Paul Owen motorcycle reviews (or lack of)

[White trash]

Dear Paul,

Please read this---> http://www.stuff.co.nz/motoring/8107...-faint-hearted

Now THAT makes me want to buy a Viper

This -----> http://www.stuff.co.nz/motoring/bike...-on-this-Honda

makes me want to shoot a Honda....

[caspernz]

So you would prefer only car reviews in newspapers then? If you are after real technical reviews why dont you spend $10 and buy a mag like Kiwi Biker.
The fact his reviews have been running so long must mean there is a "Market" interest in them and bikes are indirectly sold as a result of them.
Perhaps a distributor whoes bikes he has reviewed could come on here to confirm or deny his reviews have contributed towards sales.
At the very least you can not deny they make us aware when new model bikes appear on the NZ Market.

On the whole it hardly matters. Circle of concern and circle of influence comes to mind

[Drew]

So you would prefer only car reviews in newspapers then? If you are after real technical reviews why dont you spend $10 and buy a mag like Kiwi Biker.
The fact his reviews have been running so long must mean there is a "Market" interest in them and bikes are indirectly sold as a result of them.
Perhaps a distributor whoes bikes he has reviewed could come on here to confirm or deny his reviews have contributed towards sales.
At the very least you can not deny they make us aware when new model bikes appear on the NZ Market.

OK, lets get hold of a distributor, and ask if they would like that advertising of their product. Misinformation I mean. Ya know, the shit Mr Owen talks.

Oh good, a new product is available, I'll go see it. Oh hang on, it doesn't meet my requirements at all, why the fuck am I here? Oh yeah, that Owen cunt.

If the reviews are shit, why do we want them in the paper. Forget shit writing, the reviews don't actually seem to be about his encounters with the bikes at all!

Ya just can't win with some people.

[Drew]

No no. He's answered you on the site too Drew.

As have I mate.

I note he ignored your comment though, so I stole your quote and asked what he was thinking.

[Crasherfromwayback]

I note he ignored your comment though,

Obviously doesn't like me.

[Kickaha]

Obviously doesn't like me.

Thats one good point for him then

[Berries]

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.

Ha ha. I was actually going to create an account tonight to wind a few people up.

I'll just stick to this instead.

[ducatilover]

Obviously doesn't like me.

Has he had your coffee? I've heard grumblings...

[ellipsis]

...as long as he has pictures...of red hondas...

[Paul Owen]

Drew, you appear to think that a bike review should be written to sell bikes. That it should instantly make you want to go out and buy one. That's not my motivation when I write. Nor is it the money, because there are better-paid workers to be found at fast-food restaurant counters. Nah, I do it because I love bikes, and I enjoy writing about them while giving the fairest and most honest assessment of them that I can within the limited amount of space I've been given. There isn't a subject in the world that I'd rather write about. It's been this way since my first bike review appeared in Australasian Dirt Bike magazine in the early 1980s. Some appear to think that I'm a car reviewer who has recently started writing about bikes. The reality is that I've previously been a Kiwi Rider feature writer/columnist, had stories published in Two Wheels and Cycle World, and a bike reviewer for various newspapers since the late 1980s. I didn't begin writing about cars until 1993.
Another motivation to write about bikes is that I know that most people enjoy reading the reviews. I'm proud that Fairfax devotes expensive editorial space to the subject based on the feedback they receive from readers. Over my career, these reviews contributed to my winning of six Qantas Media awards for feature writing. They also encouraged Aaron Slight's selection of me as the author of his book.
Which brings me to the question about what motivates you Drew? Most people can read an opinion piece like a bike review, disagree with that opinion, and move on. You appear determined to conduct a witch-hunt with the help of a few mates that could affect Fairfax's enthusiasm to publish motorcycle stories. That 'achievement' wouldn't just hurt me, it would also affect all the people who tell me that they look forward to reading the reviews each week, and would dull the profile of the motorcycle industry in this country.

