Cycle World's impending demise?

[kreinke]

Is it me or is Cycle World kind of going downhill? The fact that they put that radial engine Jesse James thing on the cover and Brian Catterson jumped ship last year is just a symptom of the cancer that seems to be eating the magazine from the inside out.

Cameron and Egan seem to be the only things worth reading in it anymore and even Egan seems to be getting a little tired. "The other day my I went out for a latte with the Slimy Cruds with Barbara stuffed inside one of my hard bags so they wouldn't see her and I saw an old Ducati at a rummage sale that I absolutely had to have in my 60-some motorcycle collection." :banghead

Meanwhile over at Motorcyclist, they have columns on riding technique, did an expose on helmets that really landed them in hot water with some of the manufacturers, just had a story on a kid who turned his speed fetish into a budding racing career, and other interesting reads.

I kind of "cherry pick" the Cycle Worlds and have stopped buying Rider since Grodski's demise because he was the only reason I read it.

I now look to Motorcyclist, BMWON (really great the last issue or three BTW Vince), Road Runner, and Roadracing World for my info.

[flash412]

Is it me or is Cycle World kind of going downhill? It ain't you. They're circling the drain. Meanwhile Motorcyclist takes a piss at the whole OCC bandwagon-thing every chance they get. Now Motorcyclist has started covering dual sport, too. I'm thinking my >30 year relationship with CW may end at the next renewal.

[PAULBACH]

Sun Spots! Everything goes in "cycles."

[Mar]

Hmmm. I just renewed Cycle World for another year. I thought the last issue was a good one. Just goes to show...

But maybe I'll take a look at Motorcyclist. I used to read it at the MOA office, but I haven't seen an issue since last July.

I get so many magazines. It's going to be one or the other for those two.

[rinty]

I still think it's the best general interest bike magazine out there, and buy it off the stand every month. They have run chopper pieces for some time, and that doesn't bother me. I find Motorcyclist too boring most months, and cherry pick the issues I buy.

I hope C/W isn't circling the drain, but I haven't studied their circulation numbers.

Rinty

[bob204bc]

Let's not be too elitist. These are generalist magazines and as such they won't appeal to everyone each month. I personally am glad that they don't specialize in:

Sport Bikes
Chrome
Harleys
Harley Look alikes
Customs
dirt bikes
Iron Butt
BMW's (that one can be pretty boring given the length of time some of us hold on o these things)
Touring with Pretty Pictures but really boring articles (I turned here ... I turned there...)

There are enough of those magazines to go round.:hide

[rgvilla]

I enjoyed my last issue of cycle world. I like the race watch section and enjoyed the article on Kenny Roberts. I am not much attracted to the custom bikes they showed and most of the stuff they write about I wouldn't ride but it's still fun to read about. I guess I haven't found a mag about motorcycles that I don't enjoy.

[hondarider]

Cycle World is still my favorite of about 10 magazines that show up in my mailbox each month. Haven't really noticed any change in the quality of the content.:thumb

[BradfordBenn]

Yea, it seems to be getting a little down market and not a whole lot of content that speaks to me any more.

[BMWDEAN]

It usually takes me about 10 minutes at most to flip through Cycle Word, the adult content is so minimal -- unless you like sport bikes, top speeds, shootouts, comparos, customs, etc. I will let it lapse when the current subscription is up after several decades of receiving it.

I dropped Motorcyclist several years ago for pretty much the same reason -- almost no adult content.

The other problem with the above and many other motorcycle magazine is they pander to advertisers. That is, they pull their punches in bike tests. You don't get honest reports because advertisers could be offended. I see bikes that shouldn't be purchased by any sane person routinely praised.

The best motorcycle magazines out there and the ones I will continue indefinitely are Motorcycle Consumer News and BMW ON. Even OTL is getting a little tired.

[kreinke]

It usually takes me about 10 minutes at most to flip through Cycle Word, the adult content is so minimal -- unless you like sport bikes, top speeds, shootouts, comparos, customs, etc. I will let it lapse when the current subscription is up after several decades of receiving it.

I dropped Motorcyclist several years ago for pretty much the same reason -- almost no adult content.

