I need a history lesson

[flux]

I hope this is okay to ask here, if I am stepping on toes or something weird just let me know or delete the thread.   :oops:

So, I just learned about triumphrat.net this week.  I've seen some mentions of it here and there on this site but never really strongly enough mentioned for me to bother with.  But now I've found out that Moto400 which is 5 minutes from my house sponsors the RAT meetings, and the folks who run the Atlanta chapter are really trying to get me involved in rejuvenating it (it's kinda died).  

I guess what I'm after is why do both sites exist?  The RAT site has a Tiger section on it, although no doubt it is not nearly as good as this site.  Personally, I like the feel of this site better, no ads (the RAT site has a damn ad for BUELL at the top!), and kind of a smaller community feel to it.  Maybe I just answered my own question, I have no idea.

Do any of you post on both?

Again, sorry if this question is out of line.

[Stretch]

Unlike TriumphRat, we don't mind mentioning other sites and posting links to other sites.  When Abruzzi was just getting this site back on its legs after being resurrected from the old Triumph-Tiger dot com, TriumphRat deleted links that were posted by Tiger riders as they talked about this site making a comeback...

"Hey, all.  Just letting folks know that Triumph-Tiger dot com is back on line with a new name.  Here's a link:   www.tigertriple.com"

And later that day, the link would disappear.

Kinda petty, I thought.

So I've been putting my efforts into this site instead, contributing and gathering as much information as we can to make TigerTriple the intyweb's most valuable Tiger information resource.  And the idea has caught on.  Lots of folks post How-To threads and answer technical questions.  We have a very friendly, knowledgeable web community and I'm proud to be a member here.  I've even met and ridden with a few of these munks.  

I can honestly say that the only editing I've ever done for censorship reasons is to delete a photo of a naked chick in a ride report.  And the only registered members I've banned were spammers who had no interest in bikes, but were posting p0rn links and the like.

We, as a site, are not in competition with TriumphRat or any other site.  The more info that is out there, the better for Tiger owners as a whole.

On that note, I would like to add that Adventure Rider dot com was extremely gracious when we were getting this site back up and running.  We actually had an ongoing 'Triumph-Tiger dot com' thread running in ADV's 'Beasts' forum for a couple of weeks.  Baldy and his Moderators are a good bunch of guys (and gals), and I do whatever I can to support the site, including recent financial donations to help him upgrade his servers (the site has something like 80,000 members, and tens of thousands of photo-heavy threads).

[flux]

Cool Stretch, thanks for educating me.  Like I said, I had not ever even been to the RAT site before this week when some guys I know were talking about it to me.  

I kind of got the feeling that the RAT stuff is more commercial and not as 'homey' if you know what I mean.  I am sure the people there are fine folks, but not sure about the way its operated as a whole.  I don't dig editing much (except like you said, nekkid stuff).  I post over on georgiaoffroad.com as well, for my dirtbike fix.  (Yeah, I am kinda an internet whore I guess).  And they edit EVERYTHING.  Can't even say SUCK without them turning it into S//K or something.  Operated by some bible humpers though so what do you expect?  

Anyway, back on topic... have you ever been to any of the local RAT meetings?  There is one at Moto400 this weekend and I was thinking about seeing what they are all about.  

And, yeah, I agree, ADV is a cool site.  I am glad the server got upgraded, I need my fix!  Like you I tossed some money his way, and am glad to see the result.  I was actually thinking about drawing up some stuff for Tiger Triple to try making some money for this site... I'll see what I come up with and pass it onto you and Geoff.

[Stretch]

I've gotten a lot of useful information from TriumphRat members, especially D'Ecosse, while I've been sorting through ways to eliminate problems in Tiger charging systems.  A lot of the same guys post on both sites (here and there), so in some ways the membership is the same.  

I'm really glad that traffic has picked up here.  BigDave, the previous site owner and webmaster, had traded his Tiger for a GS, and then had some very heavy family health issues.  He had neither the time nor the motivation to spend time on the site, and it showed.  For a long time, this site had gone to seed, with spam and gross disorganization.  All sorts of topics were all mixed in with each other, even though there were separate forums.  Nobody had been doing any housekeeping.

The Tech Forums are near and dear to my heart, and I guess with that and my home-built farkles, Abruzzi offered me the opportunity to come on board and help him organize the place after he took the reins.  Fortunately, Abruzzi and I share the same opinions on most of the issues that come up here, so toeing his line isn't difficult for me in the least.  We make a good team.


I peruse Georgia Off Road also, but just lurk.  It's their site to run however they please, but I don't fucking care for fucking censorship, so I won't fucking do it here.  

My "dirt bike" is a 22-year-old Honda XL250, so I don't have much to offer in the way of enduro and motocross riding.  But Georgia Off Road and Dixie Dual Sport are good ways to find out about places to ride.

