Dear Editors: March 2009

I just received the March '09 issues and thought I'd offer some feedback starting with what I liked then moving on down the line.

LOM - Haha!!! Great response from JZ on that one.  Shakespeare, Frost and Thoreau all rolled up in one.  

I skimmed through Tear Offs and Gear bag and will read it all eventually.  I hope you don't ever plan on doing away with the print side of the mag.  Not everyone sits at a desk all day ya know (re: Shameless DR Plug)

The 250 shootout was awesome!  I liked the 'Why it Should Win' and Why it Shouldn't Win' format.

The whole 'Dirty Part' deserves a read eventually, but these articles pulled me in right away:
The Pipe Roundup was informative, but some of those db levels are still too high!
The Used Bikes part.  Even though I'm not in the market, especially for a 525, it's still good to know about things that might go wrong.  besides, I think this was the only mention of trail bikes in the whole mag!!
The Pro Secrets was dead on with the bit about remembering to breathe.  It sounds so dumb, but it's true!

Now for the bad:
I have little interest in the Dream Rides and won't ever read the Dakar article.  It's almost as far out there as the Hawaii article last month.

All in all another very good issue.  Keep up the good work.    
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Hudson Valley NY
KTM XC-W 250

"If you don't have a dream, how can it come true?"

You always seem to get it first!  I'm jealous!  I always seem to get it last of everyone on the board...


Dakar is in there?  Sweet!  I've been watching the race highlights...I'm excited to see their take  
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"Only the desert has a fascination to ride alone in the sun in the forever unpossessed country away from man. That is a great temptation."
--D.H. Lawrence

Yeah, I don't know how that works.  Isn't DR published in CA?  I'm all the way in NY.

I messed up about the dakar mention.  It's actually 'The GS Trophy' where JL goes riding in North Africa.  It isn't much of an article - more of a photo montage with a few paragraphs.  All that farway desert stuff is Dakar to me.  I should have been more specific.  Sorry.  
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Hudson Valley NY
KTM XC-W 250

"If you don't have a dream, how can it come true?"

very good post HS!  But I for one was totally engrossed in the Hawaii ride!  And yeah, I'm really into trail riding nowadays, so I agree with you that it could use a little more of that.  I think you mentioned it last month as well.   But there are so many positives about the magazine that are so subtle and hard to pin down.  Maybe it's simply the lack of glaring negatives.   No, I haven't read this new issue yet, but just wanted to spend my two cents here...  
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NW Montana
Where the pavement ends and the fun begins  
2005 KTM300exc

hairscrambled:
Yeah, I don't know how that works.  Isn't DR published in CA?  I'm all the way in NY.

I messed up about the dakar mention.  It's actually 'The GS Trophy' where JL goes riding in North Africa.  It isn't much of an article - more of a photo montage with a few paragraphs.  All that farway desert stuff is Dakar to me.  I should have been more specific.  Sorry.

ooohhh....no worries.  i'm excited to see that too actually.  my dad does a lot of riding on his GS1200....i like the 650...hmm...I'd love to see what they say.  I read his online blog, it was really interesting.  
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"Only the desert has a fascination to ride alone in the sun in the forever unpossessed country away from man. That is a great temptation."
--D.H. Lawrence

:
But I for one was totally engrossed in the Hawaii ride!


I liked the HI article as well, but it's so out of reach for most of us.  

I think that highlighting some USA tracks or trail systems would be better for most of DR's readers (yes, I know HI is in the US).  Not every month, but a few times a year would be nice.  
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Hudson Valley NY
KTM XC-W 250

"If you don't have a dream, how can it come true?"

yeah, I agree.  Maybe they'd pay you and me to travel across the country next summer to try them all out, and do a write-up with pics and vids...  
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NW Montana
Where the pavement ends and the fun begins  
2005 KTM300exc

Enjoy the Magazine get it every month. However, after watching the 2009 shootout video. I'm wondering when are we going to see other bikes in the shootouts? such as Husqvarna, Husaberg, TM, Moto Beta, Gas Gas, Aprilia, and others? I know there are a lot of riders out there either on the motocross track or out in the desert that ride these bikes would love to know the performance rating between these bikes and the "Big 5" in a shootout!

Thanks


Ride hard, ride dirty or go home!  

Well honestly, the numbers of people who ride those bikes is small compared to the big 5 bikes....i can imagine it's expensive and would take a lot of pages to include all of them.

however, i'm pretty positive they'll have more stuff on these bikes...they usually do...just keep a look out for them.  check out their web-impressions too  
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"Only the desert has a fascination to ride alone in the sun in the forever unpossessed country away from man. That is a great temptation."
--D.H. Lawrence

I have not recieved my new DR yet either, but I can give my 2 bits on DRs usual content.  There are enough mags covering the MX/SX scene.  I like the way DR tackles the less popular races like Endurocross, Dakar, Baja, and whatnot.  Also in DR's defense they are one of only a couple of magazines that truely cover the multitude of trailbikes availabe to us.  But the fact is most of us by the race bikes and use them for everything anyway.  That is why MX bikes get the most attention from the media.  

Bill H.
Temperance, Mi
2000 CR250R
1991 YZ125

My DR isn't here yet (CA). But my AMA membership pack came today, I'm legit.  
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"Every time I start thinking the world is all bad, then I start seeing some people out there having fun on motorcycles. It makes me take another look." -Steve McQueen

it takes forever to come to CA, Dag...hahaha


congrats on the AMA  
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"Only the desert has a fascination to ride alone in the sun in the forever unpossessed country away from man. That is a great temptation."
--D.H. Lawrence

& oregon!!
DavidS  
i take a lot of pride in what i am

___________________
ride: 02yz426
local: north east Oregon

terrain type woods with lots of roots & rocks

I guess the guys snowed in back east need it more,  You have to call that justice.  
__________
"Every time I start thinking the world is all bad, then I start seeing some people out there having fun on motorcycles. It makes me take another look." -Steve McQueen

they got cheap lobster we dont we should get the mag first
DavidS  
i take a lot of pride in what i am

___________________
ride: 02yz426
local: north east Oregon

terrain type woods with lots of roots & rocks