Great review from Cycle World...on a 5700 mile machine no less

[CSCDude]

Originally Posted by Jay In Milpitas

Just out of curiousity, how many miles has your Cyclone racked up, Joe? It's sure been around the map.

Not to slight the RX-3 reviews of the other fine magazines, but having made the pages of Cycle World is a huge step. The other publications are niche' mags. CW crosses all styles (except the nudie-chopper drool inducers) and CSC has now been brought to the attention of a wide spectrum of riders. I'm hoping to see CW do a full road test and report on the 2016 RX3 Cyclone once it hits the shores. Has there been any discussion on that, Joe?

Happy & safe New Year to all.

I don't have that many miles on mine compared to some, Jay. I think I am at about the 10,000-mile mark now, or maybe just a little bit below it. Part of the reason for that is that I usually don't commute on my motorcycles; I mostly use them for rides (sometimes day rides, sometimes weeks-long rides). Another part of it is that I have been spending time on the new TT250. Another part is that on the recent trip to Colombia the good folks at AKT Moto lent a bike to me. And then I have my old KLR, which I don't think I've put 500 miles on since I picked up my RX3. I probably should sell the KLR, but I am emotionally attached to it (the KLR is 10 years old now and it still looks brand new). There are others on this forum (like Spud, for example) who have racked up many more miles than me.

There hasn't been any discussion about a more comprehensive road test with any of the magazines, other than some rather unrealistic demands presented to us by some of the smaller mags about us giving them a loaner bike for several weeks. We just don't give away motorcycles to publications (or anyone else, for that matter) for weeks on end, although we made an exception with Cycle World because (as you have noted) they are a major player and their writing and reporting is always good. We are going to make an exception to our general rule of no loaners with the new RX3-P police bikes; we have four that we will loan for 30 days (at no charge) to police agencies who wish to evaluate the bikes.

Dealing with the motorcycle media can be tricky. You just never know how it's going to turn out, even with a great bike like the RX3. All of the reviews on the RX3 have been positive, and where they point out their perceived negatives, it is (in my opinion) mostly because they have to find something negative to say. We put far more stock in our riding impressions and in those we hear from you, our riders, than what we read in any magazine.

There are a couple of new pieces out this month in Motorcyclist. Joe Gresh did his "Cranked" column on "motoracism," which was a well-written piece that was right on the money. He essentially dismisses the irrational criticisms of Chinese bikes as a form of racism (a position with which I agree). The new issue also contains his piece on our Western America Adventure Ride; at first I was disappointed in that article, but others told me I was being too sensitive about Joe's comments about me. I've concluded my team of life coaches are correct. I read it again. Now I like it.