GT-Rider Forum...

[Marmite the Dog]

...seems to be fecked.

Does anyone know if it's permanently fallen over or just a temporary happening?

http://www.gt-rider.com/thailand-motorcycle-forum/

[Jofrey]

No idea..

It has most of the best travel threads I've ever viewed.

[Mikey Forester]

Imagine that it is temporary.

Too much of Dave's life on that for him to bin it or allow it be binned.

[Mikey Forester]

There was a scandal a year or so ago when someone up around there started trying to license their stuff or use their stuff, or sell stuff using the official GT-Rider name and logo etc.

Anybody got any more info on what and who was doing what?

Was it something to do with a certain Rider's bar on a Corner on the moat?

[MeMock]

Is Marco still a member on there?

[Mr Earl]

I heard the gtrider forum owner had a nervous breakdown after he was called out on his phony Vietnam adventure tours and false accusations against the newer rideasia forum.
The local CM scuttlebutt is Gtrider is Finnish and gone back to Helsinki to freeze to death.

[TonyBKK]

I heard the gtrider forum owner had a nervous breakdown after he was called out on his phony Vietnam adventure tours and false accusations against the newer rideasia forum.
The local CM scuttlebutt is Gtrider is Finnish and gone back to Helsinki to freeze to death.

Kind of the other way around and David sure as hell isn't from Finland and has never organized a commercial tour to Vietnam...

[TonyBKK]

...seems to be fecked.

Does anyone know if it's permanently fallen over or just a temporary happening?

S.E. Asia Touring Forums: Thailand, Laos & Vietnam - Home

The GT-Rider site is overdue for a software update and can't handle the traffic it's getting at peak times.

David's message posted earlier today:

"Apologies for the technical difficulties we are experiencing at the moment.
We are endeavoring to both identify & rectify the problem.
We would also like to advise there will be a forum software update in the very near future - hopefully this week, during which time GTR will be offline for a short period.
We will post a notice to advise in advance, once the arrangements - dates & times are confirmed.
Thank you to all those people who have expressed their concern. "

Difficult loading the forum.

[Mr Earl]

I heard the gtrider forum owner had a nervous breakdown after he was called out on his phony Vietnam adventure tours and false accusations against the newer rideasia forum.
The local CM scuttlebutt is Gtrider is Finnish and gone back to Helsinki to freeze to death.

Kind of the other way around and David sure as hell isn't from Finland and has never organized a commercial tour to Vietnam...

I know David is Australian living here on disability pension. Helsinki was a joke. (because he is being frozen out of Thailand)
But he did indeed organize commercial tour into Vietnam and failed to reveal the overly tight control imposed by his Vietnamese handlers.
Phil would have never started rideasia were it not for Dave's slimy bullshit. And Dave's nervous breakdown is what has put gtrider into a crash and burn trajectory.
I got permanently banned from gtrider for asking to many questions about his Vietnam trip. He won't suffer the truth easily. Mind I do know him socialy and at the time supported his map publishing enterprise.
Dave should slink back to Au and continue collecting his pension quietly instead of philadering with Vietnamese tour operators disguised as independent adventures.

[Mikey Forester]

I heard the gtrider forum owner had a nervous breakdown after he was called out on his phony Vietnam adventure tours and false accusations against the newer rideasia forum.

Kind of the other way around

Go on....

[VocalNeal]

I got permanently banned from gtrider for asking to many questions about his Vietnam trip. He won't suffer the truth easily.

Like I have with people who are religious devotees, I have a natural suspicion of people who are intent on revealing the "real" truth, as one can never tell what the real truth is.

What was your reason for your quest of the so called truth?

Anyway the forum as such has little to do with organized trips and appears to be working just fine.

Does anyone know if it's permanently fallen over

I am also amazed that when a website stops for a few hour some sane and educated people either think or assume the sky is falling rather than something simple like someone went for lunch or the server crashed or...their is a power-cut in the vicinity of the server or...

[Mikey Forester]

I only know the lad in the opposite corner, who runs rideasia. Hardly the type of bloke who would want (or any way need) to do anything against another website. Can't imagine it.

I don't know David personally so cannot comment on him. Comes across as a fairly straight laced serious kinda fella.

[Marmite the Dog]

The GT-Rider site is overdue for a software update and can't handle the traffic it's getting at peak times.

What traffic?

As much as I like the place, it's very slow on the forum and unless it's being hosted on a ZX81, I think there shouldn't be any problems caused by their volume of visitor traffic.

Anyway, glad to see it's up & running again.

[Marmite the Dog]

I am also amazed that when a website stops for a few hour some sane and educated people either think or assume the sky is falling rather than something simple like someone went for lunch or the server crashed or...their is a power-cut in the vicinity of the server or...

How many days is a few hours?

[TonyBKK]

I got permanently banned from gtrider for asking to many questions about his Vietnam trip.

^ David does not tolerate trolls and troublemakers on his forum. No wonder you got the boot. Good riddance

His 7 part report of his pioneering ride from Chiang Mai, Thailand to Hanoi, Vietnam and back is epic. Should anyone wish to check it out, here's part 1:

Chiang Mai - Hanoi & Back Part 1

[terry57]

One really has to give it up to the pioneers who do these new treks.

They do all the hassle so the rest of us can follow.

[Mr Earl]

His 7 part report of his pioneering ride from Chiang Mai, Thailand to Hanoi, Vietnam and back is epic.

