Justin Holt

The coolest and newest motorcycles lined the streets like trees covering the infinite expanse of a forest; sun shining, the day seemed to come straight from the lyrics of Bryan Adam’s summer of 69. Smelling of burning rubber and the grumbling of ear piercing Harley exhaust ripping through the air as they proudly displayed why these events are sometimes called “hogfests.”
Nestled away from the larger city of Orlando, Leesburg offers more than tourist traps and giant mice promising dreams to come true. True to small town form the bike week event is hidden a couple small blocks from the main road leading to downtown. Arriving in mainstreet (American’s are even lazy when it comes to naming their streets!) a giant welcome sign instantly greets you. Lacking in creativity the sign reaffirms this is where bike week is held while the smell of southern smoked BBQ urges the crowd to find the nearest parking spot. Local bluebottle’s directed traffic and after removing the helmet riders are instantly bombarded by Harley riders revving their engine fighting for attention like Amy Winehouse.
Southern hospitality fully displayed itself as motorcycles had their helmet resting gently on their bike unsecured. Taking a stroll down main street the first thing that is different across the pond is the amount of custom bikes on display. Valve adjustments are child’s play and extended swing arms begin at three feet. Looking for a beverage scene erupts as a custom skull covered Hyabusa announces its presence riding on a six foot swing arm with a bored out engine screaming at full potential. The bike attracted enough attention to allow walking through the sidewalk without resorting to mosh pit shoving tactics. Continuing the journey to the watering hole bikes kept pouring in as happy hour quickly approached. One of the bikes even had a third rider proudly standing all fours on top of the gas tank; face piercing the wind the little chap had more leather clad to him than most people.

The query letter needs to be reformatted; I need to add more experience to solidify my claims in the query letter. I also need to work on the sales pitch of the article and showing editors why they should choose me to write for them. Overall I think that the query provides a good starting point.
Reflecting on the semester I thoroughly enjoyed the class and learned a lot. I think magazine journalism strikes a good balance between abstract fiction writing and strict straight journalism. I also enjoyed and found writing both short and lengthy feature articles as a good starting point for possibly future writing The only thing I would have preferred was to write more shorts as I feel they are the best way to get your foot in the door in magazine journalism.
I was not a big fan of the heavy use of blog sites for the class. I will not use mine after the class and trying to navigate the main word press site was slightly confusing at first. I will however use the experience to create a new blog which I will use to try and get future writing gigs with local magazines.

1. Leesburg Bikefest
2. Other than attending the event I would look up past events to see what vendors they had compared to this year. I would conduct interviews from the stand workers to individuals that had been for many years. I would also document what entertainment they had and the different types of motorcycles.
3. Need to know what the town of Leesburg is like before the event, and what kind of personality the event brings to the town. What the population is normally and what it grows to during bike week.
4. The readers would need to be placed into the environment by having all their senses incorporated. The reader’s would also need the baseline Leesburg atmosphere. The target audience will all know what a bike week is if they have not been to one themselves so there will not be a lot of grounding on what the event is normally like but how the Leesburg one is unknown and a hidden gem.
5. Having an educated audience on the topic I can not foresee any terms that would not need to be described.
6. I would interview the vendors to see the event affects their business. I could interview the locals to show how not everyone may be enthusiastic about the event. Riders of the motorcycles would be another interview choice. If given the chance I would like to interview a current or previous winner of Ms Bike fest.
7. Discuss how the bike week affects your business. What process is involved in the setting up and breaking down of your stand. How does this year compare to previous years. As a resident of Leesburg does the event and the rowdiness brought with it bother you? As a winner of Ms Bikefest what are some of the perks that come with the title?
8. Most research will be first hand documentary style research and to aid in the capturing of the experience I will use a notepad for notes and a portable recorder.
9. I will use http://www.leesburgflorida.gov/ to get a baseline feel of what Leesburg is suppose to be like and http://www.usa-vacation-homes.com/4112/leesburg-bikefest-2010/ and similar sites to describe the town Leesburg turns into.
10. The purpose of profiling the subject is to describe the atmosphere of a large bikeweek that has not been commercialized like Daytona. The article fits the publication because a lot of subscribers have been to bike weeks or are wanting to go and with the cheap exchange rate could incorporate it into a trip to Orlando.

I sit in my chair wondering how I am going to interview a local legend and spear header of safety in the motorcycle community. The night before I am lying on the concrete with a cop looking over me with a look of despair thinking all of America is going to be guided by the young and dumb. Reluctantly he asks if I am “ok” after my wreck and once getting a satisfactory answer he waddles his overfed American frame back to his police car, never asking for a license. Now I have to profile someone who has been instructing individuals how to safely ride motorcycles longer than I have been alive. Oxycodone running through my veins there was nothing left to stop the process now.
Before I can even talk a gentlemen that is old enough to be my grandfather interjects that he is more than willing to help and apologizes that his schedule has been a little out of whack. Apparently shuffleboard tournaments are very competitive this time of the year as the winner gets to see the queen. He explains that he has a granddaughter that is in college and he is eager to help. And as to why his schedule is sooo busy, “I have rehab on my shoulder from surgery that was the result of a racing accident” he mentions “and the doctor I have to go see is an hour away.” I quickly check my bottle of Oxycodone and hallucinations is not a side effect; I begin to get a sense that the typical American vision of working your life then retiring at 65 to sit on the porch and read does not apply to Frank Kinsey.
Frank Kinsey is an old chap that one can only find across the pond in America. His racing school has been featured on the red neck boys “Speed Channel.”

