Crosstourer - Forum Rules

The site is very informal and laidback and we hate formal rules. However, having said that the rules below are based on common sense and we expect members to conduct themselves accordingly and to abide by them.

In additional to the Registration Agreement, you must abide by the rules below as a condition of membership.

Please also see the Marketplace - Rules and Guidelines if you wish to advertise or post in the "For Sale/Wanted" boards.

Friendly Atmosphere

We try to maintain a family friendly atmosphere whenever it is possible within the main subject matter of this community.

Words are powerful, use them wisely. Please keep this in mind when participating  

1. Forum Posts

1.01	Posts must not contain personal insults.
1.02	Posts must not contain derogatory, patronising, antagonistic, or sarcastic comments about other users of this forum.
1.03	Do not insult, ridicule, offend, or stereotype, individuals or groups, on the basis of ethnic origin, race, age or sexual orientation.
1.04	Posts must not contain bad language, actual or implied.
1.05	Posts must not contain messages, comments, images, links, documents, or 'jokes' that may be interpreted as obscene, vulgar, sexually orientated, hateful, political, racist, or threatening.
1.06	Due to abuse, members must not name, request, discuss, or link to content on other forums or online groups (e.g. other forums, Facebook, Twitter etc.). Where able, you should reproduce the information in your post. Members who encourage others to visit such websites will find their account terminated.
1.07	Posts must not contain private information about someone.
1.08	Do not post personally identifiable information (i.e. name, address, email address, phone number, details, etc.). This includes both yourself and others.
1.09	Do not post the content of letters and emails without the consent of the sender. Extracts, where appropriate, are acceptable, as long as it conforms to other forum rules.
1.10	Do not discuss, promote, or popularise, illegal activities or those which are forbidden by law.
1.11	Posts must not constitute a breach of UK, US, EU, libel, incitement, copyright, or other international laws.
1.12	Copyrighted Material. Do not discuss, request, share, supply, post links to (contributory copyright infringement), or distribute copyrighted material. The forum cannot be used as a conduit or a discussion base for such material. This includes copyrighted "Workshop Service" manuals. Members breaking this rule risk the termination of their membership.
1.13	Posts must not be considered as plagiarism or breach of copyright. If you quote text from an external website, source, or publication, then only copy as much as is necessary to illustrate the point. You may quote small sections from a workshop manual. Do not copy and paste entire articles or web pages.
1.14	Do not post any religious, political, firearms (guns) content, or other subject matter or images that are potentially volatile and prone to argument, even as a "joke".
1.15	Do not post content that could be interpreted as spamming.
1.16	Do not use the forums for profit or gain - no adverts, promotion, or selling, except in the "For Sale/Wanted" boards, and then for personal items only. Approved vendors/advertisers/traders are exempt.
1.17	Do not post content that potentially could bring the site into disrepute.
1.18	Comment Saboteurs - Do not post comments with an underlying agenda which is designed to disrupt the forum or undermine the credibility of another member, organisation, or the forum staff.
1.19	Do not post content that is knowingly or intentionally false, inaccurate, misleading, spurious, or content which can be interpreted as "fake news", or "conspiracy theory" content such as junk science and bogus claims about historical events.
1.20	You may not post words or URLs that are censored by adding spaces, dots, or substituting characters, or by any other means, in an attempt to defeat the automated censors in place.
1.21	Do not post links that use an url shortening service (unless the link relates to map coordinates) in order to circumvent these rules.
1.22	Do not make posts forbidding opposing viewpoints, both sides of a debate should be represented.
1.23	When there are opposing viewpoints and discussions have been exhausted, do not attempt to have the "last word", simply accept that you "agree to disagree". Drawn out disagreements are toxic and become draining to the reader and other participating members.
1.24	Do not pressurise members to contribute to fundraising/charitable causes.
1.25	You may not post commission, referral or affiliate links anywhere on the forum.
1.26	Do not duplicate content that has been posted on another forum or website. If there is something of interest then rewrite the content in your post. Don't be lazy !
1.27	Do not ask multiple questions that relate to different subjects in a topic. Far better to create separate topics otherwise threads get confusing.
1.28	Do not create multiple topics on the same subject matter.
1.29	Members may post reviews of products or services that they have purchased or used as a normal consumer.
1.30	You may not use discussions to recommend, praise, or belittle products, services, or any company without first hand experience of those products or services.
1.31	Members may not review products or services to which they have a direct or indirect commercial interest, or where they have been asked to do so by a commercial business. If an incentive, such a discount or free product, was given by the manufacturer/provider in exchange for a forum review, then this is also not allowed.
1.32	Promotions such as "Group Buys" must be authorised by a forum Administrator (not Moderator) before any details or suggestions are posted on the forum. Most "Group Buys" are authorised but check with us first!
1.33	Do not claim that you "represent" the forum or it's members unless you have been formally authorised to do so by a forum administrator in advance.
1.34	This is an international forum, however all publicly displayed posts, messages, comments, and signature text, must be in the ENGLISH language.
1.35	Members are required to start new topics in the appropriate section of the forum that relates to the subject matter being discussed.
1.36	Do not create or contribute to topics that by their nature, effectively duplicate or replace whole forum sections or boards. Topics which are broad and wide-ranging covering multiple subjects are not allowed.
	Note: By posting content on the forum your contribution will be viewed as an addition to a collaborative work that is designed to benefit other owners/enthusiasts of the motorcycle to which this forum relates. By contributing to this work you accept that posts cannot be deleted or edited out unless they contravene these forum rules.

