so the pm debate continues eh  im afraid them pics are worth more than you can pay big fred  .....   keep on truckin i say.. or keep on riding ...dont stop believing.... and keep PM inggggggggggggg   here endeth the psalm of the biker match ode                                                                                                                                                                              

Glad to see I'm not the only one!   Partially agree with Sandi that you shouldn't expect a reply - but if you've joined up to a site like this that is about connecting people, then I think it's common courtesy to at least pop something back.   However, I can see that by replying you are opening up the possibility of an ongoing conversation, which some may not want to do. Also, replying with a 'thanks, but no thanks' may also seem rude and be hard to write back like that if you lack the confidence to be straight up with someone.   Maybe, in addition to the 'reply' button, there should be a default button that sends a standard message  that indicates the user doesn't want to engage - would make it easier.   But, for heaven's sake, if you've been sent a polite, friendly PM, it's not that much hassle to get back to somebody  As blokes, the first contact is unlikely to be overly forward, want to be reassured that there's some form of connection and ability to talk to each other before being too obvious. Help us out, please!   On another note, just wondering if people react differerently to status - I've changed mine to 'Single' whereas it was previously the more accurate 'widow / widower'  - do women react negatively to this - maybe that's why hardly anyone's replied (or maybe just because I'm an ugly bugger, that's easier to understand!)                                                                                                                                                                                 

Lol as all of u know me (apart from making ur ears bleed) and hopefully tolerate me well this site for me is definitely for playing out with some of the nicest folk i've ever met... I'm much too poor a judge of character to even think of getting mixed up in the whole dating hand grenade and my life is chaotic enough trying to fit work, kids, mad cats and a daft degu as well as making sure i get to play out without having to cram in a demanding hard work bloke into the mix!

I'll natter to anyone (and not notice them fall asleep) but i'm not shopping for a bloke because i rather like chucking my leg over my bike and my kwak is simple-put key in turn choke and fire up... No conversation, no bull, no playing with my simple trusting brain and whilst my leathers may end up on the floor (all hail floordrobes) its simple :-)

I have enough complicated machinery to learn at work without trying to work out where a blokes mute button is at home-unfortunately u blokes dont come complete with propofol otherwise i'd definitely be interested pmsl

I think sometimes the person pm-ing you doesn't say much that you can reply to or they are just passing comment on something about you that you find hard to answer.

Or to be perfectly honest you just do not remotely fancy the person in any way and you do not want to reply and give them the wrong idea that you are interested in them too.

Or you are on this site purely to find friends ONLY ( hopefully noting that on your status somewhere ) and not interested in dating just interested in meeting other bikers for rides out etc  so you do not want to reply to potential romantic overtures.

I haven't replied to some Pms and I haven't had replies to Pms I've sent but I don't take it personally, it is just life and while it may be polite to reply to a message, like Sandi says, you don't have to!

I agree with SouthLondonPhil, some people don't always want to reply because it could open up a conversation they aren't really interested in having.

Re status titles, someone who is a 'Widow/er' I can't really see that putting women off a guy or vice versa.

On another note but similar to that I have had Pms from guys who are 'Married' or 'Attached' on their status and they have tried to chat me up for a little cyber fun, (with no shame at all on their part) which needless to say I had no trouble at all telling them 'thanks but no thanks' and blocking them.

I've just joined, but not sent anyone a PM yet.

I have replied to the ones I have received, but I don't know how I would reply to a "serious" one though... ? Maybe find out it time?

We're all different and it's hard to convey emotion and context in writing (I find). But I think you should basically try not to piss people off! Read profiles carefully first.

lol i actually dont mind getting pm's so long as they're just general friendly ones and not fishing...
Think the problem is that sometimes folk's expectations strongly differ from your own and its all too easy for someone to misconstrue the meaning behind it all...or u find out what they're really like, kick urself for making a whopper of an error of judgement and pay the price.... thankfully i'm good at digging myself outa holes as well as digging myself into them and i'm a tough little cookie that bounces back...   Some folk really are sick swines that get great pleasure out of making u suffer for things u havent done and will go to great lengths to punish u for it! Note to self trust nobody except the folk you already know and love and hope to god those same people will realise its just a nutjob dragging u thro the mud because it'll make them feel better.....                                                                                                                                                                              

Dear god, it's a minefield out there   RE spaceboy "yeah but females are females ?? " - clearly not been down my local where it's occasionally dubious...                                                                                                                                                                             

Pmsl phil u talking about the durrell arms in fulham?? Christ love that pub but its talent is mostly limited to my brothers taste in men and wierd locals who think a yorkshire accent and a pulse is all the criteria needed to be classed as fit bird lol                                                                                                                                                                             

YORKSHIRE???? It must-be down market then!                                                                                                                                                                             

Cheeky sod lolol! I'll hav u know i'm very posh yorkshire 0:-) i just tone it down so u lot can understand me :-)                                                                                                                                                                             

PMing, an interesting subject, as a person in a stable relationship I can put forward only my own point of view. I joined this collection of I think like minded people not to find a new partner, but to meet and talk to people with varied interests of which at least one is motorcycles.

If I receive a letter I will normally respond, and the same of a PMs, though sometimes time may pass as I have a life outside my computer, it is but a small courtesy to respond and may mean a lot to the recipient.

Us 'gentlemen' have an infinite capacity for being crass without even realizing it, and the ladies can in my experience wield a comment with the precision of a surgeons scalpel.

So Gents unless you wish to be carved up consider your PM before you send it, Ladies please grant us some latitude as we are but mere boys who don't want to grow up, cars scare the hell out of me( for the grown ups so they tell me).