April 2009 issue

After reading this issue a couple of times, I just had to comment on Catterson's presence throughout this issue.  Does any one else find it a bit hypocritical that in Cat Tales, Brian talks about how the entire magazine is made in the USA and enjoins us all to subscribe (you know, to be patriotic and stimulate the economy), then spends the rest of the issue insulting cruiser riders?  Isn't this one of those lifestyle mags about the broad spectrum of motorcycling?  Don't cruiser riders make up better than 50% of the motorcycle buying public?  As far as being baffled by the "form-over-function mindset of cruiser riders", look in a mirror while holding up the key to that Hypermotard in Doin' Time... a pointless design exercise out of Italy, a caricature of a true supermoto racer that somehow found it's way into production.  Does that help clear things up for you?  Come on... $475.40 for useful mirrors?  How much is that valve adjustment gonna cost you?  Ducati builds 'em pretty, but they really are the Italian Harley Davidson (OK, maybe that's Guzzi... Ducati is more like the Italian Buell, only with more history).

Americans are all about form over function, and that includes sport bike riders.  How many of you can really use the power and handling available in the '09 R1?  Even a GSXR600?  Come on, be honest.. even Tim Carrithers had something to say on this subject a few months ago, and he's far more capable than most.  Less than 1% I'd wager, the rest of us buy sport bikes because of what they represent and how they look.  Even Harley recognized this when they introduced the xr1200.  The first function over form Harley wasn't initially released in the US.  Why?  They knew it wouldn't sell here.  When the indignant shouts reached a certain level, they brought a limited number to the US, and ALL THREE of the Harley shops I've been in recently have one sitting on the showroom floor.. I guess Harley was right.  If the motorcycling public in this country cared about function over form, we wouldn't see Concours, Bandit, and Verseys leftovers sitting at local dealerships.  Why are there so many interesting bikes available in Europe that we can't get here?  Because when it really counts, when it's time to pull out the checkbook, we actually buy race replicas, dirt bikes, and big bore cruisers.

I'm as liable to spend hours staring at that XW117 or the Big Bang R1 as I am the Victory Hammer (or bevel drive Ducati 900 or Brutale or..), and for that reason I usually steer toward magazines that don't focus too narrowly on one segment of the motorcycling world.  I like the new format, as well as the contributions of authors outside the standard Motorcyclist stable, and I really like the heavy contribution of women in your pages (new perspective.. what a concept).  Right now, with space (and funding, let's be real) for only one bike, that bike is a cruiser.  If you don't want us here, just say so.  I'm sure my subscription money and reading time could be put to other uses.. like installing titanium slip-ons for Monster money..