Writing Fail

[Battleax]

Here's two articles at complete opposite ends of the writing spectrum.

Cathcart's article about speed and the salt flats is a pleasure to read. Every sentence is full of useful information, straight to the point. An excellent read, as always.

The Ducati StreetFighter article jumps from one joke to another with very little actual information put forth. Any info there is has to be painfully extracted from the awkward mass of comedy routine. :confused:

"A clapped-out Impala gives a greater sense of forward motion than a superbike" and the following explanation of this sentence is probably the most ridiculous thing I've ever read, ... ever. http://www.passionperformance.ca/community/forum/images/icons/icon13.gif

[KZDon]

hmmm - I'll just have to watch for those little foibles when I get to reading the articles.

[jimo]

Unfortunatly the magazine is simply not what it used to be, I have noticed this in many of the articles for a while now. They need to focus more on the bike itself with more facts, figures and riding experiences. Perhaps use "Rider" magazine as a guide. The travel articles have been good, but they should ditch all of the race reports because most people following the sport will get their news instantly and not 4 months later. More bike reviews please, with a dash of great photos.

[Ivor biggin]

Unfortunatly the magazine is simply not what it used to be, I have noticed this in many of the articles for a while now. They need to focus more on the bike itself with more facts, figures and riding experiences. Perhaps use "Rider" magazine as a guide. The travel articles have been good, but they should ditch all of the race reports because most people following the sport will get their news instantly and not 4 months later. More bike reviews please, with a dash of great photos.

Of course the magazine is not what it used to be and that is because it has a new editor who is taking chances to make things different. One of the first things he did was to drop the boom on old race reports (up to date race info can be found on their website) for the very reason you mention.
I`m sorry but using another bike mag to give C.C. direction would be just wrong and anyway who would want to pay for a "Rider" lookalike.
I.B.

[KZDon]

Interesting -

I like the present direction of the editorship. I can get the facts and figures information from the other two or three motorcycle magazines I read regularly, and find that what is in CC is sufficient. I am truly worn out by references to Uwe's butt and undergarment issues.

I appreciate even the many months old race coverage - never too much of a good thing and it permits some interesting retrospective as well. It is the reality of any print media that it will be behind electronic media. That doesn't mean I don't read the Globe, even if the same news items were on the radio news yesterday.

I agree, though, that the clapped out Impala reference was, uh, questionable.

[Rocking Couple]

I haven't got that issue yet so haven't seen what you're talking about or who wrote it. If it was Uwe, I find he has quite a good sense of humour and real suiting most times.

One noticeable difference since Neil took over, is that he is not nearly as interactive with the rag's readership as Costa and Bruce was. Uwe helps make up for that void nowadays though, as he is around often and doesn't ignore a person. If memory serves, I think Costa had been the most interactive.
And he was an interesting mechanic. He had good ideas. Ones that proved he thought outside of the box. His tearing down of his Sportster engine after only 1000 km to simply retorque the entire motor since he didn't trust the HD assembly line, comes to mind. You don't read stuff like that from just any editor of a magazine. And if you do, then those types of writers should be allowed a little extra poetic license/expression at times.

[Battleax]

I quite like the mag really. I have no use for the American publications.
Cathcart is my favorite moto writer and my disappointment with the Streetfighter article was simply because I tried to read it right after reading Cathcart.

If Streetfighter was written by one of the two main lads, then it was just that one article I had trouble with, I enjoy reading both of their stuff generally.

[CDN-ZZR]

I personally find Cycle Canada the most entertaing motorcycle rag out there.
Not to much cruiser, not to much sport, not to much off road etc. Perfect mix in my opinion.

As for putting more specs in the mag, how much can you say about a 43mm USD fork, or 300mm rotors. I want opinions on how a person feels about the bike, feel, rider fit etc. Along with that I enjoy the stories that go along with the tests, it gives the article feel and personality.

My life like the editors are more complicated than just #'s.

[yzf1000jon]

I laughed, it was funny. The description of the "feeling" of acceleration was just fine for me. If I wanted to read something dry and technical I would. I get a kick out of the writing styles CC has and keep reading them because of that. Funny you mention not liking the US mags, but loving Cathcart as he appears in at least 2 other US publications.:rolleyes:

[Smiley]

a bit of a writing whore. Not uncommon to see a piece by him in 3 different mags, slightly re-written.

I do enjoy his perspective and he writes well.

