Mxa and jody

observer
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observer 5/12/2014 8:38pm
5/12/2014 8:38pm
davistld01 wrote:
I've always been an MXA fan for many reasons...first that Jody is my age, and from my home state, and although we never raced together that...
I've always been an MXA fan for many reasons...first that Jody is my age, and from my home state, and although we never raced together that I know of we know some of the same people. He has been there & done that, and seems like a pretty good dude too. I like him.

Secondly, I believe that they report what they feel about a bike with no bias, unlike some others. Some say they recommend an extra tooth on every sprocket and an offset set of clamps on every bike...but at least they're honest and don't recommend the average guy spend $5000 on a hot-rod motor and suspension work just to please their pet sponsors!

Thirdly, they are a "family friendly" publication, and don't allow any of the sexed up ads from aftermarket companies that other magazines are filled with. Roland Hinz is the publisher, and is a Christian man who is very careful to keep anything that might be offensive to parents of the kids that are the DNA of our sport out of MXA, and others that he publishes. Whether you share his belief system or not, you have to admire him for doing what he feels is right and keep publishing a quality moto-magazine that has stood the test of time.
"Like" Wink
observer
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observer 5/12/2014 8:47pm
5/12/2014 8:47pm
Yip, same here....
Picked them up off the mag rack way back in what?, 74-5? Used to wear the ink off the covers & dog ear 'em big time while in high school. Like another guy said, when I pick up MXA, I'm picking up moto history. Been around a loooong time.
Between MXA and Pop Cycle (Rolf Tibblins traingn articles)....kept me entertained in high school. Wink
Travis_Hudson 5/12/2014 9:17pm
5/12/2014 9:17pm
I still like the magazine, and will continue to buy it, I don't think there is a overall better option out there right now.
BobbyM
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BobbyM 5/12/2014 9:59pm
5/12/2014 9:59pm
benchracermx wrote:
...was just reading my latest issue of mxa and it got me thinking. Over the years I have seen mxa and jody take some flack on...
...was just reading my latest issue of mxa and it got me thinking. Over the years I have seen mxa and jody take some flack on this site and I was woundering why, (I am from uk). For me one of the best bits is reading body's box stories.., the guy seems legit and seems to have a vast knowledge of all things moto! I only hope I will be riding at his age. As for the magazine I believe it's the best American mag av came across.. Most of the others I read have loads of advertising with very little decent content, I know mxa can be a bit the same when it comes to bike tests... Up a tooth on the rear etc but they do seem to be pretty thorough and provide good info.
So am I missing something???
I like Jody but don't read MXA very often anymore.

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Cancerman
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Cancerman 5/12/2014 11:15pm
5/12/2014 11:15pm
mx_563 wrote:
I started seeing Jody's Box columns getting recycled and that made me lose some respect. Meanwhile the upstart Basher can't even get a legitimate full page...
I started seeing Jody's Box columns getting recycled and that made me lose some respect. Meanwhile the upstart Basher can't even get a legitimate full page column but is instead relegated to a half page in the "DIRT" section. The critical test reports can be entertaining but that doesn't necessarily make them accurate. Rick Siemen once stated that Jody was the one who used to write the "On the Mainjet" column purportedly written by the publisher Roland Hinz (the column was removed from the magazine several years ago). That made me further lose some respect for the magazine.

Jody is in his late 60s and I would guess that the Publisher Roland Hinz is at least that old if not older. I'm really curious how things will evolve over there in the coming years. Will Basher, Stapleton and Ecklund make it more contemporary or continue to cater to the "mature" crowd? Is the wrecking crew taking resumes? Should be interesting as Jody breaks the seven decade mark and moves further away from the action sport demographic.
It's my understanding that other than in the AMA Pro ranks, and the up and coming youth "Pro hopefuls", the major money being spent on bikes and parts is the over 40 year old and above vets. They are the ones who spend the big bucks on MX. The vet classes are the most crowded classes at most events, other than at LL or mini O's. In my area they combine all the under 30 yr old classes because of lack or riders.

I have MXA issues that I saved for every bike I own, ride, or help people out with. It provides me with very accurate setup data.