[Drew]

Drew, you appear to think that a bike review should be written to sell bikes. That it should instantly make you want to go out and buy one. That's not my motivation when I write. Nor is it the money, because there are better-paid workers to be found at fast-food restaurant counters. Nah, I do it because I love bikes, and I enjoy writing about them while giving the fairest and most honest assessment of them that I can within the limited amount of space I've been given. There isn't a subject in the world that I'd rather write about. It's been this way since my first bike review appeared in Australasian Dirt Bike magazine in the early 1980s. Some appear to think that I'm a car reviewer who has recently started writing about bikes. The reality is that I've previously been a Kiwi Rider feature writer/columnist, had stories published in Two Wheels and Cycle World, and a bike reviewer for various newspapers since the late 1980s. I didn't begin writing about cars until 1993.
Another motivation to write about bikes is that I know that most people enjoy reading the reviews. I'm proud that Fairfax devotes expensive editorial space to the subject based on the feedback they receive from readers. Over my career, these reviews contributed to my winning of six Qantas Media awards for feature writing. They also encouraged Aaron Slight's selection of me as the author of his book.
Which brings me to the question about what motivates you Drew? Most people can read an opinion piece like a bike review, disagree with that opinion, and move on. You appear determined to conduct a witch-hunt with the help of a few mates that could affect Fairfax's enthusiasm to publish motorcycle stories. That 'achievement' wouldn't just hurt me, it would also affect all the people who tell me that they look forward to reading the reviews each week, and would dull the profile of the motorcycle industry in this country.

I applaud that you enter into conversation. Your motivation seems as good as it could be too.

But the content is poorly fact checked, and it bothers me. That is my motivation. I do not have any mates, and for the most part the people on here have no time for my lack of self control, or rudeness.

Your writing history certainly looks impressive laid out as you have, and I certainly cannot claim to have any accolade at all, but I don't think that weighs one way or another on this discussion.

This is not an attack, scroll through the pages of dribble I've typed on here, you'll see what an attack looks like. What I wrote in the comments section on Stuff is a plea, for you to please give us an entertaining read, acurately describing the subject.

I'm sure you wont give a fuck, but I do respect that you are here, and on Stuff, replying to me at all.

[davereid]

I'm sure you wont give a fuck, but I do respect that you are here, and on Stuff, replying to me at all.

Pretty clearly he does give a fuck, that's why he is here !

[Drew]

Pretty clearly he does give a fuck, that's why he is here !

I imagine Mr Owen's motivation, is somewhat due to the fact that I have questioned the validity of his employment. Anyone would defend themselves in his shoes, and the respect of a detractor would mean nothing to them.

[ducatilover]

Paul, when you review a bike, you write about the riding experience. A motorcycle review is about the bike, not some impossibly boring wafflings of somebody who knows little about the bike on hand (the MOTO3 comments and other such silly ramblings)

I like things in reviews that tell me, how it rides (you know, that thing what where you get on it and stuff) not how you feel about the economic history of the company or some other useless knob gobbling shit.

I'll say it once more: The review is about the bike, not pure verbose puss and inconsequential mumbling about purely uninteresting and unrelated junk.

Here is a constructive critics plan for you:
Ride motorcycle as much as possible, in as many places as you can.
Take notes on how said motorcycle rides and the good and bad points.
Transfer these notes to an articulate and brilliant review on how the bike behaves and how it is/isn't good value
Print paper, post on Stuff.
Recieve thanks from bikers who are now interested in the motorcycle and its competitors, because you sparked their interest.

Please take this on board, merry fucking Christmas

[MD]

Girls put you handbags down. Retract the claws.

I for one appreciate that at least one person with some media input mentions Motorbikes! We get nothing but negative press all the time. At least Paul makes the effort to remind motoring readers that bike do in fact exist AND ARE FUN

I check out Stuff lots for news, the boring stuff we need to know, and it's great to see a mota-sickle pop up in the thingy side bars

I hope the Editors of Stuff don't see this thread by actual Riders. They will probably decide, f#&% these motorbikes, if they don't want to read about bikes then to hell with it. Lets rerun the Mondeo review for the 12th time.

Any publicity is good publicity as they say.