Who said this?

[steveD]

"Singles? Why do people get so dewy eyed about bleedin' road-going or track four stroke singles?
Do they have some romantisized notion about them being the 'pure, unadulterated essence of motorcycle'? That's wrong. In any guise other than trailie or supermoto they're rubbish. The Honda FT500 and Gilera Saturno were rubbish. The mooted Mito 500 will be too. They're uncomfortable, lumpy, vibey and slow. Nice ornaments, but as road or track bikes you can keep 'em."

[Steve Lake]

I'll tell you who.....
Phil West.....executive editor MCN
and he should be bluddy ashamed of himself......
to define a range of bikes as rubbish, just because they have one cylinder is absurd
where do his vibrations come from.....not my srx thats for sure
oh....the saturno is rubbish is it??.....pillock
i suppose the ducati supermono is rubbish too......thats why they change hands at £80k +
and on the circuit it can whop just about anything.....as can most of the current breed of super and mini mono's
Mr Phil West shouldn't be writing for MCN (let alone be some sort of editor) he's better suited to reviewing prams in mothercare.

whinge over

[Richard]

Lets face it the standard of journalism in the MCN, and most if not all of the rest of teh Bike Press, is so poor that they couldn't write graffiti on a wall.

Wholly in hock to the advertisers.

Richard

[steveD]

SteveL I couldn't agree with you more. I get the MCN to see what's going on in the bike world, OK it's very much a Sports bike paper but for the Executive Editor to be so forward with his comments really shows why so little adress is put for the single cylinder bikes out there. He should understand that the world is a small place and that the vast majority of bikes are singles. Take the developing countries for example, they have millions of small practical bikes that are the mainstay of communities. We all don't want two wheeled projectiles and the vast majority of the new generation of plastic rockets are overwhelmingly too powerful for their riders. A good single is a perfectly good commuter bike and a bike such as mine, the new Xt660 Z is as good a tourer as any bike of similar capacity irrespective of number of cylinders. As for performance and vibrations etc I would cetainly challenge him on that one as my bike is supper smooth and with fuel injection is better that any carb model on economy and performance.
If he has these opinions he should keep them to himself, but then it is quite evident from the vast majority of the cover of bikes that they review that any amount of credibility is given to them. When I see some of the articles the majority (again) will show the bike in question being wheelied and the article will add such information as to speed in excess of current lawful speeds. Well if he condones such actions and continues to degrade the single cylinder bike in such a manner publicly I for one will cancel my order for the MCN (More Crap then News) So there!

[guest18]

I was lent a copy of "Fast Bikes" the other day... Dear God it's garbage   wrtten by hormonal teenagers for hormonal teenagers I get the distinct impression that they never ride teh bikes they test... what a lot of hormonally fuelled bollox! eg a perfectly reasonable 600cc bike couldn't be ridden in town "because people would think you're gay".... don't even start me on the number of ways that pisses me off!!
Makes me appreciate "Ride" magazine more which, whilst not perfect, at least gives teh impression they have ridden the bikes farther than once round a racetrack or twice past the local chippy  
Grraaaaaaah!  

[beeman]

The words printed in the bike mags is directly in proportion to the freebies and location etc that the manufactures give out. (According to a jurno friend I knew in the buisiness, allegedly.) She said that any crap could get a good write up. Hence the next years model is always soooooooo much better even if all that was changed was the colour.
Remember all the faults of last years models always seem to have been corrected!!!! in the new model. If you go back 12 months to read the original test these faults (what faults) are never mentioned.
Mind you the press of 40-50 years ago were still doing the same so don't blame the modern journalists.
I remember in my yufff being an avid Bike reader cos' they didin't tow the party line, Although I seem to remember that it cost advertising contracts when Honda pulled out of the magazine.

beeman

[guest7]

Aha, the infamous Bike magazine Honda Goldwing article. They described it as they found it, Honda pulled all advertising.