That's just it! There's nothing pioneering or epic about going on a ride being under the thumb of a Vietnamese tour operator, being told where to eat, sleep, and were you can go.
Then to publish his "epic" trip as if there wasn't any tour operator involvement seems highly disingenuous.

[Jesus Jones]

The GT-Rider site is overdue for a software update and can't handle the traffic it's getting at peak times.

What traffic?

As much as I like the place, it's very slow on the forum and unless it's being hosted on a ZX81, I think there shouldn't be any problems caused by their volume of visitor traffic.

Anyway, glad to see it's up & running again.

ZX81, those were the days!

[TonyBKK]

His 7 part report of his pioneering ride from Chiang Mai, Thailand to Hanoi, Vietnam and back is epic.

That's just it! There's nothing pioneering or epic about going on a ride being under the thumb of a Vietnamese tour operator, being told where to eat, sleep, and were you can go.
Then to publish his "epic" trip as if there wasn't any tour operator involvement seems highly disingenuous.

^ You don't read so good do ya. As David explained in his report, the only way to bring a foreign registered bike into Vietnam is to hire a licensed Vietnamese tour company who will obtain the government permit to bring the bike into the country.

David is one of the first to do this. His ride report generously explains the process in painstaking detail.

FYI, it's pretty much the same if you want to bring your foreign registered motorcycle into China and Burma.

Why don't you educate yourself a bit before spouting off more nonsense:

Chiang Mai – Hanoi & Back Part 7 Nong Khiew – Chiang Mai

Interesting to note David's conclusion at the end:

VALUE FOR MONEY?
• Only if your testosterone makes you insist on riding your own bike & money’s not a problem.
• But consider if you ride from Chiang Mai it is at least 3 days to the border & back again = “1 week” is gone; & you’re not even in Vietnam. So…
• The best way to ride Vietnam is fly in & rent a local bike: Honda Dream or 250 Baja!

[Mr Earl]

^ You don't read so good do ya. As David explained in his report, the only way to bring a foreign registered bike into Vietnam is to hire a licensed Vietnamese tour company who will obtain the government permit to bring the bike into the country.

David is one of the first to do this. His ride report generously explains the process in painstaking detail.

FYI, it's pretty much the same if you want to bring your foreign registered motorcycle into China and Burma.

Why don't you educate yourself a bit before spouting off more nonsense:

David is not the first one to do it. It's been done by many folks. Just peruse the advrider ride reports.
And I do read just fine, David was extremely coy about many salient details of the "tour group" he flat out refused to answer questions to what it cost or providing any real useful details about the tour operator themselves, most likely the tour operator shinned him on regarding any kick-backs for any business he might draw for them. So David withheld any info which might help the tour operator.
If you know anything about David you'd know how he stomps around Chiang Mai demanding kick-backs for numerous enterprises.
There was a time, on the original site when GT-Rder was indeed a community minded enterprise when the original website was established where there was free flow of information and we members returned the favor by encouraging people to purchase his maps
But lately David has devolved into a money grubbing cnut.
Just ask around Chiang Mai and you'll find out.
Why don't you educate yourself before blabbering on about glorifying a clear and present asshole. David's friends are who he stabs in the back first. He's been in Thailand too long and has become just like a typical self serving money grubbing bent Thai man. That disingenuous so called "pioneering epic" ride into Vietnam is just proof of it.

If you want honest reliable community minded info on riding around Asia and Thailand the place to go nowadays is the rideasia forum and the riders corner.

[VocalNeal]

But lately David has devolved into a money grubbing cnut.

The fact that David would not tell you who his contact were and whatever else you asked was maybe because he did not know what your motives were?

..and anyone involved in Rideasia or Riders Corner is not the slightest bit interested in money. I'm sure they give most of it to charity?

Sadly because there are lots of money grabbing cnuts here, eventually it touches everyone if they want to stay in business.

David was extremely coy about many salient details of the "tour group" he flat out refused to answer questions to what it cost or providing any real useful details about the tour operator themselves

I'm sure he was coy. With the exception of maps which take real effort , work and skill most of his ideas have been "borrowed" by others so it is hardly surprising. Try asking a supplier of products or service; A) Where do you source your xyz or B) who makes your abc. They will probably politely decline to tell you!

The first guy to do anything usually plays his cards close to his chest. Anyone subsequently copying does not need to be because the cat is already out of the bag so they can always be more magnanimous.

[Mikey Forester]

..and anyone involved in Rideasia or Riders Corner is not the slightest bit interested in money.

I'd be surprised at any poor levels of behaviour by the owner over trivial (or not) amounts of cash.

[Mr Earl]

Sure the Riders Corner provides excellent food, very cold beer and decent accommodations for reasonable prices. You cant begrudge someone who operates a well run business.
They don't attempt to extort money for information which is otherwise freely available.

David did well making and selling his maps most of which which were indeed quite good. No one is begruging him his efforts selling maps. Something he should have just stuck with, seeing all the problems he's caused himself with his info extortion schemes. Selling freely available immigration forms and demanding kick-backs from local businesses is another thing entirely.

[VocalNeal]

..and anyone involved in Rideasia or Riders Corner is not the slightest bit interested in money.

I'd be surprised at any poor levels of behaviour by the owner over trivial (or not) amounts of cash.

There was some sarcasm in my reply! Because one person is described as money grabbing doesn't automatically eliminate others

[Mikey Forester]

Selling freely available immigration forms

It never fails to amaze me what some guys will do for a few baht. I mean how much was he selling them for, 20b, 40b, 100b at the most?

Would you be bothered.