...many thanks
OK, like yesterday...WOW! I have to admit I wasn't expecting half of the apologizes we've received both on this post and via PM, for which Lisa and I are truly very grateful.
May I offer you both my personal apology, I know it won't mean much however. It is offered sincerely to you both.
my poorly timed humor may have been seen as an attack on you both, which it was not intended to be.
Lo
Lo-IQ...it does mean a lot and is accepted and much appreciated. Thank you
Blimey now thats what you call a reply, I'm knackered just reading it
Ride safe and I'll have a Cotleigh for you.
Thanks Trippy...but you'd better have a dam site more than 1 Cotleigh for me, you tight git!
You didn't quote me, I feel left out, bloody gypsy.
And tell that Saunders bloke to get his books printed here in Turkey, by me. I'll send you a tyre or something in return.
...yep sorry ExpatinInstabul, but your level of insult just didn't quit meat our 'offence level' requirements, hence not quoting you.
re Nick and his book, lets be clear do we get the tyres by just telling him to get his books printed with you, or are you going to be a tight ass and only when he does get them done
Seriously though drop him a line I know he's open to new business partners and if you can meet his quality demands and the price is right he'll be happy to listen to you. You can get his contact details from his website
http://www.nicksanders.com
I'm just hoping no one uses the 'quote' button at the bottom of Simon's post.
From someone who bought my old GS and rode that part of the world, I hear Laos is even better than Cambodia and Vietnam as a destination. Not sure in what sense "better", but I'm sure you and Lisa will find out for yourselves.
Hey Lamble, Lisa say's you our knight in shiny armour, thanks so much for defending our corner when we didn't know this little 'shit-storm' was whipping itself up. Much appreciated. Every one of your assumptions on our behalf was spot on. Thanks mate.
re: Laos, when I've stopped sulking I might let you know on this forum about our time in Laos. Still undecided, I'm not being petty but seriously life's to short to want to share and 'then have to' second guess each post, word or photo because of upsetting someones delicate sensitivities and having this ridiculous scenario play out again.
We've had a number of great PM's asking to post the follow up video, but again I think certain members here have us in a catch 22 situation. If the suits perform great and we say that, it'll reinforce the position of the cynics who'll shout "see there just promoting Touratech, they've been bought"! or an the other hand if we find fault with the suits, the same sad bastard cynics are going to be claiming that we are trying to buy back credibility.
Funny thing is we don't need or even seek creditability. We're not making this journey happen for anyone other than ourselves, if that sounds selfish it's because it is! But we owe no one anything much like no one owes us, for that matter one hard truth we've learnt whilst on the road is that 'the World at large owes each of us nothing". We've met so many people in so many countries who are better human beings than Lisa or I could ever be and yet will never have a tiny portion of the experiences, respective wealth or opportunity we have, simply because of the country they were born in. Fair has nothing to do with it! Hence getting frustrated by those in the EU and the US winging based on an over developed sense of entitlement.
My intolerance with regard to some of the post here are for this reason. To put it bluntly I see a bunch of grown men, throwing blame and insult around all because a firm has given them additional choice. Yeah I know that may be an over simplification but in reality there it is. It's not as though Touratech make the 'only suit' in the world and have just doubled the price over-night. As consumers you have the most power; you can communicate directly with Touratech and advise them there's pricing is off or if that it too much effort...just don't buy the suit. Your message doesn't get any louder than that!!! But you all have the choice. Something as non-essential as a suit just doesn't deserve to create this much antagonism. I guarantee that if we all were battling day-to-day just for the basic ie; putting food and water on the table for our kids, trying to patch a tin roof before the monsoon hits or any such real-world daily dilemma, then looking at this thread and it's comments and vented frsutrations would simply look insane,if not spoilt.
Yes I know I'm preaching, but as I commented to Whatton on my previous post, we are more in touch with reality (albeit on a global scale) than most.
...look, it;s just food for thought, another perspective
That was obviously a joke.
And after reading your reply, this was obviously a slightly stupid comment for which I apologise. I like many others assumed you were paid for promo work (which I suppose in a way you are getting the help with kit now and then) but to be honest good luck to you and who wouldn't do the same.
Trippy...sorry mate it was more than 'slightly stupid', it was f^#*ing offensive, but i know what your saying
. Thanks for the PM, much appreciated. Ride safe
Wow Simon that's some reply - phew. Not sure I would have had the patience to conduct all that copying and pasting or indeed have found the justification or the necessity to answer some of your critics. The fact that you have chosen to do, and in particular having not chosen to stoop to the level of some posters, does you great credit.
That said, I trust that you are not above taking on-board some free advice which is given with the best of intentions. Should you decide in the future to do a follow-up video when both of you have come more accustomed to the suit (as I sincerely hope you will), can I suggest that you write a script first and review it carefully before making the video. I say this because although it may not have been your intention to assist in marketing this suit others, notably TT may see it otherwise. Having looked at the TT site earlier this morning I notice that they have also posted your video
I think you will agree that the words that you have chosen are heaven sent for the person responsible for marketing this suit and in the right context would appear that you are endorsing the product whether intended or not.
Thanks once again for your response to your critics here and to your very informative website. For someone who often mulls over the fact that I haven't perhaps made out of life as much as I might have done, and in general terms have always had that 'must think ahead and protect the pension' in the forefront of my mind, could I ask you perhaps a personal question? Have you given much though.....in fact any thought......as to what lies ahead when your travels come to an end as indeed one day they must........how do you envisage picking up on life again?
