This is just going to be one of those blogs that I will drop in a book or movie from time to time.
Yamaha Racing History 1954-2016
While your working in the shop, may as well have this playing in the background:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/B07VLFDY5R/ref=atv_dp_share_cu_r
Fuel Motorcycles – El Gringo 2020
EL GRINGO – A SHORT ODE TO SPAGHETTI WESTERN FILMS
Cycles South 1971 – Motorcycle Documentary Film HD – 3 Wild Riders
MOVIE: ONE CRAZY RIDE
Do you have an open mind? Are you seeking the definition of the adventure spirit? If so, then “ONE CRAZY RIDE!” is the ticket!
5 – MOTORCYCLES
NO – SUPPORT VEHICLES
NO – FILM CREW
I have a previous encounter with the producers of this DVD, their previous DVD release “Riding Solo To The Top Of The World” I deemED EPIC! So when I got the email from Dirt Track Productions that a new DVD was complete, I had to add this new one to my ADVENTURE COLLECTION!
This DVD takes us on a documentary-style journey as 60kph-Motorcycle Club ride parts of India rarely seen as they travel remote villages across the Himalayan state of Aunachal Pradesh in North-east India.
As the previous DVD was put together with no back-up support vehicle at the same time delivering SPECTACULAR FOOTAGE AND SCENES, the same is true for this new adventure as well.
This DVD, “One Crazy Ride” while the bikes could be considered primitive, old-school, classic bikes, (think TW200, but lesser than), their courage and open-mindedness to ride off into the wild AND explore on such bikes, commands respect! After watching a story like this, we have no excuse to NOT explore!
As I am a huge fan follower of adventure stories told on the ADVRider.com web site, the Dirt Track Productions film-stories are of the same such epic-tales, but are captured on film and deserved to be told and seen!
If you have an ounce of adventure spirit in your bones, I highly encourage you to check the DVD! While I have honestly never had any interest in India, I know if I was to ever go, these are the folks I would want to hang out with! I have yet to find a motorcycle adventure DVD such as what the crew at Dirt Productions have created! This bike trip is “REAL” real-life and real drama, real break-downs, and all that comes with just being out on an adventure.
They capture more than just traveling by motorcycle as you catch a slice of life through these exotic locations such as Ziro, India, and very-very remote village where the older women have wooden disks placed in the cut-outs in the skin of their noses. The 60kph-Motorcycle Club happened upon this village at the time of a wedding and they are asked to stay and witness the ceremonies and old-world traditions.
Adventure travel at it’s best and I do not want to spell out the whole DVD to you, trust that it is 87-minutes full of adventure. OK, wait till you see a jungle hunter spot his food in the tree and pulls out a SLINGSHOT, pulls back, and ZAP! The bird falls to the jungle floor – one rock! WOW!
OK, one more bit… the 60kph-Crew while made up of five riders, Gaurav Jani is the solo-film crew, the same way he did the first DVD! I think it’s Gaurav’s pursuit of capturing his own adventure trip on film is what largely makes these films so exciting and captivating. Yes, he has mastered the planting of the camera and filming segments of himself riding..
OK, I’m not telling you anymore! GO SEE FOR YOURSELF!!!
Massive CONGRATULATIONS to Director and Rider, Gaurav Jani, and his crew with their efforts in simply making awesome story-telling come to life.
BUY ONE CRAZY RIDE: http://www.dirttrackproductions.com/buy.html
MOVIE: DUST TO GLORY
From the director Dana Brown, son of action sports film legend, Bruce Brown (On Any Sunday), Dusty To Glory documents the Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 in Mexico. This race has a reputation as the most dangerous race in the world, but every year, this one-of-a-kind event draws fans and enthusiasts determined to brave the harsh course, which includes deserts, swaths of cactus and the metallic carcasses of vehicles left for dead. This documentary about the 24-hour race includes interviews with drivers of everything from bikes to trucks, and from celebrities of the racing world to those looking for their first shot at glory.
This was the first film I could get my girls to sit down and watch with me! While a lot of my heroes are in this film, Mike “Mouse” McCoy steals the show as he is the first to “IRONMAN” the Baja 1000 on a motorcycle! But just to be clear, the nickname “Ironman” was given to Ivan Stewart to commemorate his solo win of the Baja 1000 where other teams generally have two or three drivers. Later in the years, anytime someone attempts to Solo a Baja1000, they are “Ironmanning” it. But when you put the “THE” in front of Ironman, you are solely talking about THE Ivan IRONMAN Stewart!
