American mag bike reviews

[Riff Raff]

Well I wandered into my local newsagents today to buy some mags to help while away the boredom and found an American bike mag - Cycle World. So I thought to myself - well this could be a larf an all that, so I handed over my $10 and off I tottled. They've done a big feature with comparisons of popular bikes, which I thought you might all be interested in:

1. Harley Sportster 1200 vs Triumph Thruxton 900
Reason for comparing these two? They're both powered by two cylinder, air cooled engines, they both come from companies founded a century ago, and they are both souped up versions of a basic bike. And there the similarities end. But that's ok cos we all know they will choose the Harley as the winner .... turns page.... yay I was right - one point to me. It wins because it is the quickest, torquiest and most suited for daily riding.

2. Suzuki GSX-R600 vs Suzuki SV650S
Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't reviews supposed to be of the competition???? Oh well, the SV650S won mainly because the gixxer wants to behave like a race bike and is not as comfortable at low speeds.

3. Victory Vegas 8-Ball vs Yamaha Midnight Warrior
Never heard of either of these but apparently the Warrior is a better m/c and the 8-ball is a better cruiser

4. BMW R1150R vs Moto Guzzi V11 Coppa Italia
Their heads are saying the BMW, their hearts go for the Guzzi.

5. Kawasaki Ninja 500R vs Suzuki GS500F
Ninja wins for better handling and performance.

6. Honda Rune vs HD Screamin Eagle V-Rod
Neither is better than the other. Incomparable due to their uniqueness.

7. Ducati ST3 vs Yamaha FJR1300
Both bikes win - Ducati as a solo tourer, and Yammie as a good two up touring bike

8. Ducati Supersport vs Honda Superhawk
Ducati wins :2thumbsup

9. Suzuki RM250 vs Yamaha YZ250
Yamaha by very slight margin. Ideally they would like Suzuki's motor in the Yamaha frame with the Suzuki's front end.

I haven't put any chopper reviews in because I really don't care!

[Mongoose]

Good to see you kept any personal biase out of your book revue :moon: :killingme

[Two Smoker]

2. Suzuki GSX-R600 vs Suzuki SV650S
Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't reviews supposed to be of the competition???? Oh well, the SV650S won mainly because the gixxer wants to behave like a race bike and is not as comfortable at low speeds.

!What a load of bollocks that is..... Two completely different bikes..... I reakon the SV650S is great at what it does, a semi naked sporty, sort of touring bike... And the Gixxer is a full bore sports bike.....

Yep i can see that magazine taking off in NZ.....

[Blakamin]

at least they got one review right..... :first:

[Bonez]

Never payed that much attention to bike reveiws. Buy what ya like. Ride what ya like. And poke an tintsy wintsby bit of fun at the others. :beer:

[Riff Raff]

Good to see you kept any personal biase out of your book revue :moon: :killingme
:innocent: :whistle: :whistle:

[Bonez]

Another write about the stone um I mean rune- http://www.motorcyclecruiser.com/roadtests/runetest/

And i mean it must of been unfair if they did a compraro between the duc ss and
http://www.honda305.com/ ;)

[Hitcher]

I flick through American bike mags but never buy them because Americans tend to live on a different planet when it comes to bikes. Similarly their bike web sites, with the exception (strangely) of www.motorcycledaily.com

Go figure.

[vifferman]

I flick through American bike mags but never buy them because Americans tend to live on a different planet when it comes to bikes. Similarly their bike web sites, with the exception (strangely) of www.motorcycledaily.com (http://www.motorcycledaily.com/)

Go figure.I figure some of it has to do with fear of litigation.

[jrandom]

Another write about the stone um I mean rune- http://www.motorcyclecruiser.com/roadtests/runetest/

Oh, dear. Oh, deary me...

"When even the calmest cookie cutter can sprout such a comely wild hair..."?

:killingme

[Riff Raff]

Another thing that is interesting in the mag is the number of ads for cigarettes in prime advertising spots like inside front cover and back cover.... with people looking really cool smoking and a whole lot of warnings plastered on the ad such as "No additives in our tobacco does NOT mean a safer cigarette." And if you want to visit their websites you must be over 21.

