As a newbie trying to gather as much info as possible, Interactive Motorcycle has been a wonderfully steady voice of reason. I've yet to find anything 'preachy' in there that isn't well-grounded and meaningful. Compared to every other media source's endless track tests that should wear some kind of "These riders are experts...." disclaimer, IM fulfils that real-world sense of rationality and reality that may not sell many magazines, but makes sense to probably 95% of us.
The fiction section can range from cloying to cliched, so be warned, but when dealing with product reviews and such, they're as dead-on as anyone else ever can be. Even better, because so much of its content is focused on newer riders, it's a wonderful hedge against undue peer pressure.
Ignore old farts at your own risk; even better, know that they usually have the best stories to tell.