Stupid Dirt Rider statement

[dr_drz]

From Dirt Rider's website article about a first look at the 2006 YZ250F:

"We rode the bike hard for two days on the long, horsepower-robbing circuit of Honey Lake and were happily impressed with the way the bike worked. Although it's far too early to definitely say what works great and what doesn't work so hot, our first impressions of the bike are very positive."

If you rode a bike hard for 2 days, would you be able to say what works and what doesn't? How long will they need to be able to make that call?

[gmoss357]

maybe they just liked to so well that they need an excuse to get back on it.

[RADRick]

If you rode a bike hard for 2 days, would you be able to say what works and what doesn't? How long will they need to be able to make that call?

What would you prefer, that they base an in-depth review on a 2-day ride in just one area? When you ride so many different bikes over short periods you need more time on a particular bike in different types of terrain and conditions to make a valid assessment of its performance and handling. Especially with a brand new bike that needs some time for engine break-in and settling of suspension components. Also, in-depth reviews in DR are based on the responses of several test riders, not just one. It takes more than two days to put a bike through its paces with a reflective sampling of riders and skill levels. Do you want quick or accurate, you can't have both.

[RCannon]

Dirt Rider always does this crap early in the year. Filler copy to be able to show a picture of the bike.

The magazine is not worth buying until April or May of each year. Even then you should steal it. I hate to see then getting circulation results for reprinting Yamaha, FMF, Big Gun, or Pro Circuit catalogues.

Then a reasonable product comes along, like Forslyk, and the dorks skip over it. maybe if Chad bought a rear cover you would hear about it.

Then by November or December they start telling you just how bad the forks or shocks were on last years old bike.

I suppose its the business, but it is wrong. After two days, they knew enough to write a test.

Eric Gorr, Jimmy Lewis and Rick Diaz, should be ordered to write all articles. The remaining staff members should be fired.

Please, keep up the 15 thousand dollar project bikes, however. I love the way FMF writes those articles for them. Rick Diaz is one of the few who does not write nonsence like this. I hope he will not let himself be prostituted like th erest of them.

We need a consumer reports type magazine. Not so political, but magazines where the manufacturers dont have their hand up the ass of the staff.

[DRAGO]

Please, keep up the 15 thousand dollar project bikes, however. I love the way FMF writes those articles for them. Rick Diaz is one of the few who does not write nonsence like this. I hope he will not let himself be prostituted like th erest of them.

We need a consumer reports type magazine. Not so political, but magazines where the manufacturers dont have their hand up the ass of the staff.

WHAT ARTICLES DID FMF WRITE FOR THEM I WOULD LIKE TO READ THEM...

[dr_drz]

Do you want quick or accurate, you can't have both.

Accurate? You must be joking. Here is a post of mine from December of last year regarding their "accurate" shootout:

"As many probably know, the January issue of Dirt Rider featured this years 250F shootout. What I found interesting was that Dirt Rider added several extra plots to the obligatory HP vs. RPM dyno chart. What I don't get is their wording.

The dyno chart shows the CRF250R having the lowest output. In some cases, such as around 8,000 RPM, it has 20% less than the KX-F/RM-Z. Here is part of their explanation of the dyno results: "But, as we felt on the track, the CRF has excellent roll-on and very smooth power. It has less peak power of the others. None of the bikes gets the power to the ground like the CRF, though."

With that last statement, you would think that the CRF's dyno results may be misleading and that it would fare much better in real world tests. Fortunately, Dirt Rider chose the include some of those results. In the drag race the YZ-F wins, with the CRF in last. In the third gear roll-on drag race, the results are closer, but the CRF is, again, last. In the acceleration tests the CRF lost to the YZ-F, but beat the KX-F/RM-Z from 5-15 mph. The CR-F was back to last in the 15-40 mph and 20-50 mph tests.

The summary of the CRF's performance is "After analyzing the data, we can see that the Honda registers as the slowest when it comes to numbers. It feels the slowest, deceptively so..." I'm still trying to understand how it could be slowest when it comes to numbers, but be faster when evaluated with respect to something else. Maybe it registers faster with respect to color, and we should give it some points for that."

Apparently, they can't make up their minds in two days of riding. Given a longer time, they use it thinking up absolutely absurd stuff.

[sxy rider 39]

I like how they give Honda the nod for best fit and finish over KTM every year. Yeah, the same bike that in "the ultimate motocross shootout" they complain the clutch is going south and that the valves are out of spec. ?

