Paul Owen motorcycle reviews (or lack of)

**Paul Owen** · 21st December 2012, 09:33

Allow me to take this opportunity to wish all Kiwi Biker forum participants a Merry Christmas and all the best for 2013. I'd also like to thank you for support. The bike reviews published by stuff.co.nz are originally written for the readership of the Dominion Post in Wellington and The Press in Christchurch and both papers recorded significant increases in readership during independent audits during 2012. Some of this success is no doubt due to the creators of this thread. Many thanks once again, and let's all keep the rubber side down in 2013.

**Drew** · 21st December 2012, 09:54

Originally Posted by Paul Owen

Allow me to take this opportunity to wish all Kiwi Biker forum participants a Merry Christmas and all the best for 2013. I'd also like to thank you for support. The bike reviews published by stuff.co.nz are originally written for the readership of the Dominion Post in Wellington and The Press in Christchurch and both papers recorded significant increases in readership during independent audits during 2012. Some of this success is no doubt due to the creators of this thread. Many thanks once again, and let's all keep the rubber side down in 2013.

Well Fuckin hell. More power to ya for making your presence known.

You still seem to know nothing about motorcycles, or the ones you have reviewed at least.

I am happy to meet with you and have you point out the frame similarities between a cbr and a moto3 bike.

Or any other rather obvious mistakes of yours, should you not be able to locate a cbr.

Drew Mair.

**Stirts** · 21st December 2012, 09:57

Originally Posted by Drew

How many of you have made use of the comments section, on Stuff?

Kinda academic to be bitching on here

The comments section seems a bit redundant now

**Crasherfromwayback** · 21st December 2012, 09:58

Good for you Paul. I would however, highly recommend you stick to reviewing and writing about cars. You don't do yourself, or the publications your motorcycle reviews appear in any favours.

Pete McDonald

**baffa** · 21st December 2012, 10:07

In all fairness Paul's writeups are a fair bit better than a lot of the articles that appear on stuff.

There was a recent article telling people they were fools if they didnt drive an econobox, citing the amount of money they can save a year if they change to a new small engined vehicle. Not only were all their numbers wickedly wrong, they completely ignored things like depreciation, and the cost of the new vehicle. And they went on to save bikes werent that economical, giving about 6l per 100 kay. Show me a modern bike that isnt a big cruiser that uses more than that commuting.

**Drew** · 21st December 2012, 10:21

Originally Posted by Stirts

The comments section seems a bit redundant now

I don't foresee many posts from Paul anytime soon. Since he is the only writer who insight unanimous discussion....

Everyone says he's wrong!

**ducatilover** · 21st December 2012, 10:27

Originally Posted by Paul Owen

Allow me to take this opportunity to wish all Kiwi Biker forum participants a Merry Christmas and all the best for 2013. I'd also like to thank you for support. The bike reviews published by stuff.co.nz are originally written for the readership of the Dominion Post in Wellington and The Press in Christchurch and both papers recorded significant increases in readership during independent audits during 2012. Some of this success is no doubt due to the creators of this thread. Many thanks once again, and let's all keep the rubber side down in 2013.

Merry Christmas Paul, stop reviewing bikes so poorly, please write about the experiences of riding the motorcycle and the pros and cons of the bike, not wanked up stories of sweet nothings.

Good luck to you.

**BoristheBiter** · 21st December 2012, 10:28

Originally Posted by Drew

I don't foresee many posts from Paul anytime soon. Since he is the only writer who insight unanimous discussion....

Everyone says he's wrong!

I wonder if he post's under the pseudonym akzle then?

**ducatilover** · 21st December 2012, 10:29

Originally Posted by baffa

In all fairness Paul's writeups are a fair bit better than a lot of the articles that appear on stuff.

No, it's all useless shit.

