2007 October blog

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It has been a very long day today. On Friday I was offered a very exclusive ride and today I have tried to organise the coverage with various magazines all over Europe. It has been welcomed very warmly and I am working hard with the manufacturer in question to finalise the details now. There's still some work to be done, but we'll get there. More about this later. Later this week I fly to San Antonio, Texas to attend the Triumph Rocket III Touring world launch followed possibly by a gig in California in conjunction with the California Bike week. Our man in Tokyo for the Tokyo Motor Show has had some trouble with FTP so that coverage is delayed. Hopefully we'll have something soon. So after working from the office this morning I went out this afternoon on a 90 mile ride on the 08 Suzuki B-King. The B-King is great and the bike really appeals to me. It's possibly all that power and torque in a very capable chassis. The fact that it is so over the top is appealing. Today we had weather mixing between sun and rain and generally cold so I was struggling to get enough heat into the tyres and that resulted in some movement at the rear wheel shall we say. So I switched over from A mode to B mode on my way home which allows some more nonchalant use of the throttle. Tomorrow I'll try to get some acceleration figures in A and B mode to see the real difference. It is easy enough to notice whilst riding, but let's see how that transfers to hard figures. More tomorrow. Tor

More B-King 1340 video!

Day one on the 1340cc naked 'Busa! After about 200 miles on the B-King I think it's the coolest new Suzuki since the 97 TL1000S! I just love all that massive torque produced from nothing! A little video first. TS

Been out with Martin today doing the X-Max 2500 action shots and some video.

Returned the Honda SH300i and picked up the Yamaha Xmax 250i today. I loved the SH300 to bits for its practicality and safety on cold and wet autumn roads. The Xmax has not got any ABS, but that also means that I can have some more fun with it... Wait and you'll see. So whilst Honda treat journos as Formula 1 stars in Monte Carlo I'll be out doing stoppies on the Xmax. That's not too bad either! TS

Yesterday I was invited to the Honda XL700V Transalp world launch in Monaco later this week. Pick up at Nice airport by helicopter to a Monte Carlo hotel, ride the Transalp on Europe's highest road on and off road, transportation to dinner by Honda speedboat... ATV and Trial riding... Then the idiots at the Honda importer hadn't put the names forward in time and the bloody event was fully booked... No surprise that it was fully booked, but I just can't deal with the incompetence. We try again with the Fireblade... And the Texas launch of the Triumph Rocket III Touring happens just when the press day is on at the EICMA show. So I arrive back on the 7th in the morning just to catch another flight to Milan and do the second press day. Ducati sent out invitations to their pre-event press conference today. That'll happen on the 5th and I'm in Texas sipping something with Tequila in it I think. Who cares, I still have a beautiful girlfriend and the best job in the world. Can't ask for more (well, less incompetence perhaps...)

You might wonder why you don't see many Kawasaki tests here at Raptors & Rockets. Well, the reason is mainly that there is too much hassle arranging anything with Kawasaki and I can't stomach any of the European decision makers. There's no need for me to get headaches and wasting my time with ignorance. So I'm talking to the Scandinavians again to try and sort out so that we get some more Kawasaki launches. Which probably means I have to pay my way around the world whilst rich magazines get the usual free ride. A freelance guy like me don't get the advertising budget that the magazines enjoy and PR agencies still seems to ignore the potential 230.000 pure motorcyclists represents on the internet. I rely on the world launches that I get and my ability to dig out the latest in motorcycle news. I also work very strategic to make it impossible for any manufacturer not to involve me in what they do in the end. I have firm deals or contracts with more than 15 of the worlds biggest motorcycle magazines and several websites that matter and enjoy high google ratings. Sure, I make more money than journalists and editors at your favourite motorcycle magazine. But hey, I have to pay for everything that I do here in the UK and certain launches with small manufacturers. One of my favourites this year must be when Ducati demanded that one of my colleagues had to pay his way to the Desmosedici RR launch at Misano. That would usually be a cheap Ryanair ticket to Rimini or Bologna, but not when invitations are so late that Ryanair charges full price and the whole bloody thing rains away to be postponed to another day. Tickets non-refundable off course and new one to Mugello had to be booked. Oh yes a very exclusive launch, but I bet it didn't pay off much in the end. Another high profiled colleague declined the offer to go as well. Simply because everyone have seen the bloody Desmo on a racetrack by now. It's on a racetrack every weekend almost. Now a roadtest of the Desmosedici RR, that would be something else... It surprises me which bikes that bring me the more cash from being published. I can tell you that my exclusive Harley Nightster test from Florida brought in more cash than the exclusive (or elusive) Victory Vision launch in Minnesota. It's a shame really about the Vision and people are still more interested in the Hammer and Kingpin models. Victory are small and will continue to be unless they invest in some ex-Harley PR people that knows how to treat and please their network of contacts. Then you have the Aprilia Shiver and Ducati Hypermotard launches. Two very exciting bikes, published all over the place, but didn't give me much of a return. But that might just be the backside for working for the biggest magazines that are already present with their own guys, I don't know. I need an agent I think! Oh, and i think I have forgotten to mention this. The boss for Yamaha Scandinavia suggested to me when I tried to arrange a second go at the bob-sled stunt to ride a Yamaha cruiser up and down the bobsled track in Lillehammer because cruisers don't sell that well in Norway... Does anyone out there understand what I'm up against now? Think I'll give BMW or KTM the opportunity next time unless I get the Vmax that is... This is nothing, I could go on and on and on, butt will save something for another day. Now I'm tired of speaking to idiots, but I'll do it again tomorrow because that's my job. TS

Received a pair of delicious looking new pair of Alpinestars Supertech R's the other day. I haven't even had a chance to use them yet since I'm on scooters at the moment. Yes Scooters! Honda SH300i at the moment followed by Yamaha Xmax 250i and Suzuki Burgman 650 Executive. Then a long-term test of the new Suzuki B-king. Been invited to the 2008 Triumph Rocket III Touring world launch in Texas too. TS