How to research motorbikes & products before buying︱Cross Training Enduro

http://www.crosstrainingenduro.com http://tractionerag.com You want to buy a motorbike. Or new boots. A helmet. An anodized billet alloy gas cap. Most of us go online to research the product before we throw money at it. Here are some handy tips for how to research products on line and get the information you really need. Deciding which motorbike to buy? What are the best motorbike boots? The important point? Be sceptical! In the old days, motorbike journalists were critical and interested in the truth. Today? The vast majority of so called reviews are just promotional tools for the manufacturer. For example, Fly Racing does well with 4.8 out of 5. Thor runs a close second at 4.6. And Fox is limping along with only 3.3 and a lot of unhappy customers. Do you have any further tips for how to research products? Any horror stories with poor quality or customer service? Let us know in the comments. Which dirt bike should I buy? Best motorbike boots? They might be doing objective reviews, but it s a warning sign that money is part of the equation which makes it harder for them to be critical. So how do you find honest reviews? Instead of just googling reviews, try typing these terms with your search. Problems. Known issues. Long term review. This search for Fox Instinct boots quickly reveals issues with breaking buckles and soles and heels falling off. You can also go onto various forums and Facebook pages and ask for people s experiences with a certain product or bike. Again, be sceptical. Just because one guy hates a particular bike or product does not mean it s bad. You are looking for a consistent theme. For example, when we first heard about straps coming off Airoh and Leatt helmets due to rust, we had to google around a lot to establish it was not just an isolated incident. What else? Be more sceptical as the brand gets bigger. Typically a brand starts as a family business that is passionate about the product. As they grow, they are often bought out by bigger companies, or in cases like Fox or Suomy, by huge investment companies. An example? I googled for Sherco SEF 300 reviews. Some online magazines just regurgitate the manufacturer s ads and call it a review. Other magazines actually do ride the bike but just say how wonderful it is. Watch for fake criticism, such as "at first we didn t like the suspension but we adjusted the clickers and then it was amazing!" Unfortunately, motojournalists are usually more interested in money than the truth. If a review isn t trying to be critical, it s usually just a big ad pretending a review. As they grow, quality can decrease as the emphasis on profit grows. This is often when production is moved to China too. An accountant for a major brand told us they more than doubled their profits by moving to factories in China as they did not reduce their prices. He said this is common practice across a number of brands. We recently looked at boots and came up with this list. Of course, Chinese production does not automatically mean crap quality, but it s certainly something to watch out for. Look for the tiny print on the outside of packaging or inside labels. With motorbikes, it seems KTM is now making this transition. Half owned by an Indian company, they have made various road bikes in India for several years now, and most of the adventure bikes are now being made in China. The dirt bikes already feature parts made in China, will the bikes eventually be made in China too? Time will tell. What about social media influencers? Again, be sceptical of Youtube channels and Facebook pages, like mine, that do so called reviews on motorbikes and dirt bike products. Look out for those useless video reviews where they just line up products on a counter and talk about them. Or unboxing a product. Given me a break. What about those more detailed reviews where they test them? Usually the understanding is "I will give you free or discounted motorbike stuff if you say nice things about it". Look out for social media influencers offering prizes and constantly referring you to their affiliate marketing links. Occasionally a brand will feature a feedback section on their official Facebook page. This can give an overall indication of the product quality and customer support. Cross Training Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJAvmhgP0h1AEKY8vTEJPJg Cross Training Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/cross.training.enduro.skills/?ref=ts Our enduro vlog series: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLlur54ugvzNJlUO0y6D10jVOGMLI4Raci Let us know if we used your music but forgot to credit you. Many thanks to the following artists for their copyright free music in various vids: Music: https://www.purple-planet.com Music: https://audionautix.com/ Music by Tobu: https://tobu.io Music: https://www.bensound.com/royalty-free-music Music: https://soundimage.org #crosstrainingenduro #enduro #tractionerag #dirtbike