Even more so, this movie stands out to me personally in another way… If you read the very first book review in this post, you may have read the part about me breaking my neck in 2007, (with links to a blogpost covering the events of that incident). On the ride from the accident location to the hospital, the Mouse McCoy “incident” where he goes down in the film, was on “REPEAT” in my head, and I was telling my buddies this same story like 50-times on the way to the hospital.
RENT DUST TO GLORY
BUY DUST TO GLORY DVD
MOVIE: Ewan McGregor & Charley Boorman’s – Long Way Round
LONG WAY ROUND – Once you get the adventure bug, you start researching and you want as much inspiration as possible! In 2004 Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman embarked on an epic challenge, to motorcycle 20,000-miles, cross 12 countries, and 19 time zones in just 115 days. Long Way Round is the result of their adventures – a fascinating, frank and highly entertaining series about two friends riding round the world together and, against all the odds, realizing their dream. From 14 April 2004 to 29 July 2004, Ewan McGregor, Charley Boorman, motorcycle riding cameraman Claudio von Planta, along with director/producers David Alexanian and Russ Malkin, traveled from London to New York City via Western and Central Europe, Ukraine, Western Russia, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Siberia, and Canada, over a cumulative distance of 18,887 miles (30,396 km). The only sections not undertaken by motorcycle were the 31-mile (50 km) passage through the Channel Tunnel, 580 miles (930 km) by train in Siberia to circumvent the Zilov Gap, several river crossings and a short impassable section in eastern Russia undertaken by truck, and a 2,505-mile (4,031 km) flight from Magadan in eastern Russia to Anchorage, Alaska in the US.
The journey passed through twelve countries, starting in the UK, then through France, Belgium, Germany, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Ukraine, Russia, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Canada, and the US, ending in New York City.
The team stayed mainly in hotels while in Europe, North America, and the more populated parts of Russia, but frequently had to camp out in Kazakhstan and Mongolia. They visited various sights and landmarks en route, including the Church of Bones in the Czech Republic, the Mask of Sorrow monument (described as the “Mask of Grief” in the show) in Magadan, and Mount Rushmore in the USA. They arrived in New York on schedule and rode into the city accompanied by a phalanx of bikers including McGregor’s father Jim and the Orange County Choppers crew.
BUY DVD SET: Ewan McGregor & Charley Boorman’s – Long Way Round
MOVIE: RIDING SOLO TO THE TOP OF THE WORLD
MOVIE: DIRT TRACK PRODUCTIONS – RIDING SOLO TO THE TOP OF THE WORLD – I found out about this film back in 2007 and I was completely captivated! If you have an open mind, thirst for adventure, and love motorcycles, you will put this DVD in your collection! MOTORCYCLES BRIDGES US ALL TOGETHER – even when we are alone!
Riding Solo… is a film about filmmaker Gaurav Jani’s solo 70-Day motorcycle journey from Mumbai to one of the remotest places in the world, the Changthang Plateau in Ladakh, bordering China. As a one-man film unit, he astonishes you, filming the landscape he passes by and the people he interacts with, capturing moments of beauty, pain, love, hardship, self-doubt, and spiritual triumphs. BUY directly from Gaurav Jani
MOVIE: ON ANY SUNDAY – A MUST WATCH!!!
ON ANY SUNDAY by Bruce Brown
THIS IS A MUSH WATCH CLASSIC as Bruce is the GODFATHER of actionsports videos! You may have heard of ENDLESS SUMMER and if so, THAT’S BRUCE BROWN TOO! Simply put, if your human and on two wheels, you have to watch this CLASSIC OF ALL CLASSIC MOTORCYCLE FIMS!!!
RENT: ON ANY SUNDAY
BUY: ON ANY SUNDAY
I have my own little Bruce Brown story… two in fact!
I use to work for O’neill Wetsuits (t-shirt division) back when Robert “Wingnut” Weaver (O’Neill sponsored longboard surfer) retraced the original surf spots of the 1966 Endless Summer film for the 1994 release of Endless Summer II. My co-worker and I were super stoked to see Wingnut wearing our O’Neill t-shirt designs!
My second Bruce Brown story: I start rally racing in the 2000’s and at the Rim Of The World Rally in Palmdale, California, I bump into my “hero” Bruce Brown! He and his wife were really into rallying and too, his Subaru was prepped by Mike Welch of Road Race Engineering!
Rim of the World Rally 2001
Palmdale, California USA
BOOK: CHASING DAKAR
Chasing Dakar – a rider’s guide to adventure riding, rally preparation and racing By Johnathan Edwards M.D. and Scot Harden
Why did I buy this book if I never really planned on racing Dakar?
