I finally got the bike after over a month! Such a great feeling to be a motorcycle owner again. A big thanks to Roger Mercer over at r.A.t. Cycles in Lindenhurst, NY who got the new clutch installed and new Michelin Pilot Road 4 tires mounted. The video includes a little jam I wrote and recorded last night.
Notes to self:
– Reduce the use of these words: awesome, amazing, pretty, and awesome.
– Double check focus of selfie or third party shots.
– Get a portable tripod and a camera rig for the Canon 70D.
– More RAM ball mounts on bike to vary GoPro shots.
– Be more conversational.
Here’s my first attempt at a speed-edited 5 minute video blog. I have a lot of things to work out, but my goal is to be able to shoot a self-interview and edit footage from the day in under an hour. This took two hours because of my clunkiness with Final Cut Pro X but I’ll get some workflow tricks set up to make the process quicker. I’m still learning my Canon 70D but slowing getting used to all it can do. Music is from my old band dogs on ice. Please send any production comments!
*Warning* The ending of this video contains a gross reference to a ’70s’ porn star.
Notes to self:
– Shoot more conservatively – 2 hours of train tracks is too much.
– I need to get a color correction preset created. I look pinkish-red!
– I ducked the music while speaking but should kick it up at the end.
– Uploads directly from Final Cut Pro X are low resolution.
– I will need to build a library of instrumental music.
I haven’t been able to sleep right since starting work on the pilot episode. Something has been very wrong. Whenever I talked to a motorcyclist about producing the show their first question is unfailingly, “What kind of bike are you riding?” I would then inform the inquisitor that I would be renting a bike for the pilot. After this response, I would watch the blood of joy run out of their face leaving nothing but a pallid stare. This glare spoke volumes without words – “Oh, so you’re not really a motorcyclist, you’re just a poseur. ”
Now those who know me, understand I could give two flips about what anybody thinks or says, but in my heart I was certain something was wrong. Reflecting on the blogs of my past bikes, I realized that ownership is half of the equation of being a motorcyclist. I have compared the the bond formed between man and machine to that of a cowpoke and his horse. Can you imagine Roy Rogers on a rented palomino instead of his trusty Trigger? No, this will not stand, man.
My good sense grabbed me and reminded me I was in debt. Generous friends donated money to my Kickstarter campaign to make this show a reality, and that money is already in an account earmarked for production expenses and equipment. No way I’m touching that blessed bread. I thought deeply well into the night.
I kept coming back to a conversation that I had with Jenny. She is very understanding about my battle with depression and when I was feeling down one day, she asked me if I considered seeking therapy as I have done in the past. I arrived at a revelation. I told her that out of the many therapists I have seen over many years, none of them made me feel much better. I thought about the rare moments when my anxious mind was calm, and the answer became very clear. Playing music and riding motorcycles. When I am doing those two things, I need nothing else.
I logged into my retirement account and took out a loan. For $100 a month over 5 years, I could get $5K. This would be enough for a used bike and the much needed luggage. I have been lurking on Craig’s List ever since I sold my BMW K75, and one bike jumped out at me. A Italian red 2002 Honda VFR800 Interceptor. When the words “sport touring” are spoken, this bike is always mentioned. I got in touch with the owner who is way out in Hampton Bays, Long Island and worked out the deal.
In 1984 I had a deposit on a VFR500 Interceptor when I lived in Jacksonville, Florida. My girlfriend at the time talked me out of the purchase declaring that there was no way she would get on the beastly machine. I got my deposit back and bought a ’79 Fiat Spyder 2000 convertible which broke down often. My purchase of this VFR800 is the correction of that unrequited Interceptor love.
I’m sure at close to 50 I’m never going to be the next Freddie Spencer as I thought I might be back in 1984, but blasting up the Palisades and into the mountains in a few short weeks on the Interceptor will surely beat the hell out of sitting in front of a disconnected therapist asking me repeatedly “So how does that make you feel?”
I currently do not own a motorcycle. My last bike was a 1988 BMW K75C that I bought in 2012. I used that bike for two extensive tours and a lot of weekend blasts through the mountains in Upstate New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. I loved the motorcycle and referred to it as “The Brick” (short for the nickname of the motor “the flying brick”). Unfortunately, I had to move to a cheaper apartment to cut down on expenses as I have been stuck at the same salary for 5 years due to the CUNY contract negotiations being stalled. This cost cutting included getting rid of the bike and the garage rental. She was also getting a little long in the tooth with over 60,000 miles on the odometer.
I didn’t let the lack of ownership stop me from being a motorcyclist. I joined a group called Jupiter’s MotoShare, and for a yearly flat fee, I get to rent from a collection of bikes for $49 a day. Averaging out the time I ride versus maintenance and parking, the MotoShare deal comes out quite a bit cheaper.
For the time being the MotoShare program will suffice, but for a 48 state tour involving 4 months of travel, I will need my own bike. I’ve owned quite a few bikes and rented even more. After all of this saddle time on many different brands, the choice for this ride is a no brainer – BMW. The 25-year-old Brick gave me absolutely zero trouble on my 7000 cross country trip and only a little fan clatter at the very end of my second one, a problem I remedied myself with a $75 part.
The bike I want to ride for this trip differs from The 3 cylinder Brick in that I have chosen to purchase a bike with BMW’s legendary Boxer twin engine. This motor design has been around for over 90 years and has proven itself time after time. This historical longevity of the engine design intrigues me. Another interesting fact regarding the company is that one of the three founding fathers of BMW (and their first managing director) is named Franz Josef Popp. I am taking this as sign pointing me towards the brand. I am no huge believer in predestination, but when fate shouts, I tend to listen.
The Boxer motor is known for it’s durability with many examples clocking well over 100,000 miles. The Boxer powered R 1150 GS was the motorcycle used in the series Long Way Down, an episodic tale of Ewan McGregor, along with lessor known actor Charley Boorman, driving on the bikes from London to New York. The pair of movie stars initially wanted to ride KTM motorcycles for the trip, but when the high-brow Austrian Company balked at giving them free bikes, they accepted the BMWs. Boorman is seen on the first episode ripping down the KTM poster in the project office in a diva-esque moment because he didn’t get the free bikes he wanted.
I realize I am not a movie star and I will have a hard time getting anybody to sponsor this project. But witnessing BMW willing to hand out bikes to the actors, I contacted them on a whim and told them about Popp Over America. I got a prompt and kind response from a customer service rep of BMW Motoraad USA referring me to the philanthropy/charity page. According to the guidelines, to get sponsorship I need to be a 501(c)(3) non-profit. I am certain Ewan McGregor does not fall into this category.
My expectations where pretty low with this first contact. I was letting them know that I am out here doing this project. I have zero content and only a page of ideas. I will continue to develop and build on materials as I near the departure of my journey. I am not done pitching to BMW yet. I have a name and a phone number now, and once I get a test episode, I will toss another pitch at them. Hopefully the series get’s picked up by a channel and they will give me the bike of my dreams, the new for 2015 R 1200RS. Yup, it’s a Boxer…