The other problem with the above and many other motorcycle magazine is they pander to advertisers. That is, they pull their punches in bike tests. You don't get honest reports because advertisers could be offended. I see bikes that shouldn't be purchased by any sane person routinely praised.

The best motorcycle magazines out there and the ones I will continue indefinitely are Motorcycle Consumer News and BMW ON. Even OTL is getting a little tired.
Don't know what you mean by adult content. We all have to be a little immature to participate in this sport don't we? Cycle World actually doesn't have much "middle of the road" stuff for us average guys.

Sorry Mr. Egan if you read these threads but you need to perhaps write a column about for instance "what I love about track days" or something not so "motoelitist". Your columns have had three basic themes the last year or two:

1. "What I love about my really expensive "
2. "My wife Barbara (a.)froze her arse off riding pillion on our ride through Inner Mongolia or (b.)just shook her head at me when I came home with a 1948 [insert little known British/Italian/German motorcycle here]*

*something that would land us mere married mortals in really hot water with our S.O.'s or even in court

[I]and finally

3. "Last week at our Cruddy Slime Motorcycle Club Meeting we got a little tipsy and decided to relive our '70's glory by doing a "goosebump 100" riding naked and literally streaking across the countryside under cover of darkness."

I confess that some of this may be a little sour grapes because I don't get paid to ride a motorcycle and write about it for a living nor do I have the financial wherewithal to buy every motorcycle and sports car I see. But this again, is a symptom of a greater sickness at CW. There isn't much that appeals to the average Joe anymore. Choppers, exotic bikes, tours that take far more than the average guy's 2 weeks/year allow, etc.

I realize that it can't be "all things to all people all the time" but I like the fact that Motorcyclist has articles on riding technique and gear. As for the "young" content; I just turned 39. I need all the youth I can get and living vicariously through the mind of a squid can be fun.

[Oznay]

I've been readin'Cycle World since'65,when I bought my first bike,and have been readin'it pretty well ever since.I'll likely continue reading it,as well as the 1/2 dozen other mags I subscribe to,including Motorcyclist,until I lose interest in riding,which will be till my heart stops beating.:thumb

[Mar]

Sorry Mr. Egan if you read these threads but you need to perhaps write a column about for instance "what I love about track days" or something not so "motoelitist". Your columns have had three basic themes the last year or two:

1. "What I love about my really expensive "
2. "My wife Barbara (a.)froze her arse off riding pillion on our ride through Inner Mongolia or (b.)just shook her head at me when I came home with a 1948 [insert little known British/Italian/German motorcycle here]*

*something that would land us mere married mortals in really hot water with our S.O.'s or even in court

[I]and finally

3. "Last week at our Cruddy Slime Motorcycle Club Meeting we got a little tipsy and decided to relive our '70's glory by doing a "goosebump 100" riding naked and literally streaking across the countryside under cover of darkness."

But what if you had to write a monthly column for... how many years has it been? You might start talking about your wife, too! :) I can't imagine pulling that many words out of my head... words that would keep everyone on the edge of their seats every month, month in and month out.

[BMWDEAN]

Don't know what you mean by adult content.

I guess I mean that whenever I open the pages of so many LA-Basin "national" monthly motorcycle magazines I find very little that interests me (my personal prototypical example, perhaps delusional, of an "adult"). If you skip all the shootouts, comparos, canyon racing, hooligan bikes, and peans to high speed, power, wheelies, and extreme sport bikes, there is very little left. Yes, they compare touring bikes and standards occasionally (with due deference to advertisers), but nowhere near as much as 150-MPH-plus sport bikes designed to appeal to teen-aged readers.

When I see adolescent riders around SE Arizona it is apparent that they attempt to emulate the bikes and riding influences of such magazines. I hope most of them live long enough to become adults.

Peter Egan is the only regular part of Cycle World that is worth anything.

We all have to be a little immature to participate in this sport don't we?

My favorite quotation: “It's never too late to have a happy childhood.”

[sfarson]

As long as Peter Egan is writing for CW, I'll be reading his columns. My favorite writer by far. And I recall noting when reading his last column (forget the issue), thinking how much I enjoyed his humor and style.

