best/favorite motorcycle magazines

[dannyleo]

Something I read on the PP board prompted this. What is your favorite bike magazine and why? Multiple choices allowed. Moderator: feel free to add as you see fit.

[kbasa]

I wish Cycle was still around. Erudite writing, excellent technical advice and some terrific photography made it the benchmark in motomags.

These days, I get Cycle World so I can read Egan, Motorcyclist (Lord knows why, it's not the same since McQuide died) and ON, of course. I like to read OTL as well, mostly because they seem to have the best intelligence.

I've got 25 years of motorcycle and car mags spread around our atrium right now. I like reading the old columns and looking at the pictures of the old bikes back when they were new.

But, I've got shelving up and am sorting through the mess so I can read them and enjoy them all again.

http://kbasa.smugmug.com/photos/1347496-M.jpg

[Cliffy777]

Hey , Road Bike just converted to being all metric all the time. I liked it so much I subscribed. it is now my official #2 bike mag. you ought to give it a look see.

[GSAnderson]

If I was on a desert island and could get only one magazine washed up in a bottle every month, it would be Cycle World. It has good overall coverage of the motorcycle world, great photography and writers.

I used to subscribe to MCN, but gave it up. I currently get the AMA, MOA and RA publications as part of their membership perks.

[YB in IN]

I'd rather read any of the British bike mags any day over the drivel (except for Peter Egan) that the commercial American motorcycle press puts out every month. In order to get really good coverage of motorcycle racing around the world, you have to turn to the Brit mags. The American mags are so focused on AMA racing that the more interesting series are sorely neglected. Also, the reporting on new bike launches seems to be better, and the comparison tests that they do are way way cooler. Like an 1150 GS, a TransAlp, and a KTM Adventure going head to head. You just don't see that kind of stuff in the American mags as often. Just my $.02 worth. :)

[jgr451]

How about OTHER , Cycle Canada?

One of the BEST.

[MCMXCIVRS]

Originally posted by jgr451
How about OTHER , Cycle Canada?

One of the BEST.

This makes it two votes! I don't read too many of the US publications anymore. The dollar conversion makes the subscriptions way too high, plus I prefer having the Canadian industry news, pricing, and advertising. I've been getting Canadian Biker latley also. I like its Western Canada focus for rides and news, but it leans a little too far towards Harley favouritism for me. Of course the ON is a favourite read too.

[MarkF]

I like "on the road" stories more than the head to head what's new stuff. That's why I read Rider and ON.

I also get OTL. It's not in the same league but very entertaining none the less.

I would probably get a Canada mag or two if they weren't so darn expensive in the states.

MarkF

[kbasa]

Originally posted by SlashFiveTourer
KBasa...you got any old ROAD RIDERs in that stash on the floor of the "atrium"?? :idea

Sorry, but no.

I was too squidly for RR.

[kbasa]

Originally posted by dannyleo
Something I read on the PP board prompted this. What is your favorite bike magazine and why? Multiple choices allowed. Moderator: feel free to add as you see fit.

I added Cycle Canada and put up a vote each for jgr and '94-RS.

[dlearl476]

Originally posted by GSAnderson
If I was on a desert island and could get only one magazine washed up in a bottle every month, it would be Cycle World. It has good overall coverage of the motorcycle world, great photography and writers....

Except that they walk on eggshells, afraid to raise the ire of any manufacturers. Kind of like another magazine I can think of. I find CW little more than an advertising arm of the major manufacturers, except for Peter Egan. The British Mags, OTOH, seem more honest and unbiased.
For instance, go back through some back issues of CW looking for references to "surging" regarding the F650GS. IIRC, the CW phrase in their "long term wrap up" was "initial problems that have been corrected by the factory". BIKE, OTOH said something to the effect of "the pig was almost unridable" which was a lot closer to the mark for a few unsuspecting buyers. And as WE all know, it has never been corrected by the factory.

And I have to admit it, my "one magazine" choice wouldn't involve motorcycles!;) ;)

[lorazepam]

I like Road Runner, it is a touring magazine, and I like the tank bag maps they have in the back. The writing is not the best, and they are a bit weasely on the bike reviews, but they do have some really nice destination ideas in the magazine.

[dannyleo]

I should have added Sport Rider (I can't seem to change the poll once I've posted it). The Feb 04 issue is great with stuff on suspension setups and adjustments, downshifting, and aftermarket wheels (including explanations of Moment of Inertia, etc.)

[jgr451]

Originally posted by dlearl
.

And I have to admit it, my "one magazine" choice wouldn't involve motorcycles!;) ;)

Yeah and every once in a while in THAT OTHER magazine there is a picture of a motorcycle..come to think,one of its recent winners was rewarded with a R1200;wonder how she liked it??
:evil :clap

[kbasa]

Originally posted by dannyleo
I should have added Sport Rider (I can't seem to change the poll once I've posted it). The Feb 04 issue is great with stuff on suspension setups and adjustments, downshifting, and aftermarket wheels (including explanations of Moment of Inertia, etc.)

I added Sport Rider and put a vote in for you, danny.

Sport Rider varies pretty widely for me. Sometimes there's super useful stuff in there and sometimes it's yet another UFO shootout.

:dunno

[BMWRider]

Originally posted by SlashFiveTourer
Hey, "the good old days"....

Harken back to the 70's and 80's...remember 'ROAD RIDER', the magazine "For The Touring Motorcyclist". Roger Hull leading the way as editor along with Bob and Patti Carpenter...excellent touring articles, Roger's on-the-button editorials and some of the very best cover photographs you'll ever see.

Didn't Clement Salvadori get his start with RR???

