Don’t shoot the messenger

[warby221]

This post isn’t aimed at anyone it’s just a trend that seems to be appearing more and more over the last 18 months or so and I was just wondering if anyone else had spotted it or is it just my perception on what has been posted. It’s not a lot but seems to be growing

First let me say I think the firestorm is an absolutely fantastic bike except for a few niggles here and there utterly reliable when compared to a lot of bikes around the 1000cc mark
When they do go wrong it’s usually down to lack of maintenance or people ignoring known issues that are easily fixed for only a few £££ and a little time

The storms seems to be attracting people that would have normally have gone for a 600 bandit or similar and would have steered clear of 1000’s because of the cost
And here lies the problem I think, a really good storm can be had for very little money now less than some mundane 600’s and a slightly ropey storm with dubious lineage and service history for even less.
Now we all know as storm owners that these bikes like any other 1000 eat consumables like they’re going out of fashion when compared to a 600 and now the new storm owners find that the idea of owning and running a big bike is not what they thought it would be and struggle with the up keep of these bikes.

Now here’s my point we get the same people coming on to the forum asking for help with problems looking for some kind of magical cure to fix their bikes that doesn’t cost them anything and when people tell them what’s wrong and its going to cost them. (And usually not a lot compared to other makes of bike) the provider of the advice gets ignored given the run around “ yes yes I’ve checked that it’s ok “or even given the cold shoulder. I’ve seen this happen to so many that are posting replies to questions.

It’s one of the reasons I don’t post as much in the workshop section as much as I use to.

Anyone else noticed it or is it just me getting cynical in my old age???

[benny hedges]

i think the answer is an FAQ bit covering all the frequently asked questions.
with locked topics.
the basic stuff isnt really open to discussion - theres tried & tested ways of sorting stuff so it should just be left at that.
plus, if that was available, people wouldnt need to ask the questions anyway, and it could help guests decide whether or not its the right bike for them.

i dont really think the firestorm is a major eater of consumables though...
tyre life, brake pad life etc depends on what you fit & how you ride the bike.
chain & sprox depends on adjustment, whether you have an oiler and if you wheelie a lot.
as for fuel economy, again, depends how it's ridden and maintained - ive no complaints with mine.

other issues like r/r, cct, headlamp & sloppy forks are easily sorted by lookng at the right threads on here.

[alec]

I've had a few bikes over the years and belong to about 6 or 7 forums and hand on heart i can say this by far exceeds the standards of the others, the level of help on here is second to none, the advice is always spot on and the forum has people that can supply parts at almost cost price or advise where the best place to get them is, when i ask for advice or help i always try to thank people for the help given or at least try to respond to them, i have only been a member since january but i feel i already know more about the storm than any other bike i've owned which is all thanks to you guys, also people like Rider on a storm and Tony.mon & lofty690 who have helped by supplying parts i've needed, you dont get that on many other forums. but its not only about the parts and advice its also about reading and learning from other riders and the fun in reading when you that have been members for a while and know each other take the p*ss out of each other.
to be honest when the laptops on then the forum page is open cause i know someones either asking for help or answering my questions, so thanks for all the help i've been given and i hope it goes on for a long time to come
cheers alec

[warby221]

Not really the point I was making Benny
The point was about the few we seem to get asking for advice then ignoring it completely because it’s going to cost them a little money.
It doesn’t happen often but it seems to be more regular in the last 18 months Luckily they don’t seem to hang around to long when they see there’s no magic wand that will put it right for nothing.
I can get 12k miles out of a tyre on my VFR but the storm would eat a tyre in less than 2 k and I don’t ride the viffer like an old woman same go’s for chains brakes and cush drives were getting more people with 600cc money trying to run 1000’s
It’s like the max power syndrome with cars
When a car gets to certain price the max power lot start buying them spend all their cash on bit’s of tat to bolt on because they think everyone will think it’s a fast car then ignore servicing because of the cost and wonder why the bloody things blow up.

[bandsawman]

I've had a few bikes over the years and belong to about 6 or 7 forums and hand on heart i can say this by far exceeds the standards of the others, the level of help on here is second to none, the advice is always spot on and the forum has people that can supply parts at almost cost price or advise where the best place to get them is, when i ask for advice or help i always try to thank people for the help given or at least try to respond to them, i have only been a member since january but i feel i already know more about the storm than any other bike i've owned which is all thanks to you guys, also people like Rider on a storm and Tony.mon & lofty690 who have helped by supplying parts i've needed, you dont get that on many other forums. but its not only about the parts and advice its also about reading and learning from other riders and the fun in reading when you that have been members for a while and know each other take the p*ss out of each other.
to be honest when the laptops on then the forum page is open cause i know someones either asking for help or answering my questions, so thanks for all the help i've been given and i hope it goes on for a long time to come
cheers alec

Hear hear, well said Alec!
My sentiments entirely!
Since I've had to come looking here for advice, I've developed a craving to do more work on my Firestorm, and really feel so much more confident when working on it - but it's changed from me having to log in here for answers, to wanting to log in and read all the posts - I especially love reading the banter!

