Hachette Filipacchi has put a number of publications up for sale, and depending on who you believe, Cycle World magazine, may be among them, Media Daily News says yes, AdWeek says Car and Driver, Road & Track and Cycle World may be spared.
Cycle World is the largest of the print motorcycle magazines but it’s been experiencing declining ad revenue for some time, the same as all printed publications. The publisher, looking to cut costs and boost profits, is ready to set the niche enthusiast magazines adrift.
The problems for magazines preceded the current business downturn, it’s the constant battle with the Internet giving them fits. Newspapers were slow to respond and they are disappearing one after the other and the closer a magazine is to a breaking news publication, the worse off they are.
A couple of years ago, I wrote:
My own view of this changing landscape is that the motorcycle magazines (or automotive or most any segment) should concentrate on the in depth articles which they do very well and not try to get the latest breaking news items out to their readers. Ink will never flow as fast as pixels on screen so step back, think, gather the story and write it well.
Cycle World may weather the storm and come out stronger than before, but they will almost certainly be somewhat different. Trying to continue without adapting will make it a lot more difficult. Is it too late? Stay tuned.
Mark X says
As a lifelong motorcycle passionesta, and consumer of of the motorcycle press, I find that motorcycle mags are wonderful bathroom reading. I love the in-depth articles. Not too long, but informative. As I do not have a computer in the bathroom, mags are the best option. Note: I have never bought, or not bought a bike as a result of a magizine article.
Walt says
It was Cycle World (following the model of Road and Track) that first did tests and put actual numbers on motorcycle performance. I was thrilled when I read that the Royal Enfield Interceptor ran the quarter mile in the 13s (quickest stock bike tested at that time). Kinda gives away my vintage, eh? They do a good job in a tough assignment, covering everything from cruisers to sportbikes to dirt bikes. I hope they succeed, in part so I can read the rest of the mags they owe me on my multi-year subscription.
As to Road and Track, they spend way too much space on exotic cars. I can’t afford a Bugatti or its ilk, I wouldn’t waste the money on one if I had it, I never see one and I don’t really care how fast they go. It’s auto pornography and I’m not interested.
Jim says
For MC magazines, the internet has taken over the roll of provider of industry news and race results leaving the monthly mags to cover the use of the bikes, which is content that can be unique to the publication. Alas for the mags rider interest is fragmented and touring guys, cruiser types and sport bikers often aren’t interested in reading about other segments or even other brands. Furthermore, MC mags and many car mags, suffer from horrible writing (with notable exceptions) and poor production values and are not very interesting (except of course when your on the stool)
My own interest lay mostly with touring particularly with an adventure trip and I find magazines that cover motorized travel, regardless of vehicle, closer to fulfilling my need for info and results in the only MC mag that I get is Road Runner.
I do believe there is a place for a very high quality semi monthly or quarterly publication that focuses on how we use our bikes and on interesting bike, new and vintage. Focus on the writing and the telling of the story and you can suck in readers even if the topic is not to their interests.
JSH says
I’m not surprised that motorcycle magazines are struggling. I used to subscribe to 4, Sport Rider, Motorcyclist, Cycle World, Motorcycle Consumer News. Now I’m down to Motorcyclist and Bike. To me Motorcyclist is the most mature of the US magazines with solid reviews on a variety of bikes.
I would love to see more online publications. Winding Road Magazine is an excellent example of a well done online publication. I like to keep old magazines for reference but that adds up to too much paper. 10 years of Motorcyclist, Cycle World, and Sport Rider had to go during the last move. However, an online format allows for almost unlimited storage and I can have hundreds of magazines available on a small flash drive.
As to those that like paper for “bathroom use”. If I’m in the bathroom for more than 2 minutes there is something very wrong with me. You guys might want to try a diet with more fiber.
Walt says
After advice on gastric health, can a thread on exhaust noise standards be far behind?
