Unless you’ve been under a rock in the last couple weeks, a big moto-fan ought to know Kawasaki is building a new supercharged superbike, called the H2, and has been working hard to promote it.
As a result, there have been plenty of articles about the new bike. We ran one this morning, and so have most other web mags.
However, Asphalt & Rubber, who’ve also ran the YouTube videos from Kawasaki, has come across some … oddities … in the way the story is being unveiled. We suggest you read about it at their website here. It certainly raises questions about what’s going on behind the scenes in journalism these days.
Mr. Kurylyk,
GOOD FOR YOU and CMG for helping to point out and spread the word about this cynical media manipulation. Thank you!!!
We do try (really). If someone else uncovers something as well, then we’re more than happy to bring attention to their discoveries as well (in this case Asphalt and Rubber, who are one of the few mags out there that seem to care about this stuff).
Thanks, but the credit on this one goes to Jensen Beeler and Asphalt & Rubber.
It’s no surprise, I think, that A&R and CMG are my two motorcycle go-tos on the internet.
Er, doesn’t moto guide get “support” from the govt of Canada? Better not criticize the Tories. Be careful of what you say about jt. He might get in.
We have and hopefully will again as sadly it’s the only way we can compete with the print competition who get a multi thousand dollar annual subsidy merely for existing. But don’t get me started.
As far as I can tell, the few subsidies that we can apply for do not come with any condition to be nice to the government. 🙂
Honestly I don’t associate journalism with enthusiast media. I’ve read MC magazines for years and have always been skeptical about bike reviews and “Bike of the Year” selections. The magazines (and now online publications) and the manufacturers need one another from a revenue standpoint and I’ve always kept that in mind.
I still don’t like this type of marketing though. Short video clips of NOTHING, sound bites and all the other crap to ostensibly create excitement is just a waste of my time. I’d rather they just release photos or video of the bike and spare me the stupidity.
I think most motorcyclists are really getting tired of this. I still remember all the hype Honda put out for their new 1200 VFR “game changer”. Many Honda dealers still have them gathering dust.
Tempest in a tea pot. Journalistic integrity, isn’t that sort of like military intelligence? Sorry guys if you are offended, but many if not most of your colleagues going back hundreds of years now have pretty much tarnished your profession so that even the total annual output nevr dull can get it back.
As a professional journalist this type of behaviour worries me.
But what worries me more is the general public being more willing to believe whatever they read coming from ‘underground’ sources rather than people who actually know what they’re talking about. It also shows how incredibly easy it is to fake a source.
I’m not going to even pretend that mainstream and established media are perfect – and that there aren’t executives who care more about clickbait and page views instead of what really matters – but I think we as a society are rapidly running toward a world where people are going to end up being easily manipulated.
“I think we as a society are rapidly running toward a world where people are going to end up being easily manipulated.”
It’s my opinion that we’ve been there for a long time already. The dearth of critical thinking I experience in my day-to-day encounters with people is alarming.
I’d love to comment, but I’m too busy replying to an email from a nice Nigerian. You wouldn’t believe the deal he’s offered me!
It’s what marketing companies do, make hype, any way they can.Maybe i’m getting old. I know the newest, fastest, lightest, trickist, fuels our sport, the trickle down is wonderful for the most of us. I’ll never own that big Ninja. It will be too uncomfortable for my broken back, too pricy for my megar budget, and i refuse to dole out half that price again to an insurance company, but I do like shiny new things. Give me an introduction date, tease me with some numbers or particulars but don’t colour me stupid, or i’ll ignore you. I was interested with the sound bite of the blower’s pop off valve, sounds cool. Now, i’m starting to care less and less. I only watched the last video because it was referenced in the article.
Hopefully some day when the cool kids buy a pile of these, the masses will get a lightweight twin with a small blower. A small 500-600 twin with the power of a 750 triple. Or my KLR will get 6 gears, trick variable cams and EFI so it will have closer to 50hp instead of 38ish.
Trickle down.
I’ll be waiting.