Metric cruisers deserve this magazine

Motorcycle Cruiser is a young magazine, but has matured quickly in the few years it has been on the scene. Just as Japanese and other metric cruisers have earned their place as "real motorcycles", so has MC arrived in the world of moto-journalism. Welcomed by the hordes of metric cruiser riders out there looking for a magazine that doesn't bow to Milwaukee on every page, it reflects a balanced viewpoint for that all-important aspect of cruiser ownership: the name on the tank. Oh, yeah, and if you're looking for naked babes draped over the handlebars - go pick up a copy of Easyriders.

The staff writers run the gamut from an enthusiastic twenty-something female to veteran road warrior Art Friedman, whose wisdom and wit is evident in many of the articles and the last-page editorial. The rest of the gang ain't too shabby either, delivering well written, if occasionally eccentric articles in each issue. The tone is irreverent without being smart-ass, a trap many of the other mags fall into. Photography and artwork are often better than the big boys, Motorcyclist (MC's sister mag) and Cycle World.

MC covers most of the aspects of cruising, from chrome doodads to the latest in leathers, but the froo-froo stuff is offset with first class articles on safety, riding technique and touring tips. I have only two complaints. One is the lack of coverage of historical metric cruisers, that is, if you consider history beginning in, oh, say, 1980. The other is model reviews that are lacking in hard performance data. But, all in all, well worth the subscription price.

One interesting note, to my knowledge, Harley Davidson has never advertised in this magazine even though a number of positive reviews have been written on new Harley models. Witness the recent thumbs up for the FXSTD Deuce. However, Harley has fared poorly in MC comparos (model comparisons), so you can't help but visualize macho H-D taking it's ball and going home when the game gets too rough.

Pick up a copy, you'll enjoy it!