And as for the less than friendly welcome for our new member - so, when someone asks a perfectly civil and normal question about the R3T in an R3T forum, the appropriate thing is to go off on him because he failed to blow sunshine up everyone's butts in the introduction forum first? That's a great way to give this place a reputation as an unfriendly insular clique "in-club" of people who get their panties in a bunch if someone just starts talking business straight away.
Not everyone is interested in being buddy-buddy with everyone, even though they're interested in discussing their ride and get info on it. That should be perfectly fine, in my opinion, as long as people are civil and courteous.
Last I checked this was an open discussion forum, not a place where you have to pledge and then spend three years kissing ass before the local aristocracy deigns to notice you...