[speedytriple]

Re: Cycle World Motorcyclist Sport Rider

This news shouldn't come as any surprise. I stopped my subscription to several Petersen mags when it became clear:

1) The magazines were "dumbed down" to about a 5th-grade level. Compare these to an equivalent British mag, and you'll see the difference.

2) The articles cater to the advertisers. I use magazines to get facts and find out what's good and bad about a product. When facts become opinion and are not stated as such, and when articles only talk about the good, I'm not getting value back for my subscription dollar.

I admit almost all magazines are guilt of this to some degree...but the Petersen ones are especially bad!

 

[121]

Hmmmm

I like Motorcyclist as it is. They got good humor, wit, and info. I sincerely hope all this EMAP/ peterson business doesn't hurt their mag at all. Merge with Cycle World? Man, I hope not

darkspy

 

[Lowrez]

Combination of Motorcyclist and CycleWorld?

All I can say is "Ewwww". Cycleworld always leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

 

[TCAir]

I like Motorcyclist

I like my subscription to Motorcyclist. I like Cycle World too. I find them both funny and entertaining. I don't read motorcycle mags to decide on the bikes I buy. I use the data sheets in them to decide which ones I want to test ride. I do the same with MO. Journalists have opinions and no matter how much effort they put into being impartial, these opinions still tend to influence the final draft of an article. I don't fault them for this unless it is just blatant favoritism.

but...

British bike mags are better. Something about censorship and saying what you mean?! Sometimes the things we do soften things up for the readers, whatever age or reason, all too often just ends up dumbing the article.

 

[9651]

Information vs. entertainment

Just like the evening news, the publishing companies have concluded that there is more money to be made in entertaining the reader vs. informing them. It's easier and cheaper for them to write stories and anecdotes than technical pieces.

The exceptions are out there but are harder to find like MCN and Grassroots Motorsports.

 

[blueron]

Re: I like Motorcyclist

Speaking as a Brit and a keen reader of motorcycle publications from both the USA and the UK, I can't BELIEVE that Americans are taking the side of the British publications, comparing them favourably to Cycle World

and Motorcyclist! One of you guys even accused the American publications of being 'dumbed down' compared to the British publications. I can only wonder what publications you are reading. Can't be the same ones I see.

British magazines are written and designed for a target audience of thickos. Witness the photography in them, which is not only technically inept (there certainly ain't no British Kevin Wing out there), but also continues to re-hash shot after shot of loutish hooligan behaviour -- wheelies and stoppies on public roads, idiot testers, often underdressed, leering like adolescent inbreeds, abusive fingers raised to the camera.

The text is in the same vein. Mindlessly opinionated, subjective -- and with frequent references to 'faarking orf dahn the pub for a *** and a few beers'. Laddish, loutish, unprofessional -- and written in language best suited to the high school playground.

This kind of crap is clearly aimed at the beer-swilling lager louts. Perhaps such people buy more magazines than most, though I sincerely doubt they constitute a majority of motorcyclists.

How you people can prefer these things to Motorcyclist and Cycle World is beyond me.

ron

 

[20874]

It ain

Certainly the British magazines have their entertainment value, but not for use as information about niggling details that seem to overwhelm potential buyers. They are not testing machines in their configuration as delivered to America.

But for the rest of the content, I have to side with the good people in the magazine world who have resisted the cries of the people for more base behavior and language out of 'respect' for their God given rights. I for one appreciate the hard work put forth to use a vocaulary which uses more than four letter words to accentuate and/or describe the highs and lows of a bike's performance. Free speech is about expression of ideas, not the right to use offensive language.

I do wish the magazine people could fret less about advertising dollars as they write articles.

 

[tbuse]

Well, if they actually do merge, between both magazine staffs maybe they can find at least one editor who actually proof reads the articles. Both magazines recently have shown appalling grammer, frequent misspellings and improper use of homonyms. (My 8 year old son was just in a homonym spelling bee. Maybe he could give them pointers.) Perhaps they can also get someone to make sure that a picture of BOTH sides of the bike appear in the articles.