Tin Man 2 says
I subscribe to Cycle World because of the talent of Peter Egan and Kevin Cameron, The maturity of this Mag is far above the other M/C mags! News I get online, Thoughtfull articles I get from Cycle World, Rider and Motorcyle Classics. Nothing like pages in hand for relaxing reading, The Internet is not the same but still usefull.
todd says
reading a mature magazine is not what keeps a magazine in business. How many of you have bought something based on an ad you have seen in a magazine? This is how magazines survive. Don’t tell anyone but I flip right past all the ads.
to that point, how many of you click on ads you see on a web site?
-todd
kneeslider says
… “I’d rather buy 4 or 6 issues a year with in depth articles, American Flyers (custom projects via people/shops but more than a paragraph long) articles and a quality paper/picture publication. Something that you HAVE TO BUY because it is so cool to read”
How much would you be willing pay for something like that?
Mark Savory says
I wish someone would come out with the equivalent of “The Rodder’s Journal” publication for motorcycle enthusiasts. Quality paper print media itself (CycleWorld changed their media awhile back and its horrible!), professional photography (never a strong suit at CycleWorld — I did my own photographs when they featured my motorcycle in their magazine) and quality articles (occasionally there are great articles @4 times a year — rest are the same review or blather for advertisers).
I’d rather buy 4 or 6 issues a year with indepth articles, American Flyers (custom projects via people/shops but more than a paragraph long) articles and a quality paper/picture publiciation. Something that you HAVE TO BUY because it is so cool to read — and takes more than 5 minutes to read!
Bod- E-Anglaise says
could the fact that I have just been tempted with 16 issues for $12 be a factor in all this?
Kenny says
I’m sorry if I offend anyone but I don’t like reading American automotive magazines. I have sampled several, admittedly Cycle World is not among them, but every time I came away with the slight impression that the reports were biased, and the advertising is irritating to say the least.
My preferred magazines of choice are Bike( for the mature reviews) and PB( for the auto pornography) , which in my opinion have a much higher standard of writing, more indepth and interesting articles. And the advertising isn’t as blatantly “in your face”.
Tin Man 2 says
Todd, Subscriptions and sales keep a mag in bussiness, Circulation numbers attract advertisers and Good Writers attract readers. Quality is important, Try reading Cycle World and then Motorcyclist, there is a difference.
nobody says
I can read a copy of Motorcyclist from cover to cover, learn what James Parker doesn’t like, and absolutely nothing else in the 10 minutes and $5.00 I spent on it. Why bother.
I can read a copy of Cycle World, enjoy and learn something from Kevin Cameron and Allen Girdler (when he contributes), wish Peter Egan was funny again rather than watch him face his mortality with the emptiness that a life of materialism has provided, and then throw it away in about 30 minutes. Glad I got the subscription.
A good reason for magazine non-content can be found in the magazine forums. The rest of the editors are just writing to their level. Or so it seems to me.
Then there is Roadracing World. A great magazine – not suitable for the ADD set. Takes more than a few minutes to read from cover to cover, with loads of info not on the web. The ads are for stuff I could use.
The older I get, the more I like my old issues of Cycle magazine…….
steve says
I read CW all the time. My first issue was the one in the early ’60’s with the dark blue sportster with the white seat on the cover. I look to just keep up on what is out there but they do focus to much on crotch rockets and they forget other dirt track events other than MX making them part of the industry and media problem.
tim says
interesting. I was a Cycle subscriber for years till it went out of existence and then got CW by default. Ive grown to really enjoy it but thinking about why I keep renewing that subscription, the stuff I enjoy the most is: Kevin Cameron, Peter Egan, American Flyers, and then stories about interesting stuff (Roland Sands 450’s, or the new Enfield) then the road tests of the latest fizz bang stuff. I am very unlikely (but never say never, right?) to ever own or be able to ride the latest crotch rocket, or a great big HD or an M90, or the latest CRF450, but I do read the tests, just for the information value. I hope the magazine keeps going. i am not interested in a digital version of the print magazine, I like to anticipate it, then rip open the package and sit and read with a cup of coffee: I like that physicality. But of course for interactivity, speed and “imminent” happenings (plus sounds and dem movin’ pitchers) then the internet has got a print magazine dead in the water….
By way of comparison, I also get Performance Bikes magazine (UK, by subscription) and Kiwirider (local magazine) and Classic Racer (UK) mag as well. I was looking at the huge amount of paper I am storing last night as it happens: back to about 1982.
