John Bennett
04-05-2003, 08:33 AM
Opinions Vary.
Am I the only one who gets irked by these "Motorcycle Adventure" television shows on the Learning Channel and the Discovery Channel?
I'm talking about the ones were a group of "bikers" take off on some cross-country trek.
The participants pine endlessly about "enjoying the freedom of the open road". They go on and on about how "free" and "liberated" they feel. They revel in the "empowerment" their "accomplishment" provides them.
Usually about 3/4 way though these shows one of the bikers breaks down. At that point they introduce their mechanic who was following behind in an RV full of parts, lotions, snacks, and clothes (never previously shown in the shots of them blasting away from stop lights and blazing down the highway).
Blyech!!!
Real motorcycle adventure means being willing to sleep next to your bike in a Wal-Mart parking lot when it won't run. It means accepting a ride from a potential serial killer because no one else stopped to help you. It means convincing a "conservative" farmer to let you park your bike in his barn until you can figure out a way to haul it home.
It means walking 4 miles uphill in the blazing heat to a telephone in boots that weren't made for walking. It means knowing how to use a tire repair kit in the mud on the side of the road in pouring rain.
It means internalizing the holy salvation contained within the phrase "fuel, fire, & air".
The wise motorcyclist does everything in his power to Avoid these siutations. He however must be willing to suffer them if required.
That acceptance makes the maintenance and repair of your bike the holy sacrament it should be.
There is nothing wrong with traveling via motorcycle with a support RV trailing behind. I've done it many times. However, it is what it is. It is NOT what it is NOT.
I don't crow about being "adventurous" and "extreme" because I can climb the rock-climbing simulator at the sporting goods store.
I wish the "bikers" on these "reality" television shows be a little more 'realistic' about what they are doing.
Am I the only one who gets irked by these "Motorcycle Adventure" television shows on the Learning Channel and the Discovery Channel?
I'm talking about the ones were a group of "bikers" take off on some cross-country trek.
The participants pine endlessly about "enjoying the freedom of the open road". They go on and on about how "free" and "liberated" they feel. They revel in the "empowerment" their "accomplishment" provides them.
Usually about 3/4 way though these shows one of the bikers breaks down. At that point they introduce their mechanic who was following behind in an RV full of parts, lotions, snacks, and clothes (never previously shown in the shots of them blasting away from stop lights and blazing down the highway).
Blyech!!!
Real motorcycle adventure means being willing to sleep next to your bike in a Wal-Mart parking lot when it won't run. It means accepting a ride from a potential serial killer because no one else stopped to help you. It means convincing a "conservative" farmer to let you park your bike in his barn until you can figure out a way to haul it home.
It means walking 4 miles uphill in the blazing heat to a telephone in boots that weren't made for walking. It means knowing how to use a tire repair kit in the mud on the side of the road in pouring rain.
It means internalizing the holy salvation contained within the phrase "fuel, fire, & air".
The wise motorcyclist does everything in his power to Avoid these siutations. He however must be willing to suffer them if required.
That acceptance makes the maintenance and repair of your bike the holy sacrament it should be.
There is nothing wrong with traveling via motorcycle with a support RV trailing behind. I've done it many times. However, it is what it is. It is NOT what it is NOT.
I don't crow about being "adventurous" and "extreme" because I can climb the rock-climbing simulator at the sporting goods store.
I wish the "bikers" on these "reality" television shows be a little more 'realistic' about what they are doing.