GC

[Steffan]

That must have been a long time ago - or its an apocryphal story. As for hormonal teenagers given that I am younger than the average age for motorcyclist these day - something is very wrong. Although I understand that SAGA magazine is releasing a motorcycling sister mag.

Steffan

[Andy M]

That's the reason they don't test ride the bikes; 12-year old straight out of art colledge turns up, shows press badge, goes all randy over said plastic missile, gets asked about insurance, hops back on "pimped" 50cc moped/Ford Fiesta without silencer and returns to office after hanging about in local shopping mall for a few hours. Its a "Lifestyle/Aspirational" publication (read consumer porn for people without the bottle to reach up to the top shelf), nothing to do with bikes. The target audience is spiky haired stockbrokers who travel everywhere by train and have £300 to spend on trainers or video games.

I was bored the other day and bough MCN. £1.90 for some seriously shallow journalism and a not of advertising. Wish I'd bought the SUN for 40p.

The only bike mag I'll entertain is Riders Digest. It's SE based and seems to get handed round dispatch offices and workshops. I hope it spreads, but keeps it's ethos. There is some advertising but because they are small and still funded by selling the mag not the adverts they wouldn't care if one advert was pulled.

Andy

[johnr]

not for nothing is it rumoured that MCN stands for More Crap than News!!!!

[Steffan]

That's the reason they don't test ride the bikes; 12-year old straight out of art colledge turns up, shows press badge, goes all randy over said plastic missile, gets asked about insurance, hops back on "pimped" 50cc moped/Ford Fiesta without silencer and returns to office after hanging about in local shopping mall for a few hours. Its a "Lifestyle/Aspirational" publication (read consumer porn for people without the bottle to reach up to the top shelf), nothing to do with bikes. The target audience is spiky haired stockbrokers who travel everywhere by train and have £300 to spend on trainers or video games.
Andy

 
LOL
That Sir, is without doubt one of the most caustic and ruthless lampoon I have read in a long time. Congratulation!! If being a bitch was a career path then you might consider leaving automotives - EXCELLENT!!

Steffan
Who is still laughing

[andy230]

I'll tell you who.....
Phil West.....executive editor MCN

...t***....

OOPS!  ok then ... T W A T !!.....

However, a quick search pulled up this:

http://www.motorcyclenews.com/MCN/advice/searchresults/MCN-Articles/2009/March/mar0609-5-of-the-best-funky-singles/?&R=EPI-106660

[robG]

On a slightly different note ,it seems {to me at least}they've completly b******d up Classic Bike Guide .Its amazing how a change of editor and 'facelift ' can put a spanner well and truly in the works.They've simply fixed something that wasn't broken in the first place all in the quest of more sales.I can't bring myself to read the damn thing now .

Better stop now ,starting to RANT .

 

[guest27]

MCN and others amuse the hell out of me.  Each time they test the Triumph 675, Street-Triple, Speed-Triple etc, they declare it as the best in class, I seem to remember that the 675 has topped the middleweight class of that big jurno's bike thrash thing for a number of years.  Then they test the latest Jap 600, compare it to the other 600's (or street fighters etc etc etc ) and declare the new one "the best", later on they eventually do a group test and involve Triumph and are stunned to have the Triumph do so well (other makes are also available, terms and conditions apply) - it is as they have never even read their own road tests.

MCN - and bike journalism in general - is pretty poor, and god of the poor journalism must be Kevin Ash, who rants and raves in Daily Mail style and Sunday Sport quality - and a lot of the time he is plain wrong in his 'Techwatch' too.

Now read MCN in the shop - takes about 2 mins

R

[Andy M]

 
LOL
That Sir, is without doubt one of the most caustic and ruthless lampoon I have read in a long time. Congratulation!! If being a bitch was a career path then you might consider leaving automotives - EXCELLENT!!

Steffan
Who is still laughing
[/quote]

Glad you enjoyed. I do like to be even handed and have a go at pretty much everyone involved, it's only fair 

Andy