[gumbie man]

I know Warby said his post is not aimed at anybody but i feel its ever so slighty aimed at me unless i am just tired and feeling a bit touchy, anyway, yes i have been asking questions alot recently but i am not looking for quick free mods done. Yes i can do the rectifier but not sure if my mechanical skills are up to cct changing but would consider paying for it to be done. And in my mind if you dont ask you never learn.

I did a lot of reschearch on bikes before plumping for the firestorm which i bought back in October last year and at the moment i am not sure its the right bike for me but that has nothing to do with the cost of running it more i think to do with me not riding it enough however i will keep on with it and hopefully i will become fully converted to the full enjoyment of the storm.

[alec]

I know Warby said his post is not aimed at anybody but i feel its ever so slighty aimed at me unless i am just tired and feeling a bit touchy, anyway, yes i have been asking questions alot recently but i am not looking for quick free mods done. Yes i can do the rectifier but not sure if my mechanical skills are up to cct changing but would consider paying for it to be done. And in my mind if you dont ask you never learn.

I did a lot of reschearch on bikes before plumping for the firestorm which i bought back in October last year and at the moment i am not sure its the right bike for me but that has nothing to do with the cost of running it more i think to do with me not riding it enough however i will keep on with it and hopefully i will become fully converted to the full enjoyment of the storm.

I dont think Warby is aiming at anyone in particular, i think he's just saying that a thank you now and again is nice and the fact that most of the questions asked are already answered somewhere on the forum, i must admit i've asked questions then had a look at old posts and found the answer, so now i look before asking, i've found that using the search in the workshop forum works most of the time and if you cant find it some kind soul will always point you in the right direction, the best thing about this forum is the people on it aint just about bikes they are about the people who ride them too, like Warby himself last night giving me advice on my riding technique which i will put into practice from now on and from that one conversation with Warby a few other kind members gave me their opinions and when i think about how i ride it all starts to make sense, When i got my firestorm at the beginning of last month i wasn't sure i made the right choice of bike either but with the help of the members here i now know i have, some members do give sarcastic answers at times but then thats just part of being on any forum but you will find that the sarcastic members are the ones who tend to help the most or have answered the same questions a hundred times, as for me i'm still enjoying the forum and the people on it

[gumbie man]

I know Warby said his post is not aimed at anybody but i feel its ever so slighty aimed at me unless i am just tired and feeling a bit touchy, anyway, yes i have been asking questions alot recently but i am not looking for quick free mods done. Yes i can do the rectifier but not sure if my mechanical skills are up to cct changing but would consider paying for it to be done. And in my mind if you dont ask you never learn.

I did a lot of reschearch on bikes before plumping for the firestorm which i bought back in October last year and at the moment i am not sure its the right bike for me but that has nothing to do with the cost of running it more i think to do with me not riding it enough however i will keep on with it and hopefully i will become fully converted to the full enjoyment of the storm.

I dont think Warby is aiming at anyone in particular, i think he's just saying that a thank you now and again is nice and the fact that most of the questions asked are already answered somewhere on the forum, i must admit i've asked questions then had a look at old posts and found the answer, so now i look before asking, i've found that using the search in the workshop forum works most of the time and if you cant find it some kind soul will always point you in the right direction, the best thing about this forum is the people on it aint just about bikes they are about the people who ride them too, like Warby himself last night giving me advice on my riding technique which i will put into practice from now on and from that one conversation with Warby a few other kind members gave me their opinions and when i think about how i ride it all starts to make sense, When i got my firestorm at the beginning of last month i wasn't sure i made the right choice of bike either but with the help of the members here i now know i have, some members do give sarcastic answers at times but then thats just part of being on any forum but you will find that the sarcastic members are the ones who tend to help the most or have answered the same questions a hundred times, as for me i'm still enjoying the forum and the people on it

Ok i do apologise for my little rant and your right about the thank you`s.
I have asked questions about the cct and i did`nt thank anbody for their responses.So BIG THANK YOU for all the advice. I do find this forum enjoyable and very helpful and i definitly need to have a rideout with other firestorm riders so i can find out what i am doing wrong

[alec]

I know Warby said his post is not aimed at anybody but i feel its ever so slighty aimed at me unless i am just tired and feeling a bit touchy, anyway, yes i have been asking questions alot recently but i am not looking for quick free mods done. Yes i can do the rectifier but not sure if my mechanical skills are up to cct changing but would consider paying for it to be done. And in my mind if you dont ask you never learn.

I did a lot of reschearch on bikes before plumping for the firestorm which i bought back in October last year and at the moment i am not sure its the right bike for me but that has nothing to do with the cost of running it more i think to do with me not riding it enough however i will keep on with it and hopefully i will become fully converted to the full enjoyment of the storm.

