bad writing in Motorcyclist

I have been subscribing to Motorcyclist for probably 10 years. I also get the AMA mag, Rider, & Cycle World. I initially liked the direction Catterson was going but now...I am seriously thinking of cancelling my subscription & I wanted other peoples opinions. I am getting tired of articles being written by writers who imply they were drunk the night before a road test &/or unable due to evaluate & report on the bike due to lack of experience on that type bike. Last month they had 2 sportbikers test a harley vs a victory... why? this month they have a guy testing the new bmw 850gs when he says he's a sportbiker. He also implies in the article that he drove to Moab with his wife but then talks about how he is hitting on the BMW rep... his wife would have smacked him. Plus, by the sound of it, he is drunk most of the time he's not riding. Why would I want to read anything written by this guy?? Plus, the writer uses $5 words & analogies that add ZERO to the article other than to make me want to cancel my script. Why do all of these writers think they are Hunter S or Tom Wolfe?? I'm not looking for this kind of stuff... this is supposed to me a motorcycle magazine about bikes & riding....
Anybody notice this??
I think I'm going to bag this & go with the new
Retro mag from Mitch... mucj better mag!  

I agree with you.  The last thing I want to read is someone who is supposedly testing a bike and he himself admits to not being a good rider.  How am I supposed to get any hints on the bike itself when that is the case?  And I really don't need to read the other tripe in there like how much free crap BMW gives out to Journos. We all know they tend to buy their road tests.

I wonder how female Dual Sporters feel about that article?

I also didn't see any specifications on the bike.  Not even what kind of tires he was running.

The Cretins article on the other hand was good, except for Catterson's piece where he's riding a Thruxton. Apologies if I'm wrong but wasn't it Catterson who slagged the Thruxton in a comparo with a Ducati in an earlier issue?  In fact he slagged the Duc too, if it was him.  

man i am with you. I,ve been putting up with tihs crap sence catterson took over!He single handedly turn my mag into cycle world! I canceled them after they had the :cuiserpaloosa;issue! All they seem to Wright about is tired old harleys. How cares. The last page thing is a ripoff fo cycle world.WHERES MITCH WHEN YOU NEEED HIM!!!!!!!!!!!  

I have to disagree with you.
  Jack's writing is different for this magazine, but it is nice to read something other than the usual speed junkie throwing a bunch of steering angles, swing arm lengths, and quarter mile times at me.  
  If you read any other motorcycle lifestyle magazine out there, you will find this style of writing about an experience on a certain motorcycle readily available.
  Some of us like the direction Catterson is taking the 'zine.  If you are in to just sport bikes, read Sport Bike.  I for one like many styles of bikes and enjoy reading about everything from KTMs to Harleys.  

I was a subscriber since 1982.., until about a year and a half ago.

 Horrible excuse for a cycle magazine.

 I think I spent approximately 4-5 minutes looking at the last issue.  Don't think they're going to be around long.  

The writing is going down hill.  Smokey, I agree that it is nice to read something other than "the usual speed junkie" tripe, but Lewis' prose is so baroque it obscures, not enhances, his subject.  Why does one need "dichotomous juxtaposition"?  Is there any other kind of juxtaposition?  Why does his low oil smell of burned squid, and what does that have to do with a "murdercsickle" being a harsh mistress?  When the chefs brazenly wore their hats over the savories and the pixies were, al dente, torquing the brake calipers, was Mr. Lewis burried in a thesaurus looking for just the "right" words to describe the events?

Please, editors--edit.
Please, Mitch--come back.  

I also agree. I expected a better write up on a bike such as the GS800. If you are going to get drunk the nite before you ride across the desert, maybe you should just stay home or wait until the ride is over. I felt like i wanted to know what all those fast riders had to say about the bike. Im not impressed with all this Harley hoopla either. Dont wanna read about bikes that arent avail. like the xr1200. Just seems like another way to waste your money on a sub par bike that makes idiots want to talk to you when you're trying to fill up your tank. And why on earth was there no literbike comparo this year? Oh yeah, cuz we want to know how 600s stack up against 1000s!  

I Personally look forward to this magazine out of three other magazines coming in the mail most of all.  i particularly enjoy Catterson, the format as well.

This month I was absolutely shocked at the horrible articles and writing, totalling TWO occasions in this month's issue by Mr. Jack Lewis.  To the point at which I read his article 'dancing withe the devil' and after reading it 3-4 times in full; still failed to get the point.  I'm all for writing as art and especially that which glorifies some ascpect of motor cycle riding or motor cycles themselves.   But this was a horrible read. Not only innapropriate, but I'm assuming largely misunderstood... unedited, and for the most part complete rubbish.

I also happen to be a fan of most two and four wheeled objects that BMW puts out.  Put simply once again, the article on what is a fantastic as well as fantastically capable motorcycle  was put forward as rubbish, poorly written, and also i'm sure; misunderstood... meaning that it was a full 7 page article that was a waste.

