Hi, I am fully prepared for a 'flaming' over this, the usual 'hilarious' responses, etc, but hopefully some of you will read this and take it in the spirit it is intended before the thread is deleted, defamed, ridiculed, has endless 'Smilies ' put after it for the short term gratification of some. I really hope that there are a few of you out there that will take the time to actually consider what I am (trying) to say.

I joined this forum because I was one of those that bought a Buell after their demise, really like the bike, thought I would find a forum as I have on my previous bikes, KTM, Triumph, Kawasaki etc for useful outside the dealer network knowledge, set up stuff, worthy mods, etc, the usuall stuff really - generally make me feel good about the whole ownership thing

I have to say that this is the only forum that I will not bother to log on to any more, no loss for some of you I am sure, you don't know me, and I don't know you.
The problem is , that there is a really nasty strain of both negativism and frankly, bullying, which I think exists on this site, and has poisoned it for me.

I will not go over the threads which have illustrated this to me, they are long enough as it is, but the naming of 'members' in derogatory terms, little snipes, against really easy targets, the endless deriding of certain types of bike which members have bought, and then joined this site with an initial enthusiasm! Surely some of you can not be proud of this. In a bullying environment, what happens is that the lesser members all join in with a pack mentality, eager to please and avoid the ridicule themselves, thus posting a little snipe makes you both feel better, and reinforces the whole horrible ethos. You have to ask yourselves if you would post the same about all members, if not, this is bullying of the worst kind.

The response of 'ahh but we are only having a laugh ', is the age old defence of bullies everywhere. BUT this is a public forum, free for anyone to join with a shared enthusiaism for the subject. Some people want just that out of a forum. Now I am sure that those that set this up, didn't want it to end up like this, maybe you don't really want it to be a public forum, if so - why not have it as a private members club?

BUT - as a public forum which posts, yes , on the interenet , and claims to allow anyone to join,-which can be viewed by anyone, then this site lets itself down badly in my opinion.

...ooops....stampede......