I dont think Warby is aiming at anyone in particular, i think he's just saying that a thank you now and again is nice and the fact that most of the questions asked are already answered somewhere on the forum, i must admit i've asked questions then had a look at old posts and found the answer, so now i look before asking, i've found that using the search in the workshop forum works most of the time and if you cant find it some kind soul will always point you in the right direction, the best thing about this forum is the people on it aint just about bikes they are about the people who ride them too, like Warby himself last night giving me advice on my riding technique which i will put into practice from now on and from that one conversation with Warby a few other kind members gave me their opinions and when i think about how i ride it all starts to make sense, When i got my firestorm at the beginning of last month i wasn't sure i made the right choice of bike either but with the help of the members here i now know i have, some members do give sarcastic answers at times but then thats just part of being on any forum but you will find that the sarcastic members are the ones who tend to help the most or have answered the same questions a hundred times, as for me i'm still enjoying the forum and the people on it

Ok i do apologise for my little rant and your right about the thank you`s.
I have asked questions about the cct and i did`nt thank anbody for their responses.So BIG THANK YOU for all the advice. I do find this forum enjoyable and very helpful and i definitly need to have a rideout with other firestorm riders so i can find out what i am doing wrong

Whereabouts are you based then ?

[warby221]

As I said in the start of this post it isn’t aimed at any one and it’s more of a feeling than some thing you can put your finger on.

Firestorms attract a certain type of people I think more in to the riding and socialising than image and the need for the latest sports bike with more power than they’ll ever use or can ever handle.
And it shows in the posts when you read them there always friendly like having a good crack with a m8. Bit of leg pulling some wind up’s but always tongue in cheek if you read them right but most are only too happy to help with problems if they can.

Like I said it may just be me getting cynical in my old age

[alec]

As I said in the start of this post it isn’t aimed at any one and it’s more of a feeling than some thing you can put your finger on.

Firestorms attract a certain type of people I think more in to the riding and socialising than image and the need for the latest sports bike with more power than they’ll ever use or can ever handle.
And it shows in the posts when you read them there always friendly like having a good crack with a m8. Bit of leg pulling some wind up’s but always tongue in cheek if you read them right but most are only too happy to help with problems if they can.

Like I said it may just be me getting cynical in my old age

Warby, everyones entitled to a rant now and then and looking at some of the posts and lack of replies and thank you's you are right to say something, and if by some chance i'm one of those i apologise mate.
alec

[pinkyfloyd]

I think a big problem is the sheer repatitive nature of forums. I'm new to the Storm and have asked what to many may seem like silly questions they have answered time and time again but to me they are things I dont know and do appreciate people taking the time to answer, even if it is the old "not this sh1t again" question. But I do always try and make an effort to thank people for advice given. Its curtosey and sadly in todays chav run society that is something thats seriously lacking.

Which brings me neatly onto the the Storm being sold for silly money. I bought my storm because I primarily wanted a V Twin, my choices were the SV1000, SP1/2, TL1000 or the Storm. I liked the look of the SV1000 I wouldnt have considered a 650 after riding around on a GSXR750 I would have found it lacking. The SV and the SP was way out of my budget and that left the TL or the Storm. The TL and the Storm go for around the same price and I done the research and found that the TL is a more tuned hooligans bike where as the Storm was a more refined cruising sports bike and new rider friendly, and lets face it, Its way prettier than the TL's bulbous body shaping. But I done my homework. I knew before I bought the Storm about the CCT's and the Rectifier (Which I have to sort out still) and knew that they wernt as powerful as the inline 4's, hell the Storm gives up 40bhp over my GSXR and that didnt bother me. I love the V Twins.

Take Tommy chave now, He'll look through his Ebay having just passed his DAS on his money he's made from knocking out his weed and selling his stolen bling and he'll see he can get 1000cc for the same price as a 600 and thats about all the research he does. His friend Paul the plonker has turned up on his CBR600 and wanting to out do him Tommys bought himself a Storm because its bigger, it has 2 shiney exhausts and is louder, He then has a fit because he finds that not only can the CBR keep up with him on the twisties it can also match his 150mph top speed on the motorway and even overtake him. So he raggs the balls out of the bike screwing it up and ends up on here asking for help and not liking the answers when he's told that his CCT's have gone because he's opened and closed the throttle with too much abuse causing them to give way and because he's still ridden it he's bent his valves etc.

A friend on another forum called the Storm a grown ups sports bike. Its a gentlemans bike. Its made, not for thrashing around the race track, but more for a nice leisuly drive around the countryside with your mates. Sure it will still do silly speeds. Will out accelerate anything on 4 wheels and it will put pull a lot of inline 4's with midrange grunt but its not a holligan bike. Its not tuned to within an inch of its tollerances like the R1 or GSXR's and its a whole lot more comfortable to ride on long terms. But tommy chav will never do his research so will always be on forums like these with a broken engine asking for advice and never saying thanks.

Anyways. I've rambled on long enough and bored you all rotten so I'll leave it there!

[pinkyfloyd]

PF, that about sums it up. Top post.

Yay me. And here was me thinking "Sheesh I talk some baldrocks at times!"

[cupasoop]

It's called forum fatigue, and it stems from reading the same questions over and over and over and over again. Usually posted by folk who cant be arsed searching the forum themselves and would rather ask a question and let everyone else do the work for them. The longer you stay on the forum the worse it gets.

[Stratman]

What I find annoying is the same questions being asked without bothering to use the Search facility, where, after all these years, the answer is likely to be!