How do you balance motorcycle racing and your other interests?
What brought you into the field of motorcycle racing
Being a dangerous sport does that effect your family relations
Have you seen your class affect the safety of motorcycle riders directly?
What obstacles did you face in your journey to be a race instructor?
Who is your typical customer?
Seeing that racing has a positive impact on riders skills do you think the government should do more to encourage young drivers to attend advanced riding courses?
Do you see yourself retiring anytime in the near future?
Are beginners able to handle the power of today’s modern sport bikes?
What is your typical day like?
Where do you see the sport heading with all the new carbon worries?
Is there anything that can be done to bring down costs to beginners?
How does the economy affect your business in relation to the motorcycle industry as a whole
If you could design your own motorcycle to help riders what would it have
If you could change one law regarding the whole motorcycle industry what would it be?
Would you teach individuals for free if it meant they could become better riders?

Profile 1:
Frank Kinsey, motorcycle racing instructor
Unsung hero/curiosity: I could profile Frank Kinsey and discuss how his love for motorcycles turned into a love for speed. As an elder member of the motorcycle riding community I could highlight how his experiences in motorcycling have changed his perception of the niche hobby. Why is he, at an age when most men are playing shuffleboard, going 150mph staring death in the face? I could also show the positive benefits of his work; many younger motorcycle riders injure or kill themselves racing a cheap overpowered motorcycle that they are ill equipped to handle.

Profile 2:
MMI student:
Curiosity: Every motorcycle rider experiences break downs and unfortunately there are often few places that can be trusted with customers bikes. I could Interview the student as to what it takes to be a mechanic and why do people want to become mechanics.
Profile 3:
“Ms. Bikefest”
Rich and Famous: Every year in April Leesburg has their Bikefest with concerts, tattoo artist and the annual nomination of “Ms bikefest.” Could interview a former winner for their perspective on the experience and what the crown means to them.

Place 1:
Daytona Beach bike week: Obviously a huge draw for Harley and cruiser motorcycle fans, I could write about the mystique from a traveler’s perspective sent to Daytona. Writing for a foreign published magazine I could include funny jokes of the “lazy” American cruiser and contrast the different preferences. More importantly I could capture the ambiance and mystic of bike week for those who may live across the Atlantic.
Place 2:
Stunt scene in Orlando: Orlando’s warm weather and sparse population has given rise to a strong stunt community. Orlando host’s many stunt bike events throughout the year, including “Stunt Wars”, and has developed a strong cultural following.
Place3:
Modern Classic Motorcycle rental store: Write about the unusual experience classic motorcycles give an individual. How classics put the heart and soul back into motorcycling.

Other 1:
Would travel for weekend to two random towns in Florida and would angle the article as a journalist travelling with only his favorite companion, his motorcycle.

Other 2:
Motorcycle rallies are held for different events all over Florida. Many are held to raise money for cancer or someone injured or killed on a motorcycle. Whatever the reason documenting the event could show the positive effects of motorcyclist on the community.
Other 3:
Discuss how important selling the “hard-ass” image is in motorcycling with the Hells Angel Motorcycle group in Miami.

The article I examined was called “Honda’s return of the CBR600F.” The magazine grounds the reader through reminding them that this is not the first CBR-F to come to the market. If the title did not give it away the first sentence goes on to say “Honda has refused to let the CBR600F idea roll over and die.” It then describes the bike as a “hornet with fairings” prior to comparing the chassis and other parts to the bikes sister. Also after in depth tech analysis the magazine will explain the benefits of the technology like how “…the wheel size means that the CBR600F can use the stickiest tires on the market.” All of this keeps the reader from getting lost in technological jargon and focused on the motorcycle.
The take away value is the reader has a better understanding of a motorcycle in the 600cc class and some of the main pros or cons of that bike. In the process of reading the article the reader also enjoys himself because they diction and tone of the article do not explain the engineering aspects in a textbook fashion. For those who do not even care as much about the spec sheet of the newest motorcycle there are plenty of high gloss pictures. In a little sidebar there is also information about aftermarket parts and other Honda models so the reader who is serious about a possible purchase could follow up.

For the last decade the 250 sport bike class has been dominated by Kawasaki almost by default. The Ninja 250’s only competition has been the Hyosung which is kind of like pitting the Cambridge engineering squad against the run of the mill school up north. Neither engineering schools are too shabby but in the end the winner is the same, well that all just changed. Honda is getting back into the 250 game with their brand new cbr 250r and with the entire basket of modern tech goodies and styling it is looking like what will become a fun rider and head turner, on paper anyways. Oh and Honda proudly boasts of the 27 patents developed in the engine and chassis, how dare I forget.
Brakes:
The Honda has front and rear hydraulic disc brakes with only one disc up front instead of two. This helps keep the unsprung weight down and provide excellent handling response by lowering the gyroscopic effect. Honda also claims the first 250 to offer ABS which could be helpful to the beginning rider, especially in dirty or wet conditions.

