kgfire said:
The TDM850 is a stellar motorcycle, isn't it? That's why it has stayed in my garage as so many others have come and gone. The Super10 might finally be the machine that can shift it out of here, though.krash said:
I wonder if we are going to see any pictures of the bikes off road? ::006::ptfjjj said:
I agree, so far I am very underwelmed with their 'ADV shootout'.20valves said:Yeah, so far that "report" has about zero info after the initial weigh in and dyno runs. Not that it matters much since I've already got the bike I want and am very happy with it. Still, their report reads more like a 5th grade "what I did on my summer vacation." :
Interesting they are not using BMW's "adventure" bike which is 60 lbs heavier than their R1200GS for an "adventure" shootout. Appears (but not 100% sure) that the Ducati and BMW didn't have any crashbars. Difficult to determine the specific gear installed on each bike as no good static pictures of each bike that I could find. (Silly to provide weights without the specific of what is or is not installed on the bike).Buckeye56 said:MotorcycleUSA in in the midst of a multi-day test of ADV bikes. Th e5 bikes involved are
I agree... Being in the bike biz, and being "in" the mags for 10+ years im preve to a little knowledge the general public is not.. Ill keep most of my opinions to myself on this subject. But all these type "shoot-out / comparisons" should only be considered 'entertainment reading'... The magazine industry is a tricky one and I know a few owners in the Mag business... Its a number game, plain and simple. The best thing to do with magazines these days is look at the pictures and dont read them..... Go read a good book...... The bikes, the weight, fuel range, Etc is some what a joke...... I liken it to a "car deal" with a trade in. There are so many ways to "work the deal" you can choose a winner before you put your helmet on..... Ill just leave it at that... It gets me pissed off............Rynn Storm said:
I wonder this myself. I have reviewed several articles that use the standard GS and then use an accessorized ST10. This to me is a way to make the price/performance of the Yamaha shine to much over the bloated cost of GS-Adv or even the Duc MS12Rynn Storm said:
Gotta be it as there is no real bike info in any day's reporting. They gave it a fairly good shorty write up last November.markjenn said:
I subscribe to Motorcycle Consumer News for that very reason. They accept no advertising and do very detailed reviews and comparos. Their "First Impression" write up on the Tenere in the Jan. 2011 edition was four pages of detail with many notes of comparisons with the GS pros and cons. It was a big reason I was interested in the XT. Their full review of another bike I owned, the Suzuki DRZ 400S, was 6 pages long, and even though it was not an official comparo, gave many comparisons and impressions of the DRZ vs. the DR 650 (which they had reviewed extensively and built up as a project bike) and the Yamaha WR 250R to give the reader useful info vs. other popuar dual sport options they may be considering. Road Runner magazine, which I also enjoy, did a first test ride write up of the Tenere, but it was much less detail, less useful info, and more "fluff."~TABASCO~ said:
I was so annoyed by that article that I wrote to them. Here's part of the email -BaldEagle said:
That wouldn't be a selling point to me. I have owned things CR claimed was the best of the best: phooey, to put it nicely. As far as I'm concerned, a cult rag that can't back up the claims.~TABASCO~ said:
Strange statement. I often don't agree with CR and I certainly don't treat their advice as gospel, but "can't back up their claims" is a truly a bizarre comment - they do BY FAR the most transparent and objective testing of any consumer publication around. Most people think that is the problem with them - they're too analytical and don't take into account the subjective aspects of products.Yamaguy55 said:
Agree, and maybe they don't have the time but it would be nice if they'd try to give a bit of insight into the ownership experience, such as "....it takes thirty minutes to bleed the brakes.....you can go about this far before it runs completely out of gas, etc...."Yamaguy55 said:
You would think... Guess that takes the right person (or group), lots of time, & talent, to be mechanically intuitive and a good writer. I think many of these writers today give you the 'fill' of "Vanilla" BS.... I like technical jargon, but as the whole of 'magazine buyers' they could care less.... Someone showed me a report the other day because they knew I would "appreciate it"20valves said:
It said that on average, the US adult reads at at 6th grade reading level. Reason why: too busy and a lack of understanding the words/meanings............. WTF