I haven't been to a local RAT meeting.  For one thing, I'm pretty antisocial.  Also, the meetings are a couple hours' ride from me, so it's hard to just drop in after work.  I'm sure Moto400 is a good group of guys, but I'm pretty much a loner when it comes to riding... maybe one or two other guys at the most.  Group rides and rallies give me the willies.

Besides, the last time I joined something, they shaved my head and almost sent me to Kuwait.

[abruzzi]

Dude! You deleted a photo of a naked Chick?

Damn...

No seriously, I haven't been to the TRAT site in a while, but around the time we were ressurecting the triumph-tiger.com site, TRAT was very slow to browse.  The page was also kind of cluttered.  But mostly what Stretch said, the moderators are pretty heavy handed.  

I don't care if the occasional curse word slips out, and I welcome all other triumph websites (even TRAT)  Hell, We usually tell 1050 owners that pop in here about tiger1050.com.

Geof

[Stretch]

Hell, We usually tell 1050 owners that pop in here about tiger1050.com.

Be sure to buy some stickers!  

[PeteH]

I post on both sites, but started on the T-Rat site and found a link to here. You do see quite a few riders use both sites tho not always with the same name.
Its a bit strange that both forums seem to be American owned with us Brits joining in and not the other way around :?  :oops:
But they`re here, and as long as, I`ll post up with questions and maybe the odd answer :)

Ps
I read a thread the other day on T-Rat posted by Stretch

[Stretch]

Yep, I have seventy-something posts there, I think.  I hit TRat pretty heavily when TigerTriple briefly folded a couple years ago, posting some mods and the like.  I think I posted a question regarding ECU mapping a couple months ago, both here and there.

[JasonS]

.. TriumphRat.net was started by one person, way back when, and it was good. It grew and people came, they contributed, and it grew more and forums sprouted and it was a garden of delight. It was for us and about us. It had no connection to Triumph USA, but had their blessing as long as they didn;t do a few things... it was an odd situation but it worked.

Growth became an issue. The sight was sucking more and more time from the mods and the owner, sucking incredible amounts of bandwidth and taking out a server in less than a year with growth.. . He got an offer from Motorcycle.com and I can't blame him in many ways, and he sold it to them. I've been there... you put your soul into it and it burns you out and then someone says, here is some incentive.... next!

It isn't the same there now.. it still has great people and tons of good content.... but, there are now ads all over it, to the point of making the site less useful, and there just isn't that "come on jimmy, we'll put on a show and save the farm" feel... like there is here and on ADV.... is IS about US and about the BIKE... about the LIFE... a few ads can be ok, but when the focus shifts to revenue it just taints it too much....

thanks stretch...

I think that it is likely that Tiger3 won't have these issues as there are only so many tigers out there..

[Stretch]

I think you're right.  It's kind of doubtful that there are enough 'combination Tiger and web forum' enthusiasts out there to create bandwidth and server havoc here.  In that regard, our saving grace is that this site is model-specific, and that model doesn't have the production numbers big enough to have a huge web following, like V-Stroms and GS's.

[abruzzi]

Yeah, ADVrider amazes me sometimes.  They push through a lot of bandwidth, and don't place a single ad.  In real terms, that site has to cost $1000/month to run.  We run enough bandwidth to to make this place non-trivial.  My first host was limited to 10gb/month before extra fees got incurred, and that happened every month for the first few months, until I switched to a host with less bandwidth restrictions.

I have nothing against TRAT, but I only really frequent them for my Bonneville. I find people more friendly and helpful here (or maybe being the proprietor, I can better browbeat people for help.)

Geof

[Stretch]

More tea, sir?

[JasonS]

No, please, let Meee get it.,,, there you go sir, just the way you like it...











 :lol:

although I think a running/ducking smilie would be a good thing!!.. lol

[RT]

Post on both sites.

they will still delete post about other sites.    I also own a Triumph America and posted a link to the bonnievilleamerica forum once to help a fellow America owner find out some info.  (America's not really represented well on forum, I think).  Anyway got what I thought was a nasty note about not promoting other websites.   But if a person can't find the answer on one site why not suggest other locations dedicated to their particular bike???

[Stretch]

if a person can't find the answer on one site why not suggest other locations dedicated to their particular bike???

Why not, indeed.  Socializing, grab ass, and Youtube posting aside, the true purpose of these forums is to give and receive motorcycle-related information.  To deny a registered member the ability to help another member solve a problem across a number of different sites smacks of shameless self-promotion.

That's like saying,  "If you can't get the answer here, we would prefer your bike to stay broken."

That's bullshit of the highest order.

Again, TigerTriple is not in competition with any other site.  But mutual cooperation would be ideal.  Or at least polite.  I have found answers to problems on TRat, and have referred to them in my posts and posted links, giving the site due credit in helping me solve the problem.

Again, with Tigers accounting for such a small segment of internet forum traffic, most internet-savvy owners eventually learn of both sites, so they peruse both (and the Yahoo boards) to learn about their bikes.