There is never “nothing to read” in my house!
nobody says
I forgot to add “American Flyers” – I’ll take a magazine full of that any day over what I can see/ride for myself at the local dealer or in Craigslist.
Sid says
I no longer subscribe to CW due to:
1. Journalistic gems such as “shootout!” “track weapon” “comparo!” to go along with the kiddie cover graphics in 3+ fonts and exclamation points.
2. The same type-set month-after-boring-month.
3. At least 4 cover articles being repeated every year:
600cc comparison, 1000cc sportbike comparison, a cruiser comparison, Master bike
4. A dreadful forum
#3 can be worthwhile if it took a back seat instead of cover material.
… “I’d rather buy 4 or 6 issues a year with in depth articles, American Flyers (custom projects via people/shops but more than a paragraph long) articles and a quality paper/picture publication. Something that you HAVE TO BUY because it is so cool to readâ€
How much would you be willing pay for something like that?”
If the writing was in-depth, photography was diverse, and questions were varied then I’d be willing to pay $25/year for 6-8 issues/year. Recruit technical writers with the caliber of Kevin Cameron and have American Flyer-type of content as the focus. The bikes don’t have to be high dollars or Legends of the Concourse material either. There are loads of stories sitting in the parking lot of events like that and in local bike nights.
B.Case says
I think we wouldn’t be having this discussion if times were good. In other words, it could be that CW, and others, are in trouble because of the major downturn in global bike sales (sarcasm). The economy will improve, so I hope CW can weather it.
If CW does decide to do a makeover, like MC did in ’05, then I suggest it moves all of the comparos, product tests and other major OEM stuff to the supplemental CW buying guide, and shift the main publication back to stories, lifestyles, and photography. That would make me want keep them on my shelf longer. There are many writers capable of telling stories and painting the picture. I could care less about saving an magazine issue that focuses on the differences between an ’09 Gsxr and the ’08 Gsxr.
If I were buying ads, I would want to be in the magazine that people will save and read again, and again…
Someone once told me advertising is like confetti, and I believe that. No single ad has significant impact on a buyer, but the combination of many over time is what builds powerful brands.
-brian
tim says
I also quite like the Tech section (the Q & A one) in the back of CW.
Am I correct and thinking that Performance Bikes and CW are both owned by HFM? there was some crossover content a year or so back (euro cannonball run story IIRC – guy got arrested or something)
tim says
whoops correct “in” thinking that should be. Doh.
Secaman says
Motorcyclist is junk. Things must be desperate for them. They ran out of good journalism and substituted it with horrid writing and obscene language. Thank goodness Mitch Boehm is starting his own publication (Motorcycle Retro-due out in May). It’s good to know there is still some good guys left in the world.
Walt says
I know it’s tough to come up with two good and creative columns a month (for Cycle World and R&T), but Peter Egan depends way too often on story lines that go
“here’s what I just sold and why and how and who I sold it to” or “here’s what I just bought and why and how and who I bought it from.” I suppose he gets to write off the purchases as a business expense. I would.
Peter’s a good enough writer to inject color and humor and make it somewhat entertaining, but enough, already!
Like others here, I too like American Flyers.
Mule says
I like Cycle World a lot…..most of the time. When I go to the newstand and peruse all the bike publications, I’ll always BUY a Cycle World. Other mags have a couple pictures that I would like to have at home to glean ideas from for later bike builds, or maybe one key article, but little else. You almost need to buy them all to satisfy the whole hunger for bike stuff. The problem that Cycle World has is the need to satisfy the entire CYCLE….World. Motorcycling has become very specialized and splintered. That’s why websites that cater to micro interests can flourish. As for the mention of Rodders Journal, I have a subscription to that as well as VMX(Vintage Motocross) from Australia.
The Cycle World Forum IS dreadfull, I agree. It’s been hijacked by a handful of Forum Thugs that are compelled to comment on everything 12 times a day and they chase off everyone else. I don’t know how you stop that, once it’s happened. Personally, I think the world could survive just fine without any forums. Some day the web may contain facts instead of eight million crackpot opinions! I guess mine is one of them.