Motorbike mags, do you ? don't you ?

Anything you like about motorbikes

DO you buy/read bike mags ?

Yes, i buy.... *insert name* regularly
7
18%
Sometimes, maybe a couple of times a year
7
18%
MAybe once a year at an airport or something
6
16%
Nope, don't do it
5
13%
I still buy MCN
1
3%
Used to buy *insert name* but don't these days
10
26%
Never bought any, don't care.
2
5%
 
Total votes: 38

Le_Fromage_Grande
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Re: Motorbike mags, do you ? don't you ?

Post by Le_Fromage_Grande »

I used to buy all the popular bike mags every month, probably from 1983 to 2000, then I got into trail bikes and supermotos and discovered what a twat Simon Melber is, so I stopped buying bike magazines, bizarrely since then I've had photos of my bikes in at least 3 bike magazines, I'd have been over the moon with this 30 years ago.
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Whysub
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Re: Motorbike mags, do you ? don't you ?

Post by Whysub »

G.P wrote: Fri May 28, 2021 12:11 pm 44 teeth is the nearest thing to the irreverent old style mags, couple of ex performance bikes journos on there,,
I don't access many "biking" websites, just this one, and if I am buying a new bike, I'll go on the owners forums to check out any issues.

I have watched a couple of the 44 Teeth videos, but they leave me cold. Their challenge to buy a cheap trackbike ended up with both spending an absolute fortune on suspension and engine upgrades, plus paying to fix all the faults on the bikes that they never saw when buying them.

Pretty much the reason journalism seems to be a lost art.....
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Re: Motorbike mags, do you ? don't you ?

Post by Noggin »

I spent my lunchtime reading about 4 pages of the MotoGP mag!! If it had taken me that long to read them in the UK I'd have bought more but I had read what was interesting to me in a few minutes and so it just wasn't worth it!!! :lol: :lol: :lol:
Life is for living. Buy the shoes. Eat the cake. Ride the bikes. Just, ride the bikes!! :bblonde:
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Re: Motorbike mags, do you ? don't you ?

Post by G.P »

Whysub wrote: Fri May 28, 2021 5:09 pm
G.P wrote: Fri May 28, 2021 12:11 pm 44 teeth is the nearest thing to the irreverent old style mags, couple of ex performance bikes journos on there,,
I don't access many "biking" websites, just this one, and if I am buying a new bike, I'll go on the owners forums to check out any issues.

I have watched a couple of the 44 Teeth videos, but they leave me cold. Their challenge to buy a cheap trackbike ended up with both spending an absolute fortune on suspension and engine upgrades, plus paying to fix all the faults on the bikes that they never saw when buying them.

Pretty much the reason journalism seems to be a lost art.....
The budget bike battles aren't supposed to be educational, its supposed to be comedy; a couple of wankers being wankery. Their roadtests however are IMO, pretty good
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Bigyin
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Re: Motorbike mags, do you ? don't you ?

Post by Bigyin »

Like a few others i used to buy PB and Superbike in the 80's and 90's but favourite by far was Fast Bikes as they were so heavily linked with racing as well as the usual road stuff. The Videos were superb with Gaz Mason and Shakey and many others riding like complete loons in between BSB meetings.

Last one i bought with any regularity was Motorcycle Racer about 15 years ago but that tailed off after a couple of years

Last bike mag i saw was Ride many years ago that a mate at work bought and havent looked at any since. 44 teeth gets my vote for the current you tube style "mag" as the closest to the Fast Bikes of old
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Re: Motorbike mags, do you ? don't you ?

Post by DefTrap »

YouTube is the new 'bike magazine' for me. Most of the old fashioned paper mags seem too averse to risk taking, no doubt curtailed by their absolute reliance on circulation figures and advertising.

Paper mags just not as immediate or versatile. Sod waiting a month and shelling out 7 quid just for a two page update on a long term article you're interested in.

In their heyday paper mags were often great, mind.
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Re: Motorbike mags, do you ? don't you ?

