I have been a subscriber to Motorcycle Consumer News for many years now and have watched it evolve from a good bare-bones black and white publication to an excellent monthly that is driven by accurate product evaluation uninfluenced by manufacturer pressure. And it's printed in color now! If you want to know the truth about the newest bike or the latest accessory, this is the place to go.
MCN - A helpful tool
Motorcycle Consumer News isn't a magazine I usually read for entertainment. I read it for knowledge. This is the type of publication that can make you a better consumer. They point out the little things that can lead to big disappointments.
Most of their articles point out a product's rough spots and often relay information on how to correct them and how much it will cost. Often times, the "commercial" magizines tend to puff up one bike while pointing out the faults of another. MCN does a fair job of showing the pros and cons of each product reviewed.
One the down side, MCN is cheaply printed. This is due to funding. Since they don't accept advertising, they have to cut corners where they can. I find that after holding the publication for a few minutes, I've got black ink on my fingers. Not a big deal, but I pay many times more for MCN than I do other publications (that DO allow advertising). This isn't a big deal, more of a pet peeve. I do wish their website were a bit more robust as far as a review archive and such.
Overall, MCN is a great periodical. I'd recomend it to anyone who enjoys motorcycling.
Recommended: Yes
Recommended For: Hobbyists/Enthusiasts
MCN: Paper riding gear!
MCN is what Consumer Reports wants to be. MCN tells it the way it is with very little bias from advertising since there is no advertising. You can read an article and be sure that what you are getting is truely the authors opinion, pure and simple. The bad part is that you need to get to know the authors to find which ones you tend to agree with and which ones you can dismiss. That does take a while. The authors they use are not all professionals and sometimes can lack objectivity. Overall, it is still the best resource we riders have in print form.
You can't really compare MCN with the other magazines. It serves a different purpose. Consider MCN a collection of opinions from the guys and gals in your riding club, where the other magazines are more commercial oriented. That is fine for both MCN and the others, you just have to know what it is that you are looking at.
MCN did a review of a motorcycle book that I wrote. Their reviewer was very honest and stated his opinion very clearly. I had to agree with some of his points, but unfortunately it was obvious that he didn't read what the purpose of the book was. As a result, he reviewed a book for starting riders with a viewpoint of an experienced rider. This is a good example of having to know about the reviewer and taking their words with the appropriate level of confidence.
Recommended: Yes
Recommended For: Hobbyists/Enthusiasts Primary Reason for Buying: Product reviews/information
