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Motorcycle Magazines
Our Favorite Motorcycle Magazines
by webBikeWorld Staff
wBW
Reviews Home
Labels and stereotypes; for good or for evil,
they put people and things into little boxes with closed
lids. Labels tend to shut off debate and prevent
people from dealing with real issues.
But labels are a reality, so we just have to learn to live with.
If you can't beat 'em, join 'em! So we're hereby
labeling webBikeWorld as an online motorcycle magazine.
Now this
may seem obvious to some, but not to others. If you can't wrap your
mind around the fact that webBikeWorld is a magazine, or your definition of a magazine is
something that's paper-based, glossy and comes in
the mail once a month, then you've been had by the Lords of Labels. webBikeWorld certainly
is a magazine; albeit one that
fits a more modern definition of the genre in this, the Age of Broadband.
The mission of our magazine is simple: to provide information that helps
our visitors make informed purchasing decisions.
To implement this mission, we exploit three of the basic advantages
that a web-based magazine has over its print cousins: the near-zero incremental cost to provide more
-- more detailed
information and photographs than can be offered in print. Visitors
also have
24/7 access to the huge and growing webBikeWorld database
of information kept on the site. And don't forget
that a website has the ability to deliver
the information to its readers in a much more timely
fashion than any print magazine can manage. Oh,
and one more thing: don't forget the hyperlinks!
In contrast, print magazines typically have a lead time of 2-3 months in a
world when people want information right now. Print magazines are generally designed to be
read once and discarded. This is as inefficient as
it is wasteful. Ever try to look up a year-old
article in a magazine? First of all, you have to
hope it hasn't been tossed out with last month's trash. If
it was, the search ends right there. But if it's
still hanging around,
it's then a matter of pawing through
every page until the article is found.
Looking for archival information on webBikeWorld? We have a simple policy for the retention of
information: we don't delete. You
can count on less than one hand the number of
webBikeWorld pages that have been removed from the
index in the past 6 years.
The information on some of our pages may be out of date, but it's always
there for you, just a search box away.
That's one of the
most
powerful advantages of a website -- there's basically no
incremental cost for storing old information, just as
there's really no incremental cost for providing as much
detail as possible and plenty of photographs.
So print magazines are
obsolete, right? Absolutely not! Print magazines definitely have their
place. Riffling through pages you can feel with
your hands definitely has its advantages. Even
finding the latest issue in the mailbox is a thrill that
never fails!
And some print magazines serve as more than entertainment; they provide timeless documentation of our sport.
If you've
never seen Classic Bike or The Classic Motorcycle, you're
really missing out on a lifetime of motorcycle knowledge and also some of the best motorcycle
photography around. We keep every one of our copies because the information
they contain will never be outdated. It just gets better -- and more
valuable -- with age!
Another thing that makes us different? For better or worse, there's one thing that you won't find on
webBikeWorld that you'll find to a fault in most print magazines:
advertisements!
I'm not referring to our text ads, which help pay the bills. I'm
talking about the lurid ads that are spewed all over the typical
print motorcycle magazine -- the ones that would be the equivalent of
website banner ads
and Flash animation. None of that for us -- we've always
tried to keep the look as clean as possible so that you can focus on the
important stuff: the content.
No one knows how much a print -- or web-based -- motorcycle magazine is
beholden to its advertisers. Have you ever wondered just how much a magazine's
editorial policy or review articles are influenced by how much money the
advertiser spends each month? Something to think about...
Since we have no control over which ads appear in our text ads, there's no conflict of interest. But
besides paying the bills for both print and web-based magazines, advertisements do serve a
purpose: they inform readers about which products and services are
available. It's not uncommon to learn more
about what's new in helmets, clothing and accessories from the print
advertisements then from the
magazine content itself.
Which brings us to the point of this article: a
general survey of our favorite print motorcycle magazines. We're letting
out one of our secrets here, because many of the products
and accessories that we review were first discovered by reading the articles
and the ads in
these magazines!
Kind of ironic, no? We're dissing print magazines because of their ads, yet
those very ads are the source for many of our ideas!
One of the things that prompted this article was a recent survey we
conducted to count the number of worldwide motorcycle magazines. We
stopped at 340, but our educated guess tells us that there are
almost certainly three times that many if local motorcycle magazines
and industry and trade magazines are included. We get several dozen
sent to the webBikeWorld offices from all over the world each month and some of them are
not cheap. Cross-border postage can be outrageous!
