed up the track was. The strange thing was I had a ball riding around (make that bumbling around) in all that muck.

It's funny how you feel when riding - I recall thinking how muddy it was and my sense of that was that it was hub deep in places, and even worse in others. Imagine my dismay watching some video later and realising that I barely made a splash as I rode through the mud, and rarely was it deeper than the height of my tyre!!

[Graeme M]

I refuse to use my real name. I want to remain anonymous.

And so you shall, Firko, so you shall!   

[Iain Cameron]

Always wondered who Firko was . Iain 

[Stewart Allen]

Hi Graeme,
                 First off thanks for this great forum, I selfishly hope it can continue. Because I am not the Admin I just ignore stuff that I don't like or annoys me, I can understand how the Admin role would not give you the option. Hopefully everyone will respect your requests. I support you whatever you do now and in the future ( except for taking more incriminating photos of me  . Following Kenneth's good suggestion Oldstuff is now Stewart Allen

[Simo63]

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? 

Agree completely Hoony.  As the recipient of some unwanted communications and threatening PM's myself I completely understand what sort of person would go to those lengths.  Many would be surprised.

I wasn't going to comment on this thread as I have recently managed to become embroiled a bit with some of the discussions around Evo (that I suspect is part of the issues Graeme refers to), but from my personal perspective it's always been to try and help the sport ..  not hinder or harm it.  In understand that not everyone will agree but that's okay, not everyone has to.

I must admit, VMX as a sport and the forum as a meeting point has, for me anyway, lost a lot of what I came here for as well.
I've almost pulled the pin a number of times but always kept on because I believe in the sport and the people.  I've recently dragged my old Monaro drag car out of it's retirement and will likely spend a lot more time tinkering with that I think.  That and I'm part way through rebuilding a Nissan 260z with my 12 year old to teach him the fundamentals of cars and mechanics.  I still support VMX, I still have a collection of bikes that I will ride at key events and have recently bought and funded the rebuild of a 77 YZ400 and a YZ250 for a young rider I believe in.  Hopefully it's people like him that will keep the sport going when we're in our wheel chairs or pushing up daisies.

Thanks for everything Graeme, your efforts, tolerance, patience, calmness and incredible ability to focus on the key issues has been greatly appreciated.  I for one am truly sorry that you have had to suffer any abuse, unwanted phone calls, legal threats or whatever .. that really is just not on.

[Marc.com]

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 .

Well said Bill, I had one of those and it really put me off the whole thing and take a rest for a while..... yes fork you indeed

[pokey]

The only people who call me shane are my girlfriend and people from Work. Everyone else calls me pokey and its just kind if wierd hearing my real nane. For yours I thought my name was Hugh Barstard as thats what mum called me and still does.

Time out isnt a bad thing. Sometimes we all get a but too close and passionate about a subject and the emotions kick in for the fight or flight reaction and most choose the fight.

I, like many have been visiting this site that Graeme adjudicates to perfection with the wisdom of Solomon. I also like many have taken some self imposed time out to ponder my navel and concentrate on life and what really matters. If you get upset about a topic then you know its time for a beer and a good nap in the hammock.

BS is why I dont race. Never could get my head around people hell bent in tying something fun up with red tape. Its suppose to be fun and a leisure activity.
For my mind I think we need guidelines in life, a direction and acceptance of peoples views. When that acceptance goes arse up then the arguments slip in. I trust admins to be knowlegble enough to make the right call even though I may nit understand or agree. After all they are at the pointy end and cop the shitty end of the stick if they dont get it right. Dont think I would like that type of attention.

Damn good website this one with diversity and comeraderie and its combination of spirit that keeps me returning.

Cheers Graeme, your doing a damn fine job.

[Andrew L]

I blocked a few of the sections out so I didn't have to read the crap but it drifted all around the place so go for it Graeme.
I don't think I was a sh!t stirrer but I'm happy to use my real name.

[FourstrokeForever]

I just want to say Thanks for the forum Graeme. I didn't really ever take into account the amount of time you have to put into the moderating of the forum just so you don't get threatened with a law suit or the like. I can now appreciate you being over the negativity and character assassinations that sometimes rares it's ugly head, mostly regarding rule interpretations and eligibility of a certain bike or era. Those that have threatened you should take a long hard look at themselves.......
I enjoy coming onto the forum most days to get my fix of old dirt bike stuff. Some of the banter is great and I get a laugh out of the funnies. Not to mention the wealth of technical knowledge that gets shared in here. Being a relative new comer to VMX and old bikes, some just about as old as me, this place has been great for learning how to get the best out of my bikes. Hey, none of us are ever too old to learn, or think of approaching things in a different way but achieving the same end result.
I'm not comfortable with sharing my full name on the internet. Mark H will do me. Too many scumbags troll places like forums to find a pot of gold.
Long live Ozvmx

[brent j]

Good to see people fronting up their names but can you guys put your old name up for a bit as well. Suddenly I'm seeing all these new names! While I know very few of you personally I do recognise the site names

Brent Josling,
brent j on just about every internet forum I peruse

[head]

I may be paranoid but I have had bikes stolen before. Undesirables only have to Google you name and they probably will come up with your address. I show restorations on this site, free advertising for the crims. Sorry I am not changing mine.