**merv** · 21st December 2012, 10:34

I'm one that didn't say he is wrong because when I read any reviewers write up I take it with a grain of salt. The only way to decide if a bike is for you is to try it yourself and if you buy then adapt to it or adapt it to you. We are all different shapes and sizes with different expectations and preferences. Every bike I've bought always feels odd when I start with it because its different to what I last had, but you soon get used to riding it and the fun increases.

So I'm not one to bother about what any journo, or salesman for that matter, tells me. I just go and buy a bike and then set about enjoying it. I keep most things a long time so it must work for me. The only exception was my dislike of the Suzuki DR250RW I bought in 1998, I only kept that just over 5 years until I opted for the WR250F. Everything else I've just about kept forever.

**White trash** · 21st December 2012, 10:50

Originally Posted by Paul Owen

Allow me to take this opportunity to wish all Kiwi Biker forum participants a Merry Christmas and all the best for 2013. I'd also like to thank you for support. The bike reviews published by stuff.co.nz are originally written for the readership of the Dominion Post in Wellington and The Press in Christchurch and both papers recorded significant increases in readership during independent audits during 2012. Some of this success is no doubt due to the creators of this thread. Many thanks once again, and let's all keep the rubber side down in 2013.

Awesome post! Good on ya Paul for joining up.

Now. What the hell do you propose to do about these god awful, uninformative, boring bloody "reviews" you're writing?

Cheers

Jimmy Mair

**caspernz** · 21st December 2012, 11:01

Youz have got it all wrong...my bet is that the person who created that Paul Owen identity on here is one of the regular pranksters on KB.

I mean, c'mon...you buggers will fall for anything

**Drew** · 21st December 2012, 11:05

Originally Posted by merv

I'm one that didn't say he is wrong because when I read any reviewers write up I take it with a grain of salt. The only way to decide if a bike is for you is to try it yourself and if you buy then adapt to it or adapt it to you. We are all different shapes and sizes with different expectations and preferences. Every bike I've bought always feels odd when I start with it because its different to what I last had, but you soon get used to riding it and the fun increases.

So I'm not one to bother about what any journo, or salesman for that matter, tells me. I just go and buy a bike and then set about enjoying it. I keep most things a long time so it must work for me. The only exception was my dislike of the Suzuki DR250RW I bought in 1998, I only kept that just over 5 years until I opted for the WR250F. Everything else I've just about kept forever.

And should someone buy a bike, on the say so of what is thought to be an able and qualified tester? With no agenda of their own, other than to report on the subject.

You are self educated, and trust what you find in a bike. Mr Owen is paid to give the facts, and he does not.

Why should we just accept it and carry on as you do? The advertisers in the media who publicise his work, are being robbed. The readers are being mislead.

None of us really care of course. We all just want an axe to grind, and this particular one is very dull, and leaning up against an idiot proof stone.

**Drew** · 21st December 2012, 11:47

Originally Posted by cassina

I think the thing is reviewers never get to know a bike like an owner does and their impressions will always be of the test ride only. I bought
a BMW and had 2 test rides one of the bike and the second to see if I would get the hang of using the indicators. I did buy the bike and have
got used to the indicators ok but I always click the cancel button twice if I am in heavy traffic and there is no time to look at the dash bezel.
On my Honda it is still better despite me now owning the BMW 6 years. Another critisisim of BMWs (older ones perhaps) by testers is they have
cluncky gear boxes and while I found that myself it was only really a problem when it was new and I was getting used to the new gear ratios/torque/powerband
after being on a CB750 Honda for many years.

I like reading Paul's reviews and with bikes not being as popular as they were 30 years ago we should consider ourselves lucky newspapers even
bother to offer bike reviews when they could so easily fill the space with another car review. I see the objective of the newspaper reviews is to
get those curious about a bike or car into a dealer but like many others would look up owner reviews as well as my own test ride before making
a decision.

We should consider ourselves lucky you say. A lot of us do. Lucky that we don't rely on the ramblings of a guy, who knows nothing about bikes!

Why are we lucky that a paper, publishes compete dribble about bikes? How does it help the community, for people to be mislead?