The Economist Would Use the Word Parlous Here

Every time I take a flight somewhere I buy a magazine or two to read on the plane. Sometimes it’s The Economist but as often as not it’s Motorcyclist, which has frivolity, shiny pictures and useless details to keep me occupied during a layover. But, like a lot of product-oriented journalism (see Jalopnik’s constant tilting at the glossy car mags, or mine at tech journalists), it’s written less to inform readers than to curry favor with manufacturers.

And of course, the writing is by motorcycle dudes with English degrees, so you get phrasing like “The broad, curved radiator, deep sump, and king sized triangular oil cooler say this twin is no 996. So do narrow cylinder heads that give the Testastretta its name” and “With no room for the 999’s 54mm throttle bodies and shower-type injectors, this Testastretta twin inhales through new 50mm bodies fitted with hybrid, 996-style injectors.”

What does that mean? Well, it takes some background, starting with explanations of Ducati’s desmodromic system at the Ducati tech cafe, and a definition of the testastretta from the end of this article on the S4Rs. But basically it’s mechanical pornography: it means nothing.

Obviously, motorcycle mags are ripe for being replaced or supplemented by blogs. I haven’t found a peer to Jalopnik for bikers. If I had fifty thousand dollars and a staff of two, I could do it myself. Or possibly a hundred bucks a year for hosting, plus some Google ads for revenue. Anyone care to join me?