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Thread: Good rant by Mitch in Kiwi Rider mag

  1. #46
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    And I know what you dirt guys are saying, and I agree.

    However, there are is segment of the readership that would like to see local road race reports produced locally. Bikemart doesn't do the job as a the vessel for roadracing in NZ. I pull it out and give it to the kids. It's an afterthought tacked on to niche magazine. The only guy I've seen report and represent both dirt and road racing is Bernard Carpinter. If his stuff is ending up in Bikemart then I apologise, but I've only spotted him very ocassionally in the Dom Post, and his rare reports in AMCN.

    We either want motorcycle sport to grow in NZ or we don't. Dirt stuff is just irrelevant for me. It is really boring to watch for me. I've tried. I enjoy SMX, but that's a gladiatorial sport. It's the same old story. Everyone (and I've been guilty of it) will bag someone else's ride because it isn't them. But to the average non-motorcyclist there is no difference between a Gas Gas trials bike and a KTM 640LC. And I stick up for dirt racing. I've get the derisory comments at work, and the "how do NZ riders do overseas. Haven't heard of a NZ world champ lately" comment gives me a good lead in to Ben Townley. I probably bore them rigid. Shuts them up but.

    Big Dave, don't take this the wrong way. I know how hard designers work, and I know that it is 1 percent inspiration, 1 percent art and 98 percent hard work. KR would do better to proof read their articles than to spend money on a redesign. This month's was particularly bad for spelling and grammatical errors. There have been times when part of multi page articles have missed a bit, or the paragraphs have been layed out in a way that makes it very difficult to follow. I hope the new design fixes that.

    But! If they are going to cover road races, then a race report would be nice. Not some waffle about the crowd, or a couple of significant people. Dale's report was nice, but it only touched the surface of the event I feel. Ross's reply could and should have been condensed to, "Thanks for your feedback Mitch, but we reserve the right to manage both the content and editorial tone of KR. It may change in the future but for now we feel we serve our readership's requirements best the way it is."

    The rambling reply did him no good in my view.

    Mitch helped me out a lot after my accident last year, both with the Insurance process, and by telling me that, "yes, you are a fuckwit for falling off, but we all do that. What are you gonna get next?" I don't think she deserved to be browbeaten.

    BD you obviously missed Mr Owen's venomous letter to BRM about their review of the Rocket III. I don't read the dirt section of KR, so I might well be reading RM wrong, but the tone of the road section feels like sales brochure, and I'm sure it's only there so that born agains will buy the mag.
    If a man is alone in the woods and there isn't a woke Hollywood around to call him racist, is he still white?



  2. #47
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jim2

    BD you obviously missed Mr Owen's venomous letter to BRM about their review of the Rocket III. I don't read the dirt section of KR, so I might well be reading RM wrong, but the tone of the road section feels like sales brochure, and I'm sure it's only there so that born agains will buy the mag.
    hey no dramas jim,

    I actually supplied the press releases that were the cause of the 'exchange' you mention. But I stand by my comments. (And look forward to the next model release or whatever I'm at where both of them show up!).

    I was laughing because I cut and pasted a little of the technical data in the KR test myself.

    As for the 'sales brochure' tone - I can only comment on my own contributions and say that I accept your criticism, however mine are mostly 'features' that I try to make entertaining - and I happily do what i can to promote just how bloody good riding and touring in NZ is.

    I honestly haven't tested a bike I had any real issues with yet. It all relative, and 'taste' issues notwithstanding, there isn't much to 'not like' about most modern motorcycles you know. The orange 'overdrive' indicator on the v-strom is the only thing that has really annoyed me in all the time i've been doing it.

    Jamming my thumbs on the tank of the MVAgusta is the only other 'negative' i can bring to mind - and i still gave it my BOTY.

    Design-wise my brief is about improving clarity, legibility, production values and ease of production, in a 'styley' look - that will reduce the problems you mention. But you'll never know ;-P

    all good
    bd.

  3. #48
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    The feature articles (that means you BD) and the columnists almost always do a great job on the spelling and grammar front, but the bike reviews and product review copy could really do with some work.

    I think though that NZ specialist publications tend to discount or ignore criticism, and blame content issues on lack of resource. I have rightly or wrongly detected a tone that basically says put up with it because we know best, in KR's editorial style. BRM are a lot more accessible in terms of the publication's culture.

    I know that you'll just be going, "so what, it's only one lost customer", but the obvious dirt bias has always made it a marginal purchase for me, and I've only really bought KR out of patriotic loyalty. There's an alternative now, so I'll stick with that I think.
    If a man is alone in the woods and there isn't a woke Hollywood around to call him racist, is he still white?



  4. #49
    I like road racing,but not the modern bikes,they all look the same screaming around the track,I have no idea what's going on,bores me shitless...until I see Lance Lowe on his black bike devoid of sponsers graphics,that helps me place the bikes in the field...that I knew his father in days of yore could help in me spotting him though.I like F3 is it?? where there are lots of different bikes mixed up - I like to see a V twin against a 2 stroke against a 4 cyl against a motard against an ex GP bike,that's more like the real world to me.Classics are where my interests lie,again,lots of different bikes competing against each other - although a 350 classic race with 18 B31s in a field of 20 and a 500 race with 17 B33s in a field of 19 is a bit boring...but it reflects the 50s where the clubmans races were totaly BSA dominated.

    The magazine has to go where the public's interest lies,that 1200 can turn up to COMPETE in Desert Storm is a pretty good indication as to what's happening out there.I also remember say,12 years ago when my Australasian Dirt Bike and Kiwi Rider were ripped out of my hands by my daughter as she poured over the dirt bikes...so I'm not surprised to see a kids section growing in the mag - I don't read that part,but I'm ALL for it,I don't care if they leave the stuff I really want to read out to fit the kids page in...it NEEDS to be there.I think the mag reflects the motorcycling public of NZ very well.
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  5. #50
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    Quote Originally Posted by Motu
    ... until I see Lance Lowe on his black bike devoid of sponsers graphics,that helps me place the bikes in the field...that I knew his father in days of yore could help in me spotting him though.
    He's on a green Kawasaki now, but I'm not sure how much sponsership he's got now. It's certainly minimal compared to the likes of Anstey & co on the Museum Hotel bikes.

    I caught your rant too Mitch, and thought the response was over-the-top & well on the defensive.
    "Women & cats will do as they please, and men and dogs should relax and get used to the idea." Robert A. Heinlein

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  6. #51
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    Quote Originally Posted by Motu
    so I'm not surprised to see a kids section growing in the mag -
    Yup!
    Check these guys
    http://www.davidcohen.co.nz/kr_jnr.jpg
    they're cool.
    bd

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