Best Motorcycle Magazines

Do a little armchair motorcycle riding with a good magazine subscription. There are more than 40 English language motorcycle magazines available from the United States, Canada and Great Britain. From customizing to collecting, if there is a motorcycle enthusiast group, there is a magazine for them. Here are some of the best selling magazines for street motorcycles, sportbikes and touring.

RoadRUNNER

This motorcycle touring and travel magazine tops my list for a number of reasons. The choice of font is easy on the eye. Judicious use of white space provides a pleasing layout. No decoder ring is required to ferret out copy against like colored backgrounds. Merciful use of paragraphs and bullets keep content flowing. Articles are not broken and continued on page 98. Juvenile references to bodily functions will not be found. Beautifully written and illustrated for the adult touring rider. If the Magazine Publishers of America gave an Ellie, the National Magazine Award, for the best motorcycle magazine, RoadRUNNER would be my pick. Enjoy the read.

MOTORCYCLIST

Covers every aspect of street motorcycling including cruising, touring and commuting. Features road tests, how-to articles, project-bike hop-ups, and safety pieces and race coverage.

Includes updates on legislation and other developments affecting the sport. An all-around magazine for the street motorcycle scene. If you can only have one motorcycle magazine and you are a street rider, this is the one.

For years, I have subscribed to this magazine. For an overall view of street motorcycling, it can not be beat. Whether you ride a cruiser, sport bike or tour, it will have articles of interest every month.

SPORT RIDER

Covers sporting street motorcycles. Emphasizes performance in the motorcycle and in the rider. Features in-depth tests of new sport motorcycles, project bikes and reviews apparel and accessories.

Includes information on technique, skills enhancement and rider training. The emphasis here is on knee-dragging, adrenaline-pumping crotch-rockets, also known as sportbikes.

Being old, short and fat, I am not a sport bike rider and have difficulty relating to this type of machinery. But if screaming valves, riding on the edge and time warping speed is your cup of tea, this is your rag.

RIDER

For road and street riding motorcycle enthusiasts who enjoy touring, sport riding, weekending and who also may commute on two wheels.

Includes motorcycle, equipment, accessory and apparel evaluations; cycle-related travel and adventure stories; humor and personality pieces; performance data, practical technical information and riding techniques with an emphasis on safety. This magazine is without a doubt the last word in motorcycle touring.

Ah, now we are getting somewhere. Touring I understand. I have yet to meet anyone who subscribes to Rider and regrets it.

Magazine Portfolios

Did your mother or your spouse make you throw out your ten-year collection of motorcycle magazines and now you finally found the motorcycle you wanted all those years ago and you wish you had the original article? For portfolios of articles from back issues of such popular magazines as Cycle World, Motorcycle and Motorcycle Mechanics, visit our collection of Best Magazine Portfolios. Includes new model reports, performance data, history, service notes, engine analysis, specs and tuning organized by make and model.