[Boanerges]

For those who haven't seen the excellent documentary "Why We Ride" (second only to "On Any Sunday", in my opinion), you should.

Great interviews with and about motorcycling people, from the legendary Ed "Iron Man" Kretz to former AMA No. 1 plate holder Mert Lawwill to Ted Simon, who piloted a 500cc Triumph on a four year around the world journey (and then wrote the book "Jupiter's Travels") to an 87-year-old who's been a riding member of the Motor Maids for more than 60 years.

You won't be wasting your money, and just maybe you'll be able to answer the inevitable question from non-motorcyclists about why we swing a leg over a saddle and take off. My usual response is that riders are the only ones who understand why a dog sticks its head out the window of a moving car. This documentary explains us. At least to ourselves.

 

[RoadRunner322]

When Paul Newman was asked why he drove race cars, his reply was, "It's a real kick in the arse!"

 

[rbentnail]

When Paul Newman was asked why he drove race cars, his reply was, "It's a real kick in the arse!"

Steve McQueen, the King of Cool ? Paul is the pasta sauce guy....

 

[RoadRunner322]

Steve McQueen, the King of Cool ? Paul is the pasta sauce guy....

Paul Newman, actor, pasta sauce charity guy, started racing sports cars when he was 48 yrs old. A few years later, he won the SCCA championship in his division. When he was 72 yrs old, he had Jack Rousch build a Mustang to compete in the 24 hr Daytona race. He got Mark Martin, the Nascar driver, and one other driver to assist and they each drove a leg of the 24 hr. race and WON in their category!!! He was an extraordinary person!

 

[Hilts]

Steve McQueen, the King of Cool ? Paul is the pasta sauce guy....

McQueen was definitely the King of Cool. Hence my handle.

 

[rbentnail]

McQueen was definitely the King of Cool. Hence my handle.

So....that's where that came from. Interesting. Makes you...like...the jr king of cool...the Prince of Cool. Or princess. :shock: Or maybe the King of Lukewarm. LMFAO!!

 

[Hoyt Clagwell]

"Why do I ride? If I told you, you wouldn't understand. If you understood, you wouldn't ask."

It's not my quote. I heard it somewhere but it's pretty good if not just a little schlocky.

 

[Hoyt Clagwell]

So on your recommendation, I purchased a download of the film ($12.99). Here's my review. While the film is very good with good production values, I would have liked a little less talk and a little more action. I was hoping for more and sustained shots of actual riding in spectacular scenery. About halfway through, after the extensive kids motocross segment, I was getting bored of the endless disjointed jump-cuts and talk. Overall, I did enjoy the movie and do not regret buying it. I will probably watch it once a year or so. 4 out of 5 stars. I think a film like "Redline America" is more my type of movie but I have only seen some brief trailers for it at this point so here's hopin'..

 

[Boanerges]

Glad you liked it overall, Hoyt. I agree it dragged some in places, and it was somewhat irritating to have to wait till the credits to find out who most of the people were. Even Red enjoyed it, which is saying something, since she doesn't want to ride -- not even pillion. Haven't heard of "Redline America", but will look it out. Thanks for the heads up.

And I think that quote is accurate (and not schlocky at all). I devoted an entire essay to the subject some time ago on the now-defunct Open Salon, and arrived at much the same conclusion. Closest any non-motorcyclist came to understanding what we're on about was a West Texas-born guy who grew up riding horses and still raises them.

 

[Hoyt Clagwell]

Here's a link to Redline America. Redline America Motorcycle Travel DVD

It doesn't seem easy to get in Canada though. I tried once and the films maker wanted an outrageous sum for shipping a DVD. I downloaded "Why We Ride" from Vimeo and it was easy and painless. I emailed the maker of "Redline America" and asked if he would be offering this type of sale in the future. I haven't heard back yet but he did correspond with me before when I was inquiring about the shipping to Canada.

 

[Boanerges]

Sheesh -- 10,000 miles in 21 days is half-way to Iron Butt territory. Not for the faint of heart. Let me know what you find out.

 

[Hoyt Clagwell]

In a couple of weeks I'll be doing 3,000 miles (5,000 kms) in 14 days so I can imagine how difficult it must have been to pack those miles in and have time to set up camera angles and so on. It's not just all helmet cam shots.

If I'm able to find a way to order the movie to Canada at a reasonable cost, I'll post it on this thread.

 

[Rob1959]

https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&r...kkq98Ec1YZDf9UoHg&sig2=7EqG59t5nMUanURXbtqJ8g
I don`t know if this is shown in the US/Canada but is`nt a bad show..

 

[Boanerges]

Thanks, Hoyt. That trip sounds challenging, but way more grueling than I could undertake these days. I trust you'll have a good time. The people I REALLY can't get my mind around are the marathoners. If you want to join their exclusive club, you have to ride an observed 1,000 miles in 24 hours. After that, it gets worse. Melissa Holbrook Pierson wrote a book about about them ("The Man Who Would Stop At Nothing"), focusing on the late John Ryan, who rode from Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, to Key West, Florida, in 86 hours, 31 minutes. Not for the faint of heart.

Not sure we can get that here, Rob, but thanks. I notice that the Isle of Man TT is coming up in one of the episodes. Here's a link to a Telegraph film clip of the Mountain Course that I can't watch unless I've had a beer or six (see it full screen for the best effect):

Isle of Man TT: the most dangerous thing you can do on two wheels? - Telegraph

 

[Hoyt Clagwell]

Here's why I ride!

Gaspe Penninsula, Quebec, Canada

Cabot Trail, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, Canada

 

[Boanerges]

Aw, jeez. If I had something like that around here, I'd never be home. Instead, we've got flatlands and often poor roads, especially around the lake. Have yourself a good one, Hoyt. I envy you.

 

[Hoyt Clagwell]

There are plenty of really good roads to be found in Ontario. If I remember right, you are in the Burlington area. If so, you would have to travel about an hour northeast to get out of town but it would be totally worth it. The roads aren't as spectacular as the Gaspe but they are really fun and not heavily traveled. I'll post a link to a map of Ontario motorcycle roads. It is very helpful but I know of many that are not included on the map. I would get yourself up to the Orangeville area and then pretty much any paved road between Airport Road, aka Hwy 18 and Hwy. 124 will be a blast. You'll need more than one trip to explore the area and discover the unknown gems. I would very highly recommend Rd. 9 from Creemore to Maple Valley then cut back across Rd 21 to Airport Road. You must do Rd. 21 from west to east to get the best out of it.

Here's an example of the type of roads up here but many are much twistier.

Here's the "Big Map" of Ontario bike roads.

http://shanekingsley.com/Two Wheeling/ontario_bikeroads.jpg

Enjoy!

 

[Boanerges]

Naw, I live in the bowels of SouWestO, physically southeast of Detroit about 40 miles. It's generally flat as a pancake around here. Great for farming; more than somewhat unchallenging for riding. Except for the riding part, of course.

Lake Erie is the main attraction -- you can ride for miles and keep it more or less in sight (although the roads tend to be ill-maintained). That's it in the background of my avatar photo, taken in a small municipal park about 10 miles east of here.

 

[Hoyt Clagwell]

You'll need to get yourself a chopper then.

 

[Boanerges]

I'd sooner be caught on an e-bike than a chopper.