Wheels:
Despite being a 250 the Honda comes standard with 17 inch wheels with sporty radial tires.
Chassis:
Honda targeted handling and predictable responses out of their new sport bike and to that end they focused on mass centralization. The diamond-configuration truss-braced twin-spar tubular steel frame does the job of being rigid and reducing engine vibrations. The Pro-Link spring system offers different levels of adjustability and dampening along with over 4.5 inches of front fork travel, which all ads up to a sporty ride when you want it and a soft, comfortable highway cruise when you do not.
Styling:
The first thing noticed is the straight rip off of the VRF styling. The cbr 250 looks like “Honey I Shrunk the Kids” met the VRF. The compact single cylinder engine allows for narrow aggressive styling, while the main center light gives an aggressive sport bike look from the front. The view from the sides and rear gives the view of a modern sleek, curvy sport bike, it’s not until you see the bike from the front are you able to realize it’s a 250. The exhaust is not under the tail like so many other CBR’s before it but rather a side mounted menacing single pipe flaring from the left side.

Of the three short ideas presented the group’s favorite was a short on the benefit of advanced riding classes held at race tracks. The idea served its purpose in catching the reader’s attention with what is a dangerous yet thrilling activity that not everyone gets the chance to try. After explaining that I could angle the article to show the obvious fun factor I could captivate the audience and show previously unthought-of safety benefits. The strongest aspect would be the novelty of the topic, due to costs, weather and location very few people get to experience track days, which also lead into what would be one of my biggest weaknesses. How do you place someone in the pilot’s seat of a death machine with just words? When writing the article I would have to keep the composed and excited tone of the magazine, despite all the thrills and adrenaline of the experience. The second problem is being able to get time to interview an instructor, many of which have many grand prix wins and current obligations. The diction of the article would definitely be technical with lots of analysis then shift to more vague terminology when describing the benefits of the class and the different feelings experienced throughout the day.

1) The short will cover the news of bikes and the new technologies seen in them. The feature motorcycle would be the new Honda cbr250r, the first true rival to Kawasaki’s Ninja 250. The article would show what only a few thousand can get you in the motorcycling community with lots of technological goodies.( It would also provide a lead to an upcoming comparison) The review would also discuss the many patents that came with the development of the motorcycle The article would target for those that may own a larger sportbike and are looking for a cheap, fun, fuel efficient secondary mode of transportation, or beginners looking to get into motorcycling. The secondary audience would be the motorcycle rider who has an interest in technological advancement in the motorcycle world.

2) “One to one” interview with a motorcycle racing course instructor. The questions would focus on instructors’ qualification requirement, what can be done to make the classes more accessible and the most important thing for street riders to practice to improve their skills. Would focus on accident rates and age of those involved in accidents. The benefits of racing courses and track days on young sportbike owners and their effect on safety. The angle would be a voice advocating more government rules to encourage advanced motorcycle riding courses and covering the “front line” supporters on motorcycle safety. The article would be aimed at all readers of the magazine to gain more motorcycling experience and increase their riding ability, while giving a few pointers of things to practice at home between track days.

3) The short would cover the stuntbike community developing “across the pond”. With focus on how the stuntbike community is influencing the motorcycle world. The story would be angled to show the aftermarket innovators that have developed around the community and how the modern up and coming racers actually are also beginning to stunt. Showing the influence of stunting on riders like dirt racers that know how to drift well in road racing when tires are not performing up to par. The article would be able to relate to young racers that like to stunt but also show the older audience of Motorcycle Sport and Leisure that the growing interest in different factions of motorcycling also has their influence and they can walk away with a sense of respect for all motorcyclists.

Justin Holt
ENC 3310
1/27/11
Jholt1010@gmail.com
Magazine Analysis
496
England strikes images of double-decker busses and the Tower Bridge, but England takes only one thing more seriously than tea and crumpets, motorcycles. Motorcycle Sport and Leisure, England’s premier motorcycle magazine, proves that to find the best magazine journalism on a niche hobby one only needs to go where others avoid and the “extremist” are. The English passion is best seen when one journalist noted how the temperature had doubled on his two hour drive to work, to a palm sweating 2 degrees. Other fat and pampered journalist would have called it a day after doing some laps around the block. The journalists expect the same interest out of their readers while not forgetting the ones who are just beginning. Motorcycle Sport and Leisure has separated itself from the many sport bike magazines by applying this interest to the whole spectrum of motorcycles instead of just bikes aimed at testosterone filled would be AMA superbike champions.
Purpose
Overwhelming the cover of Motorcycle Sport and Leisure is large text and pictures of the year’s “coolest” motorcycles in different categories. But the looming stare of Honda’s new adventure motorcycle dominates the reader’s attention. With an angry look of vengeance and enough power to shred the rear tire just leaving the neighborhood the “Cross tour” is unavoidable. The steel luggage side