General topics » magazine reviews

I have to admit I've always been a bit of a sucker for bike mags, and particularly when they cover the bike I have - good reviews or bad.

Here in the UK I have a few of the launch report mags doing the rounds at the time and a couple of later reviews. None of them really tell me anything I don't already know, but I know in a few years time it'll be good to look back on them & also what other bikes were about at the time the RS hit these shores.

Here's the ones I have (in case anyone wants to pick up a copy on ebay or whatever)

RiDE: Jul '15, Aug '15, Nov '15, Apr '18 & Sep '18.



MSL: Jul '15. BIKE: Jul '15, Aug '15 & Nov '15.



I'm sure there's plenty more out there, but this is what I have.

Here in the U.S. the two major monthly magazines, Cycle World (around since January 1962) and Motorcyclist, have pretty much given up on reviewing motorcycles and now have quarterly magazines that are large and fancy formats that are now focused on rider lifestyles. Not my cup of tea and I am letting my long-time subscriptions expire to those magazines. I love Bike, which is sold at my local Barnes and Noble book store. A real improvement over the latest version of the U.S. motorcycle magazines.

I dropped Motorcyclist and Cycle a long time ago. The only ones I have now is Rider and the BMW MOA ON.
I drop off old magazines at Doctor, Dentist office, YMCA, ect.

Bike is my main mag of choice and has been for the last 40 years, but I also enjoy on-line subscription to “BMW motorcycle magazine” which is obviously totally focussed on BM’s but has some interesting content.

I have subscribed to the print monthly magazines for between 45 and 55 years and always enjoyed reading Motorcyclist and Cycle World. But the move to their new coffee table-style print format, plus the newsstand price of $12 a copy, really leaves me cold. I don't go to their web sites unless someone directs me to a review. I just much prefer to read a paper magazine than try to read a computer screen. I should add that I still like and subscribe to Rider and Motorcycle Consumer News, which are currently the only motorcycle magazines that I am currently paying for.

I have been reading Bike magazine since edition one, back just after the wheel was invented and have always loved it!.

It always stood out because it appeared to be largely independent of advertising pressures, with a delicious anarchic flavour to it that reflected much of the excitement of the time. This was mostly as a result of the courage and design ethos of its founder, Mark Williams, who came directly from the anti-establishment, anarchic world of the 1960s and brilliantly wound his own philosophy into the magazine. He also wrote much of the copy. Indeed, he is featured rather wonderfully as a major and eccentric part of this month's edition! Worth a look.

The photography and design has always been, and still is, outstanding and was always a signature of the magazine. At the time, every other magazine that I remember (including the US ones) were sycophantic nods to the advertisers. There was a sort of code that you could read if you knew the language but no overtly critical reviews were ever written, in case the advertisers withdrew their financial input to the publication! I remember one phrase that was repeated ad nauseam: " All the controls fell easily to hand". You will find that meaningless statement in the vast majority of reviews from that period! This attitude to independence and originality is, more important than ever I would say, as we now live in an age where large percentages of 'journalistic' output are merely regurgitated press releases from companies and organisations. They are often reproduced without one word being changed at all and with the 'journalist's' name attached to it, masquerading as proper journalism.

The contemporary truth was very different from the comforting, rosy glow emanating from the magazine reviews, as anyone trying to ride the bikes of the time as actual transport (as opposed to a weekend, sunny day, life style demonstration) will remember! There were very few 'long -term' reviews as far as I recall and so the realities of the oil leaks, disintegrating cam shafts, vibration damage, sensitol lubricated tyres, pogo stick suspension etc. were never mentioned. Does anyone remember what those tyres were really like and the brakes that did not work in the wet? At all! Oh my!

'Bike' magazine always rose above the dull design and non-critical painting of the realities that existed. For me anyway! OK, there were a few other exceptions to the non-critical conformity ('Motorcyclist' in the UK) and a few individual journalists who rose above this but not, in my view, with the panache and regularity of 'Bike'. Happily, I think that things are generally better now- as are the bikes- and you really do read truly objective reviews sometimes, and not just in 'Bike' magazine. Or at least I think you do!

If you think the current motorcycle magazine reviews are biased, you should see the ones that were published during the 1930's by the two major British magazines, "The Blue 'Un" and The Green 'Un". Of course, during the depression, positive reviews were likely needed to prop up the industry.

Just now I dragged out (and dusted off) my first issue of Cycle World (February 1962), along with the April issue of that year which tested my first full-size motorcycle, a Yamaha YD3, which I bought a year later for $585 from the Al Fergoda dealership in San Francisco. Mine looked exactly like the one that CW tested, except that it came with bolt-on cream-colored plastic leg-shields. I put 6,000 miles on that poor excuse for a motorcycle, before buying a 1964 Honda CB350 Super Hawk for $680. That extra $95 was well worth the additional money.

Zitat von Richard230 im Beitrag #9

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Just now I dragged out (and dusted off) my first issue of Cycle World (February 1962), along with the April issue of that year

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Oops, that should have been a 305 Super Hawk. The 350 didn't come out until 1969, I believe. And when it comes to motorcycle road tests, I keep every one for reference so that I can read them when I finally can't ride anymore. I have an entire filing cabinet full of motorcycle road tests, dated from the 1930's to the present, in my home office.

Richard230
I threw nearly all my old motorcycle magazines out the other day. I brought them to the dump for recycling.There was an almost complete set of Bike amongst others. I might have been able to sell some of them but frankly it was not worth my time for the tiny price that I might have got for them. I did look on ebay but there are thousands of them for sale for almost nothing. Life is too short. I even advertised them for free a few years ago and had no takers!

Talking of old motorcycle magazines, I have some from the 1930' hidden away somewhere in my loft. The main surprise in them, for me, was the price of Lodge Spark Plugs. I cannot remember exactly how much but they were very expensive. Many, many times the corrected price of spark plugs now.

Zitat von Richard230 im Beitrag #11

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when it comes to motorcycle road tests, I keep every one for reference so that I can read them when I finally can't ride anymore. I have an entire filing cabinet full of motorcycle road tests, dated from the 1930's to the present

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Zitat von Freddyfruitbat im Beitrag #13

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Zitat von Richard230 im Beitrag #11

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when it comes to motorcycle road tests, I keep every one for reference so that I can read them when I finally can't ride anymore. I have an entire filing cabinet full of motorcycle road tests, dated from the 1930's to the present

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Respect - just how old ARE you?!

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Zitat von Richard230 im Beitrag #14

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Getting older every day.

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