[sburns2421]

I have subscribed to Motorcyclist for about 15 years. Subscription runs out next June and I will not be renewing. The magazine blows anymore.

Perhaps a year ago they did an all electric bike issue. Probably the first issue ever that I didn't read or re-read the entire issue. Now I get the November issue, another e-bike issue. This time it is filled (literally almost every page is e-bike stuff) with $30k "superbikes" that will go 40 miles and need to be recharged for 8 hours.

Other articles included a Piaggio 3-wheel scooter and a column about the Harley XR1200X being "the last real sportbike".

WTF?!?

These guys have lost it. Nobody I know gives a crap about electric bikes. There is no magic technology right around the corner that is going to mkae these things ever be viable transportation like a gas engine will be. Nothing affordable nor even in development in chemical storage will allow riders to take off for a weekend covering hundreds of deserted backroads. These things are pure green tree-hugger feel-good marketing bullshit.

I'm really starting to hate these things as they take away from real sportbike development and let lawmakers think there is a viable alternative if they want to ban conventional bikes.

I would propose a 24 hr endurace-style roadrace with these "e-superbikes" and a lowly 250cc Suzuki, or perhaps one of those many cheap Chinese imports. Or even something really slow like an 883. 24 hours at whatever pace you can comfortably run. E-bikes have to keep the same battery pack, so run for 20 minutes and charge for 2 hours on a fancy and expensive charging system. Then factor in a "fuel equivalency" for all the extra tires used by the superbikes trying to make up time lugging around heavy battery packs.

Even the cheapest lowly air-cooled starter bike would wipe the floor with these things over any real distance.

 

[Rothmans]

and a column about the Harley XR1200X being "the last real sportbike".
.

How many Hardley ad's were there in this months issue?

 

[Jami6989]

I was bummed when CycleNews went under. Loved that little rag.:banghead

 

[Busy Little Shop]

Sorry it blows for you Burns but I'm a 30 year subscriber and all thought I think
it could be better... I'm renewing...

 

[DesperateSP2]

Don't worry, manufacturers aren't wasting their money developing non-viable electrical bikes. If Honda, the most eco-conscious of the lot, still hasn't released any it means reality is a bit different.
You have to remember we live in crazy times: "being green" sells. How are Motorcyclist sales? Perhaps by printing this article and hyping this bike to the moon they hope to capure the eco-conscious reader at the newsstand or gain a bit of coverage on other medias.
And about the H-D... welcome to reality! Most car and bike magazines do little more than shill for the manufacturers which pay them the most in advertising. Remember what happened to Performance Bikes when they said Triumph had released a dud on the public in form of the TT600 (completely true)? Triumph got so mad not only they withdrew advertising for years, but they denied PB demo bikes for their tests. Yes, Triumph got mad because somebody told the truth about their product.
And it goes deeper. For example BMW will lease out nice big cars (5 series, X5 etc) to bike journalists for months, complete with fuel card. And have you ever wondered why new bikes launches are always held in exotic locales like the Canary Islands or South Africa?
The end result? The hype job to end all hype jobs.

 

[UnpaintedHuffhines]

The magazine blows anymore.

ha .

 

[johnyisthedevil]

Sorry it blows for you Burns but I'm a 30 year subscriber and all thought I think
it could be better... I'm renewing...

no need those d-bags will keep sending it long after you let your subscription die. I've gotten two years of "this is your last" issues. and now they constantly send me some sack of crap about "hot bikes" or something.

WARNING: DON'T TRY TO CANCEL THEY'LL SEND MORE OF THEIR CRAP AND DRIVEL IN A PLOT TO KEEP YOUR TRASH CAN FILLED

no wonder the print mag industry is going under. I'm sure I'm not the only one to get multiple free mags for years on end.

 

[banda]

Remember what happened to Performance Bikes when they said Triumph had released a dud on the public in form of the TT600 (completely true)?

I bought into the scorn heaped on the TT600 when I read all those articles. And I thought the TT600 was ugly. And when I saw someone riding one, I thought "What a f'ing sucker - doesn't that guy read the magazines? Doesn't he know what a pile of crap he's riding?"

Then I rode one. And it was a really good bike.

That experience made me realize that the people who write magazine articles either aren't speaking to me, or they judge things so differently than I do that it doesn't matter. I still read motorcycle magazines, but I read them for entertainment, not information.

 

[UnpaintedHuffhines]

tt600/speed4/early daytonas are awesome bikes. had many.

 

[sburns2421]

I bought into the scorn heaped on the TT600 when I read all those articles. And I thought the TT600 was ugly. And when I saw someone riding one, I thought "What a f'ing sucker - doesn't that guy read the magazines? Doesn't he know what a pile of crap he's riding?"

Then I rode one. And it was a really good bike.

That experience made me realize that the people who write magazine articles either aren't speaking to me, or they judge things so differently than I do that it doesn't matter. I still read motorcycle magazines, but I read them for entertainment, not information.