I plead with you motor cyclist to have another writer, perhaps: A.Frank, T. Carrithers or Catterson himself ride the bike and give it an article it deserves.  What was put forward we know is garbage.  

Perhaps Lewis needs to spend more time in an online blog, paper journal or something talking filthily with his thesaurus by his side by him self and need not share this tripe with the world around him.

Art? Not a chance.  Great writing? Not by the stretch of my imagination at all.

Just a number of poor efforts in one particular issue of my favorite magazine.

Thats enough Jack.  
Power is Nothing without control

I enjoyed reading Jack's articles.  They are indeed different from the standard fare, and I took them for the entertaining pieces they were.

Specs on the F800 are available anywhere, as are pieces written by advanced dirt riders.  I have Ron Lawson's (Dirt Bike) write up at home, but have yet to read it.

Remember, these big group rides are an introduction to the bike sponsored by the manufacturer, not a comprehensive test.

I found Jack Lewis's style and humor (Yes, it was supposed to be FUNNY!) refreshing and interesting.

And, yes, I loved "Somg of the Sausage Creature".

I really did not like Boehm's tenure at Motorcyclist.  I was ready to drop the magazine, until Catterson took over.  I like it much better now.  

Since Catterson left CW and came to MC, this place has improved. Period. There is more content and there is more VARIETY of content, and the type of content varies wildly -- as does the world of motorcycling. Some magazines are so sterile and so "safe" and that's good for some advertisers and good for some manufacturers who never need to worry about anything negative or HONEST CRITIQUE by a real-world rider in real-world situations.

Some people are complaining about a "sport bike rider" testing a BMW adventure bike. Hey, guys, have you ever been to a motorcycle dealership? Ever heard of "cross-shopping?" If you have a Harley, I'm sure you've at least once, in a moment of weakness, admired a sportbike or adventure bike. And vice-versa. There's something wonderful about reading the opinion of somebody who is "out of his element" on a particular bike in a particular situation. Most peole who read this magazine are not "professional" motorcycle testers, and it's good to read an article by somebody who is maybe a little bit uncomfortable, a bit awkward and out of place. Because that's half the enjoyment of motorcycles in the first place. The Variety and the challenges and the differences.

And the stories. You may complain that a writer mentions their previous night with a few beers, but this is a magazine that (thankfully) covers a lot of the "lifestyle" of motorcycling and not just a re-hash of an OEM-supplied brochure and technical breakdown of how the bikes behave in specially controlled situations with results broken down to tenths of seconds and fractions of pounds like some other boring magazines. So yes, sometimes the not-so-pure exploits of writers/subjects make it into these pages. And Thank God for that. Go read Newsweek if you want controlled pablum. The world is fluid, it is unpredictable, and it is wonderful. That's what comes across in these pages every month.

Variety is the spice of life, etc., and not everything in life is distilled, clean, perfect and controlled. Motorcycling sure isn't that way, and neither are the wide variety of regular conributors to the magazine. Every issue is different, but every issue has character. It has intriguing pieces about intriguing machines and people and places and even if it's not your cup o' fish soup, it's somebosy else's passion and just another aspect of the wonderful world of motorcycling.

So open the pages, live through the eyes of others, see the world, see new people, places, things that maybe  outside your comfort zone. If you don't like it, turn the page. But know that somebody somewhere cut out and saved that page and stuck it to his garage wall because it encapsulates everything that he or she strives for. Or maybe reminds him or her of how he or she used to be. Or wants to be.

Diferent strokes, different folks, etc.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all. And to all, a good night...  

All I've got to say is it takes all kinds. Reader response to Jack Lewis' latest articles has been overwhelming, and running exactly 50/50 for/against. It reminds me of when we had Dan Walsh writing for us, only I personally feel Jack is an even better writer. True, there wasn't much technical depth in Jack's F800GS feature; we ran a First Ride by Jamie Elvidge a few months ago, so I thought rather than do another I'd have Jack do something "different." Mission accomplished. Tim Carrithers has since taken on an F800GS as his long-term bike and we'll be including one in a future adventure-touring comparison, so there will be plenty of in-depth coverage.
Positive or negative, thanks for the comments--and the enthusiasm.
Cat  
Cat

To little to late. Sport Rider for me. Not looking back either. Good bye  

Brian, I appreciate your interest in providing a different perspective, 'life' so to speak in the magazine. Magazine is absolutely top shelf for that.  
Power is Nothing without control

Brian-
Thanks for checking in here to see what folks think. Here's my .03 (inflation).

Jack Lewis is a terrible writer, as was Dan Walsh. I've had a subscription for 20+ years, and I'll say that these two are easily the worst of the bunch I've read in those 20+ years. Obscure, thick-for-thickness' sake, and both require far more effort for little to no reward.

Kick 'em both to the curb, Brian. ASAP, please. Permanently.  

Don't.  I love'em both.