Post by JackyJoll »

I’ve got a cupboard full of 1970-90s glossies, predominantly Classic/vintage shit. Unlikely to buy any more.

I may read some of them again in my dotage.

Also got full sets 1945, ‘46, ‘50 & ‘51 Autocar mags.

We’re gonna need a longer dotage!
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Re: Motorbike mags, do you ? don't you ?

Post by Demannu »

Just renewed my subscription to
Iron butt rider and tattooed bitch monthly.
And Ronnie died on an italjet dragster 180 which was 'tuned to fook', not a moped. He'd be spinning in his grave if people thought he pegged it on a 50!
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Re: Motorbike mags, do you ? don't you ?

Post by Mr Moofo »

PB used to be the only one but that has since gone the way of so much.
DiRE - every now and then...
Fastbikes - wasn't that always aimed at 13 yr olds who couldn't read?

MCN became rubbish many years ago - though I used to buy it every week ... that stopped 20 years ago.
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Re: Motorbike mags, do you ? don't you ?

Post by mikeycee »

Back in the Mid/Late 90's I was a Performance Bikes reader - Really was a decent mag back then.... I sort of evolved into RiDE Over the years and the occasional copy of BIKE.

Since mid 2000's however I just stopped.

As part of some Lloyds bank account I have however, I get a free magazine subscription. I went through the list and it was pretty much all complete garbage but I noticed BIKE was on there, so I signed up to 12 Months.

Thin as anything and no particularly interesting content to be honest that keeps me reading.

I find the articles quite drab with all the new bike reviews posted already on Youtube etc by all of the Journo's way before the mags hit the shelves - By the time you actually sit down and read the thing, its all old news which I think is whats killing the 'Generic' Bike Magazines. Back in the day, it was great - But I think their days are seriously numbered now.
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Re: Motorbike mags, do you ? don't you ?

Post by Yorick »

Yorick wrote: Thu May 27, 2021 9:52 am I used to buy MCN religiously until about 2000.
None since. The missus buys me an MCN at airport when she flies. Bought me on Monday. Not opened it yet.
Well, that was 5 mins I won't get back :(
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Re: Motorbike mags, do you ? don't you ?

Post by Horse »

Yorick wrote: Sun Jun 06, 2021 5:38 pm
Yorick wrote: Thu May 27, 2021 9:52 am I used to buy MCN religiously until about 2000.
None since. The missus buys me an MCN at airport when she flies. Bought me on Monday. Not opened it yet.
Well, that was 5 mins I won't get back :(
At least you had 5 days of eager anticipation.
Even bland can be a type of character :wave:
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Re: Motorbike mags, do you ? don't you ?

Post by Jody »

Yorick wrote: Sun Jun 06, 2021 5:38 pm
Yorick wrote: Thu May 27, 2021 9:52 am I used to buy MCN religiously until about 2000.
None since. The missus buys me an MCN at airport when she flies. Bought me on Monday. Not opened it yet.
Well, that was 5 mins I won't get back :(
Every 5 mins is one you won't get back :p
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Re: Motorbike mags, do you ? don't you ?

Post by Rockburner »

Supermofo wrote: Thu May 27, 2021 8:33 am I've said yes but it's digital magazines. During lockdown I subbed on google play to bikes unlimited. £8 a month for MCN, Bike, Ride, Practical Sportsbike, Classic Bike and Built. You also get all back issues for over a year.

Before that I found I might buy a mag once in a while but often a mag would only have 1 article I was interested in so wouldn't bother. Now with the app I don't mind if I only read 1 or 2 articles in a mag as there's another X number to look at. I also find myself reading some of Classic Bike which I'd never normally do.
I'm sort of tempted by that 'Bikes Unlimited' thing, especially now I have a classic to care for (but I guess Old Bike Mart will probably be more useful for finding suppliers). I used to have a 'zinio' app on a tablet which made reading magazines very easy.
non quod, sed quomodo