Which is the most read NZ bike Mag?

[James Deuce]

I enjoy Bike tremendously. It shows what you can do with a big budget and a direct line to distributors and manufacturers for bikes and gear. However, RuPaul, err, I mean Paul Rupert has gone mental. He used to be "the" performance bike editor for my tastes when he was at PB. He's now an angry eco-weenie with massive internal conflicts and what looks like imposter syndrome. Thankfully he's "just" a columnist, though he has conspired to run a Daytona 675 on apple sauce made by teenagers.

They also have Simon Hargreaves on board, though it looks like a number of factors have conspired to keep control on both his dissolute life and his editorial bent, for which I am grateful. He single handedly destroyed PB. Having said all that I love the way he writes and his fit at Bike is spot on.

However. They spend a lot of time making the tiniest differences in performance, ergonomics and overall character seem like irredeemable failings when the reality is that "normal" riders would be hard pressed to to choose between a ZX10, Blade, GSXR1000, or R1 except by looks and brand loyalty. Riding bikes is an overwhelmingly positive experience. I struggle myself to find anything "wrong" with a GN250, or a BMW F650GS, or a FZ-1. It's really easy to present the easily spotted "failings" of anything and go over and over them. It's much more difficult to present how a particular motorcycle defines the joy in going for a simple ride on a simple bike. You can have great rides on crap bikes, and crap rides on great bikes. The measure of decent critical analysis is knowing the difference and figuring out if the great bike masked the crap ride, or the great ride masked the (nowhere near as much as they used to be) crap bike. How you choose to present the finished article is a personal choice.

[shrub]

Naturally, as I produce a fair slab of content in four publications, I entirely disagree about the rubbish bit.

Bike is a nice production - but most local readers prefer local content. Some of their production/gimmick budgets would be nice too.

I have read some of your work, and as a professional writer i can say you write well. My comment about a lot of "road tests" appearing in local rags is they are little more than a short squirt and cover a couple of pages. I want to read a bit of detail in a road test and I'm afraid a lot say little more than "great bike, awesome on the Mandel loop". But then I guess the Budget word is always a problem in NZ and hiring the Nurbergring for a comparo is a little tricky.

[James Deuce]

The only way you could do that is to have a bike for a few months to cover off the demands presented by your normal riding. The longest I've been granted to get to know a bike is three days.The test bikes are typically some dealer's test bike. NZ distributors don't tend to provide press bikes in NZ. You need to go to Aus to access them. Who wants to do that? *shudder*

[Big Dave]

>> Who wants to do that? *shudder*<<

The 'factory ride' is the reason for the season. I have technicians to set my suspension dontchaknow.

[Big Dave]

I have read some of your work, and as a professional writer i can say you write well. My comment about a lot of "road tests" appearing in local rags is they are little more than a short squirt and cover a couple of pages. I want to read a bit of detail in a road test and I'm afraid a lot say little more than "great bike, awesome on the Mandel loop". But then I guess the Budget word is always a problem in NZ and hiring the Nurbergring for a comparo is a little tricky.

Thanks you. Hopefully Hampton Downs will afford better track opportunity in the new year.

One thing the Ruralman brought up over beers in Dunedin was fuel consumption figures.

Been pondering and I'm not sure how I can do that accurately - I weigh significantly more than the average joe and get lousy figures compared to the Jockeys. Plus I'm usually testing brand new bikes and the fuel economy changes noticeably on some of them as they progressively run in.

[slowpoke]

NZ bike mags are all much the same; full of wannabe Rossi riders with their knee down going forty k's around 25k corners. Nobody actually GOES anywhere, fuck all rallies are featured, bugger all touring stories and most features are about bikes being pushed by retail outlets who advertise in the said mags. Boring, boring, boring.

Sure, these clowns reckon they do a zillion k's per year testing this model and that but they all run to their motels when it rains and very few get more than 100k's from home in any given year. Corporate suckups, most of 'em. Damn shame really, so many bikers out there are screaming for a real bike mag.

Your opinion is as valid as mine but I'm seeing and wanting something totally different. Wannabe Rossi's? I find the complete opposite, with tests of bland every day bikes. It's not the road testers fault, how do you make a GSX650F or M50 make someone want to pick up the mag?

Rallies? What have piss ups in the middle of nowhere got to do with bikes? You could drive there in a car and have pretty much the same experience (so long as no-one actually found your car, haha). Same goes for touring and not running to a motel when it rains: couldn't care less. What has sleeping inside or outside got to do with bikes? Touring/Plodding along for hours on end is just an exercise in frustration. Anytime you need or want some tunes to relieve the boredom does not equate to motorcycling nirvana (for me), quite the opposite.