[Mongoose]

I flick through American bike mags but never buy them because Americans tend to live on a different planet when it comes to bikes. Similarly their bike web sites, with the exception (strangely) of www.motorcycledaily.com

Go figure.


Suprisingly enough, market comparisons do not lead to big law suits in the US of A as long as they are factual. ie that they are not the result of a typewriter interview, hang on, thats what a lot of motoring journalists excel at!
So many are just re-writes of what the manufacturer says. Good on the ones that tell it like it is.

[ajturbo]

sorry to burst your bubble.. but i used to buy this mag in the mid/late 80's...
i think you were just learning to read at that stage??? :whistle:

[Riff Raff]

sorry to burst your bubble.. but i used to buy this mag in the mid/late 80's...
i think you were just learning to read at that stage??? :whistle:
Ha ha you old fart

[Bonez]

Oh, dear. Oh, deary me...

"When even the calmest cookie cutter can sprout such a comely wild hair..."?

:killingme
Yeah I almost spat my fruitjuice all over the computers keyboard and monitor. Make ya wanna puk doesn't it?

[avgas]

Funny, they couldnt get enough of the Thruxton few months ago.
Musta changed editors of something. :laugh:

[Bonez]

Funny, they couldnt get enough of the Thruxton few months ago.
Musta changed editors of something. :laugh:
Triumph forgot to pay the pied piper. :crybaby:

[Riff Raff]

Ok people - here is the bike review I left out because no one would know what the bikes looked like. But I have searched and found piccies to show you all....

Derbi GPR50R vs Honda Ruckus
Obviously the Derbi wins if those spotty teenagers can convince their mum's that it is a moped and get her to co-sign the loan.
FYI the Derbi has a whopping 7.0bhp and a top speed of 52mph. The Ruckus only has 3.1bhp and a top speed of 37mph. The Derbi has a smooth engine, 6 speed gearbox, major hop up parts available. Downside is seat like a polished Spanish marble(????), best for sub 6 footers, and ?is that really a passenger seat????
Nevertheless I want one!!!
Pic 1 is the Ruckus and Pic 2 the Derbi

[Two Smoker]

ISNT THAT JUST SEX ON WHEELS!!!! :love2: :love2: :love2:

[Mongoose]

ISNT THAT JUST SEX ON WHEELS!!!! :love2: :love2: :love2:

Nope, need a bigger bike for that, or a more comfy seat at least!! :spudwave:
Unfortunately, i have a biased against the dog shagging the hockey ball riding stance, its one that is soooo uncomfortable for this kid.(lack of neck movement has its downside)

[Bonez]

ISNT THAT JUST SEX ON WHEELS!!!! :love2: :love2: :love2:Can I have some of the meds you're on?

[avgas]

Triumph forgot to pay the pied piper. :crybaby:
Now that you mention it there is like a billion ads for the trumps in this mag...how many in the other??? None i imagine - classic.
:bleh: I want the new commando anyhows. its a real bike

[Bonez]

I want the new commando anyhows. its a real bike
I must admit they appeal to me as well. Will be interesting to how reliable the engine is compared to my ol shitters though- http://www.nortonmotorcycles.com/bike/default.asp

[Riff Raff]

I must admit they appeal to me as well. Will be interesting to how reliable the engine is compared to my ol shitters though- http://www.nortonmotorcycles.com/bike/default.asp
Appeal to me too. Having started my motorbike riding on classics I have a real soft spot for them, but it would be nice to have the look without the hassles.

[Coyote]

Derbi need to make a bigger engine version of their GPR.

[Riff Raff]

Derbi need to make a bigger engine version of their GPR. You can upgrade it to 125cc, and there are rumours of a 250 for the same chassis. Goodness me, I have been doing my homework on Spanish motorcycles!!!

[Coyote]

You can upgrade it to 125cc, and there are rumours of a 250
I'll have to get one then :niceone:

[Paul in NZ]

There is only one merkin bike mag worthy of the title and that is Motorcycle Consumer News. No glossy pictures or paper and (can you believe this) NO ADVERTS!!