And I've been a reader since the first issue. And yes, I'm an old fart at 55 years and counting. Still a big fan.
JordanB
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JordanB 5/12/2014 11:18pm
5/12/2014 11:18pm
Jody redid a few on his fathers bday and fathers day. Like 10 years apart
It stated so.
I rather enjoyed the "my father never saw me race" version.
I had missed it the first time.
The Rock
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The Rock 5/13/2014 12:26am
5/13/2014 12:26am Edited Date/Time 5/13/2014 12:30am
Cancerman wrote:
It's my understanding that other than in the AMA Pro ranks, and the up and coming youth "Pro hopefuls", the major money being spent on bikes...
It's my understanding that other than in the AMA Pro ranks, and the up and coming youth "Pro hopefuls", the major money being spent on bikes and parts is the over 40 year old and above vets. They are the ones who spend the big bucks on MX. The vet classes are the most crowded classes at most events, other than at LL or mini O's. In my area they combine all the under 30 yr old classes because of lack or riders.

I have MXA issues that I saved for every bike I own, ride, or help people out with. It provides me with very accurate setup data.

And I've been a reader since the first issue. And yes, I'm an old fart at 55 years and counting. Still a big fan.
Example of what isn't helping: Buddy of mine in MN told me that one weekend there were three tracks all racing on the same day instead of splitting up the dates and maybe even doing a series. These tracks were instead going head to head and all suffering from low turnouts.

Got my first Dirt Bike in summer of 71 and I am thinking 72 or 73 for MXA. I remember the day I bought the Dirt Bike when and where but the MXA my first recollection of it was reading it in high school at lunch time. It had the Pete Pzylagi (sp) centerfold with all the trick gear of the day.

Last couple of Jody's columns have been good. I really could relate to the one about the lengths racers go to in order to make the next race.
mark_swart
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mark_swart 5/13/2014 12:46am
5/13/2014 12:46am
Been reading MXA since the mid-80s. Their bike tests are the best and they aren't afraid to take a stand.

The month before last, Jody's Box was on the topic of what it means to be a racer, why we do it. That was an outstanding read and I actually thought about starting a thread in here just to talk about the column. Really, really good.

I appreciate their role in the sport and their efforts to keep current generations in tune with moto history also.

That being said, I'm pretty much over r their heavy-handed attempts to romanticize people into thinking that 125s are viable race bikes. In their own class, sure. But if a guy on a 125 manages to beat a guy on a 250F, then that same 125 guy would have demolished the 250F guy on equal machinery. So I have to wonder if getting people to sink a bunch of coin into fixing up an old bike isn't really just setting them up to get their asses kicked and maybe even leading people away from the sport. I love the simplicity and fun factor of two strokes, but they need to at least be honest in this area. In the end motocross is about racing and competing, and whatever cuts the fastest laps is the best choice for racing. I know, I know, they have to come up with something to fill the pages....
rangot
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rangot 5/13/2014 12:47am
5/13/2014 12:47am
I can't stand Jody and his positions, change of opinions, bias/dumb comments... Sure he's been there/done that, but the guy is just too full of himself. I don't like the fact he has copied/pasted old Jody's box to use them later either. That's just wrong, and i am a journalist myself. And as a bike tester, i can assure you that their tests are not as accurate as everybody seems to think. Let's say it's better to be friend with them than not. Or maybe tracks are so differents it's not even comparable... One thing they have fo them, they have the bikes for a looonnng time, compared to us in France/Europe. I guess being the number one market help.
One word one their internet site (different deal, i know). I am French, ok, so not too good in foreign languages, and i am more than often annoyed by the typo/spelling on this thing. Sometimes it's just painfull to read, it looks like a post on a Bieber forum by a 14 y/o. WTF ? Don't they have a proof reader?
Madmax31
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Madmax31 5/13/2014 6:05am
5/13/2014 6:05am
Been reading MXA since the late 70's. Still get excited when a new one gets delivered. MXA fo life.
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Racer92 5/13/2014 6:15am
5/13/2014 6:15am
Madmax31 wrote:
Been reading MXA since the late 70's. Still get excited when a new one gets delivered. MXA fo life.
Same here, since the 70s.
mx_563
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mx_563 5/13/2014 7:58am
5/13/2014 7:58am
Cancerman wrote:
It's my understanding that other than in the AMA Pro ranks, and the up and coming youth "Pro hopefuls", the major money being spent on bikes...
It's my understanding that other than in the AMA Pro ranks, and the up and coming youth "Pro hopefuls", the major money being spent on bikes and parts is the over 40 year old and above vets. They are the ones who spend the big bucks on MX. The vet classes are the most crowded classes at most events, other than at LL or mini O's. In my area they combine all the under 30 yr old classes because of lack or riders.

