Thank you,, its times like this we need friends for support and to give you the much needed strength to continue to get through such hard times.   yes slowly does it.                                                                                                                                                                             

I'm sorry to hear about your losses, Eight, Gingerjen and Sweeny. I lost my cousin 4 yrs ago, he got me into biking bike rallies have never been the same since. hugs to you all!                                                                                                                                                                             

And big hugs for your sadness too Sweeney and Bluey..    x                                                                                                                                                                              

Sorry to hear of your losses, Gingerjen, Eight and Sweeny and Bluey too, it is good you have this site to come to for friendship and support, there are some wonderful caring people on here for sure who are so kind, I have experienced that kindness too and it definitely warms the heart x
                                                                                                                                                                             

Thanks Bluey and Lulu.



We'll get each other through, guys and gals, xxxx                                                                                                                                                                             

Hi all not been a member for long, but my wife walked out after 33 years together no reason given just a text, since being on here i have more good days than bad,and it is getting better all the time.                                                                                                                                                                               

Thats brilliant to hear Colin, and it will get better and better....lots of friends to made here , so have fun and keep smiling...                                                                                                                                                                             

sorry to hear  your sad news Jen, Emma Sweeney, Bluey and Colin 

 Good friends to be found on here 
i left this site for a long time but  finding comfort and friends now i'm back                                                                                                                                                                              

Getting back to the original topic for a mo, if as it says there are 706 members online as I type, What are they doing? I mean do they leave the PC/Laptop on all day and have a quick look every now and then or what? I get this feeling somethings going on on here but I can't find it to join in.
I think i've been up here too long. Where's the alkyhol. I'm off to talk to a haggis.

Well here's my two pence.  An awful lot of peeps see this as a dating site for bikers rather than a forum or both.  So a lot of peeps are sticking up their profiles and nodding and chatting via PMs in the hope of maybe getting some riding buddies / love interest. They're probably not interested in the forum side of things.

There are so very many forums that people are very selective about where they spend their online social time.

Facebook takes up more time than people would care to admit.  If you're into specialist interest forums you're going to split that up between FB and your interests.  Add onto that a few marque forums for your cars and bikes and there really isn't that much time left in the day for tapping away on this rather random forum.  Porn also takes up a lot of browsing time.  Or so I'm told .

So there's that.
                                                                                                                                                                             

I guess your right. It kind of makes me think I could be hoping too much from here. I'm asking myself why I joined, and the 'match' element is appealing. The outset was to see who/what/when was around my area to join in and rekindle the biking thing. Maybe find a lady to ride with. But I think I would have to travel further afield, although plenty of bikers head up this way.
I think I will slow down a bit and get to know those bothered to post or get in touch. I'm in no rush, just to ride the bike.
Cheers SS

Strangely Sane, Freebooter come along to the KISS Rally and see the other side of BM                                                                                                                                                                               

Maybe next year Elliemay, but right now i'm into the last day or two of what holiday I'm on. And from where I am it's a days ride anywhere south. But I am up for it.                                                                                                                                                                              

Freebooter keep using the forums and chatting to people, I'm sure you will end up with meeting new people                                                                                                                                                                              

Mr Freebooter.......... what she says about using forum...I posted this thread just to get people talking / posting on here and has created quite a debate....see how it works ? Then get yerself to events and put faces to names.                                                                                                                                                                             

Hi Freebooter 
I joined this site years ago  didnt bother much with the forums and chat rooms  then. 
I have been away a long time and only been back a few months  I talk with people on here who never use the forums just through pm's,  but go to the meets
 I personally have found joining the chat room or / and the forums makes me feel more a part of the community on here, and I have been able to get to know people that way first before meeting them in the flesh
If you are looking to date someone thats a different  aspect to BM, you can browse the profiles  and I  wish you luck with your search 
Or you can just go to some of the events 
As you can see  there are a few ways to get to know people but its good to be part of the social side as well as the dating side 
Hang around a while have a chat                                                                                                                                                                              

I browse, lurk, post as and when the mood takes me. 
I can't log on when I'm at work and when I'm home I leave myself logged in and just pop in and out depending on what else I'm doing

I've met some brilliant people on the site, made lots of excellent friends and had loads of help when needed                                                                                                                                                                             

I thank you all for giving me advice, and I'm sure it won't be long before your all wishing you hadn't (lol). So far, so really good.
                                                                                                                                                                             

                                                                                                                                                                               

Its a DATING site??? Omg!!

Ok this is another two penneths worth-i stay logged in on my phone because i'm far too lazy to have to type my 200 letter and numbers and uppercase and lowercase password so 'guilty' as charged lol!

This site kept me going thro my darkest days last year after a hugely horrible breakup of me and my ex that left me traumatised and billy no mates who like bikes lol!

Due to work i've not been able to get to many of the 'do's' this year and cant go to kiss due to conflict of interests-its a choice of bikesafe or kiss rally and i'm afraid the not killing myself and becoming roadkill rather than doing a damned fine impression of roadkill gets it lol!

I think i'd struggle trying to fit all of my camping gear on the back of my bike but i know no shame in turning up in the car if i hav to! I just tend to go for long meandering rides with frequent coffee breaks so we can put the world to rights over copious amounts of coffee and cakes on my rare days off with some of the best mates i could wish for! The biggest part of my social chunk is on facebook because thats where all the plans and spur of the moment meetups coincide at very little notice and that all of my family are on there its a natural first port of call when time is restricted....

This site is ace and has been an absolute godsend in times of crisis for both me and many others and has now brought me the best pressie i'd hav never even dreamed of this time last year!

Not sure if my stephen will ever be the same again tho-think i've dragged him all over places he'd hav never dreamed of going since we met and thanks to him i've seen places i'd hav never known how to find! If any of u are around for a blip on wed i'm off to meet a few folks for a coffee at squires-they may be from another bike realm but they're a good bunch-all welcome to meet but be warned i'm crap with faces and names just because of the sheer volume of folks i meet so unless u say 'hiya' i wont hav a clue (except u gingergen pmsl-i'd never mistake u chick coz ur awesome!)

Try not to get disheartened tho folks-u get out of it what u put in and having no expectations means no disillusionment.... Its about making friends and expanding ur family more than anything and about the bikes, the blasts and the coffee and cakes :-)

Keep smiling because it'll all work out in the end-u cant replace the loss and the heartbreak but u can find shoulders to help u cope and little lights to help u get through the dark days xx