The "Long Way" series -more harm than good? - Page 4

DAKEZ · 10-07-2009, 07:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Offblnz

To say that Ewan and Charley did a disservice to motorcycling and adventuring is quite narrowminded, isn't it?!

What? The OP? Narrowminded?

Surely you jest.

Mornin' VFR.

I couldn't resist.

VFR_firefly · 10-07-2009, 08:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DAKEZ

What? The OP? Narrowminded?

Surely you jest.

Mornin' VFR.

I couldn't resist.

;) Narrow-minded ;)

I think I often cause a few narrow-minded people to flip out over what I've said. Everyone's opinions are all equally invalid...

Grreatdog · 10-07-2009, 09:17 AM

I kinda liked this fishing trip even though BMW guys do tend to be an easy catch. They aren't quite as easy to bait as Harley guys. But close.

laukkanen · 10-07-2009, 09:26 AM

It had both good and bad impact on off-road riding depending on what you want out of off-road riding. Simply depends on what you want. Seems like the OP is unhappy people have become interested in what used to be (and still largely is) a niche activity out of the mainstream. It is like when emo kids are into indy bands and they 'sell out' leaving the emo kid all alone (

) because he can't possibly be interested in something that more than a handful of eccentrics are into.

On the other hand, it has brought an immense amount of money into the off-road market which actually helps develop better gear, etc for everyone. As for flocking to the BMW dealers and then whipping out a touratech or wunderlich catalogue- whatever floats their boat. Not everyone has the coin to drop on those things but they make some good products for what they are designed for.

bsumpter · 10-07-2009, 09:54 AM

It's a TV show fer cryin' out loud. And it is largely about motorcycling and the adventure that accompanies our little hobby. Finally, there's no raked out cherry flamed ape hanging "lifestyle" choppers to be seen.

What's not to like?

EDIT: I actually forgot all about the OCC visit in the last episode. I guess I mentally blocked that part out. Oh well, there were VERY FEW raked out cherry flamed ape hanging "lifestyle" choppers during the episode run.

Reddane · 10-07-2009, 10:14 AM

In my opinion it has made more people aware of motorcycling as a normal, fun, inoffensive hobby. There have been lots of shows/movies/popular culture painting motorcyclists as hell-raisers. I don't mind the possibility that the movie helped portray us as everyday folk simply out looking for adventures. Personally, I don't like being treated by folks negatively just because I ride a motorcycle.

As far as the whole super-huge land-yacht motorcycle phenom, I don't think it's a bad thing. If people like it they should go for it. I've often thought about it myself - but I prefer smaller more nimble bikes.

ColoradoKevin · 10-07-2009, 12:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wildman

Claudio von Planta is the real hero of that trip, IMHO. Cool guy, fearless rider and excellent cameraman.

Agreed. I think I read in the book that most of Claudio's two-wheel riding experience previous to LWA was on scooters. To do that trip, on those bikes and shoot video is simply amazing.

Hard not to like a couple of guys that are so passionate about motorcycles. Creating awareness for UNICEF is admirable as well.

This coming weekend will be my one month "anniversary" riding. Watching LWA and reading ADV Rider was the inspiration for me to learn to ride and get my license and a bike!

zrxmoto · 10-07-2009, 12:33 PM

I don't understand people's disdain for LWR and LWD. I find them immensely enjoyable to watch. I think I've watched each 4 times. I don't care that they're rich, I don't care that they're actors, I don't care they have a support crew. I enjoy the bits with Russ and Dave and the 4x4's - after all there on an expedition as well when you think about it.

Charlie's a pretty decent off-roader - watch his spin-off series "Race to Dakar" that's good stuff too. He tried to race Dakar so give him a break.

I agree with the previous poster - I believe it painted motorcyclists in a very positive light. That A. cool motorcycles don't have to be Choppers. B. Motorcycles are a great hobby and make for great adventures. These are two guys who immensely love motorcycling. You get a good sense of their passion for it. They have families and kids. They wore the gear that we all like to see.

Of course they're going to have support vehicles. They're trying to make a broadcast quality tv series here. You simply can't do that by carrying a couple of cheap no-name flash video cameras from Best Buy. In the book they talk about the decision path they went down to go from "lets ride around the world" to "lets ride around the world and make a broadcast quality tv documentary out of it".

The bulk of the series shows the off-road stuff obviously because that makes for the best TV. Story is typically better when there is drama and struggle. Not much drama in watching them drone down the highway for days on end.

I think about their trip and even with the long stretchs of bad road / no road riding they had to do, the bulk of their trip was still on pavement. So in my opinion they chose a good bike for the job. In the series they only talk about KTM as the other choice (again that was good drama), but in the book they also talked about how they looked at the Tenere, Africa Twin, Varadero (I think) and others. When you look at the nature of their trip: long stretches of highway, some off-road, some bad-road, carry lots of crap - the GS is kind of a natural choice.

Somebody in this thread mentioned the problems they had with the bikes. The rear frames cracked which they admitted could've have been caused by the fact they had the bikes overload. I don't care what vehicle you are talking about but welding a frame without making sure the electronics are protected is a recipie for disaster and they admitted they didn't think about that. The shocks that blew over and over in LWD were Ohlins - go figure! No final drive failures! Woo-hoo!

Reading the books gives a little more insight into the trips. I read both.

Follow these books up by reading Ted Simon's

Old Nubbins · 10-07-2009, 12:37 PM

T.Low · 10-07-2009, 12:44 PM

[quote=zrxmoto]I don't understand people's disdain for LWR and LWD. I find them immensely enjoyable to watch.