I have MXA issues that I saved for every bike I own, ride, or help people out with. It provides me with very accurate setup data.

And I've been a reader since the first issue. And yes, I'm an old fart at 55 years and counting. Still a big fan.
How do you know that MXA provides you with accurate data? Isn't bike testing in large part subjective? Wouldn't you agree that there is value in reading multiple opinions and being able to identify whose opinion you are reading?

What about the cronyism? Does that not concern you? Why are we reading about Willy Musgrave's go-cart in a motocross magazine? If you are outside the Norco sphere of influence, do you even know or care who Willy Musgrave is? (no disrespect intended to Mr. Musgrave)

I'm 39 and I appreciate a lot of what Jody has to offer. But in my opinion, there's more to a good MX magazine than age appropriateness and brash opinion pieces.
CamP
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CamP 5/13/2014 8:31am
5/13/2014 8:31am
You can't please all the people, all the time.
Adam43
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Adam43 5/13/2014 8:51am
5/13/2014 8:51am
MXA is the only mag that is still an essential read for me. They've earned that, because over the years I've found their findings to correlate pretty closely to my own observations.

Jody can produce brilliant writing when he puts his mind to it.

There are missteps. MXA seemed temporarily obsessed with supermoto and the mini-craze, thankfully that has ended. Recycling decades old MXA and Motocross Journal articles sometimes reeks of laziness. They seem more disconnected from the AMA Pro scene than ever, but I don't think that's always bad. It remains a publication for racers, while most of the others have devolved into fan mags.
DoctorJD
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DoctorJD 5/13/2014 8:56am
5/13/2014 8:56am
Madmax31 wrote:
Been reading MXA since the late 70's. Still get excited when a new one gets delivered. MXA fo life.
Racer92 wrote:
Same here, since the 70s.
Since 76' here.
benchracermx 5/13/2014 10:29am
5/13/2014 10:29am
Adam43 wrote:
MXA is the only mag that is still an essential read for me. They've earned that, because over the years I've found their findings to correlate...
MXA is the only mag that is still an essential read for me. They've earned that, because over the years I've found their findings to correlate pretty closely to my own observations.

Jody can produce brilliant writing when he puts his mind to it.

There are missteps. MXA seemed temporarily obsessed with supermoto and the mini-craze, thankfully that has ended. Recycling decades old MXA and Motocross Journal articles sometimes reeks of laziness. They seem more disconnected from the AMA Pro scene than ever, but I don't think that's always bad. It remains a publication for racers, while most of the others have devolved into fan mags.
Agree
Stonedmason
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Stonedmason 5/13/2014 11:09am
5/13/2014 11:09am
Best magazine I have ever had the pleasure of reading . Jody is a stand up guy and runs a great publication .
OW38B
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OW38B 5/15/2014 9:43am
5/15/2014 9:43am
OK, I'll say it........MXA is Core.




And I like Racer X, Transworld, Dirt Rider, et al.

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BevoDave
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BevoDave 5/15/2014 2:09pm
5/15/2014 2:09pm
peelout wrote:
i still like the print magazine, but their website is absolutely horrible
+1
newmann
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newmann 5/15/2014 2:56pm
5/15/2014 2:56pm
Funny that some of you complain about MXA rehashing old shit. Hell, how many moto magazines are still even around to regurgitate shit from ten years ago? Twenty? Thirty? I won't even suggest forty.....
al711
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al711 5/15/2014 3:02pm
5/15/2014 3:02pm Edited Date/Time 5/15/2014 3:03pm
MXA is my favorite as well, I'm 48 so i've been a loyal fan for decades. I like Dirt Rider also, but Transworld seems a little to " bro" for me, even though I met Swap at LL's a few years ago and he seemed like a pretty nice guy.
jjavaman
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jjavaman 3/13/2015 7:09pm
3/13/2015 7:09pm
As the ad used to say, I Want my Mxa
Madc32
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Madc32 3/13/2015 7:19pm
3/13/2015 7:19pm
hillbilly wrote:
Americans cant stand someone who knows more than them. Most on here know a lot and dont have much to get bent about. A few here...
Americans cant stand someone who knows more than them.

Most on here know a lot and dont have much to get bent about.

