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Knowledgeable guys please reply.

I'm not a "knowledgeable guy", but would like to ask few questions out of common sense...

1. Who is Keith Code?
2. What is the difference between camber-off & negative camber AND banking & positive camber?
3. What is RP? And what're the guidelines to choose a RP?
4. What happens to acceleration & speed with smaller sprockets have reduced tooth with custom front & rear sprockets? How do they behave?
5. What are the USPs for BMW, Ducati & HD?
6. What're the thumb rules to keep in mind when applying brakes on tarmac with sand?
7. Name two automobile companies who are into car making today but used to make aircraft engine?
8. Name the automobiles company(s) who originally did not start with making automobiles?
9. Which is the most dangerous sport Isle of man TT or Moto GP? And why?
10. Why does RON goes up when CR goes up? Instead why not increase the CR a little more & make the engine to run on Diesel?

Be true to yourself not to use Google to find out the answers IF you're unable to answer for atleast 7 of the above. The above are basic fundamentals to know before you venture into serious business.

All the anwers given below are according to my knowledge and logically thought by me, So if any answers are needed to be corrected, please do so and you can also laugh at my stupidity if you find so in the answers.
PS: Google has not been used as briefed.
1. Keith code is the founder of a racing school in california and has also written few books if im not wrong.
2. Well, im not so sure about this as have very little idea, but what i know is negative camber is when the lower part of the wheel is outside compared to upper part and positive camber means the upper part of the wheel is outside as compared to lower part, in layman's term.
Now the difference what i THINK is negative and positive cambers are the types of cambers according which the wheels can be aligned, and off camber and banking are the the corners wherein the incline in off camber is outside the turn (example if your taking a left turn, the incline is in the right) and the incline in banking is on the inside of the turn (if your taking left turn, the incline is in left)
Also, what i THINK is, to get a good high speed turn, the wheels should be aligned in a manner keeping in consideration the turns and bends of the road so as the angle in the road and the wheel should be more on the right angle side.
3. No clue about what is an RP. Let me know the full form of it as sometimes it happens that i know what it is but cant figure out due to abbreviation. (Eg, i once didnt know that FE means Fuel efficiency, though i knew what is Fuel /efficiency actually.)
4. According to my understanding, smaller the sprockets, higher the acceleration, as the engine would need lower number of rpm to rotate that small sprocket, however i guess the top speed may get a little negatively affected (this is what i once experimented during school days on my hero hawk bicycle)
5. USP for BMW and Ducati is the awesome power they produce in terms of SBKs and also BMW has the K series which i believe are good tourers (especially for our potholed roads) and HDs have superb sound and great comfort and sturdy on the highways as tourers.
6. No panic brakes, combination of downshift (deceleration) + rear brake + a small pull on the front brake (Im aware that normal braking like 50% rear and 50% front brakes result in an uncontrolled slide)
7. Rolls royce for sure and not too sure of Audi as recently i saw on channel BIG RTL Thrill and the show was 'Josh sports' wherein it was shown that there were air races organised which had Audi aircrafts.
8. Im aware of Peugeot but not very sure of Tata
9. Isle of man tourist trophy, reason, imho is that the tracks built for moto gp are made for the purpose of racing only, whereas, in the isle of man, the roads are built for commuting purpose.
10. I have no idea about it.

1 - Right
2 - Need explanation & you know where to look for answer
3. Reference point to be chosen which is stationary
4. Go through the world of sprockets thread; acceleration at the cost of high speed & viceversa
5. BMW - Boxer; Ducati - Valves; HD - Single pin
6. Go through braking articles here
7. BMW & Rolls Royce
8. Kawasaki (Ship), Yamaha (Music), Suzuki (Spinning mill)
9. Isle of man TT - Pure stress test; on streets; lasts for 24 hours
10. Basic principle of Petrol & Diesel engines are different

My point here is not to get 10/10 or to lol at you; just to say one simple sentence that...it takes more to become a professional from a hobbyist; most of us are hobbyist, if you want to take it as profession, you got 15 more years to graduate; your passion towards the field will determine whether it's going to take 15 years or 15 months.

Good luck

@viks The first thing you'd need is a degree in Mass Communications, as well as expertise in camerawork (motography!). Knowledge/Expertise in the motorcycling domain would naturally be a precursor.

This area of interest (in general, any career creative arts) will need a good combination of skill, perseverance and sheer luck, and more often than not, you will have to begin your career as an apprentice under some professional. Again, depending on whether you want to go into print media or visual media, you can approach Indian automags (e.g. Business Standard etc) or visual media (eg.NDTV) with your portfolio, though at times you may need to make humbler beginnings as well. Have a content-rich blog, and it sure helps if you have a good traffic on your blogs.

Hope that helped. I am no expert myself and if I am mistaken at any point, I would appreciate if someone corrects me.

Well...if you're a subject matter expert, then everything else will fall into place; haven't we heard action speaks louder than words & knowledge is like light that spreads in all directions?

And most importantly...media these days only want what the mass wants to hear; expert & honest opinions are things of past

@viks: At-least two guys on xbhp (bunnypunia and payeng) are motorcycle journalists/bloggers. Maybe you could PM them for some more guidance.
LinkedIn is also a very good source to build contacts and initiate conversation with people who have worked in this field. If you are really passionate about being a motorcycle journalist, how about starting your own blog. It will help you research and build up your portfolio apart from improving your article writing skills. As others have pointed out, sound knowledge of motorcycling and its history is a precursor.