I remember the 2002 125 shootout in Dirt Bike where they said they liked the RM the most the first few days, but by the end of the week the squawky clutch and other quality related shortcomings relegated the bike to second place behind the Yamaha. I'm all for a shootout where it's a week long and nothing can be touched but the suspension.

in the 2004 125 shootout the Honda had a complete clutch change done before the end of the test. Without that clutch change it would be interesting to see how the results would change.

[grayracer513]

Honda Rider, excuse me, I meant Dirt Rider, is a great example of how you can suceed in any given field of endeavor without knowing what you're talking about, at least until people catch on. We had a subscription for a while, but my 15 year-old got tired of the BS and misinformation (last years shootout was a classic, as was the omission of the WR450 from their Off-Road 450 comparison), so he told his Mom not to renew it.

The concept of using the opinions of several riders of varying abilities and styles is not new or unique. MXA uses all Racers, since their focus is on MX, but at differing ages and skill levels. Dirt bike also uses a panel of testers, MX'ers, Off-Road Racers, and a couple of "just recreational" riders. What is odd about Dirt Rider is that their panel usually seems to include at least two racers in their mid teens with less than 5 years experience. Their opinions might be interesting, but they haven't frankly lived long enough to be very analytical about anything, so they aren't of much real value, IMO.

[MotoGoalie]

I really respect Rick Diaz, E. Gorr and Lewis.

I really do. I think thier mechanical abilities and the manner in which they communicate them is really nicely done.

The rest of Dirt Rider staff can eat it and go away. The Bike tests and comparisons are badly done advertising copy. Pure crap.

Here's what I wish for in a perfect world.

That those three would write TECH articles based on the real world as they currently do, you know gritty how to's, evaluations, and the fix-its that these guys are famous for. And that we search high and low for on TT.

And I wished they wrote these articles

in

(please don't shoot me)

in the worlds best interview and real world magazine.

RACER X.

Oh GOD wouldn't that be a helluva a magazine then? AND add Grayracer as a Mr. Know it all entity.

[prayer]

PLEASE, God make Dirt Rider go away, forever and make RACER X open its eyes and add these fine contributors thereby making the perfect print magazine. Before I die. Please God.

[/prayer]

[grayracer513]

I'd like to comment on that, but it's probably just as well that I don't.

[sxy rider 39]

They did have the WR450 in last years off road shootout, but their tests suck. They had one recently about fctory support bikes and it sucked big time. They're testing some 10 g bikes and they're like I don't like how low he runs his bars and levers.

[roostboy wr250f]

I think we need a dirtbike magazine that doesn't revolve around motocross. DR has one article here and there about off-road techniques but all the rest are about motocross. They should also start covering some gncc or other offroad races than wasting half of an issue about motocross and supercross races that the majority of the readers watched on the speed channel anyways.

[sxy rider 39]

Dirt Bike is the only mag that does project off road bikes as well as motocross bikes. They are the best mag, because whether it's an offroad or a motocross test they are always testing new products on their project bikes. they are the only place that's tested the new DMC exhaust. yes it was on an offroad set-up 450, but they gave a good review of the product none the less.

[KXMike]

also DIRTBIKE was the only magazine to test ALL the filter oils and cleaners. that was a pretty cool deal.

[sxy rider 39]

i think that was Dirt Rider^

[Bkinzey]

..... Do you want quick or accurate, you can't have both.?

? Slight correction here? It's a triangle. You can have fast, you can have quality, you can have cheap. Pick two ?

You can have it quick and accurate but it sure as hell ain't gonna be cheap!??

[YZ250FinSoCal]

Dirt Rider will come out with a more definitive opinion when Yamaha makes their final commitment as to how much $ they'll spend advertising in Dirt Rider in 06.

[RADRick]

no no there's a mag called dirtbike, it's probably one of the best, it's just not as mainstream as the other mags, it's probably the best off-road mag you could buy

Actually, Dirt Bike is just as mainstream as Dirt Rider. In fact, some of the current staff at Dirt Bike once worked at Dirt Rider. And the article you referenced is in the current issue of Dirt Rider.

[RADRick]

Dirt Rider will come out with a more definitive opinion when Yamaha makes their final commitment as to how much $ they'll spend advertising in Dirt Rider in 06.

And exactly what makes you such an expert on the inner workings of Dirt Rider, or any magazine for that matter? Or are you just another idiot newbie looking to increase his post count?

[RCannon]

Rick, Have you ever felt pressured into "liking" something more than you did?

No need to mention names or places.