A few here know nothing and are bent all the time.
+1
Mr. Info
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Mr. Info 3/13/2015 7:25pm
3/13/2015 7:25pm
All I can say is each Mag has its Followers and Haters. I think the best thing is start your own and we can pick on you. Keeping it simple.
Madc32
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Madc32 3/13/2015 7:34pm
3/13/2015 7:34pm
JordanB wrote:
Jody redid a few on his fathers bday and fathers day. Like 10 years apart It stated so. I rather enjoyed the "my father never saw...
Jody redid a few on his fathers bday and fathers day. Like 10 years apart
It stated so.
I rather enjoyed the "my father never saw me race" version.
I had missed it the first time.
Me to.
Sargent Rock
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Sargent Rock 3/13/2015 7:40pm
3/13/2015 7:40pm
baker_25_ccso wrote:
I still look forward to the 5th-9th every month when my MXA arrives ! Still the best core moto magazine there is for bikes, test and...
I still look forward to the 5th-9th every month when my MXA arrives ! Still the best core moto magazine there is for bikes, test and products !!!
Absolutely, best magazine out there.
jimmie
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jimmie 3/13/2015 8:06pm
3/13/2015 8:06pm Edited Date/Time 3/13/2015 8:13pm
This is how it all started. I have every single MXA ever published (sans two issues) up until 2011.
Still enjoy reading MXA, both archived and current...

Cancerman
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Cancerman 3/13/2015 10:14pm
3/13/2015 10:14pm Edited Date/Time 3/13/2015 10:16pm
Cancerman wrote:
It's my understanding that other than in the AMA Pro ranks, and the up and coming youth "Pro hopefuls", the major money being spent on bikes...
It's my understanding that other than in the AMA Pro ranks, and the up and coming youth "Pro hopefuls", the major money being spent on bikes and parts is the over 40 year old and above vets. They are the ones who spend the big bucks on MX. The vet classes are the most crowded classes at most events, other than at LL or mini O's. In my area they combine all the under 30 yr old classes because of lack or riders.

I have MXA issues that I saved for every bike I own, ride, or help people out with. It provides me with very accurate setup data.

And I've been a reader since the first issue. And yes, I'm an old fart at 55 years and counting. Still a big fan.
mx_563 wrote:
How do you know that MXA provides you with accurate data? Isn't bike testing in large part subjective? Wouldn't you agree that there is value in...
How do you know that MXA provides you with accurate data? Isn't bike testing in large part subjective? Wouldn't you agree that there is value in reading multiple opinions and being able to identify whose opinion you are reading?

What about the cronyism? Does that not concern you? Why are we reading about Willy Musgrave's go-cart in a motocross magazine? If you are outside the Norco sphere of influence, do you even know or care who Willy Musgrave is? (no disrespect intended to Mr. Musgrave)

I'm 39 and I appreciate a lot of what Jody has to offer. But in my opinion, there's more to a good MX magazine than age appropriateness and brash opinion pieces.
MXA may miss the mark on occasion, but for the most part, their test data is a pretty good start for sea level elevation, and if you fit the size & weight they use. They even tell you it's a starting point for you to use to find you own settings. I feel thatif you are a rider/racer, and are interested in the machines we race and the equipment we use, MXA is the magazine to read. When I want to "Fan Boy" and read about the social stuff, Racer X and Transworld are the ones to read. To each his own.Grinning Oh, and I'm 56 now...and I ride a 125.....so get off my lawn!Wink
MudPup545
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MudPup545 3/14/2015 6:13am
3/14/2015 6:13am
I've had a subscription since the October 1982 issue. Still have everyone. A few are even autographed, (Bailey, Glover, Alessi, Glover, Dungey and Larocco) framed and hanging on the walls of my mancave. Best MX magazine ever. Not perfect but, nothing is.
Halfast816 3/14/2015 7:10am
3/14/2015 7:10am
I don't wear a flat bill , not a fan of piercings nor do I appreciate body ink. I like well thought out articles that assume I will understand. MXA has been there through all of my trials and tribulations in life. When I'm done with the mag it still looks like it did when I used to wear them out in study hall with endless paging through in fear of missing something. After 40 years of imagining I finally was treated to a picture of Lovely Louella. I enjoyed relating Jody's pals with guys I knew at the track. I still have that feeling I did when my first copy came in the mailbox, forgetting everything else and 'running' (best I can with bad everything) back to the house to read it. I'm a moto addict so I do read and have subscriptions to all the other mags as well. Yet MXA still holds a special place with me, as they say you never forget your first......

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