TrailRider magazine article
- Thread starter Fred1956
- Start date
Fred1956
New member
Clay
Banned
Kevin is a AA NETRA rider and he goes good. He can beat this 53 y.o. at an enduro and has several times! I really appreciate that he threw some crap at the west coast rags about the way they blew out the GG.TrailRider is the only magazine I keep getting. He rides/races/reviews here in the East where it matters. I let Ktm Rider.....I mean DirtRider expire, like Clay said those kids couldn't even beat a 53 year old at an enduro!
By the way....I got an email yesterday from D.R asking for a Sherco to test and I told them "No Thanks!".
roostafish
Gold Level Site Supporter
That's too bad you refused a test bike. Even when they test a bike with their "surf" filters, anyone who is interested in one of the exotic bikes can view the quote up four what it is and gain valuable information about how the bike works.
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gasser
New member
Interesting perspective but mine is somewhat different. It seems to me that when GG has major updates to the way their bikes look (think 01,07,11,12) they pick up a few new customers who want the newest, shiniest, toy but those buyers will move on to something else in a year or two. The west coast mags cater to those folks - just look at the way they rave about a change of graphics on the jap bikes. Small incremental improvements to a bike that is already great and race ready is poo-pooed to the point of making the factory look backwards. I feel that the west coast mags have done more harm than good to GG sales this century and that won't change unless the GG factory starts advertising regularly in those mags.
braddenning
New member
Everyone here is slamming dirtrider cause they didn't like the way the Gasser were presented,however if you carefully listen to the review they did not hate the bike but the weight was a issue and that's a fact!! They did say that orange is not for everyone and for the rider that does not want to conform the gas gas is an option.As for turning them down on sherco i don't agree, If you are that confident in the product than let the riding world know!! Also give em a 14 gasser and let them note the advertised improvements over the 13s!!! BTW its well into the 14 model year and GGOR.US has not been updated in several months !! No info on the 14 models,no race report updates since may, and features of the 11,12 and 13 models?? you wanna sell bikes?? get your shit together,fix you website, stop with the dime store hood attitude on every review you don't like and get your bikes reviewed in as many mags as you can!!
roostafish
Gold Level Site Supporter
When I bought my first Gas Gas, I was willing to try it because I had a motivated new dealer, and I had just read an article in dirt bike magazine by Dick Burleson. He didn't rave about the bikes, but he lied them and said in particular that the most interesting bike was the 200, so that's what I bought. I think it makes a big difference if the bikes get press. Magazines rarely say that a bike is completely junk, they always have something good to say. After four Gas Gas, I'm riding KTM because they finally made a bike that was better. What sold me wasn't a magazine article though, it was a test ride.
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Jakobi
Super Moderator
Thats a bit harsh.
I don't think everyone is slamming dirt rider for their reviews of just the gas gas. Overall it just seems to be average journalism with a very clear (financial?) bias towards the ktm. To openly review and judge different brands, you need to go in with an open mind.
We have a mag here in Aus that is very similar. Seems the brand who's paid for the most advertising gets the best reviews. Co-incidence?
Personally, I'd love for my bike to shed a few kgs, but its not a deal breaker. Why make such a focus on the weight? I wonder how the review would vary if the bikes hadn't been weighed until post ride?
iamovru
New member
I think the better magazine to read would be Dirt Bike. Tom Webb and the guys over there are true trail riders and desert racers. MX is secondary to them, although they do ride MX. The guys at Dirt Rider are MX guys who ride trails. And they ride a lot in the high desert of SoCal, which even Trail Rider said the Gas Gas is not at home. I dont know much about Gas Gas, but I am well informed about KTM, I have owned several and every one I ride with has one.
Ouch!
Think about where Clay sits being a business man trying to sell bikes and support his dealers. His brands are exotic. Those of us who may be interested are all over the forums looking for information on the new bikes. By the time any information gets to a magazine it is old news. Think about the risk of a magazine test. For someone buying an exotic it may get them to a dealer or to walk up and ask someone to ride their bike. Most likely that same person is getting information from other sources and already getting to the dealer. The magazines are not likely to convince them to buy. If the magazine trashes the bike it is easy for some one to discount it and not bother even looking. I have been getting most magazines for years. I like to read and look for the detail. What I can say is I don't ever remember an exotic or small brand ever winning a shootout. The end result of a test is likely to have a negative reward for an exotic. Clay obviously has limited resources and he cannot support a massive magazine plan. Why do you think we see so many ride impressions for new bikes. The manufactures can control the test and cost. KTM was the first to exploit this. Magazines are in a tough spot. It is very hard to stay relevant with the internet that has taken over. You may view Clay's business practices as a dime store but he is not ever going to outspend KTM (Who has pushed the Jap 4 out of the off road market) so he is taking a different business approach and I wish him success. We all talk about how it should be done but he and the dealers are the ones taking the risk and actually doing something. The world is always changing and I like to watch it an learn. New business models are being tested all the time. Motorcycle industry is a tough way to make a living!
I'm going back to my normal life now. Go to the day job that has nothing to do with motorcycles. Earn a good living. Buy dirt bikes and have fun and not worry about the motorcycle industry. Made a good decision 35 years ago to separate my job from my fun. Been dirt biking 40 years straight.
Simmo737
Gold Level Site Supporter
Weight......when Charlie Bormann went to BMW to get bikes for the "long way round" series they thought they were getting the 650, we'll the guy from BMW wheeled in the 1150, Bormann says "it's a bit heavy innit?" The guy from BMW say " Vot? I yours guys riding bikes or pushing them?"
Bormann and mcgregor then rode the round the world of road where possible. 5 kg doesn't matter to most.
I like a sand cast motor, hd tubes, proper excel rims, big radiators etc etc. so I can continue to throw my bike off cliffs and ride it home.
Bormann and mcgregor then rode the round the world of road where possible. 5 kg doesn't matter to most.
I like a sand cast motor, hd tubes, proper excel rims, big radiators etc etc. so I can continue to throw my bike off cliffs and ride it home.
Novascotiarider
New member
+1 When I read about the weight loss in the crankshaft, cases ect. I got worried about reliability from the engine that has always worked so well...
I have a '12 e-start 250 and think its great. I do worry about my plastic subframe but at least there is a fix available. The rest of the bike is very tough.
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