Why online motorcycle forums (fora?) are dying, so claims this article

[ndivita]

One person's view

Food for thought

 

[Oldjeep]

Most seem pretty active to me - except the ones that only deal with a low production single model of bike from 20 years ago.

 

[Oldjeep]

FWIW - I was referring to the 2 FZ1 forums when I wrote that The 2 FJR forums seem like grand central station compared to them.

 

[Old Guy]

Most seem pretty active to me - except the ones that only deal with a low production single model of bike from 20 years ago.

Check out the ZRX forum . That bike's not been brought to the US since the 2005 model, and it's still the most active forum I visit.

 

[lonerider]

Two of the Suzuki forums I used to monitor have gone to Facebook. I don't do Facebook, so I've gotten out of touch with what's going on in those groups.

 

[Mortenk]

Hmmm...I visit two FJR forums and an ST forum daily. I find this a nice break from work and Facebook . I have not noticed a decrease in activity, but haven't tracked this scientifically. I find loads of good info on these forums, and think they will remain for a while...

 

[JoshHefnerX]

This guy has a few good points. Esp phones.

However, there's gonna be times here in the near future where people will be forced to actually maintain and repair their rides.

Other forms of media don't compare for that. So they may be back.

 

[RossKean]

However, there's gonna be times here in the near future where people will be forced to actually maintain and repair their rides.

I find fewer and fewer people do much beyond basic maintenance (i.e. oil changes) and many don't even do that. In this era of cars that need a specialist to work on, many people never develop the fundamental skills needed for troubleshooting and repair.

 

[Pjotr]

I find fewer and fewer people do much beyond basic maintenance (i.e. oil changes) and many don't even do that. In this era of cars that need a specialist to work on, many people never develop the fundamental skills needed for troubleshooting and repair.

That might well be true. But for those who like to do more than the oil change, or want to learn to do so, a good forum like this is of great value.

 

[RossKean]

That might well be true. But for those who like to do more than the oil change, or want to learn to do so, a good forum like this is of great value.

No question! And Facebook just doesn't cut it.

 

[spectreman]

Social media is killing the forums. At one point I belonged to a large number of Mustang and motorcycle forums. Now I belong to maybe 4 and most are relatively dead. I rarely check them more than once or twice a week. Too bad cuz social media doesn't accomplish the same things that forums do. Forums are repositories of knowledge and experience. Some of the ones I've belonged to date back more than 20 years and you can create real relationships w/folks. I don't believe any of that can be accomplished as well on social media.
Lee

 

[PhatAir4Me]

This ^^^
Social media is a time suck I rarely have time for...

 

[RiderJoe]

I find this topic very interesting, and I too wonder what new owners will do. I have been in the FJR forums since 2003, when I got my first FJR. Over the years read a lot of information and learned a lot from them. I also appreciated the fjr1300.info site while it was active, and still refer to it for my 2006 ride. However, I have two new riding buddies, one of them has a brand new bike. After they realized how expensive it is to maintain their bikes is shops, and are often disappointed with their service, they are turning to YouTube for DIY videos, or are asking me the most basic questions even before attempting an oil change. They also search online, but they are not confident about what is a good advice and what is not.

 

[RossKean]

they are turning to YouTube for DIY videos

People can (and do) post anything on YouTube! At best, you get a snapshot of a single procedure. At worst, you get REALLY bad advice on how to handle an issue. With a forum such as this, you may get an expert opinion further backed up by a bunch of others with many years of model-specific experience. Not to say that you won't sometimes get sketchy advice here (or elsewhere) but anything like that will generate vigorous discussion if posted. You quickly learn to trust what (and who) to believe. YouTube can be useful but if I had ANY uncertainty, I would still post the link here for opinions and comment.