So we thought you might be interested in a list of some of the magazines
that we read. There's not a lot of originality in this list, because you can
certainly
find this information elsewhere on the web without much digging. But we thought you might
like to see what we read to help keep you informed. If you have a favorite
magazine that you'd like to see added, feel free to ping us at
Resources: Looking for a print
magazine? Many British and other motorcycle
magazines and obscure or out-of-print motorcycle books can be ordered through
Motorsport Publications in Jonesburg, Missouri
| The
Magazine Man is the Motorsport Publications of the
UK! |
Emap
is also one of the largest publishers of motorcycle magazines
in the UK
Here are some of the magazines we can't live without (in alphabetical
order) along with our personal opinions of their content. Below that
is a text listing of some of the magazines we read, sorted by country.
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Bike
Country: UK
Publisher: EMAP Automotive Ltd
Published: Monthly
Description: Unbelievable
motorcycle photography by Chippy Wood,
probably the best motorcycle photography
you'll ever see anywhere, period.
Road tests and limited
product reviews. General interest and
world adventure travel articles. Occasional
articles on performance riding with good
graphics illustrating the points. The
"Really Useful Section" in the back is just
that; it has ratings for used motorcycles by
brand and model, buying tips, what to look
for and more.
And don't forget the monthly Ogri
page, the longest running motorcycle cartoon
in the world.
The photos alone are worth
the cost of a subscription to Bike.
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Classic Bike
Country: UK
Publisher: EMAP Automotive Ltd
Published: Monthly
Description: Stunningly crisp
photography of classic and antique
motorcycles, printed on high-quality stock.
Lots of practical info on buying and
maintaining classic British and European
motorcycles. Good focus on finding
bargains and future classics.
Feature
issues that focus on specific bikes or marques are very useful as a guide for new
or wannabe owners. Great want ad section
with hundreds of bikes and photos; high
drool factor! Classic bike owners need
this magazine.
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The Classic Motorcycle
Country: United Kingdom
Publisher: Mortons Media Group
Published: Monthly
Description: Possibly the
longest running motorcycle magazine in the
world? Started as The MotorCycle in --
get this -- 1903! Focus on historical
and antique bikes. Great photography
printed on some of the highest quality paper
of any motorcycle magazine.
Features on specific bikes with information
on their history, racers, racing and more.
Don't throw these away -- they can be read
again and again.
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Cycle News
Country: USA
Publisher: Cycle News Inc
Published: Weekly
Description: Been around
seemingly forever? Finally went to
slightly higher quality paper and photos a
couple of years ago. Focus seems
mostly on dirt, off-road and motocross race
reports. Road racing reports seem to
be printed about 2-3 weeks later than they
should. Occasional new bike
evaluations.
Not like the UK's weekly
Motorcycle News at all, but occasional
useful tidbits. Too bad it isn't more
than it is.
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Cycle World
Country: USA
Publisher: Hachette Filipacchi
Media
Published: Monthly
Description: Pretty much the
generic, all-around motorcycle magazine for
American riders, found on just about any
news stand in the U.S.A. Covers a
broad spectrum of topics with good in-depth
evaluations of new motorcycles; quick
updates/press releases on new products and
some historical and general interest
articles. "Race Watch" section can't
produce timely reporting on races so instead
offers background and commentary, which is a
better strategy for a monthly.
Hachette Filipacchi publishes both Car
and Driver and Road & Track and subscribers
to those will know what we mean when we say
that Cycle World reads like a combination of
both; slightly irreverent and slightly
stuffy. The front half of the magazine
uses a format nearly identical to the car mags; one-page editorials, complete with the
obligatory stylized head shot of the author.
The format may seem old-school, but at least
they employ two of the world's greatest
motorcycle authors:
Peter Egan and
Kevin Cameron.
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Motorcyclist
Country: USA
Publisher: Primedia
Published: Monthly
Description: Has lots of UK
influence for some reason, with articles
showing up here that you'll swear you've read
elsewhere.
Seems more accurate, less frothy and more
technical. Very good occasional
in-depth studies of certain topics, like
their recent series on motorcycle helmet
testing issues and problems.
This is our favorite U.S. motorcycle
magazine.
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Motorcycle
Classics
Country: USA
Publisher: Ogden Publications, Inc.
Published: Bi-Monthly
Description: Interesting new
U.S.-based magazine focused on classic
motorcycles "is the only American consumer
magazine focusing on the growing interest in
classic motorcycles, providing owners,
riders and enthusiasts the insight and
information they want about their favorite
classic motorcycles from around the world."
Interesting articles and history, sort of
like the UK's "The Classic Motorcycle" but
with advertisements for American retailers
and parts suppliers that you never knew
existed. I hope there's enough of a
market in the U.S.A. so that this one
lasts...
