Feel the thunder!
How do you feel about motorcycles? Do you love the ride? Wind in hair? Bending around hairpins etc.? I’m not ashamed to say I love them, and love them very much, though have never owned a proper proper one. Never owned the motorcycle of my dreams.
Right after college I took semi-ownership of a friend’s Kawasaki 900 and drove it to my teaching gig which was on the other side of a good sized hill. The brakes went out one day and I downshifted to an eventual stop after many close misses.
I was proud of myself.
Later I bought a vintage Honda, basically a child’s bike, painted it black and flipped the handlebars upside down. It broke often and I tried to fix it myself but made everything worse.
In Lebanon, during the 2006 war, my best friend and I tried to get motorcycles but could only find motorscooters, which we were riding when getting nabbed by the PLO then handed over to Hezbollah. They would have respected us more, I feel, had we been on better machines.
In Yemen, less than a year later, the same best friend and I planned to ride Royal Enfields from one end of the country to the other then back again. Once we landed in Sana’a, though, we realized the only sorts of bikes that exist in Yemen are nasty little 90cc Chinese things. We painted them black and flipped the handlebars upside down and rode 3000 km, which must be a record on little 90cc Chinese things.
And that is my history with motorcycles which brings us back to the World Surf League.
How do you think they look on their new Harley?
More importantly, which motorcycle brand would best fit the League’s general vibe?
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I see dead people.
You look behind you while riding a cycle on the freeway and what do you see? A never ending convoy of steam rollers behind you just ready to flatten you the moment you’re on the ground. It’s a little unnerving at first, but you get used to it.
That thing reeks of E-Lo
I reckon WSL is a revving green Kawasaki KX500 dirt bike with an empty boardrack on the lefthand side with a long blonde haired middle aged german man with a tanned wirey muscly body and aging modelish widnswept looking girlfriend grasping him around the hips. They are kicking in and out of powerband while racing in and out of a western style shopping centre carpark, doing cool yet reckless skids and monos in and out onto the busy road outside. All this is taking place in a surf destination third world country nearer the equator than either of them are from. They look like they know where they are going but can’t seem to leave the immediate vicinity and comparative safety of the shopping centre and road out front. People are looking at them but going about their everyday business as though it doesn’t really affect them.
God, motorcycles scare the shit out of me and I have gone pretty damn fast on two wheels. The weight, that extra speed — god, no, thanks, but no. At least I can put my road bike in the dirt if I have to and probs make it work. Motorcycles, nope nope nope.
I’m sure the Harley’s will be doing a few Côte 540’s after they plunge out of control down a ravine
Just when I thought the WSL couldn’t become more of a farce, they say hold my beer…
Makes sense Harley’s are a piece of shit!
Pottz – “loving how steph got that one up near jetty – its seems to have a better bank there!! interesting how she sitting down middle beach now!!”
Turpz – “yeah smart move there”
WTF these guys are muppets – do they actually listen to each other, or talk over the top of each other?Smart move to paddle from where wave is potentially better?? 20 mins in and mute on for me for the year when these guys in booth!!!
The difference when Ron is on is insane.
Maybe it’s like this
Joe and potz for the nonsurfing viewer and Ron for the surfers.
How else could it be explained?
yeah good idea Bex – its a fucking punish now!!!
I totally agree and ask the same of officer friendly to which he shrugs
I like the little Chinese 150’s I own
As I sit in the water and hear the hogs rumble in group from miles away, I think to myself “ thank god they have a hobby different than mine”
Harley Hybrid, now there’s an idea that brings people together. They can program that throaty roar quite easily with today’s technology and even make everything vibrate.
… can’t touch this! aside from an old rusted pushie – nothin’ comes close
Hello! Unfortunately the postal service is moving away from those to these. Nice and all, but not that same thrill of wondering how much the front brake will grab at inappropriate moments.
https://uploads.disquscdn.c…
Hate Harley’s. But, I pretty much hate everything. Except jeeps. They travel around the world tour, evidently on water.
Picturing Sophie G. zipping up the PCH on her Harley, after a long day of not knowing what the hell she is doing, to meet with friends in Malibu for a game of tennis and GnT’s
More likely on a weekend wine tour to Napa sitting in the armchair type seat at the back of a 3 wheeler Harley with a paid for fat old Ulysses club member at the helm. Metallic purple pin striping and all.
Did the same muppets who did the Jeep ad do the Harley one? They have doubled down on the worst ad concept ever. I think they would sell more if they had a more targeted marketing approach:
White mid 50-60s male. Real estate agent, having lunch with accountant mates at golf club. Realises he needs to feel edgy. Cut to scene on Harley going down the 6 lane highway, to a time share holiday unit somewhere with abominable surf, but it’s close to the city. Can’t feel his hands or legs when he gets there. Takes up a whole park with that piece of dogshit. Wobbles down the road, clutching at his impacted lumbar disc he got going over a speed bump on his hardtail. Grabs his Wavestorm and hobbles towards 2foot onshore slop. Cut to scene laughing and generally being chummy with his spinal surgeon as they look at ct images. Surgeon is laughing and chummy cuz he is making coin. The end.
The sequel: he drops it and can’t pick it up. The end.
Comment year for me – spilt coffee everywhere picturing that – too good
Saw a guy in HK on a bike that was way too big for him waiting at a red light to turn right (Australian/English road rules). He had to scooch his arse over to reach his left foot to the ground. When the light turned green, he jumped onto the seat, but slightly too much to the right, leading to a lean, which given the acceleration required to achieve balance, ended up in a turn straight into the front of a bus, rather than the traditional drive off in his lane down the road.
I surf the bus, head-on.
Coty
Thanks, but a) it’s early days, and b) the quality of komentariot guarantees me middling at best.
This is best summed up by the lack of up-votes for what I consider my best work which slides to oblivion, while throw away lines garner the 20+.
What were you doing at a traffic light in HK?
Visiting my sister. She paid for me to come on over while I was on a 12 month uni exchange to East Java. (Studies based on research at schools in Grajagan, Uluwatu and Balian. What are the chances?)
Kenny “Fucking Three-Way” Powers
Vyrus (Italian motorcycle co.) which generally represents the Brazilian storm.
But then there’s Norton (UK) which generally represents the Anti-Vyrus.
You’re either Vyrus or Anti-Vyrus.
You’re either part of the solution, or the precipitate.
It’s always good to remember that alcohol IS a solution.
Wait for my next post!
Gucci Mane new brand ambassador? Pleeeeease!