2. Online Behaviour

Please be polite and respectful to other members at all times in the interests of maintaining constructive and friendly discussions.

2.01	Racism or hatred: We have zero tolerance for racism or hatred towards any specific race, religion, country, gender, individual or group.
2.02	Harassment: Do not harass, defame, threaten, bully or victimise other members.
2.03	Profanity/Swearing: Do not use profanity/swearing, crude, vulgar language or attempt to intentionally bypass the profanity filter.
2.04	Trolling: Do not troll the forums. We define 'trolling' as the act of causing deliberate disruption or offense. Such behaviour usually involves the posting of intentionally false, controversial or offensive comments designed to provoke, bait and annoy other members.
2.05	Flame baiting: Do not taunt or bait another member into an argument.
2.06	Abusive behaviour: Do not be rude, insulting, offensive, snide, obnoxious or abusive towards other members/forum staff.
2.07	Suggestive conduct: Do not post sexually suggestive comments, innuendo or engage in inappropriate sexually oriented personal exchanges or harassment.
2.08	Sock puppetry: Do not post under more than one alias at the same time or pretend to be more than one person via multiple accounts.
2.09	Forum groups: The formation or promotion of disruptive groups, clans or gangs is disallowed.
2.10	External Membership: Do not take advantage of our membership base by encouraging members to join or interact on other forums, websites, or groups (e.g. other forums, Google Plus+, Facebook, Twitter etc.).
2.11	Ad Blocking: Do not discuss methods which block the advertising on the site. Love it or loathe it, advertising keeps the forum running, please respect that.
2.12	Forum warfare: Do not initiate or participate in "wars" with other members. Collective or individual attempts to attack, accuse, discredit or force a certain viewpoint on other members are disallowed.
2.13	Defamation: Do not use this site or its services to attack, promote hatred towards or otherwise defame other websites, forums, groups, products, companies, or individuals.
2.14	Role-playing: Do not use the forum to 'role-play' as a fictitious character or entity.
2.15	Off-topic: Do not derail or 'hijack' threads with posts or questions that are either off-topic or designed to draw attention away from what is being discussed.
2.16	Personal attacks: Challenge the point being presented, not the person who is making it.
2.17	Spelling and grammar: Do not point out mistakes or criticise other members on their spelling, grammar or punctuation.
2.18	Personal scrutiny: Do not attack or scrutinise another member's intelligence, mental status or personal/educational background.
2.19	Topic bashing: Do not enter a thread just to shout "fake!" or to state point blank that "x does not exist". Elaborate on your response with a constructive comment.
2.20	Disrespectful conduct: Do not be rude, unpleasant, or disrespectful towards other members - always be polite and courteous.
2.21	Balanced debate: Do not make posts forbidding opposing viewpoints, both sides of a debate should be represented.
2.22	Last word: When there are opposing viewpoints and discussions have been exhausted, do not attempt to have the "last word", simply accept that you "agree to disagree". Drawn out disagreements are toxic and become draining to the reader and other participating members.
2.23	Shouting: Do not write post titles or content in UPPERCASE letters; writing in this manner can be considered "shouting" and rude.
2.24	Redundant quoting: Avoid quoting large amounts of material just to provide a short reply, only quote what you need to in order to avoid ambiguity.
2.25	Rule quoting: Do not quote the site rules to other members, if you believe the rules have been broken please use the 'Report Post to Moderator' link located in the bottom right hand corner of every post.
2.26	Self elected Moderator: Do not elect yourself as a Moderator by telling other members what they can and can't do on the forum. A polite reminder to others is acceptable, imposing your own rules is not.
2.27	Cultural and regional differences: Acknowledge and respect that members in other parts of the world may have cultural differences, values, laws, and beliefs that are different to your own.
2.28	Post Count: While member post count has some meaning, it should not be taken too seriously. Attempts to artificially increase your post count are prohibited. This includes the mass creation of short or meaningless posts.
2.29	Thread bumping: Do not post 'bump' or some other short text solely to return a thread to the top of the topic index. Also see "Marketplace - Rules and Guidelines" for exceptions.