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Motorcycle Consumer News
Country: USA
Publisher: Bow Tie, Inc.
Published: Monthly
Description: Independent
motorcycle magazine that accepts no
advertising. Very practical advice on
choosing, buying and owning motorcycles.
In-depth motorcycle reviews; product reviews
less detailed and not quite the same
quality. Good advice on maintenance
and repair.
Occasional detailed
studies of topics like oil, cold-weather
clothing, helmets, etc. but these are costly
to produce and seem to have become less
frequent. Robust letters section and
good articles on esoteric topics like
motorcycle training, health and others.
Probably the best pure motorcycle magazine
in the U.S.A.; unfortunately has limited
readership. Black and white only.
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Motorcycle News
Country: UK
Publisher: EMAP Automotive Ltd
Published: Weekly
Description: Sort of like a
combination of the NY Post and People
magazine but for motorcycles. They
seem to out-scoop everyone else in the
industry, although winter brings some
fanciful Photoshop guesswork on possible new
models. Good race coverage.
Everything
new in motorcycling appears here first.
Available as a weekly electronic download in
.pdf file by (very expensive) subscription
if you absolutely have to get your moto
information right now.
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Motorcycle Sport & Leisure
Country: UK
Publisher: Mortons Media Group
Published: Monthly
Description: Claimed to be
Britain's longest-running motorcycle
publication. Specializes in very good,
solid, practical reviews of new motorcycles.
Some touring and special interest articles
and occasional historical profiles of
antique bikes. Not as much content as
some others, but what's there is useful,
logical and believable.
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RiDE
Country: UK
Publisher: EMAP Automotive Ltd
Published: Monthly
Description: Like a Consumer
Reports for motorcycles, but without the
turgid editorial style. Specializes in product
testing and comparisons; the RiDE "Best Buy"
and "Recommended" green triangles are a good
indication of a product that works and can
be found on gear for sale in the UK.
Tons of practical information on choosing
and maintaining motorcycles and gear.
Probably my all-around UK favorite for content.
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Rider
Country: USA
Publisher: Ehlert Motorcycle
Media
Published: Monthly
Description: The orphan
child of U.S. motorcycle magazines?
Some motorcyclists swear by it, but about
the best way it can be described it is that it's
like a lightweight version of the mainstream mags for occasional riders or
those who aren't really that interested in
the obsessive details.
Good but basic info mostly feels like
you've read it somewhere else before, only
in more detail. Occasional road tests
of the less popular bikes that the other
magazines never seem to review. They
do seem less editorially beholden to
advertisers than other mainstream magazines.
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Roadracing World
Country: USA
Publisher: Primedia
Published: Monthly
Description: Not your average
motorcycle magazine, which is a good thing.
We have enough of those! Focus on
hard-core road racing with special emphasis
on the amateur and semi-pro levels.
Good articles on race prep and first-hand
reports by racers on bike preparation,
racing and more.
Very good in-depth technical articles on
race technology. Again, maybe not as
useful to the average street rider, but
prospective or armchair racers should take a
look.
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Sport Rider
Country: USA
Publisher: Primedia Inc
Published: 8 times per year
Description: Focused mostly on
Japanese
street bikes, modifications and racing.
Good occasional articles on motorcycle
racers and their bikes. Some of the
content is repeated from other sources.
Product "reviews" are mostly re-hashed press
release filler.
We don't get as much satisfaction from
this magazine as we do from others, perhaps
because we've never been a fan of Japanese
sportbikes. And why is Kent Kunitsugu always scowling?
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Motorcycle Magazines Suggested by Visitors
RoadRunner (Bi-monthly) - Not sure how
we forgot this one because we do have a
subscription. Focused mostly on
tourers, cruisers, destinations and general
interest articles. Several
webBikeWorlders suggested this one.
Robb Report Motorcycling - "This
magazine, like any Robb Report publication,
is primarily concerned with the higher end
of the market. As such, the focus of
the publication is is such that more
emphasis is placed on the aesthetics of a
bike than its technical merits.
Nevertheless, perfect for aficionados and/or
blue bloods ("K.T.")
If you have a favorite
magazine that you'd like to see added, send
the name of the magazine and a brief
description (and don't forget the URL) to
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Motorcycle
Magazines by Country
More magazines that we either receive or
read on a regular basis.
Motorcycle
Industry Magazines
Motorcycle Industry
- Monthly. "Geared to bringing
the rider/consumer's wants and needs to the manufacturers, distributors and
dealers."
Motorcycle Product News
- Monthly. Primary audience is
Powersports dealers.
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