 

[springerman]

Re: I like Motorcyclist

I know that I sound stupid hear, but what mag's. are you talking about from the Brits? I only read mags for entertainment anyway, and it sound's like the Brits are a little more entertaing, might have to check a few out. Thanks

 

[OssoBiko]

It's all a matter of opinion, but IMHO, Cycle World

is to Motorcyclist as Motor Trend is to Autoweek (ok, maybe Car & Driver). As in, Cycle World seems

to be a wanton tart sidling up to whomever has the cash. I find Motorcyclist to be more objective and

real-world useful. The UK's "Sportbike" (another EMAP pub I think) is pretty entertaining, maybe not totally objective, but it balances that with a wonderful non-PC quality lacking on this side of the pond. 'Avin a larf, innit!

 

[sqidbait]

Re: I like Motorcyclist

Some Brit mags are immature, but

Bike and Ride are both pretty good.

Ride is in my top 3 favorite mags ( with the

others being MCN and Rider ).

-- Michael

 

[ArtOfTheMotorcycle]

Hate to spoil the fun with facts, but...

Both sides have denied that there is any plan for a merger or buyout, as you could have learned by doing a bit more research. The Emap USA (Motorcyclist, Dirt Rider, Sport Rider,Motorcycle Cruiser, and a lot more titles) operation still may be sold (lowly editors aren't made privy to corporate plans, but I read the biz press too), but not to the French company that owns Hachette (Cycle World, etc.).

And, the Emap USA (formerly Petersen) Motorcycle Group is more profitable than ever. Although some other titles in other areas apparently are having troubles with revenue, the sale seems to have more to do with the debt Emap acquired when it overpaid for the company a couple of years ago than with the US group's actual performance.

Art Friedman

(commenting privately and not as a company representative)

 

[Shaft]

I hope not... Cycle World SUCKS!

 

[Turn8]

Re: I like Motorcyclist

Superbike, FastBikes, Performance Bikes, Ride, Bike

 

[zamboni]

Re: Hate to spoil the fun with facts, but...

Wow, a celebrity in our midst...

Glad to see that some respectable people hang out here.

 

[gappy]

Motorcylist and Cycle World are not that different from each other. They read too much as corporate brochures. Few articles on maintenance and sport-touring (kudos to Motorcyclist fore recent improvements in this area), and extremely superficial motorcycle tests. I wouldn't see it as a major loss if one of them closed doors of if they merged. Except for MCN, one of the finest motorcycle magazines on the planet, american magazines are forgettable. To add scorn to insult, english magazines seem to cater to immature teen-agers who don't see naked women but on magazines. When I compare this to italian mags like "Motociclismo" and "In Moto" I want to cry...

 

[metal]

First of all, it's grammar, not grammer. Secondly, perhaps you can get off your ass and go look at the bike in question to see both sides. Thirdly, all of you here complaining about American mags, yeah, if you opt for mainstream crap, then they suck, but if I can trouble you once more to abandon the couch and get a copy of Roadracing World, you might have something better to "entertain" you. Incidentally, they have the most incredible technical articles I've ever come across in any sort of hobby-related publication.

 

[BammBamm]

Both Cycle World, and Motorcyclist suck. Like eating oatmeal without milk and sugar. A merger will create a swill of feces. These are politically correct magazines seemingly for old geezers that ride Enfields, and still claim that BSA's, old Triumphs, and sidevalve Harley's are the way to go.



There is nothing wrong with a sense of humor, or hooliganism as displayed regularly in Superbike, Performance Bikes, and other interesting magazines that don't cater to the lawyers(no stunts or race shots), or manufacturers(all the bikes are great). The only good thing about American mags is the price, which reflects who is really paying the bills... the advertisers.



I'm getting old, but still enjoy the sense of humor and outrageousness in the British mags, almost all EMAP mags by the way, as it lets me laugh without having to be a prat myself.



The best magazine I have read is Bike. Something for everyone.

 

[minime]

Re: Hate to spoil the fun with facts, but...

Yes, Mr. Friedman is a bit of a celebrity, one who has probably forgotten more about motorcycles than most of us will ever know. He's had the helm at Motorcyclist Magazine before current Editor, Mitch Boehm, and is now in The Man at Motorcycle Cruiser Magazine.

He is correct in that both sides continue to deny any sort of plan for merger or buyout (that's found in the news links, of course) but, that comes as no surprise as rumors about that sort of thing have to be kept quiet since shareholders are an easily-spooked bunch (among other reasons).

 

[starvingstudent]

That's nice. _Bike_ (for when I want to read amusing stuff by insane Britbikers) and _Rider_ (for when I want real-world evaluations of practical bikes and gear, and nice tour descriptions) are still far superior to any of the above.



SS