How long have you been a rider?
I got my first motorcycle when I was 10, a great little Honda dirt bike, and after some time away from bikes, started riding on the street roughly 11 years ago.
What inspired you to start riding?
I have a general theory that in many ways motorcycles are an activity or hobby that requires someone else to introduce you to the sport. Most of the folks I know wouldn't have picked it up as a hobby without the help of a friend, a parent or a sibling who already happened to ride. When it comes to my motorcycle story, it's really no different.
Like many Americans, I first became conscious of motorcycles as a child. For as long as I can remember, Milt has had a bike, and while during my youth he didn't ride it that often, because he was bouncing around the world for work, it was clear to me at an early age that he derived an extreme form of personal pleasure from motorcycles. Somewhere along the line, I guess, that sensibility ingrained itself in me.
After several years of fairly constant nagging, when I turned 10, the old man surprised me with my first motorcycle – a great little Honda XR-80 dirt bike. I think it's fair to say that it wasn't my mother's favorite idea for a father-son activity at the time, but as it turns out it was the best thing that could have ever happened. That little bike forever opened my eyes to all sorts of possibilities... And to be honest, plenty of youth-induced trouble, too!
When high school rolled around, my interest in the dirt transformed into 4x4s – the world sort of dramatically changes when you're 16 and get your license. Then in college my automotive interest morphed again as I started to get really interested in sport cars. However, in the back of my mind, I kept finding myself vaguely thinking about motorcycles. Then Milt moved to L.A., which put us both in the same city again, and suddenly it seemed like a perfect time to pick riding back up – only this time on the street. And I've been riding ever since.
Do you have a favorite bike?
It's hard for me to pinpoint a specific motorcycle as my one true personal favorite; different bikes suit different purposes. In my mind, that's one of the great draws of the motorcycle landscape. Every bike offers a different feeling and experience.
Generally speaking, however, the bikes that I usually find myself drawn to share similar traits; they lean towards the sport side of the equation, they offer a visceral high-performance kick, and they by and large feel nimble to ride.
Currently I own two bikes, a Ducati 1098S and a Ducati ST3. The 1098S is a full-blown sportbike that offers hyper performance and an extreme riding experience. The ST3, on the other hand, is a sport-tourer that's great for running up the California coastline or two-up riding with a gal pal.
I would suspect that my next bike will most likely end up being one of the bikes we rode during the "Twist the Throttle" shoot. I found several of them quite intoxicating, even now I find myself lusting after the MV Agusta Brutale 910R and the Suzuki GSXR-600.
Which location was your favorite?
Three locations from the trip stand out in my mind.
First, there was Autopolis. Kawasaki's race track on the Japanese island of Kyushu was simply awesome to experience in person. It's completely invigorating and mind-blowing -- the kind of place that really lets you challenge yourself on a bike. The "Rollercoaster" section in particular -- which is a long down-hill straightaway with a 150-meter drop that meets a hard right-hand double-apex corner -- was both utterly exciting and deathly scary.
Then there was Garmisch-Partenkirchen, in southern Germany, which while not as viscerally exciting in terms of sheer speed, was absolutely beautiful to ride through. It was the kind of place I could go back to time and again to ride. There are just so many different curvy roads to check out and any number of off-the-beaten paths to take; it's truly amazing.
Finally, there was the Futa Pass in northern Italy. With hundreds of curves, it feels like someone carved a race track into the side of the hills. And that's before the "locals" come flying by at a thousand miles per hour on a Vespa. (How the locals view the rules of riding in Italy is really worth experiencing in person. It's more then a little bit different than here in the States).
What was the biggest challenge?
Riding after lengthy travel days wasn't the easiest thing in the world. Five times we logged 10- to 12-hour (or sometimes even longer) travel days and then rode bikes on the very next morning.
What was one of your most memorable motorcycle experiences?
I've been extremely fortunate throughout my life to have a number of wonderfully memorable experiences tied directly to motorcycles. When I first started riding, I honestly had no idea exactly how instrumental these experiences would be, and in many ways I think they've formed the very basis of who I am today. I personally find something extremely compelling about the individual narrative that you create when you sling your leg over a bike, fire it up and head out into the relatively unknown. You never know what you're going to find or how it will affect you.
While riding through the Italian countryside, we stopped at this tiny little church that sat on top of a hill – I have no idea what it was called or where it was on a map. With my helmet in hand, I looked out over the vista below and suddenly felt overwhelmed by a sense of time and place. Instantly all those dull textbooks from school came to life, and I felt like I was actually stepping on the very stones that helped build our Western civilization.
Any advice for new riders?
Well, I'm a big fan of the Motorcycle Safety Foundation's basic riding course as a starting point. It's not the most fun you'll ever have on a motorcycle, but the lessons they teach will help you manage the risks of riding getting started.
I'm also a big proponent of wearing the right riding gear. I'd suggest a first-time rider go pick up a really good helmet, preferably a full-faced one, a quality leather jacket, a good set of boots and some well-fitting gloves. In my mind, having the right gear goes hand in hand with riding safely.
Once you've got a few thousand miles on the street, I'd suggest you get out on the track – not to go racing but rather to take a higher-level riding school. There are several really good programs out there these days, and all of them teach you how to become a more proficient rider, which ultimately translates into a safer rider.
Ultimately, riding a motorcycle is all about managing risk. It's a dangerous activity, but you can seriously swing the statistics in your favor by using some good old-fashioned common sense, educating yourself on how to ride better and by wearing the right gear all the time.