Do believe the custom pendulum swung too far at CW, but sense it is coming back slightly. See the same at other MC mags where it is felt the radical custom craze has peaked.

Do like the direction Catterson has brought Motorcyclist... though you will find very little content devoted to the #1 by far street bike category - cruising. Could almost call the magazine "Non Cruising Motorcyclist".

Guess I can see value with most motorcycle magazines, especially ones like BIKE and T.W.O from the Brits. Outstanding.

[rinty]

I don't read the dirt bike stuff.
I don't read the metric cruiser stuff.
I don't read the 600's crotch rocket stuff, and
I don't read the racing stuff.

But as long as Egan and Cameron are there, and the photography stays as good as it is now, I'll get the magazine every month.

And quite often, they'll come out with outstanding articles about topics such as the discovery and restoration of Rollie Free's world record setting Vincent, or about one of Kenny Dreer's creations, or about a trip with Neil Peart.

It's been interesting to read your impressions of the mag, and to discover that some of you may be getting reader fatigue.

I'm sure that Jeff Dean had some examples in mind when he says that they white wash some models, but I find them very picky when critiquing bikes. Eg: the "rubbery" oiler telelever front ends; or Canet describing some high powered crotch rocket's less than perfect exit out of turn X at some track, or heat throwing Harley 96's and FJR's.

Rinty

[flash412]

I like the race watch section and enjoyed the article on Kenny Roberts. Well then... perhaps you should have been reading Motorcyclist for the past year. Kenny Roberts penned a (multi-page) column, with photos, reliving some of his personal history. Good stuff!I dropped Motorcyclist several years ago for pretty much the same reason -- almost no adult content.Consider taking another look. The whole tone of the magazine has changed within the past year or so, especially now that Catterson took over.

[crazydrummerdude]

You people actually read motorcycle magazines?

I just look at all the pretty pictures.

[BubbaZanetti]

i didn't take the option for the 5 dollar renewal

but its mainly cause i don't like mail, the magazine is ok:p

[The_Veg]

I'm mostly with Jeff on this one. I've only been reading motorcycle magazines for six years, but every time I looked at CW it struck me as way too obsessed with crotch-rockets, a genre of bike in which I have almost no interest. Good columns, but they alone are not worth the price of a magazine.

[tommcgee]

Guess I can see value with most motorcycle magazines, especially ones like BIKE and T.W.O from the Brits. Outstanding.

+1 on the British perspective. I like Fast Bike too, even if personally I won't be pushing the envelope.

[kbasa]

Any magazine that has an extended article about riding a Ural can't be all bad.

[BMWDEAN]

Any magazine that has an extended article about riding a Ural can't be all bad.

True. I wish it had more "adult" articles like that one.

[rgvilla]

I guess "adult" is in the eye of the beholder. You couldn't pay me to ride or own a Ural, although I did enjoy the article. I was riding a Kawasaki ZX-11 when I was 47 years old and enjoyed the hell out of it. I just got this months CW and it has an article on KTM's a Norton, Ducati, the CGSXR and a bike vs car matchup. The letters were 50/50 giving them hell and praising them for the cannonball run article in last months issue. Kevin Camerons view from Pit Wall is a great read and being an old dirt tracker I enjoyed the article on the Honda 450 short tracker. I might add that none of the above would I get in the ON. Which BTW I enjoy reading as well. Ride Safe!

[rinty]

[they]struck me as way too obsessed with crotch rockets.......The Veg

They have to run a lot of articles on the 600 crotch rockets, because that segment is the highest selling part of the non-cruiser market, and, of course, of major interest to younger readers. The youth market is probably a major reason for all the chopper articles, too. It's part of being a general interest magazine, I guess. If it allows them to stay in business and enables the publication of occasional articles that I like, then that's fine with me. And I'll even read the crotch rocket articles after I've read everything else.

A magazine that specialized in sport touring would be popular with many MOA members, but it would never survive.

Rinty

[Bill Burke]

As long as Peter Egan is writing for CW, I'll be reading his columns. My favorite writer by far.
Mine too Steve. I'm just finishing "Leanings". A collection of Egan's work since the 70's. Man that's some good writing....

