Road Test Wankers

Is it just me - or do others think our Australian Motor Cycle magazines are mostly in cuckoo land?
It seems every new European bike is released on a Spanish racetrack where it is thrashed to within an metric inch of its' life - labelled 'a missile' and then followed up with a half an hour drive on 'normal' roads (probably back to the 4-Star Hotel) before the article will end with the writer salivating about how great it will be when it is [finally] released for sale in Australia. It will be close to $40,000 and will not have any fuel consumption data, no consideration as to likely reliability and little mention of limited spare parts or servicing arrangements. Even new Japanese bikes are given this shallow 'Thrash 'um and praise 'um' shallow treatment. The reality of what they are actually like to own and use in the real world on a daily basis are hardly ever touched on.
[Half off my soap box]
On a somewhat related matter - the latest Australian Motorcycle Magazine has an extended review of the latest 2011 Kawasaki Ninja 1000 ABS "Super Tourer". Lots of technical detail - great photos - and some inconsistent written content.
Quote: Take your latest and greatest sportsbike on a touring trip down to the Island for the world Supers or MotoGP and you'll likely be aching for days afterward, not to mention the possibility of carrying a passenger or anything more than a backpack of cloths. That's where the 2011 model Kawasaki Ninja 1000 ABS comes into play, a bike that has very capable sportsbike foundations, albeit a lot more purposeful than the ZX-R siblings. So the Super Tourer has a much more comfortable seat and an adjustable windscreen it goes on to point out - but we never actually get any hard consumption data - we never actually get a report on how it went on a 500 km run in the heat - we never actually have the bike ridden with the optional panniers and top box to know how they affect handling. We do learn: When it comes to engine power ... It doesn't have a great bottom-end, but it's ultra smooth and the power really begins to kick in at around 5000rpm. From 7000rpm onwards you'll really start to feel the power that's on tap, all the way through to the redline marker at around 11,000rpm
Oh yes! I do most of my 'super touring' in 2nd gear at 10,999rpm [- that's sarcasm if you didn't recognise it!]
Fuel consumption whilst touring between 7,000 and 11,000 rpm must be interesting and no doubt much better than those over-rated, over-revved 'sportsbikes' [ -that's MORE sarcasm if you didn't notice!]
I'm paying $16,999 plus on-roads for this fantastic tourer before I fit the luggage.
A Suzuki GSF 1250SA Bandit (ABS) $12,790 plus on roads.
The Ninja is a nice bike, but the review doesn't really tell me enough to decide it is a 'Super Tourer'.

I buy (well used to ) quite a few m\cycle mags and they seem all the same .In fact if i read one more article on the new BMW s1000 rr i'm
well, not going to read it. I can count on one hand how many i've seen on the road. One more click here one less click there .
Everything is good ,just once i would like to hear someone say "this bike is a pile of shit "
Money is no object on a project ,this bike laps .03 sec a lap faster than that .If its not over technical its how to wash your bike or touring
in Afghanistan
I'm old so i have a right to be grumpy.And yes i agree with you ,most bike mags suck!

Yeah I agree. I'm sick of tests and comparison tests which take no account of price. C'mon for almost all of us money is an object, and even if I can afford to pay more I not parting with any more of my hard earned than necessary as a matter of principle. It's all very well and good for these guys to throw their legs over a brand new and comprehensively prepped machine and pass their judgments without consideration of the reality of ownership. And you are right, if the only good point of some bike is its mirrors, then they will crap on about that, just so they don't piss off some importer and endanger their next junket to France or wherever. This has been true of motorcycle journalism for a long as I have been reading (and just to give you a clue how long that is...the first mag I ever bought had a picture of the then brand new Kawasaki H2 750...lean, mean and lime green). I particularly love those comparison tests pitting 20K gixxers and CBRR's against the special Ducati's and Aprillia's (you know, not the cooking models but the ones with the Ohlins suspension and lashings of carbon fibre) at 35K, and what's that you say, they are a little better? Well for freakin' near double the cost they would bloody well want to be.

Oh and BTW, as far as I am concerned no-one nowhere builds them as good as the Japs, and that includes my experience with a 30K Bimota, das germans come close, but are still 2nd, IMHO.

Apprentice Grumpy Old Man

Spot on! I stopped the regular buy over a decade ago 'cause of the change, and my own taste’s! Have had the odd dabble in the last couple of years needing something to read due to boredom, including the issue of AMCN '52 covers. Not sure mags are able to cover all demographics cost effectively, the race / super sports / street fighter seem to be where it's all at. Some of us enjoy the touring, dual purpose, trials, cafe’ & nostalgia! (Yes, I do like a quite a bit of the new stuff too…)

well quite clearly you guys are in the minority - everyone needs a bike that keeps accelerating super hard from 200 kays and spends every weekday at the track

As a noob to the Bike world, I do read a few mags before buying and have read a few since, hey i'm new looking for all the info and perspectives I can get. Having said that i'd agree with you guys, my main bug bear is the fact they don't mention on going costs e.g. servicing etc.

I actually don't have too much of a problem with bike mags testing sports bikes on race tracks, that's really what they are designed for. What I do object to are so called testers who test bikes outside of their intended environment or compare them against bikes with a different purpose, then say it's not very good.

A classic example was last year in 2Wheels. Some dick did a test on the Bandit 1250s and was comparing it to an 'all roads tourer'. Some of his comments were similar to "There are better bikes for riding on dirt", "I like a tourer that can handle dirt roads". I'm not sure, but I'm pretty confident a Sprint ST, VFR800, GTR1400, ST1300, FJR1300 would also struggle on dirt roads. It's not what they are designed for.

b12mick wrote:A classic example was last year in 2Wheels. Some dick did a test on the Bandit 1250s

Ah yes, I remember that review and the FA review was also fairly ordinary. My FA is fine on dirt, due to a 'where does this road go' situation. Hell, I even managed to get it to 100 on the dirt and enjoyed the sliding sensation. The Metzelers did well that day.

As for the road test reviews, the ones to read are the long term test bikes.

Watch the test rides on YouTube. We get good test blokes on there.

.In fact if i read one more article on the new BMW s1000 rr i'm well, i'm not going to read it


Latest cover of AMCN's - Bmw 1000RR V Kwaka 10 on the track.Yet again.