Being able to post a question and getting immediate and relevant feedback is invaluable - unlike Facebook or YouTube. The search function here is really good (much better than before the upgrade). Multiple search terms (inclusive or exclusive), by author, date range, titles/content, etc - you can even use key words/acronyms with fewer than four letters (i.e. oil, LED, ABS, TBS, CCT, TPS, wax, gas, ECU, MCU, MAP, air, PSI, MPH, MPG, GPS etc.).

 

[Morecowbell]

I agree that moto forums seem to be dying a slow death...but a lot of it seems to depend on the type of bike and the demographic of the normal owner/rider.

I was a frequent visitor of the BMW Sport Touring forum (before I sold the BMW to a scrapper), and two FJR forums...they're all fairly active with multiple daily posts and a metric ****-ton of useful information. Also, multiple BMW models and FJRs are still in production. But it seems that the average FJR/BMW owner tends to be a little older and less likely to use any social media platforms. I've looked at an FJR group on Reddit, and it's pretty quiet...not much going on there.

Sportbike forums, though...yeah, I can see those dying off. I've been a member of the YZF-600R forum since around 2004, and it's recently gone Tango Uniform. There would be weeks or sometimes months without a single post. That bike was only in production from 1997 to 2007, and 600cc sportbikes aren't exactly known for living long productive lives. The fleet is constantly shrinking as bikes get wrecked or parted out. Plus, sportbike owners/squids generally tend to be younger, and more likely to prefer social media. They might not even know that internet bike forums exist. That's too bad, since there was a lot of really good technical info to be found on the 600R forum.

The owner of the 600R forum recently posted on FB that he's trying to revive it...he needs help from some IT guys and possible financial support to offset his expenses. I plan on making a donation to help out when the time comes. I hope he can make it work...my bike was known there as the mileage leader of all the members; bought new in '97, one owner for 25 years, 147000 miles, original engine/clutch plates/gearbox, Used Oil Analysis looks great. 147K miles isn't a big deal for FJRs, but it's pretty unusual for a 600cc sportbike. How am I supposed to brag about it if the forum is gone?

 

[JQL]

The FJ & FJR Club UK Forum is closing at the end of the month unless someone steps forward to take it over

 

[RossKean]

The FJ & FJR Club UK Forum is closing at the end of the month unless someone steps forward to take it over

I wasn't even aware of that one. Has it been active at all?

I went to have a look and one problem was immediately apparent. You can't see ANYTHING unless you are logged-in. There appears to be some sort of guest login... Who is likely to even bother? Some sites have private areas as well as public but unless the site is well known with a large following, inaccessibility (or even any nuisance) is going to keep people away.

Any time I get a link and it turns out to be a forum where login is required (and I am not a member), I ignore it and carry on.

 

[JQL]

I wasn't even aware of that one. Has it been active at all?

I went to have a look and one problem was immediately apparent. You can't see ANYTHING unless you are logged-in. There appears to be some sort of guest login... Who is likely to even bother? Some sites have private areas as well as public but unless the site is well known with a large following, inaccessibility (or even any nuisance) is going to keep people away.

Any time I get a link and it turns out to be a forum where login is required (and I am not a member), I ignore it and carry on.

Yes it's active. Current stats:

	Total Members		1226
	Total Posts		162243
	Total Topics		14439
	Total Categories		9
	Total Boards		46

 

[Bounce]

What are the daily activity numbers (or at least the last 6 months)? That would say more than the total which includes when it was active.

 

[audiowize]

I bought a Guzzi early this year and decided to join a Guzzi forum to post stuff and possibly get some help. On the first forum, the local know it all said he didn't like my bike, that I didn't know how to read an odometer, and that I couldn't possibly understand how to get a key programmed (even though I referenced the instructions in the service manual in my post).

I decided to try the other Guzzi forum, and I got chased out of there when I mentioned frustrations I had with oil leaks on Harley Davidson engines (I've had some Buells over the years as well). Apparently that was such a controversial point of view that one of the site admins insisted that I call him to discuss it (no thanks!).

I don't own and FJR at the moment but I'll probably stick around here anyway