Practical motorcycling magazine?

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Grey Thumper · Mon May 28, 2007 8:10 pm

I'm really comfortable with the overall centrist, sensible vibe of this forum. Is there a magazine that sort of has a similar "tone"? Pretty much everything I've seen on the stands is heavily sportbike or custom cruiser focused. I'm not looking for a "Motorcycle Consumer Reports". But it would be nice to find a magazine that caters to a broader range of bikes/riders/rides.

Ninja Geoff · Mon May 28, 2007 8:13 pm

motorcyclist is pretty good about that. seen everything from sport bikes to a VTX1300 vs Sportster 1200 shootout.

JC Viper · #3 Unread post by **JC Viper** » Mon May 28, 2007 9:02 pm

Some magazines published in the UK are also good, they cover a lot of types but since it's in Europe there will be more coverage on standards, sports, sport tourers, dual purpose bikes and less coverage on cruisers.

BIKE and TWO (Two Wheels Only) are what I read the most. Then I guess Roadbike is still an all-rounder and of course Motorcyclist.

shalihe74 · #4 Unread post by **shalihe74** » Tue May 29, 2007 1:26 am

Someone left a copy of All Metric RoadBike (and a copy of Guns & Ammo

) in the seat pocket in front of me on my flight from Iceland over the weekend and it seemed to cover the spectrum of bikes - everything: a feature on choppers, how to convert your supersport into a tourer for the weekend, camping trips on motorcycles, gear reviews, and an amusing article called "Secrets of the Road" featuring such gems as:

If a bee gets in your full-face helmet, simply lift the visor and flush the stunned bee out before it comes to its senses. (In case you're curious, bees taste like fuzzy chicken.)

No UK price on the cover, so I assume the mag is available in the US.

Evel's Baseball Bat · Thu May 31, 2007 2:54 pm

I recommend Motorcycle Consumer News. No-nonsense reviews, excellent riding tips in every issue, and a general no BS attitude. Very few if any ads also.

http://www.mcnews.com/mcn/

badfish89 · #6 Unread post by **badfish89** » Thu May 31, 2007 3:32 pm

There is a brit' magazing called BIKE that i really enjoy. It tends to lean towards the sport bikers... but it has great article on all sorts of motorcycles.

I remember last summer they had a great writeup about a 400 mile race, with 400cc bikes that they had to buy with 400 euros. It was cool to see what these professional racers could come up with, and the bonds they had with these bikes. I like stuff like that.

JC Viper · #7 Unread post by **JC Viper** » Thu May 31, 2007 5:29 pm

badfish89 wrote:There is a brit' magazing called BIKE that i really enjoy. It tends to lean towards the sport bikers... but it has great article on all sorts of motorcycles.

I remember last summer they had a great writeup about a 400 mile race, with 400cc bikes that they had to buy with 400 euros. It was cool to see what these professional racers could come up with, and the bonds they had with these bikes. I like stuff like that.

I lean more towards TWO between both mags. It will have more sport bike and Standards coverage because they're based in the UK and EU which is the ride of choice along with scooters and Enduros. Cruisers not so much.

Now there's another brit or EU type mag called RIDE... not much substance so it's not worth the $9 US price.

flw · #8 Unread post by **flw** » Fri Jun 01, 2007 5:34 am

All I find are bike type specific mags in the U.S. that are carried in local Grocery store mag racks or even one of the large retail book stores I was at looking for the same thing.

Some of the title sounded well rounded but once I read the index, it was clear not. My perfect mag would include the following:

*Must assume that most people are not shopping for new bikes all the time and not just one or two types.
*Must assume we don't always have enough money to pay the bike shop or just want to do it ourselves.

1. Some new bike comparisons for all classes.
2. Repair/common maintenance issues. Oil/filter, Air filter, brakes, tire wear and pressures (prevent cupping), pre ride checks, annual maintenance , etc...
3. Riding slow and high speed techniques, some for beginners and some for advanced.
4. Tips and tricks on anything, short how to ...
5. Readers questions that get real world answers.

jstark47 · #9 Unread post by **jstark47** » Fri Jun 01, 2007 5:41 am

It's a smaller mag, maybe 6-8 articles a month, but it's free. I vote for Friction Zone. There are East and West coast editions. It can be picked up at motorcycle dealerships.

Grey Thumper · Sun Jun 03, 2007 3:10 pm

flw wrote:My perfect mag would include the following:

*Must assume that most people are not shopping for new bikes all the time and not just one or two types.
*Must assume we don't always have enough money to pay the bike shop or just want to do it ourselves.

1. Some new bike comparisons for all classes . . .

I hardly see reviews of street motorcycles below 600cc, for instance, much less comparisons (exceptions for trail bikes and scooters). No wonder a lot of noobs think a 600cc supersport is "entry-level".