When I owned the KTM 950ADV, I was obsessed with all things rally bikes! (Still am), but too, I had made my way back to motos from rallying cars. “Rally” & “adventure” is what distinguished me from the MX-track, freestyle, desert race-style/looks as I knew I didn’t fit into those categories. At that time Scott Harden had actually raced the big 950ADV in Dakar before the FIA place the limit on motorcycles to 450cc. He is a “man’s man” as he actually piloted the 447-lbs 950ADV through the Dakar desert! While I no longer needed the “checkered flags” I like endurance riding and this book talks a lot about endurance riding that can apply to my “fundurance” riding style! Still does to this day on the TW200! I was in my 40’s when I had the 950ADV and this book just spoke to me on many levels! Read down below, Scott’s statement about racing Dakar, and hopefully you too will gain some insight about your mental and physical self as well as bike preparation. This is a 5-thumbs up book for me!
Order Here: Chasing Dakar – a rider’s guide to adventure riding, rally preparation and racing
Chasing Dakar is the ultimate guide for motorcycle off-road enthusiasts everywhere who are searching for the extreme adventure riding experience. Everything you need to know about adventure riding and the Dakar Rally, from choosing and equipping your motorcycle to physical training and riding techniques, are found in Chasing Dakar. Learn how world-renowned off-road racers train, compete, and prepare. This guide will teach you how to prepare for the adventure ride of your life.
Review
In the history of off-road motorcycle racing, few riders have been able to establish themselves as a true legend. Scot Harden is one of them. Over the last 35 years, Scot has achieved an impressive record that speaks for itself. He has earned numerous overall victories in almost every major off-road discipline held in the U.S., Mexico, Europe, and Africa, including 3 overall victories at the Baja 1000, 3 overall victories at the Baja 500, and 3 ISDE medals. In 1982, he was a member of the highest finishing (second place) U.S. Trophy team in history. At the Tunisia Rally in 1987, Scot became the first American ever to win an African Raid Rally, earning a reputation as a world-class rally racer. Scot is one of very few competitors who has been able to continue his racing career well into his forties. During his long-time affiliation with KTM North America, he has served in executive sales and marketing management positions and most recently helped create the American effort for the Dakar Rally, serving as both rider and manager. Scot developed the team in hope of putting an American on the podium, a goal almost achieved in 2006. Nowadays, Scot is launching another effort called KTM Adventure Tours. These are rally-style adventure tours and training camps for all levels of riders. For Scot Harden, the world of off-road racing and the business that surrounds it is always expanding. He continues to leave his mark as a competitor and one of the sport s most influential personalities.
I m often asked, What does it take to win? It s a simple answer. Preparation. Perseverance. And a little luck. After winning the Roof of Africa on a motorcycle and in a buggy as well as the Atlas Rally in Morocco, I was asked to participate in the Paris Dakar in 1987. I jumped at the chance. But I was in for a surprise. I found myself in the most remote, exciting, and adventurous landscape I had ever seen. My team and I were strangers in a foreign land, not expected to win hardly expected to finish. But we persevered, trying to keep our wits about us as we pulled out all our tricks: pit crews, chase planes, mental endurance. The desert answered: relentless heat, sand storms, and its most frightening weapon – desolation. Don t get lost. It sounds like simple enough advice, but I assure you, you’ve not felt loneliness until you’ve driven for hours without seeing another soul, climbed to the top of the highest dune, put army-grade binoculars to your eyes and conducted a 360° pan. Sand. Nothing but sand. But that s the Paris Dakar Rally. That s what makes it special. The adventure. The excitement. The thrill of counting on not just yourself, but your team and the thousands of hours you’ve spent preparing for every possible curve the race may throw at you. I finished fourth overall. It was unlike any event I had ever raced before or since. I consider it one of my proudest accomplishments. The following pages are for everyone, from those planning to participate to those who have only dreamt of it. I wish this book had been published before I raced the Paris Dakar Rally. It would have saved me money, stress, and most importantly…time. Because in racing, time is all that matters. It s easy to go fast over twenty minutes; it s much harder to go fast over twenty days. The difference? Preparation. Perseverance. And a little luck. Malcolm Smith –Book
About the Author
Johnathan Edwards is a physician and a key staff member of the Harden Off-Road and KTM Adventure Tours. Since 2004 Dr. Edwards has served as a team physician for the KTM Red Bull U.S. Dakar Rally team where his focus includes rider training and physical preparation as well as addressing all issues related to medicinal needs, nutrition, training regimes, and recovery therapy. Dr. Edwards is an avid traveler and student. Having trained in medical school in Lyon, France, his command of the French language and familiarity with French culture has proved a great asset for the team. With past aspirations to become a professional motocross racer, Dr. Edwards developed an impressive motorcycle racing background, competing for many years on the pro-am circuit against the likes of Jeremy McGrath, Ryan Hughes, and Steve Lamson. However, in 1989 at a crucial part of his motocross career, he suffered a severe knee injury, which required extensive rehabilitation. It effectively ended his racing career but exposed him to the potential of a career in medicine. During his medical career, Dr. Edwards has authored several medical papers and provided published articles in Cycle World, Dirt Rider and MX Racer magazines. Dr. Edwards practices medicine in Las Vegas, Nevada and Washington, D.C. His ultimate dream remains to one day compete in the Dakar Rally on a motorcycle.
