Motorcycle Magazines

[danl]

My subscription to MotorCyclist has run out, and I think I want to give something else a try. Motor Cyclist is a little too oriented towards Japanese sport bikes for me. I am a member of the BMW MOA and I really like the magazine they put out, but oddly enough they only seem to talk about BMW's!

 

I want something with good touring articles, lots of varied bike reviews (including dirt bikes and dual sports), and almost no pictures of guys in leathers doing wheelies on the street!

[v50man]

Join the AMA and you'll like the magazine they put out...

 

 

...or start your own magazine!

 

Oi...

[Dan M]

I want something with good touring articles, lots of varied bike reviews (including dirt bikes and dual sports), and almost no pictures of guys in leathers doing wheelies on the street!

 

"Rider" is good for this.

[JoeV11]

Motorcycle Consumer News has varied reviews of bikes, tools and accessories. It's advert free, so a little bit pricey at $41 a year. But it seems like it isn't mimicing the press releases for the things they review. Joe

 

Oh yeah, the last issue had a review of the new MG 1200 sport.

[Skeeve]

Motorcycle Consumer News has varied reviews of bikes, tools and accessories. It's advert free, so a little bit pricey at $41 a year. But it seems like it isn't mimicing the press releases for the things they review. Joe

 

Oh yeah, the last issue had a review of the new MG 1200 sport.

 

What he said! For those in the U.K., this is the American MCN; the Brit rag is utter trash, from what I've heard. The U.S. MCN accepts no advertising from motorcycle manufacturers [due to the rather HUGE conflict of interest this would represent... unlike their competition!] In fact, they're mostly supported from subscription fees; this is the reverse of other magazines. Up until this year, they were black&white only, w/ rough paper stock [kind of like heavy grade newsprint] - they've finally added some limited color after over 20 years of the B&W look!

 

I also like Rider, among the "slicks."

 

If you go to the CWIMS events, then you can usually find a "show deal" on MCN for 2 years for the price of one; this pretty much covers the cost of entry to the show, so I go to the Long Beach every other year to renew.

 

Ride on!

[Lex]

What he said! For those in the U.K., this is the American MCN; the Brit rag is utter trash, from what I've heard. The U.S. MCN accepts no advertising from motorcycle manufacturers [due to the rather HUGE conflict of interest this would represent... unlike their competition!] In fact, they're mostly supported from subscription fees; this is the reverse of other magazines. Up until this year, they were black&white only, w/ rough paper stock [kind of like heavy grade newsprint] - they've finally added some limited color after over 20 years of the B&W look!

 

I also like Rider, among the "slicks."

 

If you go to the CWIMS events, then you can usually find a "show deal" on MCN for 2 years for the price of one; this pretty much covers the cost of entry to the show, so I go to the Long Beach every other year to renew.

 

Ride on!

 

Add a third vote for Motorcycle Consumer News. Now that they have color I'm wondering why I subscribe to Rider, Cycle World and Motorcyclist. With Cycle Work there is Kevin Cameron and Peter Egan, the other two are in danger of not being renewed.

 

Lex

[macguzzi]

All the UK ones are shit, Spanish ones are for me

[roberto tenni]

The only one I read is the Gambalunga - Moto Guzzi Club GB bimonthly magazine. A wee bit biased in favour of Moto Guzzi but then so am I.

[Dan M]

Add a third vote for Motorcycle Consumer News. Now that they have color I'm wondering why I subscribe to Rider, Cycle World and Motorcyclist. With Cycle Work there is Kevin Cameron and Peter Egan, the other two are in danger of not being renewed.

 

Lex

 

 

I ask the same question when renewal time comes around and then just renew all of them anyway. Motorcyclist is the one that is usually on the fence for me.

[Skeeve]

Add a third vote for Motorcycle Consumer News. Now that they have color I'm wondering why I subscribe to Rider, Cycle World and Motorcyclist. With Cycle Work there is Kevin Cameron and Peter Egan, the other two are in danger of not being renewed.

 

Psycho Whirl's only raison d'etre (subscription) begins & ends w/ Kevin Cameron's column. Peter Egan is worth reading about 1 month out of four; mostly his column is the literary equivalent of onanism, but occasionally I don't regret the time spent reading it. Egan is motorcycling's equivalent of Madonna: for the most part, he's famous for being famous.

 

Rider has Clement Salvadori & the occasional truly great "local ride" contributed articles. That & photography that MCN only wishes it could grow up to offer. Good visual, decent content. Like I said, my fave of the "slicks."

 

Motorcyclist/Sport Rider are like really bad menudo: utter tripe. I normally don't even bother flipping thru them at the newstand, they're that much of a waste of time. Tragic, really, as at one time [20 years ago] they had reasonably good content. Time marches on...

 

The Robb Report is the GQ of motorcycle rags: very upscale, heavy on glitz - low on content fare for the RUBbies & wannabes, but always worth flipping thru at the newstand for the one article in each (quarterly) issue that covers some truly unique corner of motorcycledom. Not that they couldn't be a better mag, but they've staked out their particular niche & have no interest in expanding beyond it.

 

Motorcycle Classics is a new arrival on my list of slicks, and appeals to my "bike nostalgia" enough to pay the unfortunately high price of subscription. If you check it out at the newsstand & like it, subscribe online; they've got a deal that saves a buck or two for the online sign-up. Their website is worth a look anyway; www.motorcycleclassics.com.

 

Between these & the gun rags, I really wonder why my gf seems to think I spend so much time reading?...

[quazi-moto]

Classic Bike! Great features and technical info. American rags are all tits & arse, all show and no go.

[mdude]

Classic Bike! Great features and technical info. American rags are all tits & arse, all show and no go.

 

 

What you say! Only bikemag I buy on a regular basis, together with the swedish mag with the same name.

 

Frome time to time Performance Bike when I just have to know more about the latest Ducatis, but the quality of the journalism is just awful in those. I feel insulted every time I read it.

[mike wilson]

All the UK ones are shit, Spanish ones are for me

 

MCS (&L) is tolerable but going downhill rapidly.

 

I miss dreadfully the American "Cycle". The only mag I've ever known that took bikes apart to component level as part of their testing. Closed overnight by Ziff-Davis Publishing, who will never receive another penny from me.

[Skeeve]

I miss dreadfully the American "Cycle". The only mag I've ever known that took bikes apart to component level as part of their testing. Closed overnight by Ziff-Davis Publishing, who will never receive another penny from me.

 

Yeah, Cycle is still a sorely lamented loss. I wonder if Ziff-Davis let the trademark lapse? It would be great to resurrect it [w/ the express intent of providing a similar experience, not with the idea of ripping off hopeful customers like all the attempts to date to resurrect the "Indian" marque...] ;-)

 

Be tough to do w/o someone of Gordon Jennings caliber to provide the tech editorials, & Kevin Cameron seems to be content over at Psycho Whirl... where's a competent gear-head journalist when you need one?

[Tracey]

If you likw BMW Owner News but want more/different bike info consider:

Road Runner (Motorcycle Touring & Travel) {www.roadrunner.travel}

Published in Winston-Salem, NC

You can usually find them at larger book stores, Borders, Book a Million, ect ect.

 

Or how about ...

MGNOC

Moto Guzzi National Owner Club

Much lower budget but all Guzzi!

Contact: Frank Wedge [mgnochq@cox.net]

Check out the home page....

 

It's a long winter in our part of the country, I've done my homework...