@RG saar....Praying that your words would hold true for so many aspirants. But fact is, in the corporate world, being an expert alone is not enough...I encounter that situation atleast 2-3 times everyday in my current job role where expert expectants are shown the nearest exit, due to reasons best known to clients.
I mean, seriously, what difference would it make to a client whether a java developer is a B.Tech from a leading university or a B.A from some nameless university, as long as he is really efficient and can develop excellent codes? But unfortunately, it does happen.

^^^ Sachin & Rahman are not good orators

Hey man,

As far as i am aware of.. if you are serious about taking up this profession then first improve your writing skills.. try say taking your bike on a long ride and then express it on paper and then match it with some of the well known indian and foreign magazines and see where do you lack in your writing and vocabulary. Magazine writing is just not about stating facts but also how to keep a reader engaged to any story that you write and publish. It has to have a certain sense of humour, flair and yet keep the zing alive. You will also have to master the art of rubbishing a product yet balance it out in keeping the verdict diplomatically neutral so that the manufacturer does send you other products to review in future and not get ticked off because you were really mean to their product in one of your earlier write up (FACT!!).

Secondly, a good knowledge about magazine page layout softwares will do good to you in the likes of Adobe InDesign etc. As besides page layout an understanding of such software gives you an advantage of how to make changes if needed.

Then all you have to do is start writing a letter to the editor (every magazine has details of the editor and publishing house contact details as per the Indian Press Act.) seeking for apprentice/internship (willing to work without pay also at first: except may be bearing basic cost of travel and food, if needed!! Corporates love free meals!!) along with send some of your writings; one about say bike, car and one general travelogue and any write up of your field of interest. This allows them to gauge you as a potential writer.

Remember your money's worth will be decided on the writing skills. It is not mandatory that you will have to be from a certain school of masters of journalism only to secure a job. Unlike other fields of studies like engineering, finance, IT and marketing, It doesn't work like that in the field of media. You can be a simple graduate only and also get a good job and decent pay if you can write that's all!! However, having said that doing further studies does help as you are exposed to different styles of writing in print, understanding how to approach a subject and then improve on your writing style even better.

A Magazine division usually has an art team which designs the magazine layouts along with pictures in single spreads, double spreads etc., a writer team to cover the story/feature, a proof reading/production team to organise and keep an eye on the vocabulary and tweak the story as per needed and in today's era an online team to take care of the social tweets and FB stuff. Besides that ofcourse you have the marketing and sales team to take care of the advertisements which is the sole bread and butter for any magazine to make monies on.. So based on your skill sets and field of interest you may approach them accordingly.

Hope this info was good enough...

(How do i know all this?? well everyone has their secrets and i have mine :P )


Cheers,

Can I apply??? Can I apply for the job??? Please!!!!!

Thanks a ton for all the replies, have helped me find directions towards the goal, planning to start a blog in last week of april in xbhp itself. and also thanks for the knowledge given. I now realize that i have a lot lot n lot to learn, with maximum dedication, i would try to learn all the stuff in 15 months rather than 15 years, and thanks for encouragement as well. Heading towards the right direction now.

Re: Job as a motorcycle journalist/test rider?

Buddy, its an area where there's good competition already. Let me pinpoint the ways motojournos live their life:

1. They don't get a Superbike's key at the very first month of job. Or any key for that matter. They just learn with their seniors.

2. Their life is very unpredictable. They might have to travel here and there all the time, ignoring family, other needs, etc. You might have to go to other cities to attend launches. Arrange hotels, etc. yourself.

3. Most of the time they're under pressure to complete test reports, articles, etc. at the last minute. Eating, sleeping, anything can be compromised for this.

4. They have to have good knowledge otherwise a small mistake will get them insulted, specially with internet's presence.
Example: Once Bike India guys said to a R15 owner, that R15 can be used with an aftermarket air filter easily because it has Fuel injection which adjusts fuelling automatically.
What they didn't know was that there was no O2/ Oxygen sensor in the exhaust to determine the AFR of the burnt fuel. Assuming that if it even had that sensor, some Fi's treat too much air inflow as engine malfunction, and a light blinks on the console. R15's Fi system is open looped, not closed looped.
And if they rode R15 a lot, they would've noticed how it touches 140 sometimes, and struggles with even 135 at other times, despite temperature being constant. Why is it so? Due to oxygen variation in the air, AFR is affected in R15's just by the fact that where you live.

5. They have to risk their life at most times later on.
So, KTM just released a new Duke in India? You'll have to ride it hard, post a wheelie & stoppie for the camera for the "Wow" factor. And log in the test equipment, and test its acceleration. Acceleration of a bike making 72 bhp, the one you just got for 1-2 days only. If you catch a wet/ dusty patch, you might end up on the ground.

6. There are usually set times for coming into the office, but not for going.

7. Today, they have to maintain their internet presence too. And I don't mean a Xbhp ID and a facebook ID.... I mean everything- google+, Orkut, Facebook, linkedin, other blogs and sites, etc. They have to keep updated. Yesterday's knowledge will not save their a** tomorrow.


And let me tell you- Answering RG's questions, I got 8 out of 10 correct without using any external source of info (didn't get question 2 and 3 though). And out of those, 6 I would rate as perfect answers.
But I'm not a moto-journalist. It takes a lot more, to be one, than just having the right information.

If you think you have it in you, start writing a blog for some time. Try doing some diploma or degree in Journalism. Try approaching Bike India office in Pune. You might not get the best salary at this stage, but if you have the potential, you will learn a lot by working as an intern.
Just remember buddy, I'm a college lecturer, a career counselor and after having attended almost 6-7 interviews I can say-- more than your degree & percentage, your talent and the "fire in your belly" matters. If you can do good work & produce good content, anyone gives a zilch about your degree!
If pain is your game, and the ride is your life. Go on.

I will follow your blog. Just inform me... I'll try to help you if I can.