diff --git a/app/router.go b/app/router.go
index f818a52ad..7ce3748ba 100644
--- a/app/router.go
+++ b/app/router.go
@@ -100,21 +100,6 @@ func RegisterTopologyRoutes(router *mux.Router, r Reporter) {
 		gzipHandler(requestContextDecorator(makeProbeHandler(r))))
 }
 
-type byteCounter struct {
-	next  io.ReadCloser
-	count *uint64
-}
-
-func (c byteCounter) Read(p []byte) (n int, err error) {
-	n, err = c.next.Read(p)
-	*c.count += uint64(n)
-	return n, err
-}
-
-func (c byteCounter) Close() error {
-	return c.next.Close()
-}
-
 // RegisterReportPostHandler registers the handler for report submission
 func RegisterReportPostHandler(a Adder, router *mux.Router) {
 	post := router.Methods("POST").Subrouter()
diff --git a/report/marshal.go b/report/marshal.go
index 3630482d2..7c35f05f2 100644
--- a/report/marshal.go
+++ b/report/marshal.go
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ import (
 	"encoding/gob"
 	"io"
 
+	log "github.com/Sirupsen/logrus"
 	"github.com/ugorji/go/codec"
 )
 
@@ -21,18 +22,40 @@ func (rep Report) WriteBinary(w io.Writer) error {
 	return nil
 }
 
+type byteCounter struct {
+	next  io.Reader
+	count *uint64
+}
+
+func (c byteCounter) Read(p []byte) (n int, err error) {
+	n, err = c.next.Read(p)
+	*c.count += uint64(n)
+	return n, err
+}
+
 // ReadBinary reads bytes into a Report.
 //
 // Will decompress the binary if gzipped is true, and will use the given
 // codecHandle to decode it. If codecHandle is nil, will decode as a gob.
 func (rep *Report) ReadBinary(r io.Reader, gzipped bool, codecHandle codec.Handle) error {
 	var err error
+	var compressedSize, uncompressedSize uint64
+
+	// We have historically had trouble with reports being too large. We are
+	// keeping this instrumentation around to help us implement
+	// weaveworks/scope#985.
+	if log.GetLevel() == log.DebugLevel {
+		r = byteCounter{next: r, count: &compressedSize}
+	}
 	if gzipped {
 		r, err = gzip.NewReader(r)
 		if err != nil {
 			return err
 		}
 	}
+	if log.GetLevel() == log.DebugLevel {
+		r = byteCounter{next: r, count: &uncompressedSize}
+	}
 	var decoder func(interface{}) error
 	if codecHandle != nil {
 		decoder = codec.NewDecoder(r, codecHandle).Decode
@@ -42,6 +65,12 @@ func (rep *Report) ReadBinary(r io.Reader, gzipped bool, codecHandle codec.Handl
 	if err := decoder(&rep); err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
+	log.Debugf(
+		"Received report sizes: compressed %d bytes, uncompressed %d bytes (%.2f%%)",
+		compressedSize,
+		uncompressedSize,
+		float32(compressedSize)/float32(uncompressedSize)*100,
+	)
 	return nil
 }