KBasa...you got any old ROAD RIDERs in that stash on the floor of the "atrium"?? :idea

Ah, the "good old days", indeed. :clap
Road Rider, probably more than any other magazine, got me interested in motorcycles and fed my travel wanderlust. It was a horrendously poorly produced rag; all black and white, low-budget, blurry photos, crummy "cartoons" and a lot of the writing was so pedestrian it could have been produced by Mrs. Jackson's 7th grade English class. But ... somehow, mainly through Roger Hull's leadership, Road Rider stirred the soul more than some of the slicker publications because it was written by people who traveled on motorcycles (primarily BMWs) and who loved it. I remember a b&w picture of two brothers on matching R75/5s with Windjammer fairings and Luftmeister bags basking in the sunshine of Daytona and thinking, "Damn, I wish my brother and I could do that." (He never did take to motorcycles, but became a car enthusiast instead.) Road Rider fed my hunger for touring articles and piqued my interest in BMWs
As kbasa says, the old Cycle magazine was terrific, mainly because of Cook Nielsen, and even Cycle Guide churned out a decent article now and then.
Of the survivors, I favor Rider and Bike. Both have great photos, some excellent touring reports (albeit from different sides of the pond) and Bike has an unmistakeable attitude that's fun to read.

[Win3855]

Originally posted by KBasa
I wish Cycle was still around. Erudite writing, excellent technical

I've got 25 years of motorcycle... mess so I can read them and enjoy them all again.

http://kbasa.smugmug.com/photos/1347496-M.jpg At least you have them in separate piles. I have one large pile.When it tips over I discover the good stuff.:dunno

[Rad]

Originally posted by YB in IN
I'd rather read any of the British bike mags any day over the drivel (except for Peter Egan)

What he said

[kbasa]

Originally posted by Win3855
At least you have them in separate piles. I have one large pile.When it tips over I discover the good stuff.:dunno

They're going here next.

http://kbasa.smugmug.com/photos/1347480-M.jpg

[dlearl476]

Dave, If I could ask a dumb, off topic, question? Where did you get that particular shelving system? Coming close to doing the same in both living room (Whole-Wall Wall Unit) and home office (Computer peripherals). I was contemplating UniStrut (going after an "Industrial look) but your stuff looks much less expensive, but a step up from generic "Home Depot" shelving. Wassup?
TIA

[ian408]

I'll add another vote for Road Runner. Touring articles often
feature three or four separate rides in a given area and give
you an idea of what the region is like. I also noticed that the
articles are on consecutive pages. Which I like.

The "reviews" are, for the most part, very non-judgemental
and lack real meat.


Ian

P.S. kbasa's shelving looks like off-the shelf parts from Home
Depot mounted on plywood backer. Amazing what's available
these days. Looks good! You could use threaded rod and strut
with shelving for the truly industrial look.

[kbasa]

It's actually retail shelving.

Marin Outdoors went out of business and were selling their fixtures. I figured this stuff would do the trick.

It was cheap too.

[dlearl476]

Originally posted by ian408

P.S. kbasa's shelving looks like off-the shelf parts from Home
Depot mounted on plywood backer. Amazing what's available
these days. Looks good! You could use threaded rod and strut
with shelving for the truly industrial look.

Actually, I'm looking at a small, very tasty form of "Unistrut" painted black. Kbasa's stuff obviously is pre-"shelving-ized" so I wouldn't have to do much to make work. Unistrut, OTOH, is made to hang horzontal so they're be some fabrication involved. I'll be able to dance on it when I'm done (or put 75 lbs studio monitor speakers on it!). Something I would worry about with Home Depot products.

[ian408]

Originally posted by dlearl
Actually, I'm looking at a small, very tasty form of "Unistrut" painted black. Kbasa's stuff obviously is pre-"shelving-ized" so I wouldn't have to do much to make work. Unistrut, OTOH, is made to hang horzontal so they're be some fabrication involved. I'll be able to dance on it when I'm done (or put 75 lbs studio monitor speakers on it!). Something I would worry about with Home Depot products.

Dave looks to have made out well with the industrial
shelving.

It's amazing what you can do with (and what is available for)
unistrut. Fabricate away!

Ian

[The_Veg]

Rider is my main mag. Seems the most relevant to my enjoyment of motorcycling, and I really like their writers. Of course I read ON, but it often seems hit-or-miss. Usually at least one good article in it though, and like others I do like articles about interesting travels.
I like RoadBike despite being not always relevant- it just has a nice feel to it. I descovered it back when it was Motorcycle Tour & Cruiser. The TOUR part appealed to me.
Cycle World I only flip through at the newsstand to check out interesting bits here and there, but I LOVE their annual adventure/travel special (who's name eludes me at the moment).
I also like Ride Texas. I don't buy it often but I enjoy it when I do. It's amateurishly written and seems to lack proofreading but it has articles about places in my state that I might not find on my own, and a recent issue even had an article about how to do pot roast, sides and dessert in the field using a charcoal grill made from disposable aluminum pans, the whole kit'n'caboodle for the meal packed into a single saddlebag.
I have fond memories too of the old-school biker mags like EasyHorse and IronRider back when they were small shoddily produced publications for a societal fringe. I was just a kid then, but I so enjoyed looking at them in the book store and marvelled that they were down low by the car magazines yet they showed titties. In the late 1980s when I was stationed in Germany I had a roommate who had a bunch of these. I recall being vastly entertained by how badly produced they were and by how funny some of the articles were and the fiction in them was REALLY out there- one story I recall about a guy who gets the custom bike of his dreams in exchange for letting a gorgeous vampire-chick have a steady supply of his blood (via needle and transfusion-bag- "we don't do it the old way anymore...").