They tell the plain facts (and the science behind it) and if the makers don't like it there is no advertising budget to pull on them!

Everyone I have lent a copy too has been impressed. Usually enough to buy a subscription.

It's not quite my style because they are big on new bikes and thats something I will never own. I was lucky enough to be given a sub by a friend I did a favour for and despite not really being interested in US style rider training or new bikes I generally read the spots off them.

Paul N

[moko]

Best bike mag we got in the U.k was UMG (Used Motorcycle Guide) Guy in Wales started it all on his own and somehow it grew bigger and bigger and was available in all the High Street mag shops.Basically it was written by people who owned the bikes,bit like the reviews on KB.It grew into kind of a cult thing,some of the articles were so full of Bullshit that they were hilarious and and apart from the bikes some of the anecdotes were good as well.No punches were pulled and Bill Fowler carried on doing it alone for 10 years before he sold it,making loads of enemies in the bike and bike mag trade along the way.Amazingly he refused to run any advertising at all.Ironically his biggest competition bought him out and it stayed similar but milder and with advertising.got taken over again by one of Britains biggest publishers and they stuffed it up big-style before mergeing into something else.I was glad to see it die to be honest rather than be the shadow of it`s former self that limped along towards the end.Fowler did the whole thing himself from his flat in Cardiff,amazing feat that no-one else will probably ever be able to do again ,high-street big boys wont touch small mags any more,thing took off mainly through word of mouth because he couldn`t afford to advertise.
I`m not a fan of american bike mags,RIDE and BIKE from Britain are pretty good,Performance Bike and Superbike if you`re into sports bikes.I`ve seen Superbike in N.Z. shops but not the others.

[Riff Raff]

I`m not a fan of american bike mags,RIDE and BIKE from Britain are pretty good,Performance Bike and Superbike if you`re into sports bikes.I`ve seen Superbike in N.Z. shops but not the others.
Discovered a new Australian bike mag in the newsagents the other day: Rapid - Australia's performance motorcycle magazine. It's only it's 3rd issue, but looking good so far. I haven't actually read any of the articles because I'm constantly distracted by the numerous, rather excellent photographs on lovely glossy paper. I will try really hard to read it today.....

[inlinefour]

Well I wandered into my local newsagents today to buy some mags to help while away the boredom and found an American bike mag - Cycle World. So I thought to myself - well this could be a larf an all that, so I handed over my $10 and off I tottled. They've done a big feature with comparisons of popular bikes, which I thought you might all be interested in:

1. Harley Sportster 1200 vs Triumph Thruxton 900
Reason for comparing these two? They're both powered by two cylinder, air cooled engines, they both come from companies founded a century ago, and they are both souped up versions of a basic bike. And there the similarities end. But that's ok cos we all know they will choose the Harley as the winner .... turns page.... yay I was right - one point to me. It wins because it is the quickest, torquiest and most suited for daily riding.

2. Suzuki GSX-R600 vs Suzuki SV650S
Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't reviews supposed to be of the competition???? Oh well, the SV650S won mainly because the gixxer wants to behave like a race bike and is not as comfortable at low speeds.

3. Victory Vegas 8-Ball vs Yamaha Midnight Warrior
Never heard of either of these but apparently the Warrior is a better m/c and the 8-ball is a better cruiser

4. BMW R1150R vs Moto Guzzi V11 Coppa Italia
Their heads are saying the BMW, their hearts go for the Guzzi.

5. Kawasaki Ninja 500R vs Suzuki GS500F
Ninja wins for better handling and performance.

6. Honda Rune vs HD Screamin Eagle V-Rod
Neither is better than the other. Incomparable due to their uniqueness.

7. Ducati ST3 vs Yamaha FJR1300
Both bikes win - Ducati as a solo tourer, and Yammie as a good two up touring bike

8. Ducati Supersport vs Honda Superhawk
Ducati wins :2thumbsup

9. Suzuki RM250 vs Yamaha YZ250
Yamaha by very slight margin. Ideally they would like Suzuki's motor in the Yamaha frame with the Suzuki's front end.

I haven't put any chopper reviews in because I really don't care!

I would not believe a word of it coming from a yank mag.