Who buys motorcycle mags these days

[John Wakefield]

I see OBM are conducting a survey of 'what the readers want', offering prizes for those that enter. I suspect this is a canny way of getting names addresses & telephone numbers to junk mail & spam mail you with more Mortons 'goodies' - be warned.
I note in the latest issue we have lost David Davies VMCC Column, he did warn he may be going, think this maybe more to do with changes of the management at VMCC rather than Mortons. Frankly OBM is now more & more trade advert orientated, whilst the private ad pages seem to be reducing.
The 'carpenter' Editor is now trying to re skill in metal work & is running an artical on how to strip engines (a Triumph in this case) without causing damage whilst doing so. So definitley as you say Rob aimed at newbies.
Mike Worthington-Williams is stiil doing his Unearthed column, I wonder how much longer that will run, I think my subscrition will finish when it does, it one of the few bits worth reading, as I dont really want to read what 'old age stars of the past' were attending Wrighties latest bike show.

[Rob]

Agree about OBM. I had to think hard about renewing and then only invested a fiver in a special offer. My main gripe is the illogical layout it now has. Used to be content, services guide then classified adds. That was how Ken H invented it and for good reason. Now the whole bl**dy thing is mixed up presumably to get you to go right through it and notice the ads. I'm afraid I don't bother anymore.

Morton's did the same with Stafford, putting club stands amongst the jumble in the side halls. Possibly though, that was to release more space in the main hall so that they could put more high-price trade stalls in there or am I being cynical?!

[Stuart Baskill]

Agree about OBM. I had to think hard about renewing and then only invested a fiver in a special offer. My main gripe is the illogical layout it now has. Used to be content, services guide then classified adds. That was how Ken H invented it and for good reason. Now the whole bl**dy thing is mixed up presumably to get you to go right through it and notice the ads. I'm afraid I don't bother anymore.

Morton's did the same with Stafford, putting club stands amongst the jumble in the side halls. Possibly though, that was to release more space in the main hall so that they could put more high-price trade stalls in there or am I being cynical?!

Does anybody know how much the jumble stalls are at Stafford?I heard £460 each years ago.I keep noticing some missing after many years of attendance.

[Colin Sparrow]

Agree about OBM. I had to think hard about renewing and then only invested a fiver in a special offer. My main gripe is the illogical layout it now has. Used to be content, services guide then classified adds. That was how Ken H invented it and for good reason. Now the whole bl**dy thing is mixed up presumably to get you to go right through it and notice the ads.

Have to agree I'm afraid. Mind you they're very good for lighting the fire...

[Rob]

Re: Stafford - I was talking to the chap that has done the government surplus stall (tools, parts, complete ex-army bikes, etc) and he said that was his last year despite having been there from the start. He had 3 stalls together and it cost him £600. On top of that, they would only give him one van pass and he had to pay £25 for another. He also had to buy some extra weekend tickets for his staff. That was the last straw, never again he said. Slightly off thread but not entirely!

[Stuart Baskill]

Re: Stafford - I was talking to the chap that has done the government surplus stall (tools, parts, complete ex-army bikes, etc) and he said that was his last year despite having been there from the start. He had 3 stalls together and it cost him £600. On top of that, they would only give him one van pass and he had to pay £25 for another. He also had to buy some extra weekend tickets for his staff. That was the last straw, never again he said. Slightly off thread but not entirely!

I thought that the stands were changing from the original bike parts to clothes and tools a lot over the last few years.Its getting like the NEC bike show more every year with less bike parts.

[John Wakefield]

Shows

Frankly I think these 'proffessionally' run 'old bike' shows will die out along with the mags eventually as the age group of 'classic' bike riders gets older & less. Yes there will probably be one Classic Bike Show a year but not the ones at Newark, Stafford, Kempton etc. As the amount of 'genuine' autojumble dries up, the incentive for many to attend will deminish. Lets face it is (or was) the autojumble that draws in the punters. If that goes we are left with stalls selling tat, 'trailor queen' show bikes, & interviews with old riders of the past, but they wont be around for ever, & frankly do the names of Read, Agostini, Miller, Bickers etc mean anything to youngsters.
I myself have rarely been an attender of these events although I did go to Copdock one year and had 'words' with a gate steward when he tried to charge me for access for my bike to the GRA stand. If I go to shows its usually those with a general 'vintage & classic' theme, with cars, bikes, steam engines, commercials etc.

[Rob]

I do get the impression that mag sales are not going well at present but somebody must buy them, just look how big the mag section is in WH Smith's Reading Rooms! Real Classic was available there for about 1 month and then I didn't read, err, sorry, see it again. There seems to be multiple magazines on every conceivable subject, even being a parent (no pun intended!).

In the same way, Stafford is always heaving as I find when I attend it. However, you can't always believe some of the propaganda. Such phrases as 'the turnstiles were spinning' when the attendance was known to be minimal spring to mind.

I've just been having a look back through some old 'British Bike' and 'Classic Legends' magazines - interesting articles and not smothered in ads. I don't think it is all that the magazines are no longer relevant to us of a certain age and experience, I just think they are simply not so good.

Take good old Motorcycle Sport, the thinking mans mag (at least it was), full of interesting content. Look at it today - I rest my case.

[Buzzer]

I'm getting to dislike these big shows and autojumbles, where I am on my knees by the time I've gone round and have only properly seen a fraction of the stuff on offer / display! Bring back the little autojumbles that you could "do" in a couple of hours on a Sunday morning. As for the magazines, get rid of the ridiculous "head to head" type articles - Who cares if my Velocette is faster than your Tiger100! The early "Classic Bike" and CMC had it about right.