Should You Ride A Motorcycle?
Published June 08, 2021 · 11:09 · 221,336 views
About This Video
When Van is broke, motorcycle insurance is the first privilege he loses. When he's flush, it's the first one that comes back.
Riding is the most dangerous thing regular people do. 27 times more likely to die per mile than in a car. Van doesn't watch motorcycle crash videos on YouTube. He won't allow those images in his subconscious. His rules: helmet, jacket, gloves, boots, pants for every ride. Never drink and ride, not even one beer. 50% of accidents involve at least one drink. When people ask if they should ride, he asks if they do adventure sports where the consequences can sometimes be death. Never talk someone into getting a motorcycle. Some people absolutely should not ride. The video is a 20-minute loop through the Santa Monica Mountains shot on Insta360, and underneath the canyon beauty is a sober accounting of risk from a man who considers riding a spiritual activity.
Transcript
when he's broke this spirited man stops paying his motorcycle insurance
and registration fees his motorcycle is the first privilege he loses when he
runs out of cash when he's flush it's the first one that
comes back [Music] just the word itself puts a serene feeling in him motorcycles [Music] having finished making a video about the heartache and misery of saying goodbye to a broken motorcycle
this spirited man has decided to make one about the exuberance and joy of a motorcycle
that works about why we ride in the first place [Music] so this will be a simple video just a ride testing out some new cameras generously
sent to us by insta360. a 20 minute or so loop through the santa monica mountains near his house who knows the distance of the loop who cares
okay there's a way to make that selfie stick disappear but we'll worry about that later the real risk of this video besides the speed and drop-offs is that it will be a bore and that you
folks will take a look and say is this it just some dude riding through the canyons no stunts or nothing
no no stunts or nothing in germany there's this tv show that plays in hotels late at night
that's just a camera in the front car of a train you simply stare down the tracks
and watch the world go by on tv this video was in a way inspired by that
german tv show but to keep you watching we'll cut to different cameras like this one
eva and this one this spirited man rode the loop three times to shoot it we won't show you the entire 20-minute
ride of course just the good bits maybe this is a video for people who are considering taking up motorcycles who want to ride
but haven't taken the plunge yet maybe it's for people who wonder if they should ride if it's right for them maybe it's for
people who just want to see what all the fuss is about maybe this is just an excuse to talk about riding
which this spirited man considers a spiritual activity well
let's see where this goes [Music] some motorcycle wisdom he's accrued over the last 33 years of riding
there's really no such thing as an uncool motorcycle mopeds are cool harleys are cool electric motorcycles are cool
and though he hates to admit it even ducatis are cool when they work
[Music] riding motorcycles is the most dangerous thing that regular people do it is unbelievably dangerous
[Music] the federal government estimates that per mile traveled in 2018 the number of deaths on motorcycles was
nearly 27 times the number of deaths in cars 27 times more likely to die on a
motorcycle he doesn't watch motorcycle crashes on youtube he doesn't watch people
getting hurt on motorcycles on youtube he won't allow those thoughts to be in his subconscious he doesn't want
those images in his mind at all [Music] when folks ask him if they should ride or get a motorcycle he asks them do you do any adventure sports
like skiing snowboarding rock climbing surfing sports where the consequences can sometimes be
death sports where you have to stay with it when things get squirrely
never talk someone into getting or riding a motorcycle some people absolutely should not ride
there are motorcycle people and there are non-motorcycle people never drink and ride
not even one drink not even one beer fifty percent of all accidents involve at least
one drink never drink and ride and you reduce your likelihood of a crash by half
[Music] here are some rules that this spirited man has made for himself helmet jacket gloves boots and pants for every ride maybe once or twice a year he'll break this rule per article of clothing maybe once a
year no helmet maybe once a year no jacket maybe once a year no gloves etc
he never rides with a male passenger too heavy and something weird happens psychologically
ego-wise when you got a guy on the back each time he crashes hopefully never again
but yes he's crashed but with each crash he takes a riding privilege away from himself
after a crash in nova scotia he stopped riding in the rain after a crash in new york he stopped riding at night
after a crash in los angeles he retired this particular motorcycle from off-road riding even though riding
off-road is much safer than riding in traffic [Music] crashes on the track do not count [Music] on the freeway he wears a full-faced helmet
[Music] a leather jacket the moto gp racers all say that leather is the best because it slides without disintegrating
they race in kangaroo skin okay there we go no more selfie stick [Music] though this footage has not been sped up the extreme wide angle of this 360 degree view camera
exaggerates the speed a little bit [Music] this footage looks a lot faster than riding through these canyons
actually feels this shot shot with the little eva camera that clips to your jacket this is more like what it really looks like on a ride
also don't ride like this guy riders call this riding crazy or riding like an a-hole
and it's very stupid obey the speed limit follow the rules oh
and never buy a motorcycle at night tom sacks taught him that one that speedometer is broken it's a
replacement but the replacement broke too los angeles is his favorite city in the world for riding motorcycles maybe you live in l.a maybe you're
visiting so here's the route that you've been looking at in this video it starts in the parking lot at the topanga
lookout trailhead then left at the fork onto schwerin then a right at the t
on to piyuma take a right onto cold canyon easy to miss that one right on mulholland
right onto stunt road maybe there is a stunt in this video actually
then stunt back to the trailhead and that is a wonderful friday afternoon canyon ride for some people it's the kind of thing that keeps us alive and keeps us going you
Products & Tools Mentioned
- Insta360 Go uses
- Insta360 ONE R uses
- GoPro uses
- Ducati mentions
- Harley mentions
People Referenced
Tom Sachs