Cycle World And The Motorcycle Group’s New Home

[Hugh Janus]

Testing remains a foundation for the motorcycle group. (Jeff Allen /)

Safe to say in 1962 when founding Cycle World publisher Joe Parkhurst started the magazine, he hadn’t envisioned how big a truly independent motorcycle publication that served the reader first might become. And before his death in 2000, could he have envisioned how the next 20 years would change publishing?

No, 1962 was not 2000, and 2000 definitely isn’t 2020. Yes, the changes have been remarkable, and I am thankful that our mission to bring the best writing and testing to motorcycle enthusiasts, no matter what they ride, has remained constant. It is this very notion that makes me personally happy to share that New York-based powersport fintech company Octane has acquired Cycle World and the rest of the Motorcycle Group from Bonnier Corporation, including Motorcyclist, and Dirt Rider, Motorcycle Cruiser, plus ebike and electric-mobility title Cycle Volta, as well as ATV Rider and UTV Driver. If it’s got a motor and wheels and is built for fun and utility, we’re in.

Inherent to our mission across our brands has been growing motorcycling, because we all know how much better life is on two wheels (and four), and only wish to share this with more people. Octane’s mission is the same, growing motorcycling and powersports, and connecting people with their passion.

The message from Octane’s leadership to the motorcycle group staff is that the company’s number-one priority is supporting our ability to tell great stories, perform more testing, and help riders and potential buyers research and understand the machines they love, which have always been our core values.

The print edition will see its final issue in 2020 and be replaced in 2021 with a digital-only magazine. (Cycle World/)

A big part of me is sorry to report we are ceasing Cycle World print magazine. I can’t begin to count the number of words I have written for print since my first day at CW in 1999. I have loved making the print magazine, especially in the high-quality quarterly format we’ve been producing since 2018, but if you want to reach a large audience of enthusiasts and people interested in motorcycling, digitally is by far the best way to do that. If Parkhurst were alive today, would he look at the publishing (and other) tools available to him and invest in the places that reached the greatest number of people who love motorcycles? I think so, because in 1962, Parkhurst embraced the most effective platform to reach motorcycle enthusiasts in the greatest number. That’s what we are doing now, and, as ever, are working to honor the legacy he left for us. We will continue to produce a refreshed, high-quality digital version of the magazine after the final print issue of 2020.

We will get to test more bikes and work harder on these channels that serve the most readers, and we’ll continue to bring the grand storytelling and epic adventures we have always aimed to produce.

The adventure continues! (Jeff Allen /)

My optimism for new ownership comes from a few key points. One is that Octane is a tech startup that has used a lot of smart people to build easy-to-use digital lending tools that help riders and dealers get bikes on the road. Meaning that they are well equipped to greatly improve the experience readers have when they visit our websites. Another is that the expert editorial team producing these historic titles is not changing, and that we’ll renew our effort in the UTV/ATV space. Octane respects the work and the people who make it. So the established testing methodology executed by the best team in the business will continue bringing real instrumented tests, with dyno runs and verified weights and measures gathered by our team of pros.

That is to say, we will remain in our built-out 18,000 square-foot headquarters that includes a Dynojet 250i rear-wheel dynamometer to measure engine output, the full shop with three motorcycle lifts, a solvent tank, and tire machine. The large photo and video studio remains ready to have the finest images captured by our staff photographer and staff videographer. We will increase the number of instrumented performance tests of motorcycles, executed by our Road Test Editor who recently again finished on the podium in MotoAmerica Stock 1000 racing. We are vested in giving real data in thorough, detailed, accurate, and impartial testing of new motorcycles. We have extended this work ethic into the pedal-assist bicycle market, and will do the same in UTV and ATV.

The degree of change in publishing just during the time Bonnier has owned the Motorcycle Group titles has been huge. If you don’t believe the company’s creativity and resourcefulness allowed its brands to continue doing the best possible job in the face of remarkable shifts in marketing spends, technology, and consumer behavior, please take a look at the state of the publishing industry in general and specifically other motorcycle media entities. It was this support and hard work that allowed us to continue when others have not, and I thank them for this. I am also thankful that they worked very hard to find us a new home that can support us as we look to the future.

With Octane’s support, the editorial product here will grow stronger, and will focus on the stories we know readers want the most, publishing those through our most effective channels. Through every bit of change and all the pressures that a massively altered business landscape have produced, we have worked tirelessly to keep you, the reader, as the fundamental focus of our efforts to bring real data and great storytelling to life. Our mission has not changed, and will not change. We work for you.

Source

[XTreme]

End of an era!