Random thoughts on motor bikes, bikers and Bike Week while pondering if Eric Von Zipper ever rode with "Then Came" Bronson ...
I have never driven a motorcycle, thanks to my mom and dad.
Growing up six years behind my older brother, I envied the Harley-Davidson 900 Sportster my parents bought him while he was still in high school.
By the time I grew to motorcycle age, my parents had banned bikes from the family, saying they were unsafe. And I didn't complain one bit.
Why? Because my teenage brain knew, subconsciously, that riding motorcycles could get you killed. How did I know this? Because our family saw "Easy Rider" at a drive-in theater in Albuquerque, N.M., in 1969, when I was 11 years old.
I have never driven a motorcycle, thanks to my mom and dad.
Growing up six years behind my older brother, I envied the Harley-Davidson 900 Sportster my parents bought him while he was still in high school.
By the time I grew to motorcycle age, my parents had banned bikes from the family, saying they were unsafe. And I didn't complain one bit.
Why? Because my teenage brain knew, subconsciously, that riding motorcycles could get you killed. How did I know this? Because our family saw "Easy Rider" at a drive-in theater in Albuquerque, N.M., in 1969, when I was 11 years old.
I've avoided watching "Easy Rider" ever since -- the ending was more
unnerving to my childhood mind than a thousand vampire flicks and
"Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?" combined. The ending is still too big
a bummer for me.
From the Did-Ya-Ever-Wonder Department: Poets and philosophers have lauded bikers as being society's ultimate rebels and uber-nonconformists ever since Og the Caveman first invented a second wheel.
Then why do Scar, Snake, Rabelais, Sasquatch, Genghis and so many other bikers conform to a certain dress code? You know the uniform: black denim or black leather pants, boots and black T-shirt (with a bar or biker event logo).
What about that dude with the faux Viking helmet, you say? This Bike Week I've already spotted a half-dozen guys (and maybe one chick) sporting the Viking look.
Greatest Bike Ride in a Movie Ever: The Steve McQueen character in the 1963 World War II flick "The Great Escape."
According to movie Web sites, McQueen performed all of his character's motorcycle riding except the final jump over the barbed wire fence. That was done by stunt man Bud Ekins.
McQueen and Ekins also teamed for the Greatest Car Chase in a Movie Ever, in the 1968 film "Bullitt" -- with Ekins piloting that Mustang during the more dangerous stunts.
I have never driven a motorcycle, thanks to Evel Knievel (as well as my parents).
As a kid I saw the motorcycle daredevil appear at the speedway in Albuquerque. But Evel couldn't do his famous jump shtick because he recently had broken his leg during a jump that had gone bad.
Watching Evel ride a bike with his leg in a cast, my childhood brain knew, subconsciously, that riding motorcycles could get you killed or seriously injured -- especially if you're speeding at 80 mph and a 45-degree ramp happened to appear in front of you and sent you sailing skyward.
My childhood suspicions were confirmed when my family saw the 1971 bio-flick "Evel Knievel" starring George Hamilton, which contained actual footage of Evel's ill-fated Caesar's Palace jump. Yes, that video is available on YouTube.
Greatest Bad-ass on a Bike in a Movie Ever: This is a tough choice between the Arnold Schwarzenegger Terminator of the first flick in the series, Robert Patrick's T-1000 in the second Terminator movie, and the rabbit-wasting Leonard Smalls dude (played by Randall "Tex" Cobb) in "Raising Arizona."
My choice: Terminators can be terminated (or tamed). But a guy who blows away bunny rabbits with a shot gun is a dude I'm not messing with.
From the Did-Ya-Ever-Wonder Department: Poets and philosophers have lauded bikers as being society's ultimate rebels and uber-nonconformists ever since Og the Caveman first invented a second wheel.
Then why do Scar, Snake, Rabelais, Sasquatch, Genghis and so many other bikers conform to a certain dress code? You know the uniform: black denim or black leather pants, boots and black T-shirt (with a bar or biker event logo).
What about that dude with the faux Viking helmet, you say? This Bike Week I've already spotted a half-dozen guys (and maybe one chick) sporting the Viking look.
Greatest Bike Ride in a Movie Ever: The Steve McQueen character in the 1963 World War II flick "The Great Escape."
According to movie Web sites, McQueen performed all of his character's motorcycle riding except the final jump over the barbed wire fence. That was done by stunt man Bud Ekins.
McQueen and Ekins also teamed for the Greatest Car Chase in a Movie Ever, in the 1968 film "Bullitt" -- with Ekins piloting that Mustang during the more dangerous stunts.
I have never driven a motorcycle, thanks to Evel Knievel (as well as my parents).
As a kid I saw the motorcycle daredevil appear at the speedway in Albuquerque. But Evel couldn't do his famous jump shtick because he recently had broken his leg during a jump that had gone bad.
Watching Evel ride a bike with his leg in a cast, my childhood brain knew, subconsciously, that riding motorcycles could get you killed or seriously injured -- especially if you're speeding at 80 mph and a 45-degree ramp happened to appear in front of you and sent you sailing skyward.
My childhood suspicions were confirmed when my family saw the 1971 bio-flick "Evel Knievel" starring George Hamilton, which contained actual footage of Evel's ill-fated Caesar's Palace jump. Yes, that video is available on YouTube.
Greatest Bad-ass on a Bike in a Movie Ever: This is a tough choice between the Arnold Schwarzenegger Terminator of the first flick in the series, Robert Patrick's T-1000 in the second Terminator movie, and the rabbit-wasting Leonard Smalls dude (played by Randall "Tex" Cobb) in "Raising Arizona."
My choice: Terminators can be terminated (or tamed). But a guy who blows away bunny rabbits with a shot gun is a dude I'm not messing with.
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