AlanI, thanks mate for the kind words. Got me thinking a bit, although I'm not sure how far I got
re another video and making a script and then review etc, etc. It's a sensible thought, but i have to say, that we make the videos because we want to share, have some fun even play with new software. Anyone who has filmed and edited footage on the road will tell you how ridiculously time consuming it is.
Free advice is the best kind and it never hurts to listen and I also take on board your thoughts and comments. I really don't think we're inclined to make any more work for ourselves with the videos unless someone actually pays us to do it professionally. As it is a minute of on screen time, takes about an hour to put together, by the time you calculated the filming, the saving of data, the editing, the insertion of audio, the data mining of the actual footage any corrections that need to be made (colour, sound etc) and then the rendering of all this.
At the end of the day no matter what someone puts out there re media be it, video, photos, text or audio, someone can always use it, twist it and form it to suit their own ends. I'm the first to jump up and defend myself and/or Lisa as and when it's necessary, like I've chosen to here. Past that, I can simply choose not to share further content. At the end of the day I don't think Lisa and I are in a place where we feel a happy to compromise what we want to put out there because of having to second guess problems that might arise. People will be people and there's no point trying to please all the people all the time...it's never going to happen.
I'm not surprised Touratech have posted the video on their sight it would be remiss of their marketing guy if they hadn't and we all know that if our next video slams the suit, they certainly wont be putting that one up. But that is the nature of the beast and why a healthy dose of cynicism in the UK and the EU exist. At the moment I have no problem with Touratech Germany using the video, from my side of the table I'm still incredibly grateful that Lisa and I have some great new kit to ride in, to enjoy and that will look after us if we have a spill.
What will we do next:???? We are now thinking about this and the truthful answer is we really don't know, the idea of being stationary fills us both with dread. After reading my verbose thread maybe a career in politics, Christ I couldn't think of anything worse
We'd love to do something that still involves biking and perhaps motivating others to achieve more. Most people are so much more 'capable' than they believe themselves to be!
Hi Simon
I feel I must reply to your reply, but not quoting
Whilst we now know that you are NOT sponsored by TT, most of the comments made were because of the astronomical price involved. The reason I and many others thought it was blatent advertising (well I did anyway) was because the film you made had a very 'corporate' feel to it. Of course now knowing that you do in fact work in the advertising / promotional world, then that is why your 'review' looked so polished / biased as if done by TT themselves.
If you are going to do a follow up review, could you please drop the TT logo's at the beginning, talk about the week spots that you have found, tell us you've been given it without any sponsership (of which before I commented I looked at your website and found TT listed on your site under the heading "Sponsors" so putting 2and2 together...
So well done for producing an video that looks too much like the "Real article" you should take that as a complement
Unfortunately for us mere mortals, it came across incorrectly
Good luck with the rest of your life's journey
Hi bobble...I was thinking about your suggestion about removing the Touratech logo from the into, but I put it there because I wanted to identify who was behind the suit. Do you think removing the logo would be appropriate if in the next review we find nothing but fault with the suit and claim how awful it's been to ride in? It's a double edged sword! I'm pretty sure we'd hear cries of..."you say the suits awful, but you removed the finger pointing by removing the logo"! Just thinking out loud?!
Just thought I'd let you know that I've never worked in the advertising world. All the film editing, design stuff, photoshop work we've just picked up since we started the journey. No training whatsoever, all self whilst on the road, but thank you we'll take that as a big compliment.
Could part of the problem be the Touratech logo at the start of the video.
I appreciate you wanted the review to be professional but did you mean to make it quite so 'corporate' ?
I accept that you were not paid by Touratech but I wonder, what would you have done differently, if you had been ?
Good luck with the travels.
Hi Aberdeenangus...re the logo again, no not really I think the members here would have got thier knickers twisted logo or no. I think the my answer to bobble covers the logo thing.
Had we paid by Touratech then yes the video would have been much different and substantially more professional. It would have to be. Off the top of my head, their would be more logo placement, the tone and tempo of the piece would be way more up beat, various locations would be brought into the film, rather than just one. I'd include chapters int the film, segways that would explore the differing elements of the suit independently of each other etc, etc. Different sound track and we'd of had to have paid more attention to the sound levels so as to equalize them.
Mr Lamble.
ps
i dont know what simon did in a former career, but he would make an excellent journalist.
Mr. Nomad Biker... I was a director for a small telecoms company.
You turned up at the BMF rally for a ride around the arena - remember
Steptoe...you might be confusing us with someone else because 6-years ago we were in Africa and South America. We did attend one BMF rally but that was back in 2002 when Simon & Monika Newbound did the grand leaving ceremony thing, at the start of their trip. I know that about 6-years ago they came back to the UK and perhaps did something similar to herald their return
So, because i don't want to ride around the world for 8 years, yes that's right " i don't want to ride around the world for 8 years", means an opinion on a suit and it's price, and that is going to be worn by people that 95% of the time will only ever ride in europe isn't worthy.
...not at all, every opinion has worth, it's just because you were a 'dick' about how you went about expressing that opinion.
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...OK at the is risk of bringing down another shit storm here's another video which took us bloody hours to put together, which we've not been sponsored to do, received no alien instruction on how to edit, and that no one is paying us for.
Having picked up a dodgy copy of some new editing software I wanted to play around and so put this together covering some more of our time in South America. Hope you enjoy.
<iframe title="YouTube video player" width="640" height="510" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/EU8VSNb6ls0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
All the best
Simon T