[rinty]

At the risk of inviting the wrath of the literati, I'm going to suggest that he writes as well as Theroux.

Rinty

[pmdave]

Rinty: Would that be Greaser Theroux from Hog Tales, or Henry David Thoreau 1817 - 1862, the famous American author?

pmdave

[pmdave]

Seriously, folks,

I've subscribed to a number of different motorcycle magazines over the years, and contributed to a few of them. I started reading Cycle World back in 1965 when I first started riding, and thought it was the greatest magazine on earth (of course I hadn't yet seen anything from across the pond)

After a few years I matured in my understanding of motorcycling, and realized that Cycle World was a cartoon depiction of motorcycles. The sort of writing that would generally appeal to the pimple-faced adolescent browsing the magazine rack at Safeway.

I subscribed to Motorcyclist, then Sport Rider, but I found them to pretty much be clones of Cycle World, sometimes with almost-identical reports of the same machines or the same multi-bike shootouts.

I decided to go for an almost-free subscription to Cycle World just to keep up to date on what is happening in motorcycling, especially the little fillers sent in as PRs. Mostly, I flip through the pages wondering whether this really is just a cartoon image or is a true image of motorcycling that has become a cartoon. In any case, it's not where I'm at. And the recent piece on the Cannonball was IMHO extremely harmful to motorcycling.

What most magazine readers fail to comprehend is that commercial magazines are financed by advertisements. They are basically advertising flyers with a bit of editorial content here and there. When a magazine is ready to be mailed, it goes to the Post Office, and someone measures every column inch to determine the percentage of ads--and therefore the postage rate. What you pay for when you buy a subscription is basically the postage to get it mailed to you. The magazine is free because it's paid for by the advertisers.

The dark side of this arrangement is that advertisers have a lot of clout. It's not in the editor's best interests to include anything less than praise. Once in a rare while the editor will toss in a crumb of fair and honest reporting, but typically it's sugar coated.

As an advertising circular, at a bargain basement subscription (postage) rate, I'll probably continue to subscribe to Cycle World, but if they go down the drain I won't weep or gnash my teeth.

BTW, didn't I read somewhere that Hatchette Filipacchi Media had been sold to some other entity recently?

pmdave

[BMWDEAN]

What most magazine readers fail to comprehend is that commercial magazines are financed by advertisements. They are basically advertising flyers with a bit of editorial content here and there. When a magazine is ready to be mailed, it goes to the Post Office, and someone measures every column inch to determine the percentage of ads--and therefore the postage rate. What you pay for when you buy a subscription is basically the postage to get it mailed to you. The magazine is free because it's paid for by the advertisers.

So true.

This is why Motorcycle Consumer News (http://www.mcnews.com/mcn/), which does not accept advertising, is such a good and trustworthy magazine.

[bigdelta]

followed by Motorcyclist.If I can continue to get CW at $4.97 per year,cool.Any more and it's lost it's value to me.I go to Egan's column 1st but as stated earlier, the content is lacking from him.Maybe he needs a hiatus.Wonder how that would affect subscriptions.
John

[Red100RT]

I miss Cycle magazine and I especially enjoyed reading it in the 70s when the Japanese were really on a roll (literally) and bringing out new and exciting machines seemingly overnight. It was then when I bacame hooked on beemer bikes for their simplicity and reliability and Harley? Well, back then Harley was a real POS and that was about all that could be said for them, IMO.

[Mika]

Speculation regarding the impending demise of Cycle World began with the second issue. Readership has changed with the ebb and flow of the industry. Editors and columnists have changed over the years. Peter Egan has not always held in such high regard by the readers. Readers have been offended and canceled their subscriptions with an included letter to the editor. And still the presses rolled on.

With a few exceptions, such as Motorcycle Consumer News, the magazines churn the same basic information. The argument that press departments of bike and accessory manufacturers, and tourist interests drive content can easily be made. I suspect the presses will roll as long as the needs of these groups are met.