Chasing Dakar – a rider’s guide to adventure riding, rally preparation and racing
EVERY OUTDOOR ENTHUSIAST SHOULD OWN THIS BOOK!
The Complete Walker IV is an in-depth guide to backpacking. I used it as a knowledge base for both bike packing and moto camping! IT IS MY GO TO BOOK! It can be read as a front-to-back book or as a resource guide, but I will get into that later, more importantly, this is the book that I tell people that it SAVED MY LIFE!
Back in 2007, I broke my neck in an off-road motorcycle accident (read that whole story here) and for a period of time (4-6 months) I did not know what my physical condition outcome would be. LUCKILY, the doctors did know that I would be walking, but what I didn’t know is what type of activities would be able to purse afterward.
Instead of dwelling on the dark unknown, I needed something positive to looks towards, so hiking it was going to be. I needed something to soak myself mentally into and began reading every possible thing I could find on hiking! In my quest to find the backpacking authority, I discovered this book.
The Complete Walker IV Hiking Backpacking Book – Colin Fletcher & Chip Rawlins It’s the only book that I have read more than once and is actually set up in a way to be read as a story or the book can be used as a directory resource guide. It sits on my bedside and I can open it at any page and enjoy reading its contents, yes, it is that awesome! Since the first printing in 1968, the words of Colin Fletcher have been credited with starting the backpacking industry, and the book christened as “the Hiker’s Bible” by Field and Stream magazine.
For me personally, this book is great in that it can be used in multiple ways; like a traditional book from cover to cover or as a resource guide using the index as it organizes topics specifically and you can reference where in the book that topic is discussed.
I like Colin’s writing style as he tells you more than just the material makeup of a product, he will give you his personal opinion of the product, good, bad, or salty. He also gives in great detail how he is using it within nature and he typically engages you in a way that has you wanting to be with him in that moment or location.
While I have not read this book in a while, I still use it be it a specific technical reference, or for some quick inspiration as it sits at my bedside table. I can now simply pick it up and open it to whatever page and just start reading it is a very entertaining read. With the years of experience from both Fletcher and Rawlins, this book is largely credited with launching the modern-day backpacking movement.
With its 864 pages, this is the fourth update of Fletcher’s 1968 original. This manual is considered the backpacker’s bible and has sold more than 400,000 copies in its previous incarnations. In addition to information on hiking, this also includes tips on wildlife, tents, and paraphernalia, outdoor cooking, clothing, etc..
Don’t just take my word for it! According to David Stevenson of Backpacking Tips, here are the three reasons why you should read The Complete Walker IV:
First, the contents of this book reflect the years of experience in “walking” — what we now call backpacking — by the man who years ago walked the length of the Grand Canyon and then wrote about it in a series of books, launching the modern-day backpacking movement. Fletcher describes in detail everything from how to pack your backpack for crossing a river, to what snacks are best to take with you, to measuring humidity, to calculating the right mix of food for the energy output you need, to real-life example of the dangers of dehydration.
Second, Fletcher’s sometimes brutal reviews of the latest backpacking equipment don’t just give a simple Yes or No review, but actually go deep in discussions about the science of the fabrics and technologies used. Sometimes, where the two authors disagree, you’ll find each of their opinions labeled with their names, and the back and forth dialogue is simply fascinating and very educational.
Third, we know of no other book on the subject of backpacking that is so in-depth and also so full of practical advice and examples from real-life treks as The Complete Walker IV. We guarantee that you’ll find this book loaded with very helpful information if you can set aside some time to read it. At over 800 pages, you won’t finish it in a day or two, but you’ll find yourself coming back to it again and again, and it’s great for reading several months ahead of a major backpacking trip.
Purchase: The Complete Walker IV Hiking Backpacking Book – Colin Fletcher & Chip Rawlins
I reference the book in Planning a SCX10 Hike over Redonda Ridge OHV Trail 1W17
With the tech, tech, tech this book offers, here is the sentences that captivated me! THANK YOU COLLIN FLETCHER (R.I.P.)
Born: March 14, 1922, Cardiff, United Kingdom
Died: June 12, 2007, Monterey, CA
