Shootout changes needed

          Magoo’s whole paragraph is Spot -on.  A lot of hate on this site for MXA, most is unwarranted. 

No mater what it is always room for improvement.  With that said the test are so much better than years back.  Another thing that’s important is how a person interprets the Information in a test, shootout etc.  Many of us me included tend to key on the good things and think it will overcome the bad.  The test even play to that same tune in some cases.  In my old age I’m learning that may not always be the case.  My 23 Honda 250R for example.  It didn’t win any shootouts but it had a lot going for it for a practice day during the week guy like me.  Good power band, well engineered, great rider triangle.  Not the best suspension but can be dialed in.  Some of the test mentioned not very forgiving cornering etc.  I read didn’t read into that enough.  It’s the truth, it can be tricky in a corner, in and out.  It performs great if you do everything right and my take it s a good scooter for a fast guy.  But in my case I ran out of talent many years ago lol.

My point, what we do with the information is just as important as the test.  

I also wish they would test the bikes on actual dirt. Pounded-out hard-pack moon dirt does not exist on the East Coast. The West Coast tracks all seem to be open, flowy, and fast. It would be nice to see them test on a tighter, rutted, and more East Coast-inspired setup. 

Yes, really. I take it you’ve never ridden an 05-08 Honda? My 06 is the only bike I haven’t sold. Bulletproof and by far one of the best chassis ever made. There’s a reason people will say the second gen Honda four strokes are some of the best bikes ever made. 

How many of us actually buy based on shootout results? The last bike I bought was a 21 YZ450. It won the shootouts that year, but I was dead set on a KX because the shootouts all raves about the ergos. I walked into the Kawi dealer and asked what they wanted for a new KX that had clumps of dirt still on it from being demoed or lent out. The sales guy did two “check with my manager” trips before he came back with a piece of paper with a bunch of bullshit numbers and a total price over $12,000 on it. I drove straight over to the Yamaha shop and had a deal worked out in 5 mins for a new YZ450 at sticker price. No shootout result is going to make that a difficult decision. 
 

I think buying a bike is half about what you want to spend your money on and half who you want to spend your money with. Shootouts can be tie breakers for those marginal cases, but in the three times I’ve bought a bike from a dealer I’ve never had that come up. 
 

This is a very good point above on why people buy.  

I ended up with a 23 Honda cause I couldn’t find a 23 YZF 250.  Honda was on a show room floor at a dealer I’d done business with before.  Once I realized what I was going to buy I read all I could.  With that said I really didn’t glean what the shootouts and test really were trying to say about  2023 Honda 250 R.  Not because I’m old and dumb, cause ya got to spend time on something before you get a feel for it.  At least I do.

I give Kris Keefer credit, his test a pretty dang good.  I might take his opinion over a shootout in some if not all cases.  

One idea I've seen, maybe it was on an ATV shootout, was they took the difference in price from the highest price bike, I guess it would be Husky, and spent enough on the others to make the money about equal. So the Husky would be stock, but the Suzuki would get things like a pipe, maybe some suspension work, tires, bars etc until it cost the same as the Husky. That puts all the bikes on equal standing from the customer's perspective. 

The main thing I get from shootouts is just to get a general idea about the characteristics of a bike. I have a rough idea of what I like, so I just use the shootouts and rider opinions to help get an idea if a bike fits my preferences. And then I also like to hear real world reviews on here etc. The actual results don't matter to me. There is maybe some level of entertainment/talking point with the results though. But being on the east coast, a lot of times, the feedback of Glen Helen or whatever, dont apply anyways. 

I still think MXA is the most thorough and honest test reviews out there. I used to like their updated reviews after 40 races. Hi Jody👍

I learned a long time ago to not listen to shootouts; when a publication praised 4cs forks. 
That very fact in and of it’s self has opened my eyes to the despicable facade called “shootouts”. 

Agreed.  It would be a cool mix up. I just don’t find the shootouts to be that interesting. For entertainment it would be cool to see old vs new so they can discuss how the bikes evolved. Things the old bikes did well and not so well, and just make some great content in general.
 

my old 4 speed kx 450 is still my the best bike I’ve ridden. It’s been so long though that I’d love to see them side by side. 

I've never been big on shootouts, unless one bike is sooo much better than the others. Other factors are equally as important as the performance of the bike.

The OEM’s laugh at MXA is what you should have written.