IMO they become jaded by having the latest and greatest all the time and lose perspective on what the vast majority of riders actually want or need in a bike. They have access to a limitless variety of the newest accessories. I always chuckle as the long term test bikes where they will put $6000 worth of accessories on a bike, sometimes a couple of different full exhaust systems within a year to gain another 2 hp. Who in the world spends two grand twice for exhaust on the same bike within a year?

Motorcyclist like others also have a couple of pages each month where they feature new products. This month I think the cheapest thing is ~$400, with most doodads being hundreds or even thousands of dollars. I would expect that reading Forza (Ferrari magazine). It seems disingenuous to have a "economy bike shootout" one month where $50 difference in MSRP is mentioned as a deciding factor, then feature a little printed circuit board in the shape of a bike holding trivia that sells for $3000. (PCB trivia was in this month's issue).

The other one that always seems funny is they will take a smaller lower-priced bike: an SV650 for example and make a project out of it. Thousands later they have a bike that has been seriously modified with bolt-ons or more and you know what? Just spend those same thousands upgrading to a stock literbike and call it a day.

I decided last night that I had it with these stupid f^&%ing electric bikes. If this is the path we are on, I don't think I want to be on it. With that said the article on the sqaure and sparky electroCzysz was interesting as an exercise in how to waste millions on a pointless exercise but have a neat looking pictures and articles when you are done. I did read that one and only shook my head at the guy a couple of times. He is definitely learning the marketing spin of things.

 

[drthompson65]

After reading the Euro stuff and even when I lived in Taiwan having the Chinese stuff read too me (I looked at the pictures) our rags are just trash. I get sport rider and road racing news domestically but buy the others is I see fit. Problem being is being two motorcyclist or cycle (Harley) News you are at the cost of the script.

 

[DesperateSP2]

I bought into the scorn heaped on the TT600 when I read all those articles. And I thought the TT600 was ugly. And when I saw someone riding one, I thought "What a f'ing sucker - doesn't that guy read the magazines? Doesn't he know what a pile of crap he's riding?"

Then I rode one. And it was a really good bike.

That experience made me realize that the people who write magazine articles either aren't speaking to me, or they judge things so differently than I do that it doesn't matter. I still read motorcycle magazines, but I read them for entertainment, not information.

I owned a Hinckley Triumph back at the time so I was very "into" it.
The TT600 was an unashamed CBR600F clone. That's good, because the 600F has always been an excellent bike. Mate that with the English touch for frames and it was a very good bike as handling was concerned.
The big problem is Triumph desperately wanted to beat the Japanese at the fuel injection game and have the first FI 600 bike on the market so the bike was rushed to showrooms before fueling problems had been sorted out. And fueling on the original TT600 was awful.
That's exactly what PB said: this bike isn't ready, it needs an extra year of development. As it stands it's not something you want to spend your money on.
Despite being a huge Triumph mark I couldn't agree more.

 

[BisonRacer604]

I have always preferred Cycleworld to Motorcyclist and I have not picked up an issue of Motorcyclist since they redid the layout like a year ago or so. Mostly because all the writing is so trivial and isn't even entertaining to read. Cycleworld is going in the same direction, basically all I even read in Cycleworld now, is the Kevin Cameron article, the pages on new stuff and the user questions at the back. Someone PLEASE put out a GOOD magazine!!!

 

[duckdawg]

Road Racer X...

 

[sburns2421]

Road Racer X...

Never have cared for that one. Too "lifestyle" for me. I could give a crap about how BBoz likes his granola toasted.

IMO the best magazine in the US since I have been interested in bikes was Cycle, which ceased publication in the early 90's. Then Cycle World absorbed some of their staff IIRC, and for many years CW was pretty good. Motorcyclist could also turn out an occasional good issue as well. One in 1997 had the GSXR600, a big test on the 748, and a cool article on crankshafts.

RRW seems harder hit by budget constraints than others, and has lost some very good testers (Steve Atlas comes to mind). My subscription is up for RRW in a couple of months, basically the last 6 issues have sucked and I have no plans to renew.

Soon it will be Forza and Sport Rider as the only ones delivered to my house. I may add Excellence too (Porsche magazine).

 

[whitw wings]

I get the mag for free somehow and don'tt know why. I do prefer the UK mags hands down.

 

[jiggyred]

If any of you guys who were at Laguna this year for the GP races watched the "E" bike races you probably have the same opinion that I do- it was really boring. No noise (with the exception of the whirring of the chains) and slow speeds makes for dull racing. But.... in defense of electric bikes, they are a full 100 years behind petrol powered variants. If people want to try developing electric vehicles- racing is the best way to do so. I'm all for it.

And concerning the current motocycling periodicals..... all of them written in the US suck (with the exception of Roadracing World). The only reason I look a Motorcyclist is because I get it in the mail for free. There are so many 3 and 4 pages adverts. for Icon and other shitte brands that it should be free. Performance Bikes (UK) and Classic Racer (UK) are the only mags worth a crap. IMO