Happy New Year to our followers and readers. Here’s to another year of riding motorcycles, exploring places and generally enjoying life on two wheels.
2024 was a busy one for the BRM team, with plenty of new models to test, places to ride and gear to try out. Standout moments have to be the Royal Enfield Himalayan launch in Aussie, with the route organised by TT legend Cam Donald. It became a ride of attrition with the difficulty of off-road terrain he presented us with far beyond what we’d normally get on a new bike launch – and it was awesome! This was a REAL test of a new model!
A trip to China to visit the CFMoto factory was another fantastic experience and it’s hard not to attribute some of KTM’s current troubles to the fact they’ve shared their knowledge with the Chinese brand. It’ll be interesting to see what 2025 brings, but the CFMoto 450MT and 800NK Advanced were both excellent new models.
Oh, and then there was one of the most bonkers bikes we’ve ever tested in the form of BMW M1000XR. This takes sports touring to an entirely new level, and I challenge anyone who buys one of these to keep their licence intact after the first couple of rides. It’s seriously next level!
We lost one of the leaders of the NZ Motorcycle Industry, with Suzuki NZ’s Simon Meade being taken far too soon. And I was thankful to have spent some time with him on the launch of the GSX-8R and GSXS1000GX during an epic day being idiots on Manfeild’s twists and turns.
Just like everyone it seems, 2024 was a challenge. For the motorcycle industry, showrooms have remained quiet despite the fact there’s been a mass of new machinery arriving over the year. I reckon 2024 has seen the most tests we’ve done, with everyone trying to bolster sales by getting coverage. And for us we’ve certainly suffered from the cost of living crisis and had to make the difficult decision to make the magazine bi-monthly from 2025. With continuous increases in the price of printing and postage, something had to give, and dropping from 10 to 6 issues a year was what we needed to do to make sure we continued to produce a print magazine for New Zealand.
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That’s led us to bolster our online presence, and we’ve hired a journalist from a massive overseas motorcycling website who is now in NZ to help with the added load of online. So be sure to keep an eye on this site for all the latest news and reviews, while a subscription to the magazine is now a very affordable $69, so why not give us some support if you’re feeling a bit of New Year spirit…
With lots of new technology, new players, and new models, 2025 looks like it’s going to be an exciting year for motorcyclists.
Happy New Year to you all, and thanks for your support in 2024.
Paul
