Hi fellow xbhpians,
i always wanted to be a motorcycle journalist/test rider for bikes but didnt have much knowledge of bikes, riding since i was 11 years old, started with my dad's caliber croma, used to steal keys n ride. and after that, from 11yrs of age till 21 yrs of age was my education period, however, now is my working period started, so i want help on how to go about being a motorcycle journalist/test rider.
Guys please help as i want to take it very seriously.

[1] Passion for motorcycles/automobiles

[2] Read a lot of stuff written about them by other guys (be wary of the stuff found online.. as most of them are baseless/useless, copy-pasted with half cooked gyan). Apart from learning about bikes this will teach you on how stuff is written and help you find your style of writing

[3] A decent command over the language and ability to put it in words, in a distinct style of your own

[4] Develop contacts with journos/publication guys as there is no fixed recruitment process followed in this industry

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.

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.

Wow, that was an awesome piece of knowledge and support, hats off man, well i guess R15 may not be a very good choice for rides like leh, ladakh as the O2 levels are comparitively lower , and yes planning to start a blog this month end (around 29th or 30th) but honestly dont know what topic to go for as i have a few topics in mind (like offroading action on a hero impulse, All about After market Projectors and HID Lights on bikes which would also include some legalities, and 2 more topics)
Help needed:
What are the basic guidelines for writing a blog (Except good command over language, awesome pics, great and relevant content, a pint humour, catchy title)
I have read many blogs but found many differences in them (few explain in layman terms while others in technical jargons, What's better?)

Thanks buddy. R15 is not that bad, just that its AFR may go slightly up or down in different weather. That results in only slight performance difference, hardly a big factor. For Leh, Ladakh, etc. on a R15, I would say the riding position is the bigger scare, atleast for me.

See, for HID and after market projectors, bikers can check out Xbhp itself, unless you're in that business and will do such stuff everyday/ every month.

As an idea, why don't you start with a blog about Weekly news? I said so because in the world of internet, you will find isolated news items everywhere. What you won't find usually is a USEFUL SUMMARY of the entire "biking scene of India" for a period. Bikers are a busy breed and find it difficult to catch every news...

These can be the main points you should ponder upon:
1. You will present a weekly summary of the biking events, news, etc. in simple language with a twist of humor or entertaining/artistic writing skill. Weekly means you'll get a lot of time to collect stuff.

2. On every Saturday night, you will post the summary of all events. So that on Sunday, all should be able to read it in leisure.

3. The motto should be "making you aware, giving you info with a personalised touch and cutting all the unneeded stuff".

EXAMPLE: In the below lines, you can find 5 news items but also, check how they're being related to each other:



Later on, you can go on and add Weekly rides on Wednesdays if you can keep up... and keep adding news summary on Saturday nights. And yes, you can email me your planned postings, so that I may add my suggestions before you actually post it. I'll try my best to help.


@ bbsrailfan: Thanks buddy. Will attach it to my Xbhp blog entries...

@ rachitkdogra: Thanks buddy. Over the years, I have seen and read how journos spend their life. Its a totally different code of work, not the 9 to 5, task completion job that often is expected from it. It may be tiring, but its not a boring job though.

..So just drive man.

Chow
Pratap

Is there any job openings? Sorry, this is one job I'm really interested in, would be great if any of y'all have leads, cheers in advance

Jobs in Chennai you mean ?