3. Moderation and Disputes

All members need to accept that moderation is a necessary part of a forum. If you cannot accept this then being a member of a forum is not for you.

In general all moderation is kept to an absolute minimum, but Moderators/Administrators will intervene where necessary to ensure a balanced and healthy debate.

All forum rules are in place for a reason, please respect that.

3.01	Stay within the forum rules to preserve your membership privileges. Any action which contravenes the forum rules may result in termination of your membership, with or without prior notice being given.
3.02	The Forum team (Moderators/Administrators) will be the sole arbiter of what does and does not break these rules.
3.03	Members with grievances should contact the site Moderator/Administrator only.
3.04	It is not permissible to discuss the forum rules or disputes within the forum.
3.05	To report a post use the "Report post to Moderator" link that exists in the bottom right hand corner of each post.
3.06	Generally a warning will be given first to a member breaking the rules, repeated infractions will result in a ban.
3.07	Bans may be for a temporary period or permanent.
3.08	Posts will be moved to the appropriate board if posted in the wrong section.
3.09	Posts and topics may be edited, split, moved, merged, or removed if the content contravenes forum rules.
3.10	Members agree to co-operate with the requests of our site staff should you be asked to stop doing something that is deemed to be disruptive, inappropriate, or in violation of the forum rules.
3.11	Members agree not to argue, attack, ridicule, harass, threaten or become abusive towards any member of staff in any shape or form. We operate a zero tolerance policy in this regard. Members who participate in such behaviour will be removed from the forum immediately. All our moderators/administrator are volunteers who give up their own free time to keep the forum a safe and friendly place, please treat them with respect.
3.12	Members will not start topics, make posts, or send personal messages, to complain, debate, or petition against or to query a Moderator/Administrator action. If you disagree with an action taken by a member of staff you can appeal the decision by politely sending a personal message to that Moderator/Administrator.
3.13	It is not permissible to register more accounts in order to circumvent a restriction if access or posting rights have been revoked. Any such accounts will be removed.
3.14	Where a member has had forum permissions revoked or a ban imposed, it is not permissible to ask another member to post or deliver messages on their behalf.
3.15	Do not complain that the forum rules restrict your "right to free speech". This is a privately owned forum and any such entitlements do not apply.
3.16	Once a final decision has been made over an issue do not continue to argue and complain. If you cannot accept a decision then this forum is not for you, and as such we will terminate your membership, with or without notice.

4. Member Accounts

4.01	Members cannot use their real name as a username. By using this forum we will view you as being anonymous, even if your username resembles that of a real person.
4.02	Usernames cannot reflect a commercial business name unless the member is an approved vendor or advertiser.
4.03	Usernames must be between 3 to 12 characters and consist of basic alphanumeric characters only. Hyphens, underscores, and "spaces" are allowed. Other characters like punctuation marks and symbols (e.g. @#&%$£) are not allowed. Multiple words are allowed.
4.04	Usernames must not be obscene, vulgar, sexually orientated, inappropriate, hateful, racist, or threatening. We reserve the right to ask you to change your username.
4.05	Members site permissions will be allocated and amended at our discretion.
4.06	Members cannot use the account for commercial purposes - see "Commercial" section below.
4.07	As a condition of membership, members must ensure that their registered email address is current and active. You cannot use a masked or disposable email address. The forum system will automatically prevent the use of some email providers which have a bad reputation (such as those commonly used by spammers).
4.08	Members may request closure of their account and membership at any time by contacting the forum administrator via the personal messaging system (not the contact form if available). Should they wish, members have the ability to remove any additional profile information. We will disable the account which will become unusable. Note that the username will remain as it is linked to posts but the account itself will be deactivated. Any posts and images will not be deleted unless they contravene forum rules. Usernames can be anonymised on request.
4.09	Members are responsible for keeping their username and password confidential, and they are requested not to divulge these to third parties. Accounts cannot be shared. Note: Members passwords are encrypted on the site; even the site administrator cannot see your password, they can only reset passwords.
4.10	Members accept that in extreme circumstances, and where asked to do so by a court of law or government security agency, the site will provide a member's membership and/or posting details. In all other circumstances such data will remain confidential and not passed to any third parties unless the member has opted to make such information public within their registration profile or within forum posts/topics.
4.11	Multiple accounts are not allowed. Contact an administrator if you created an additional account in error and we'll be happy to sort it out.