I enjoy Bike tremendously. It shows what you can do with a big budget and a direct line to distributors and manufacturers for bikes and gear......

........ The measure of decent critical analysis is knowing the difference and figuring out if the great bike masked the crap ride, or the great ride masked the (nowhere near as much as they used to be) crap bike. How you choose to present the finished article is a personal choice.

Not a big fan of Bike, it's just another "all things to all people and satisfying none" type publication. But that's just me, I know I'm more focussed (obsessive?) in my biking interests and have only really found one mag that "fits" me. Which is kind of apt really, after all don't we usually find the same with our motorcycles? Which is also why the whole idea of a "simple ride, on a simple bike" holds no appeal whatsoever. I don't care about the fuel consumption of a GN250, or that sitting up straight knocks the top speed down from 112 to 105kph, and I need more than just the wind on my face and any ol' bike between my legs to make me happy.

You motorcycling scribes are up against it really. Bikes have gotten more and more focussed, and more and more accomplished at what they are good at but it's just the same ol' lump o' meat on top of it, no increased computing power, no skills upgrade etc. Getting a KZ1000 to get the hippy hippy shake happenin' took far less skill than pushing a ZX10R until it starts to get untidy.

[shrub]

What about approaching dealers with used/demo bikes with a couple of thousand Ks on the clock? Fill the tank, ride to lights on and give it back. As for your physical substance, I am a larger gentleman myself and I think a worst case scenario is better than optimum. I'd rather think I had 250kms in my tank and really have 300 than the other way round. I know when I used to sell bikes I always quoted worst case tank ranges to customers.

[Big Dave]

Yeah - I guess I can stipulate this is with a 120kg, 195cm wind sock.

Most dealers are good with me borrowing bikes - but only short term and it's hard to gauge from 'a' tankful.

[Conquiztador]

These would be the 'real' bikers I suppose.

A real 'Biker' mag I can cop. My rag can't do it - we have a kid's section and shoot for a PG rating.

I contributed art to Twin Eagle. Was sorry to see it close. There ain't enough here.

I used to contribute technical articles to Twin Eagle. When it was sold I think 3 issues came out. And then there was a couple of American Wannabe mags that came out once or twice. That was the end of that and my NZ Bike magazine purchase. Now only read overseas ones. Favorites are MCM from Sweden and Greasy Kulture from UK, no tits and bums just decent customs. Sadly NZ does not have the population to make it worth someones while to produce a decent custom magazine. But I live in hope and would happily once again pick up the pen if need was there.

[BIG DOUG]

I read brm and kiwirider but we have these at work ,I subcribe to cycle source mag from the states a grass roots chopper mag and the editor chris callen is alway a good read also the horse backstreet choppers mag and heavy duty from australia and yea conquiztador twin eagle was a good read shame some people f**ked that up.

[Little Smurf]

I use to buy Motorcycle Trader, Kiwbiker, 2wheels, BRM, AMC, Superbikes and occasionally Rapid. It got abit expensive so cut it down to 2 AMC and BRM and brought the others when an article caught my eye. Really don't like MT or KB. I can safetly say that I get BRM every month. A very personal choice I know however seeing Mr Williams in fluffy slippers is abit of a scream the balance of racing and road is good.

Its tough when you get asked for advertising I do all the time and trying to find that right balance is a hard one, the net is surely the best way and a publication that you are passionate about seems to work for myself. Good luck.

[Big Dave]

heavy duty from australia

Brummy is a good bloke to travel with too.

Boris is also real good fun. At some of the launches there are heaps of 'moto-noters' from the region in attendance and it's a phat time.

[cave weta]

Google is my friend!- virtually all my customers tell me- " oh we just googled 'Dirt Bike tour''


New Zealands 'first dedicated dirt bike magazine'- you know- the one with 5 readers.... I advertised every month for a year and never got a phone call. I started to get a little depressed when I noticed that virtually every letter to the editor was from a 10 year old boy with a DRz 125 and they were asking for free stickers. The final straw came when I picked up an issue in the supermarket and it had a two page article on 'How to perfect your look-backs' FFS!

[Big Dave]

Are you just shooting the messenger?

Did your ad have the AIDAS ?

Attention - Interest - Desire - Action - Satisfaction.

[cave weta]

Dave - that was when the mag was sized to be read undercover inside school text books. frankly- had I known that that their target readership audiance was the under 15 schoolboys, I would have created an ad with more WANK - We'll Ask Nanna K? .....cos she is the one who bought you the bike in the first place.