Which ones are good to subscribe to these days? Back in the day I always had a subscription to Cycle World & Motorcyclist. They were always kind of the same to me so I canceled Motorcyclist & kept Cycle World. I was always kind of a fan of Peter Egan. I haven't had a subscription for 5 years now but I'm thinking about reading up on stuff again & hoping to spark my interest again. I'm thinking about checking out Rider. I have a friend that subscribes but I've never looked at a copy. What are the thoughts of those that subscribe to a motorcycle specific magazine? Is Rider any good? Any other suggestions? Thanks STOners! Cheers

Magazines are so twentieth century.

Something online then?

I still read Rider, for the favorite ride reports.
I've stopped all others. They all test the same bikes, at the same time and come up with the same predictable conclusions. Don't want to offend the advertisers...

Especially if your interest is in riding and
not what the latest decals look like.

Probably not for the OP then.

The only ones I get are the ones that come free.

I prefer hard copies of stuff over downloads.

Thanks for the input so far guys!

Mags like Roadrunner that focus more on the ride reports and destinations will probably have the best chance to survive.

All the others that just report on new bikes and racing are just parroting information that is freely available online in real time.

While I still get Rider, my absolute favorite mag is a british publication called Motorcycle Sport&Leisure.
Great writing, excellent photography. Very well written and covers a lot of happenings in the US.
Kevin Cameron has a column also.   The down side is it's a bit expensive..A subscription runs about $60..You can look through one at Barnes and Noble.

Love Roadrunner! Great articles

I drool over the bikes in Classic Bike, sister magazine to Bike.

I don't have the spanner chops to ever keep one of those things running but, it's nice to dream...kinda like dating a Playboy playmate is just a dream 

Motorcycle Sport & Leisure is another I like cuz the editors seem to be a tad more mature than most and they test offbeat brands like Urals.

I've had subs to Rider, Cycle World, and Motorcyclist longer than some here have been alive (I even used to read Cycle; now get offa my porch!).  I've also sub'd to MCN, Backroads and RoadRunner (since 2nd issue) for many years.  I began subscribing to the Iron Butt mag as a non-member when the first issue came out a couple of years ago. I get Sport Rider free each year or else I wouldn't have a need for it; I think I've been getting Motorcyclist free the last few years or I likely wouldn't pay for it anymore.  I also spend the big $$ to sub to UK's Bike and Ride, but they're worth it -- I wish the American mags would come anywhere close to the content and vibe of Bike and Ride; those guys still seem to have fun riding, kinda like Cycle and CW in the old days. 

If forced to narrow it down, I'd want Bike, Ride, Iron Butt (tons of great info that's also applicable to we non-IBAers) and RoadRunner (for touring content only.)  MCN would be mandatory but for having Bike and Ride, whose bike tests are far more thorough than MCN and yet still seem very objective considering they're not ad-free, and there are some differences in spec between UK and US bikes to take into account.

the one I was very excited about, Outrider journal, failed after only two issues. those two were pretty good though. I don't really  drool over new bikes like I used to so don't care about tests. if I'm looking for a new bike I check online for articles about it and call it good. some of the ride reports on a few forums are as good as anything in a magazine for "stories".

Another vote for RoadRunner, more sport-touring oriented than the likes of CW, etc.

A more local variant is Backroads. They're based out of New Jersey and concentrate on the more 'local' area. It can be picked up for free, if you can find a dealer who stocks it, otherwise you can just subscribe. Oh, it's also large format, makes for some nice photos.

RoadRunner is ok, but I wished they would include more about the actual roads in their ride reports.  In many cases it seems that their reports are all about the destination, and nothing about the ride.  Yeah, the cloverleaf tours with tear out maps are helpful when planning a trip, but most all of their trips could have been done in a car instead of a bike, and you wouldnt know the difference. 

Backroads does look interesting, I'll have to try and find a copy.

Rider is the only one I pay for. Motorcyclist and Cycle World keep sending them even though my subscription lapsed a while ago.

I pay for Motorcycle Consumer News, and I somehow keep getting Motorcyclist.  I'd miss MCN.

Quote from: Doug Just Doug on January 28, 2014, 10:31:52 AM

(I even used to read Cycle; now get offa my porch!).

I subscribed to Cycle in 1973. 

You win the Geezer Award.    I was a 12 year old in '73 riding his Yamaha TY80 and reading his Dad's cycle mags, but not yet paying for them.

'73 was 6 years before I was even born!

My nose was buried deep in Dirt Bike & Motocross Action magazines in 1973. Reading about Roger DeCoster's, Joel Roberts' and a little known then, Brad Lackey's escapades. I was racing a Penton Jackpiner at the time. 

I vividly remember a full-page, color picture in Cycle showing Roger DeCoster side by side with Heikki Mikkola on a dark, forested section of track.

I would love to have that picture framed and hanging on a wall.

In my defense, I subscribed before I could drive.