Mid-Life Rider

Today two motorcycle magazines arrived in my mail box. Doesn’t really matter which ones, it seems like I get all of them. And all the catalogs. And the ones that don’t show up themselves I go buy.

I’ve been buying and reading “buff books” my entire life. When I was a kid, my fascination was cars, and in those days I bought and read Motor Trend, Car and Driver, Road and Track, Car Craft and Hot Rod magazines. I by reading, I mean every word, every picture, every ad . . . everything.

Later my passions moved to photography with the same predilections in tow.

At other times it was outdoor gear, motorcycles, electronics, and on and on. Yes I’m in therapy and no I don’t chose to modify my behavior when it comes to reading everything there is to read.

All of this leads me to an observation. The very best moment for magazine readers surely has to be turning that first page. At that moment, the magazine is virgin territory. Headlines and the cover photo tease and flatter with promises of great rides, cool gear, and heroic bikes. Like any journey, it’s all expectations. You think you know what’s in there, but you won’t know until you look.

I treasure that moment. I love that feeling. So I never read the articles the first time through. I just turn the pages and take it all in. It will never be like this again. I look at the pictures, take in the headlines, and generally enjoy just basking in what it is the editors have put together.

In the main, the magazines are actually very similar. They all go to the same press launches, they all do the same comparisons, they all get sent the same press releases. The difference of course are in the writing, the point of view, and the articles that don’t rely on the march of the seasons, the vendors, and the advertisers. But at that moment, just before you open the cover, none of it matters. It’s just you and the mag.