I like CC as it is, but agree that the frivolity does wear a bit on occasion. The travel pieces are usually entertaining as are reports on unusual races etc. The ice racing story was different (good).

Don't want no stinking US moto trash mag attitude in my CC. You know, the condescending "we're all racers and everybody has canyons in their backyard to carve immaculately".

[Kootenanny]

Here's two articles at complete opposite ends of the writing spectrum.

Cathcart's article about speed and the salt flats is a pleasure to read. Every sentence is full of useful information, straight to the point. An excellent read, as always.
Translation: linear and predictable. Cathcart is a fine writer, but he doesn't project much of a sense of humour. I read the article...nothing more, I just read it.


The Ducati StreetFighter article jumps from one joke to another with very little actual information put forth. Any info there is has to be painfully extracted from the awkward mass of comedy routine. :confused:
Translation: Humourous, engaging writing. I quite enjoyed this piece. Really, I like the fact they're kinda poking fun at the standard bike review. "The S version of the Seatfighter, that we test, has very pleasant Ohlins suspension bits." That's all I need to know--I don't need the particular specs, I trust Ducati has put the correct Ohlins pieces on the bike. I want to know how the bike feels. Like Buell's advertising used to say, "You can't ride a spec sheet." Numbers and specs are often misleading...what's important is how the bike feels holding your ass off the pavement.

And the thing here is...Cathcart had, arguably, the more interesting subject to write about. But the CC staffers were able to produce something a bit more than just another bike review full of numbers and specs (if you need these, they are only a few clicks away...although perhaps a sidebar with this info might be nice to satisfy those who want them in print).

Oh, and BTW, I completely got the bit about the "clapped-out Impala." :p

[yzf1000jon]

a bit of a writing whore. Not uncommon to see a piece by him in 3 different mags, slightly re-written.

I do enjoy his perspective and he writes well.

That's what freelance writers do, and he does it well. Roland Brown is right up there too. Writing with a sense of humour is fun to read, UK mags seem to have it and so does CC. My giggling on the potty gets funny looks from my 3 year old, but then I share the pictures with him. Gotta start early!

[YellowDuck]

I'm the first one to complain about bike reviews in CC that lack basic tech details (and dyno graphs), but I was fine with the Streetfighter article. As far as I could tell, it wasn't even supposed to be an actual review in the standard sense - it was a "riding impression", with the main questions being "just what kind of bike is this strange thing anyway? What's it like to ride, and what exactly is it good for?"

Good questions, and an entertaining article.

(I too however felt that the "feeling of speed / clapped-out impala" argument was pretty lame. Totally not buying it.)

[YellowDuck]

Just read the hockey arena ice racing article last evening. Very funny. Apparently the whole experience was agonizing...as one might imagine it would be. Methanol-buning singles belching exhaust fumes *indoors* while circulating a tiny, tiny track. Stupid idea, idiot riders, ridiculous fans. Definitely painted a picture...

Why do people like Peter Egan so much? The current writing in CC is way better.

[motrhead]

Why do people like Peter Egan so much? The current writing in CC is way better.

Peter Egan is the same age as a bunch of us old farts, so we can definitely relate to his writing and his references. I always thought Max Burns' writing was just as good, but there aren't many other writers that I can really relate to like that (oh yeah, Neil Peart should be in that list, but I don't think he is as serious a gearhead as Egan or Burns).
I'm not dissing the writing in CC, just explaining the attraction of Egan.

[Kootenanny]

(oh yeah, Neil Peart should be in that list, but I don't think he is as serious a gearhead as Egan or Burns)
OK, did you actually read "Ghost Rider" all the way through, or stop somewhere in the middle? That book started out pretty good, but...gee, did he fire his editor halfway through the project, or what?

Now, Ted Bishop, there's a guy who can not only write a pretty good "road trip story," but knows when to stop writing, too (or maybe he just hired a good editor...).

[motrhead]

I liked Ghost Rider, but I had previously read "The Masked Rider", so I knew I liked his style. I didn't mind the rest of the Ghost Rider. It was different, but I could relate.

[KZDon]

OK, did you actually read "Ghost Rider" all the way through, or stop somewhere in the middle? That book started out pretty good, but...gee, did he fire his editor halfway through the project, or what?



He met a girl and got happy (happier) again. His angst dissapated a little and the urgency of the riding and writing faded - completely understandable, but it did make the end of the book sort of a fizzle.