Comments on: Man and Motorcycle

By: Jack

Jack — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 21:56:34 +0000

Jack…

and readers, Lets DIGG this Blog post so we can get more blog posts FAST!! Good stuff….

By: snowball

snowball — Sat, 13 Oct 2007 10:49:07 +0000

Just re-read Zen and… Pirsing still comes across as slightly batty. However my own excuse for not being OTR this rainy year was that one faulty 2-cent screw renedered the whole machine useless

Good book though - well worth re-reading every 10 years or so just to see if one’s outlook on life has changed any. Makes a good litmus test for life.

By: Wolfie

Wolfie — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 10:44:23 +0000

Liz,

That’s why I have armfuls of bungee cord and fix everything so tightly that it’s a positive danger to un-pack my gear. It also makes touring excellent exercise.

Mi’ Lady,

I recall some American A&E surgeons referring to Harleys as “donor-cycles” but I believe that the added risks over and above that posed by driving a car can be offset by good training, skill and a healthy and mature attitude towards road safety.

By: Liz

Liz — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 07:37:47 +0000

The disadvantage of motorbiking is that you can be at the bottom of a mountain before someone stops and tells you that you dropped your tent ‘back near the top somewhere’. And you haven’t even noticed.

By: lady macleod

lady macleod — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 15:11:48 +0000

My sister had a yellow Yamaha back in the seventies and took quite a bit of flack from some of her friends who were neuro-surgeons; but she did love it. It’s not my cup of tea, but I do understand the allure.

By: kim

kim — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 23:50:56 +0000

I’m glad to see Howl is still on the prowl!

By: Wolfie

Wolfie — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 22:36:42 +0000

James,

I love it. I had no idea so many blogpower bloggers were such a wild bunch.

Ian,

I think I’d go more for a tatty Z-750 and get back to racing the curriers around town, though I’m not sure my wife would approve. She does love the Hog though and is very supportive of my little hobby so long as there are no carbs on the kitchen table.

By: jameshigham

jameshigham — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 16:26:42 +0000

There’s a little something waiting for you at my place but whether you like it or not is another matter, dear Wolfie.

By: Ian Appleby

Ian Appleby — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 22:02:22 +0000

Well, I spent too much of my income, disposable and non-disposable, on rubbish old Russian iron, not to mention trips to Russia. Yes, I did once bring a crankshaft back in my hand luggage, back in the days when large lumps of metal were less likely to raise eyebrows at the check-in desk. Trouble is, neither EFL teaching nor postgraduate research offer much in the way of portraits of the queen. That ex-traffic-police sidecar outfit I referred to was a dream machine for me at the time, though, believe it or not. Have you had the same machine for 13 years? That’s some devotion.

As for cleaning - have you considered an MZ for the winter months? Mind you, I ride mine in summer, too.

By: Wolfie

Wolfie — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 21:07:26 +0000

Thanks Ian, that was an interesting read and something I could most definitely relate to. However I will admit that my attitude to motorbikes was always more along the lines of “work your arse off” until I could afford my most realisable dream bike. I’ve been through a few, the Harley being the ultimate of those dreams. I remember the day I put down that deposit 13 years ago as if it was yesterday.

Its not the climate that stops me riding in Winter these days - it’s the cleaning!

By: Ian Appleby

Ian Appleby — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 17:23:20 +0000

It is the only way to travel, without doubt. Pirsig does catch it very well - one of the many great things about ZATAOMM is that he clearly did know as much about bikes as about rhetoric. I still have moments of quiet satisfaction that I managed to cite both him and Maz Harris in my MA dissertation on translation. Do you know Steve Wilson’s journalism, for Classic Bike Guide and now RealClassic? He’s another with a proper feel for biking, even if he admits himself he’s not so hot with the spanners.

But, “the last ride of the year”? Surely not. Not in our mild maritime climate?

By: jameshigham

jameshigham — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 13:39:45 +0000

In a car you’re always in a compartment

This is so true. I’d love to buy an old Beema or Beeza again but these roads here are lethal to bikes. My last bike was a restored Bonny so you know how long ago that must have been.