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Print motorcycle magazines in the United States continue to become an ever more endangered and disappearing species.
The future remains murky for what was long the largest monthly motorcycle magazine in motorcycling, Cycle World. Bonnier, the privately held Swedish company that went on a media buying spree in the United States more than a decade ago, has been trying to sell many of its U.S. titles since early this year. News reports a month ago said a deal was near, but nothing has been announced yet. Bonnier's holdings range from once-massive print publications such as Field & Stream that no longer appear in print at all to enthusiast publications such as surfing magazines. Even if Bonnier does successfully negotiate a sale, there's no guarantee that Cycle World will be among those titles that find a new owner. In our annual predictions story posted last New Year's eve, my long-shot prediction for 2020 was that Cycle World would cease print publication and the coronavirus pandemic has only made that more likely, in my view.
I requested comment from Bonnier but did not receive a response.
With the print edition of Motorcyclist eliminated last year and Cycle World switching to a quarterly schedule the year before, that left Rider magazine as the largest monthly commercial motorcycle magazine in the U.S. market. But not for long.
The March issue of Rider was the last one to be printed and mailed in paper form. As a subscriber myself, I can tell you that like many readers I never received any notification that the print version was suspended. The company is still producing the magazine in the same layout, but it is posted online only. Editor Mark Tuttle, who recently reached 30 years at the helm of Rider, referred questions to executives at EPG Media, the company that has owned Rider for several years. I received no response to my questions about whether the print version was terminated forever or just interrupted.
It's hard for me to understand why a company would refuse to communicate with its own customers about the future of its product — a product those customers have paid in advance for — even if it doesn't want to talk to me in my capacity as a writer for another media outlet.
In July, American Iron magazine announced it was ending its print publication after 31 years. Early this year, Motorcycle Consumer News shut down. Unlike the other commercial motorcycle print magazines, it did not publish advertising but was instead supported solely by subscribers. That different business model didn't ensure its survival, either.
Bonnier alone use to publish a range of motorcycle magazines from Hot Bike to Sport Rider, but all those titles are long gone. So who's left among publications serving on-road riders in the U.S. market?
RoadRUNNER magazine continues to publish a print edition, as well as digital versions, and serves a touring-focused audience similar to Rider's. Roadracing World & Motorcycle Technology primarily covers racing but also tests some street motorcycles.
Beyond the magazines aimed at street riders, Hi-Torque Publications still produces print versions of Dirt Bike and Motocross Action for off-road riders. ADVMoto publishes six print issues a year for fans of adventure motorcycles.
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