Niche publications have come and gone. Their focus zeroed in on a specialization that all too often becomes repetitive if to narrow in focus. ON has been able to generally avoid this by taking a general approach to the topic of motorcycling from a specific point of view.

Before anyone starts touting the internet as a viable option, to date I find it sorely lacking. There are a growing number of gems out their, but a gem stones value is largely a function of rarity. Traditional motorcycle print media face the same problem newspapers are going through. The core of the problem is finding a business model that makes the move to the internet viable for investors.

Content has suffered greatly at the hands of the internet as well. Morning Reads is simple an aggregation of what can be found easily daily on the internet. For every item posted I find it repeated verbatim in site after site. At best the source is often the same manufacturer press departments that we lament about controlling traditional publications such as Cycle World. At worst I find poorly written, undocumented ramblings.

I find myself subscribing to fewer magazines while more and more acting as my own editor when I approach the news stand. The up side of all of this is there are still gems out there to be found. Egan writes more good columns than bad. There are quality articles and information to be had. The requirement for us as readers is to be discerning in our selection. Content on the internet will improve as site patrons become critical writers of quality content.

[rinty]

Would that be Greaser Theroux or Henry David Thoreau........PMDave

Sorry, I was referring to Paul Theroux. If you think about it, both of their writings relate mostly to travel. I think there may be a tendency to associate a writer with what he/she writes about, as opposed to their inherent skills. For example, what is our impression of P.J. O'Rourke as a general writer, as compared to him as an automotive scribe?

I confess I haven't heard of Greaser, so it's on to a Google search after I log out.

I still think specialty magazines, including Cycle World, are a good bang for the buck, in terms of how many hours of "entertainment" you get for your money. I figure I'll get 2 or 3 hours of reading (including re-reads) for my 5 bucks, whereas a 5 buck micro beer at my favourite watering hole is good for maybe half an hour. And one pay per view hockey game is $10 and good for 3 hours: etc., etc.

Rinty

[Mar]

Niche publications have come and gone. Their focus zeroed in on a specialization that all too often becomes repetitive if to narrow in focus. ON has been able to generally avoid this by taking a general approach to the topic of motorcycling from a specific point of view.

The ON is not a newsstand magazine. It's a membership benefit of BMW MOA membership. As such, it has a sort of captive audience/readership. It's our "newsletter," if you will.

[Oznay]

Same as MCN,it's not available at any newsstand,membership only.

[kbasa]

Sorry, I was referring to Paul Theroux. If you think about it, both of their writings relate mostly to travel. I think there may be a tendency to associate a writer with what he/she writes about, as opposed to their inherent skills. For example, what is our impression of P.J. O'Rourke as a general writer, as compared to him as an automotive scribe?

I confess I haven't heard of Greaser, so it's on to a Google search after I log out.

I still think specialty magazines, including Cycle World, are a good bang for the buck, in terms of how many hours of "entertainment" you get for your money. I figure I'll get 2 or 3 hours of reading (including re-reads) for my 5 bucks, whereas a 5 buck micro beer at my favourite watering hole is good for maybe half an hour. And one pay per view hockey game is $10 and good for 3 hours: etc., etc.

Rinty

P.J's one of the best. Read Holidays In Hell for some serious laughter. He writes semi-regularly for The Atlantic and his political observations are always spot on. He's a self described conservative, but he lampoons both sides equally well.

Speaking of lampooning, he was the editor of the once excellent National Lampoon for years. Animal House fell out of the minds of that magazine, so that's an indicator of how funny the magazine was. Notable favorite? An article entitled "If you don't stop reading this, you'll go blind". It was a soft core porn novella, printed in about 1 point type. :ha

[Coaster]

I agree that Cycle World has gone downhill. I still pick it up to read Egan and Cameron. I have been reading Road Runner. This is a quality read.

[rinty]

Welcome, Coaster; you're in some great riding country there. I'll have to give Road Runner another look, just got a free copy.

Rinty

[PAULBACH]

Have read of lot of them over the years but now down to

ON
Motorcycle Consumer News
Road Runner
Rider

[osbornk]

When I got back into motorcycles in mid 70s, I subscribed to many of the available magazines. They appealed to me because ther were a lot of standard and touring bikes available or being introduced. There was a wealth of information about them in the magazines. As the years passed, the magazines evolved and became fixated with high speed and performance bikes. I evolved as I got older and became more interested in touring and bought BMWs.