5. Avatars and Signatures

5.01	Avatars are subject to the same conditions as posts with regard to general decency. An avatar must not contravene any part of these rules. Unsuitable avatars will be deleted and the ability to display an avatar will be withdrawn.
5.02	Animated gifs are permitted, however they must be the correct size when uploaded or they may not display as intended.
5.03	Large or inconsiderate signatures spoil the site for visitors so please keep signature images to a reasonable size. Only one graphic please, max 468px wide by 50px high.
5.04	Signatures can link to personal non-commercial sites (such as personal blogs etc.) only. Such sites cannot contain any form of advertising (this would be deemed commercial). Due to abuse no links to Facebook are allowed.
5.05	Commercial advertising or links may not be placed in signatures without the permission of the site Administrator and would generally only be granted to approved commercial vendors/advertisers.
5.06	Signatures formed by text only can be no more than 5 lines.
5.07	Embedded videos (like YouTube) are not allowed in signatures.
5.08	"Fuelly" signatures are permitted. Please ensure the image link is secure (https).
5.09	Signatures with links to online groups/forums (e.g. Facebook) are not permitted.
5.10	All signatures must also conform to the requirements in other sections of these forum rules.
5.11	Members who post what amounts to "spam" in signatures will be banned instantly.

6. Members Map

6.01	Do not abuse the Members Map by inserting your "pin" in some obscure location that has no relevance to your true or approximate location.
	Note that members have the ability to remove themselves from the map from within their profile area should they wish to do so. Hint: From within your profile click on the spot in the centre of the pin to remove it, then click on the SAVE CHANGES button at the bottom right of the page.

7. Images and the Photos Gallery

7.01	The forum rules also apply to uploaded images, profiles, and text within the Photos Gallery or any other associated site.
7.02	Do not utilise the Photos Gallery to post image links on external websites. Image hosting is expensive, the Photos Gallery is provided as a resource to complement and benefit this forum only.
7.03	Do not use external image hosting sites such as IMGBB, Postimage etc to embed images into posts. If you wish to add images to posts then please use the Photos Gallery.

8. Private Messaging

8.01	The forum rules also apply to the private messaging service (pm's).
8.02	Members should not attempt to circumvent the forum rules by using the personal messaging system to conduct actions that contravene these rules. Members should be aware that the content of personal messages are "reportable" just like forum posts.
8.03	Do not use the personal messaging system to send out bulk unsolicited messages to other members.
8.04	Members who misuse the personal messaging system will have their ability to use the feature removed. Serious misuse will result in a ban.

9. Spam Posts and Technical Interference

9.01	Advertising: Do not use the forum to advertise or promote a product, site or service.
9.02	Recruitment: Do not take advantage of our membership base by attempting to recruit, or invite members in to joining other sites, groups, services or forums.
9.03	Multi-posting: Do not post the same post or topic in more than one place on the forum.
9.04	Thread bumping: Do not post 'bump' or some other short text solely to return a thread to the top of the topic index.
9.05	Link dropping: Do not make posts for the purpose of dropping links for promotional/SEO purposes (see next section).
	Acceptable:   Members are welcome to post reviews of products or services that they have purchased or used as a normal consumer.
	Not acceptable:   Members may not review product/services to which they have a direct or indirect commercial interest, or if an incentive (such a discount or free product) was given by the manufacturer/provider in exchange for a forum review.
9.06	Do not attempt to access restricted areas, hack, or interfere with any aspect of the site or it's functionality. Such members will be removed without warning.

10. Commercial

Standard Membership is strictly for personal users only.

Commercial Membership is offered to business organisations that wish to promote a service or product(s) on the site. This can be as a forum Vendor, Advertiser, or as a Small Trader. Please contact us via the Site Administrator (or Contact Form if available) for advertising rates and further details.

Commercial Members are offered:

Dedicated board in the forum to promote a product or service. Ability to interact with members in your own dedicated board. Banner and display advertising opportunities. Cost effective opportunities and low cost. PAYG, no long term commitment.

All advertising rates are extremely competitive and low cost when compared to similar forums/websites. All income helps to keep the forum running, please support us.

Important Note: unless you are an approved Commercial Vendor or Advertiser then:

10.01	You may not publish or discuss any information regarding your product or services, or future (possible) products or services, or any product or services you are, or have been, associated with. This includes, but not limited to, suggesting your own services, or services of partners, clients, employers or friends.
10.02	You may not post any message that is commercial by nature.
10.03	You may not post any message that directs others to any pages at your own commercial domain, including informational pages. A commercial domain is defined as a site that receives any type of income or links to any income producing properties.
10.04	You may not solicit the membership base for feedback or suggestions on your product or services.
10.05	You may not solicit users for any project or purpose external to the forum; public, private, or commercial. Most importantly our membership base is not a resource to be "mined" by individuals, groups, or businesses, for profit or not for profit.
10.06	If a poster has made a direct reference to your company and stated something untrue or misleading, or something which clearly needs clarifying, then as a representative of your company you must contact the forum administrator PRIOR to posting yourself on the forum. To avoid embarrassment authorisation to reply to the post MUST be obtained first.

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Although these rules cover most common situations, they cannot cover everything. We therefore reserve the right to take any action we think appropriate to prevent the disruption or abuse of the forum in any way, and to amend these rules from time to time as necessary.