“Motorcycle” Mag Set to Replace “RoadBike”

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com

“RoadBike” magazine is no more. Stamford, CT-based Tam Communications has folded the long-running magazine and will replace it next year with a new periodical called “Motorcycle” that will be devoted to “Rides & Culture.” Publisher Buzz Kanter says, “It will be long-form journalism.”

Kanter made the decision to scrap “RoadBike,” which celebrated is 10th anniversary in April 2012, after studying the motorcycle magazine landscape and seeing a sameness.

“I’ve been publishing motorcycle magazines since 1989 and I don’t understand the current trend in shorter and shorter articles. When I want to learn about a subject, I want more information,” he said.

So many motorcycle magazines do look alike these days with new models announcements, perfunctory bikes reviews, tech Q&As and maybe a ride story. Kanter said “Motorcycle” will eschew the “little more than headlines” status quo by emphasizing photography and in-depth storytelling.

“For a print magazine to be viable, I feel it needs to offer more than an Internet search,” he said, chatting on the floor at the Progressive International Motorcycle Show in New York over the weekend.

While the new magazine will include bike reviews, they won’t be cursory or be done on ordinary bikes. “They will all be cool bikes,” he said, adding that “Motorcycle” won’t have a “tech” section.

“Motorcycle” will cover all brands and will be edited by Steve Lita, who was editor of “RoadBike.”

“RoadBike” debuted in April 2002, and was preceded in the 1990s  by “Motorcycle Tour & Cruiser” and “Motorcycle Tour & Travel” magazines.

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