I now get 3 membership only magazines and that are all BMW but they have a different focus. The ON is the general interest magazine that shows us the world. The OTL has information and rumors on the inner workings of BMW as a company and more information regarding future products and how BMW products compare with the competition in tests. The Airmail is the best source of information for us folks with an interest in airheads and keeping them going.

The magazines all have their place and fit nicely together. I would hate to give up any of them. I go to the local library occasionally an look at the subscription magazines but find very little of interest to me.

[BMWDEAN]

Have read of lot of them over the years but now down to

ON
Motorcycle Consumer News
Road Runner
Rider

Alas, even once wonderful "Rider" is slipping, too. I will stay with it a bit longer to see what happens. Otherwise, your list is a good one.

[Braddog]

I really like what I'm seeing in Motorcyclist lately, but in my opinion, CW has its ups and downs. I don't think it will see its demise any time soon. I try to read a variety of mags, since my interest in motorcycles crosses a lot of boundaries.

[gfspencer]

IMHO it’s Motorcyclist that’s going down the toilet. The articles by Dan Walsh stink. If he keeps writing for them I will not renew my subscription.

[Coaster]

Rinty, thanks for the welcome. Some pretty good riding here in CO. And some great riding in your neck of the woods I have heard.

[Coaster]

I've seen more articles in Road Runner by writers riding BMW's than in all the other mags combined. Just finished reading one where the writer rode Hwy 191 from Arizona to the Canadian border on a R1200RT.

[Mar]

Alas, even once wonderful "Rider" is slipping, too. I will stay with it a bit longer to see what happens. Otherwise, your list is a good one.

Rider seems to me to be getting better. Or maybe I should say "bigger." It was getting rather thin page-wise but it's beefed up now. That said, I've dropped my subscription to Rider. I needed to pare down the number of magazines I was getting because I couldn't keep up with them

[Andy VH]

EXACTLY! And that is one of the MANY reasons I feel Motorcycle Consumer News is the best motorcycle magazine for real riders!

Hi Jeff.

Andy

Just got back from a great, though wet, ride up to Eagle River and Minocqua. Even with the rain and wind it was a good ride.

[spanky]

.........Meanwhile over at Motorcyclist, they have columns on riding technique, did an expose on helmets that really landed them in hot water with some of the manufacturers............

At the risk of hijacking this fine thread please elaborate in 25 words or less which manufacturer got PO'd.

TIA!

[rvb1019]

I just renewed with Cycle World of something like 8 bucks for the year. At 67 cents an issue- who cares? If there are one or two interesting articles a month great!

For a real bargain, check out Backroads. It is a northeast regional mag but does a great job at covering touring. Best part about it- if you lucky enough to have a dealer near you- its FREE! I subscribe because I'm to lazy to go each month but it is a great read! Hell, the Editor rides a GS! How bad can it be?
:bikes

Rob VB
2003 K1200LT

[BMWDEAN]

The May Cycle World arrived today.

It had a nice article about the Norton "Featherlastic," so it took a little longer -- about 20 minutes -- from arrival to circular file.

[mrmaico]

I just renewed with Cycle World of something like 8 bucks for the year. At 67 cents an issue- who cares? If there are one or two interesting articles a month great!

For a real bargain, check out Backroads. It is a northeast regional mag but does a great job at covering touring. Best part about it- if you lucky enough to have a dealer near you- its FREE! I subscribe because I'm to lazy to go each month but it is a great read! Hell, the Editor rides a GS! How bad can it be?
:bikes

Rob VB
2003 K1200LT

Speaking of bargains, check Ebay for cheap subscriptions. I've been getting mine that way for several years without any problems. For instance right now there is a 3 year sub to Motorcyclist for $5.95, about 16 cents an issue.

Barry

[Roadblock357]

I've been reading "All Metric RoadBike" lately. http://www.RoadBikeMag.com
They have a lot of Euro-Sport and touring articles.