Everyone has seen MCN’s very own Adam ‘Chad’ Child’s road-test videos online, and the write up inside MCN. But what goes on behind the scenes of an MCN road test? I tagged along to find out.
First and foremost, road testing isn’t glitzy or glamorous, for the most part it’s cold and windy. Unfortunately I didn’t get sent to far-flung and sunny Italy or Spain, but instead headed out with the team to the chilly A-roads of Peterborough.
From there I was enlisted to help out the man behind all the amazing shots you see in MCN every week, Mykel Nicolaou. With the lighting set up and the three bikes we were using for the day – a Ducati Streetfighter, a KTM Super Duke and the new MV Agusta Brutale – ready and waiting, Myk snapped some opening shots for the three-page-spread. With the openers done, a few shots were taken of details on each bike – brakes, suspension, exhausts etc.
Then it was time for Chad to do his video intro for the MCN website. It took a good few tries, mainly due to the wind noise drowning out any other sound and partly due to Chad messing his lines up. “You’re supposed to script this stuff” he says. “Most people do. I don’t, but if I have to do it again I can’t remember what I said the first time.”
Eventually, with myself and our riders for the day, Bruce and Jimmy (who is affectionately known as Chachi for reasons unbeknown to myself), forming a wind block Chad managed to shoot a couple of good introductions for the video.
Setting up the bikes for opening shots.
With all the stills done and dusted, it was finally time to get some action shots. Myk says that the trick with the photos is to make the riders look like they’re going fast without them actually riding at deadly speeds around the corners.
Jim takes the KTM, Bruce hops on the Ducati and Chad is left with the MV. The guys do a few runs in both directions up and down the road while Myk takes hundreds upon hundreds of photos. I attempt to take some photos of my own, but my photography leaves much to be desired and frankly the bikes move too damn fast for my poor old camera to cope with.
After nine or ten runs, the group reconvenes to decide where to try next. They decide to go to a stretch of road known as ‘A1 Corner’ and do some shots with two or three bikes. Myk explains that it’s perfect because it’s a good corner with very few cars passing through to hinder the photoshoot. It’s also a perfect opportunity to shoot some more video for the website.
Our testers swap bikes – Chad on the KTM, Bruce on the Ducati and Jim on the MV – and take another few runs back and forth round the corner while I stand shivering on the side of the road, passing Myk his lenses and carrying a tripod. I start wishing I was the one wrapped up in hundreds of layers of windproof clothing and thrashing a naked litre-bike around.
Going round A1 Corner.
After successfully getting photos and video on A1 Corner the riders take a break while Myk does video stills for all three bikes. While he’s hard at work, I entertain myself listening to Chad, Bruce and Jim chat about all manner of nonsensical topics, including the fact that Jim’s bum looks triangular in his leathers (swiftly followed by Jim dancing to Baby Got Back).
Myk finishes up with the video stills and then it’s time to move down the road and get some pictures of the guys doing wheelies up the hill. Of course, the rest of this chapter should read “They refused, because wheelies are illegal”, but where’s the fun in that?
Apparently wheelie-ing is something of an opportunity to become an enormous show-off, with Bruce and Jim racing up the hill on the back wheels of the Duc and the MV, and Chad pulling stand-ups on the KTM.
Wheelies up the hill.
As everyone finishes tearing up and down the road, a modified BMW GS turns up to have some photos taken for another piece. Myk dutifully snaps some pictures of the bike and the mods, and with that the heavens open.
It’s 2pm, and with the majority of the days work done everyone decides it’s time for lunch. The group heads over to Little Chef (quality dining!) to grab something to eat before finishing the test. It’s another opportunity to have a pop at Jimmy, who appears to have only been wearing a wife-beater under his leathers. “Myk get your camera!” says Chad. “We need a photo of this!” Jim shies away with Chad shouting “Come on, show us the guns!”
After lunch we head down to the marina used by the sailing club. On the way Myk sticks a camera to the side of the Streetfighter so Jim can film Bruce and Chad riding in front of him. Chad duly does some power slides across the dual-carriageway.
At the marina the bikes are set up again and it’s time for Chad to film the sign-off for the website video. It takes several tries again, after a pair of old ladies walk straight into the shot causing everyone to start giggling like five-year-old girls. But eventually, with a few takes under his belt Myk announces that we’re finished. He straps the camera to the Ducati again and we head back to the office.
At the marina for closing shoot.
The day comes to a close. The bikes have been put through their paces and a lot of fun has been had along the way. All that’s left to do now is for Chad to write up his test report ready to print in next week’s issue.
So, now you know what happens behind the scenes of an MCN road test. In short: very little hard graft, thousands of photos, a hell of a lot of mucking around and a good dose of fun.
