paulr

90 months ago

 - via web

- Story

Motorcycle Tests-Same Bike different Views

Ottawa, On, Canada

I have been lucky enough to be an official motorcycle “Tester” over the past year or so for EatSleepRide. Motorcycle manufacturers have actually given me motorcycles to use and report on. A few times I have even been able to ‘scoop’ the big ‘paper’ based motorcycle magazines with tests before the famous road testers get the bikes! Sweet right!

I have always tried to be as objective as possible and to base my tests on real world riding. ESR readers deserve to get all the information on a bike that helps them to decide if a motorcycle is one that meets their needs. Often this means talking about features that the big ‘paper’ motorcycle magazines may not mention. One example is a mention of engine heat. Too much heat coming off a motorcycle can make a summer ride unpleasant. Another example is my comments on passenger accommodations. I figure the new owner is going to put a passenger on the back of his/her bike at least a few times. Wouldn’t it be nice to know if your passenger will enjoy their ride or be in agony after an hour perched behind you?

As a motorcycle enthusiast, I get four ‘paper’ motorcycle magazines each month and regularly read three on line magazines. This often means that I have seen new model introduction articles and sometimes full road tests before I get to ride a bike. While these articles help provide background information to a motorcycle I am about to test, I always do my own test rides and let the bike stand on its own merits.

Once my review has been published here at ESR, I go back and re-read any other tests of the same bike to see if my impressions are the same as the professional test riders. It is interesting when a ‘paper’ magazine or online road tester comes up with a review that is different than the one I did. Sometimes it is because the motorcycle is being tested on a different continent with different climate and roads. Sometimes it is because the road tester’s magazine targets a specific kind of reader. An example of this is Road Racing World Magazine. This excellent magazine focuses on racing and sport bikes. Their reviews mostly highlight high speed uses and track use. You expect that the RRW review will talk a lot about top speed, wheelies and ability to turn hot laps at a track day. They may not tell you much about riding the bike on the street but you will get an in-depth review of the technical features of the bike.

Recently, I have also noticed that some motorcycle tests are rolled into ‘theme’ based tests. My test of the Yamaha XSR900 this year covered the features of the bike as a ‘café racer’ style bike. One of the Canadian ‘paper’ magazines published their review of the XSR as part of a three bike theme article called “Ride the Retro Wave”. The other two bikes were a Harley Davidson Sportster and a Triumph T120. Their comparison article was an entertaining read. However, their focus was on how each of the three were part of their “Annual Nostalgia Issue”. Their “must read feature!” (their description not mine) missed much of the technical information of the Road Racing World test of the bike, the ride qualities described in the CMG on line test of the same bike or what I wrote about.

The majority of the road tests I read (including my own test) of the Yamaha XSR raved about the great stopping power of the front brakes. However, one magazine tester felt the same brakes were weak. The majority of the tests I checked agreed with my assessment of an over sprung rear shock on the XSR. Nevertheless, there was one magazine test that never mentioned the ride in enough detail for a potential buyer to know if the bike would benefit from a suspension set up change.

My point is that all road tests are subjective. Testers can only tell you what they ‘felt’ while riding the test bike. Sometimes, we just miss something or fail to mention some feature of a bike that might be important to a new motorcycle buyer.

So if you are contemplating a new motorcycle for 2017, read every on line and paper magazine test and then if possible do a test ride at your local dealer or demo ride event.

You must be logged in to comment
Login now