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What Got You Going?
In another thread, Glen (Helge's bike in a boat) and Chris (a poster of Easy Rider) have chipped in with their recollection of the photo/moment that played a seminal role in starting them off on their various journeys.
What about everyone else? What picture, story, moment (or even Ride Report) has served as YOUR biggest inspiration in getting YOU onto a motorcycle and travelling. Maybe a book, a personal contact, old TV show, whatever.....let us all know. Post your photo if you have it! Stephen |
http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z...-adventure.jpg
'You can't control an adventure. You have to give yourself in to accepting whatever experience is round the corner. And you never have any idea what that might be.' Ewan McGregor When I first wore it, I could almost feel the fire of adventure burning deep inside my soul... Sorry, I couldnt resist it !! :oops2: |
Ive just p****d myself! :rofl:
Truely amazing advert in terms of cinematography and context (shot in Brazil i believe). |
It was good old Erik! He got me to hitch across the States and live in Santa Monica in the 80's
He the Man! (Not!) http://search.aol.co.uk/aol/redir?sr...=Image Details Biggest disappointment ever? I came out of my appartment block one morning and CHIPS's was being filmed right in front of me. Fantastic, I couldn't believe it, Erik went by on his Zed Cop bike, but sad to report, he and the bike were on a bike trailer being towed by a Ford pick up!!! :( Couldn't watch the show after that, but had a great couple of years in LA! :palm: Chris |
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[b]on Any Sunday[/b]
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It wasn't one picture, it was a whole lot put together end to end that got me inspired. When it was finally released to the public this is what you saw:
http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r...merholiday.jpg For those of you that don't remember it was a film where Cliff Richard and co drove a London bus to Greece, singing and dancing all the way. I wasn't too bothered about the singing and stuff but the scenery and the whole idea of overlanding to Greece looked great. Within a few years I'd made it to Southend on my Lambretta and a few years after that finally got to Athens on a CB77 Honda. http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r.../71Greece6.jpg Cliff used to live just up the road from me at the time and a bunch of us went up to his house on our bicycles, all starry eyed, to get his autograph. He told us to :censored: off. I've never bought any of his records since! |
What!
What, Cliff Richard telling you to "Foxtrot Oscar" What's the world coming to?
With that mega confession, at least I'm not so embarrassed now stating that Poncherillo from CHIPS was my role model for wanting to travel! Cheers Chris Altogether now: "Oh, we're all going on a summer holiday!" :Beach: etc, etc |
Easy:
YouTube - Vintage Scrambles - Grandstand Have to say that it was in the blood. Dad had an OK Supreme and Mother's brother rode in the IoM TT but it was scrambles at Ladies Mile and Langrish as a kid watching the likes of Bickers, Smith, Eastwood, Lampkin, Rickman, Goss, Wade, Roberton, Clough, Nichol, Geboers and De Coster that got me buying MCN every week. That got me into the sidecar motocross too watching Bachtold, Thompson, Good, Bollholder, Grogg, Elliot and Van Heugten and I still love going to the sidecar GPs around Europe. I'm planning to get to several this year. |
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I've come out now and feel a lot better:D |
I can blame women :) I was meant to be going with my then girlfriend on a trip to Mongolia in an old car. A month before we were to start planning we split up, and to prevent myself considering getting back together, I still did the trip but removed the possibility of any passenger - by going on a 125cc motorbike.
It was then actually Claudio from Long Way Round on his crappy small bike that made me just know the 125cc was the best way to get there! :scooter: You'll be glad to know it worked, so single ladies form an orderly queue haha! |
Dang Hooligans.....:rofl:
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Bikes in general: no recollection what flipped that switch. Lost in the mists of time, but one day I was suddenly obseesed with bikes. I was the only one in my family and circle of friends to be into bikes and a bike was the first thing I successfully saved up for!!
As for overlanding, it was actually at the Ally Pally bike show and chatting to Kevin and Julia, who now run Globe-busters, after their world Record on the Pan American. They made it sound so acheivable. After chatting my girlfriend and I sat in silence over a cup of coffee, and I said that such a trip sounded fujn , and it turns out she had been thinkinbg the same!! Couple of years later we did it and now saving for the next outing...:scooter: |
Sundays
Patrick....your recollections of OAS are great...still drag out the tape for a viewing every once and awhile...those were the days....
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Inspiration
In 2003, long before I heard of anyone travelling around the world by motorbike, I was in Peru for my 2 small weeks holiday.
