For the Love of Bikes

FOR THE LOVE OF BIKES

UP FRONT

EDITOR'S LETTER

NOTICE ANYTHING DIFFERENT?

We live, eat, sleep, work on, crash, study, wheelie, beat mercilessly, slide, jump, clean, break, adjust, fill up, tear down and ride, ride, ride motorcycles of every type.

All because we love the two-wheel life and bust ass to get you the best stories presented in the finest possible way.

To that end, as you can see by the very different-looking magazine you are holding in your hands right now, we have made some big changes. Starting with the Cycle World logo.

I have to admit it was a scary thought at first to alter the shape of those words that had appeared on the cover, on T-shirts, on banners, on TV and everywhere else the magazine’s name had shown up, essentially unaltered, since 1983. But then I did some research and found that the Cycle World logo had been played with quite a bit over the last 51 years, most often under founding publisher Joe Parkhurst’s reign.

So we ran with it.

From there, we stripped and rebuilt the whole book, adding a few new components and changing the weight distribution a bit.

All the parts that make a great magazine remain, and we’ve worked hard to pack in more information than ever. We think of it as both a performance and aesthetic upgrade.

What hasn’t changed? Our undying dedication to fair and complete tests of motorcycles and related gear. We weigh testbikes on our own scale, measure their power on our own Dynojet 250Í dyno and put the most experienced riders in the saddle to find the truth about the machines that matter most, riding them harder, faster and farther. That will never change.

We also will continue our complete coverage of the motorcycle life and sport. That means all kinds of motorcycles tested by people who understand where each type of machine comes from and what those riders want in the motorcycle of their dreams. It means covering racing in a way

that no one can match. It means meeting the most compelling people in our world and telling their stories. It means having the greatest writers who’ve ever typed a word about gasoline and two-wheel adventure bringing you the best stories every month.

You’ll see that your favorite columnists— Peter Egan and Kevin Cameron—get more space to share their latest experiences and insights, and we’ve given them a few new graphic bits to help you get to know them even better. In fact, across the magazine, you’ll find more facets to the stories we produce, with the hopes of adding even greater dimension and fun to the products you want to know about.

Equally important to all of us as true enthusiasts is the Why of Riding, the soul, the adventure and joy we all feel every time we pull on our helmet, slip into our favorite riding gear and motor off with the best people on Earth.

In the interests of doing just that, we threw the book at comparison tests this month (starting on p. 53). We knew it would be busy and the hours long as we made this new magazine. How better to keep our heads clear than riding the best that 2013 has to offer? It starts with a dream day at Laguna Seca on two of the most powerful streetbikes ever made. And we keep it pinned from there.

The machines, the people, their stories mean everything to us here at the magazine, it’s true. But no one is more important to us than you. So we’d like to hear what you think. Look us up on Facebook (facebook.com/cycleworld), Twitter (@CycleWorldMag) or contact us directly via e-mail: intake@cycleworld.com

As ever, at the heart of our effort is one of our core values: Share the Ride. We strive every month to take you on the ride with us, just as we hope you take us along with you.

Here’s to the future. It starts right now.

MARK HOYER

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

THIS MONTHS STATS

TESTING MILES RIDDEN

7 NUMBER OF LOGOS USED BY CYCLE WORLD SINCE 1962 CYCLE WORLD

HOW FAR WE'LL GO TO GET YOU THE STORY