TARMAC Talk - What are we about?

There’s been some negativity on the site lately, and it seems people have become reluctant to post bike stuff that they are tinkering on, or pics of their DIY projects, or noob questions regarding track days or racing. Previously, TT was a hive of thriving discussions about all these things, but over the last six months this has reduced, and it seems to be because of fear of abuse, ridicule or other disparaging comments.

It was always the intention for the forum to be an open and constructive exchange of ideas and general banter. It would be great to restore that intent. With that in mind, I would ask that people generally maintain a positive attitude when posting on the site. Sure, constructive criticism is always welcome, particularly when someone posts something that they might have gotten wrong, and a friendly ‘great effort, but you actually need to do it this way’ kind of response, rather than ‘that’s wrong, you’re an idiot, and I’m not even gonna explain why’. My view is that it’s better to ask a question than do some work on your own motorcycle that might be potentially wrong and dangerous. If people don’t feel comfortable to ask, then we are all worse off. After all, what else is this forum for?

Despite being a strongly vocal supporter of my sometimes-mate Wetty, it hasn’t escaped anyone’s attention that virtually all of these issues have occurred since he joined us. This site is very deliberately not RATs, and yet the attitude on here has become strikingly like RATs since he joined. That stops now. For the first time since TT’s inception, posts have been edited and deleted, and now he sits in a Moderation queue (meaning any posts are held for approval and not posted until approved, or are rejected, by a Mod or Admin). It doesn't seem likely for that to need to be implemented for anyone else, but it will be if needed.

Now, let’s get back to the fun stuff.... discussing our beloved bikes!!

Marshy and the admin team.