Just received my Tri-ugh magazine. Ugh.
Are any of the publishing team riders? It certainly doesn't read that way. It reads like it was done by people who consider motorcycles to be fashion accessories.
1: We open to a double-page "Paul Smith" advert. My first reaction is, "Who the hell is Paul Smith?" Then I realized he's some sort of "designer." The kind who make clothes for people with bottomless wallets and who've never eaten a cheeseburger for fear of the calories.
2: The Earthly environment in which the black ink on the contents page might not rub off would be the Sahara Desert.
3: Who cares what position Viscount Hoightypants holds regarding assuming the throne? He rides Triumphs - that's fine. But I'd be more interested in the man he pays to get grease under his fingernails, not the man behind the checkbook.
4: Where are the BIKES? What few bikes we do see, other than the Tiger stunta, serve only as props for the heroin-chic models in Paul Smith clothes.
Here's a message for the publishers and Triumph as well: Triumph riders come from all walks of life, and the vast majority of us have only one thing in common: A passion for riding, Triumph motorcycles in particular. Rather than focus on this common thread, Triumph presents to the casual reader that we're all image-obsessed 20-somethings in the upper 10% income bracket who happen to own the current "hot" brand, in this case Triumph. There is NOTHING about this magazine that speaks to any class other than the jet-set who can afford the faux-trashy clothes, Masserattis, high-end watches and stereo speakers advertised within.
This magazine is supposed to be for Triumph owners - aka RATs. Where are the listing of upcoming RAT events? Where are the technical articles to help us care for our bikes? Where are the in-depth model profiles you won't find anywhere else? Where are the interviews with the bike designers and engineers. Where are the reviews of the aftermarket parts?
I can get all this from this website, but those Triumph riders who don't frequent this site and only receive the magazine, we must seem like vain, pretentious upperclass twits. Or that we want to be that way.
What a waste of paper, ink, time and effort.
Rant over.
I'm going for a ride, d@mmit.
|
