FWIW I tracked down my issue... apparently it has to do with the ad-blocking my browser does. I DO see ads that are actually added into posts (grrrrr, but I do KNOW BF needs to support itself, it's not like we are showering you guys with $$$).
I caught a post on my browser's forum from a guy having the exact same problem on another board. A small css snippet was suggested, so I changed the domain, popped it into my usercontent.css file and it is now FIXED, so I don't have to hassle turning it off every time I visit!
Oh, JUST in case, Tom here is that snippet should you ever have need to suggesrt it to someone else:
Code:
@-moz-document domain(bikeforums.net) {
div[class~="has_ad"] {display: block !important;}
}