There, in Puno, on the edge of lake Titicaca, inside the lobby of Hotel el Buho, was a motorcycle, fitted with all the overland gear, alu boxes, tyre, bags, dusty and muddy.... it had a british number plate. I never got the chance to meet the biker. Even now, I have no idea who it was. (although I have my suspicions :smartass:!) I had been thinking of taking a year off travelling for many years, and god I hate backpacking and moving around on buses or trains. Seeing that bike was an inspiring moment. I was a biker after all. Few months later I came with the Plan. And starting to research for my trip, I soon came accross the HUBB. It is going to sound cheesy, but it changed my life... :mchappy: But really I grew up reading all the Jule Vernes, Alexandre Dumas and adventure stories... As a kid, I wanted to be Phileas Fogg, I wanted to go to far away places, cross Africa, explore "The Lost World"... That desire never went away. I forgot "to grow up"! And what better way to put back "Adventure" in travelling than by travelling by motorcycle? |
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Martin....One woman is NOT called a queue! :rofl: |
I can unashamedly say it was a combination of Ted Simon's "Jupiter's Travels" and "Easy Rider".
Sean |
RR Inspiration
Let's see....so far....
a book or two a movie or two a TV show a cologne ad :D might have even been an ex wife or husband in there somewhere.... ....but no 'Ride Reports' have served as inspiration... ...Hmmmmmmm... :cool4: Stephen |
I was wondering when someone would bring up Simon's Jupiter's Travels.
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Kids
When in kindergarten in Vancouver I asked my beautiful teacher where she lived. On Saturday morning I set off and visited her on my scooter, foot powered scooter of course. She was amazed as were my parents. For some it's just in the blood. Linzi.
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The post asks "What got you going?" I think it meant geographically, not hormonally!....:blushing: |
Chris Bright's website keeps giving me more inspiration to do more trips!
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Also thinking about it, Chris Scott's excellent AMH book, particulary that front cover picture, now that just makes you want to get out and 'do a trip'
:mchappy: |
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Would people hate me if I actually confessed that I didnt like Jupiters Travels..:rolleyes2:
I read it when I was planning my first major trip and found it quite boring and really hard to read. Maybe I was too young as the time (25)... Is it a generation thing ??? Do people just say they love it because its bit of a cult icon and they fear that they will be chastised if they appear not to "get it" !! Whatever "it" may be ?? Maybe I should read it again...... I've just read his latest offering "Dreaming of Jupiter" and I found that much more enjoyable. |
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Hi Ted Well, I have got to agree with you, I got the book when it originally came out and could not follow it then. Last year, a mate of mine got the book, could not 'get on' with it and passed it on to me, I did have another attempt at reading it, but still no joy, perhaps the first time I attempted it I was too young, and now I am too old :wheelchair: Some perhaps may now say Tedmagnum and I are just too stupid! :stupid: |
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Thank's .just remembered Basil still has my copy of any sunday. Used to watch all the biker movies of the 60's and 70's and could not wait to get to the USA and ride. I did in June 1987 and spent 6 month's on a 1958 pan head...well I spent more time fixing it than riding it :oops2: But It did hold out for the 30 state tour :scooter: Still have a soft spot for HD's { no joke's please :rolleyes2: } Dazzer |
In order of occurance:
Steve McQueen in the Great Escape A German I met in Udaipur when I was a callow youth of 19. I realised 'backpkacking' could never be as cool as, um... 'panniering'! Stumbling across Chris Scott's 'Desert Biking' in Waterstons. The picture of a Yam Tenere in the Sahara on the cover was the coolest thing I'd ever seen. So much so that I took a very similar picture of my own Yam in the Sahara many years later. An inability to knuckle down to a career! Matt :) PS- I liked Jupiter's Travels up until the point he joined the hippy commune. The book started rambling a bit there IMHO. Still a great book though, and an unusual journey for the time. |
For me it was the first few minutes of the movie Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man where Mickey Rourke sets off with his Harley. Although the movie itself wasn't that great it had an impact on me when I first saw it at the age of twelve.
And Ted, Jupiter's Travels is not a generation thing. I'm 29 now, reading it at the moment and enjoying it. I only wish I could write about my travels even half as well as he does. Jami |
Come on--no one mentioned Road Warrior??!! :thumbup1: Made me want to tour the Outback on a bike with a wrist crossbow and a sawed-off shotgun!
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Mad Max?
Not after what happened to "The Goose"
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You're right!
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I never wanted to travel, it looked too much hassle for the rewards it gave. then i passed my bike test at 30 to get a bike as a toy. 20k later & 8 months down the line i realised i was slightly addicted to riding anywhere i could think of & i'd already covered the UK.
now two & a bit years later its just money holding me back from a lot more miles. home is my saddle so travelling by bike always means ive got a comfy familiar place to view the world from. |
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