Ha! I know, whats the big frikin deal?

Homey: "Dude, we can watch re runs of Roseanne Bar show or these british actors riding motorcycles from London to New York?"

Dude: "Uh,... is Tom Arnold a guest on Roseanne, tonite?"

Balanzed · 10-07-2009, 01:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by VFR_firefly

;) Narrow-minded ;)

I think I often cause a few narrow-minded people to flip out over what I've said. Everyone's opinions are all equally invalid...

Eeeeexactly....and that's why it is so much fun for all when you start threads like this so it's plain for all and clear as soup that nothing you/me/we say means anything in the pig picture.

And, Dakez, I did not say VFR is narrow minded, I said that his opinions were narrow minded

Wildman · 10-07-2009, 01:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Colorado Scrambling

Agreed. I think I read in the book that most of Claudio's two-wheel riding experience previous to LWA was on scooters. To do that trip, on those bikes and shoot video is simply amazing.

Hard not to like a couple of guys that are so passionate about motorcycles. Creating awareness for UNICEF is admirable as well.

This coming weekend will be my one month "anniversary" riding. Watching LWA and reading ADV Rider was the inspiration for me to learn to ride and get my license and a bike!

ReactorTrip · 10-07-2009, 01:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HammerMacGreed

Kinda like the guy at M&Ms who thought E.T. would scare kids and told the producers NO. I'm hazarding a guess Reese's was glad of that execs shortsightedness...

Or the moron at Verizon who turned down the iphone because it would take money away from Verizon's crappy inhouse services.

KSJEEPER · 10-07-2009, 01:51 PM

If it served to entertain, and got a few more people on bikes (whether on the perfect bike or not) its a move toward goodness.

The bashing of a couple of guys who rode around the world for fun, and decided to film it for us to enjoy, grows tedious...

Yes they had support, so the DVD was a bit more 'lame'. Had they not had said support would we have a 2 DVD set to watch ? Doubtful.

So to get it straight, we prefer our adventure documentaries to encompass acts that can't adequately be documented.

Oh, and since they made it home, maybe their choice of bike wasn't SO terrible. And I have my doubts as to whether the KTM would have held up as well. Might have handled better in the tight stuff, but they did a ton of road miles we didn't see for which the BMW was better suited.

I feel like if i left ADV and came back in 5 years, there would be a fresh thread second-guessing / doubting LWD / LWR. Leave it alone already, sheesh....

ReactorTrip · 10-07-2009, 01:56 PM

I think it's a decent road bike

http://killboy.blogspot.com/2009/10/convert.html

10-07-2009, 09:17 AM	#48
Grreatdog Beastly Adventurer Joined: Apr 2007 Location: Annapolis, MD Oddometer: 5,908	I kinda liked this fishing trip even though BMW guys do tend to be an easy catch. They aren't quite as easy to bait as Harley guys. But close. __________________ KTM 640 LC4E KTM 200 MXC XT200

10-07-2009, 09:54 AM	#50
bsumpter Yamazuki Joined: Apr 2009 Location: East Tennessee Oddometer: 46	It's a TV show fer cryin' out loud. And it is largely about motorcycling and the adventure that accompanies our little hobby. Finally, there's no raked out cherry flamed ape hanging "lifestyle" choppers to be seen. What's not to like? EDIT: I actually forgot all about the OCC visit in the last episode. I guess I mentally blocked that part out. Oh well, there were VERY FEW raked out cherry flamed ape hanging "lifestyle" choppers during the episode run. __________________ 2009 Suzuki DL650 V-Strom 2008 Yamaha WR250X 2008 KTM 200XCW bsumpter screwed with this post 10-07-2009 at 10:00 AM

10-07-2009, 10:14 AM	#51
Reddane Circling pi Joined: Sep 2008 Location: 5 miles from Barber Motorsports. Oddometer: 718	In my opinion it has made more people aware of motorcycling as a normal, fun, inoffensive hobby. There have been lots of shows/movies/popular culture painting motorcyclists as hell-raisers. I don't mind the possibility that the movie helped portray us as everyday folk simply out looking for adventures. Personally, I don't like being treated by folks negatively just because I ride a motorcycle. As far as the whole super-huge land-yacht motorcycle phenom, I don't think it's a bad thing. If people like it they should go for it. I've often thought about it myself - but I prefer smaller more nimble bikes. __________________ Reddane screwed with this post 10-07-2009 at 02:30 PM

10-07-2009, 12:33 PM	#53
zrxmoto don't wanna be a n00b Joined: May 2008 Location: Minnesota Oddometer: 125	I don't understand people's disdain for LWR and LWD. I find them immensely enjoyable to watch. I think I've watched each 4 times. I don't care that they're rich, I don't care that they're actors, I don't care they have a support crew. I enjoy the bits with Russ and Dave and the 4x4's - after all there on an expedition as well when you think about it. Charlie's a pretty decent off-roader - watch his spin-off series "Race to Dakar" that's good stuff too. He tried to race Dakar so give him a break. I agree with the previous poster - I believe it painted motorcyclists in a very positive light. That A. cool motorcycles don't have to be Choppers. B. Motorcycles are a great hobby and make for great adventures. These are two guys who immensely love motorcycling. You get a good sense of their passion for it. They have families and kids. They wore the gear that we all like to see. Of course they're going to have support vehicles. They're trying to make a broadcast quality tv series here. You simply can't do that by carrying a couple of cheap no-name flash video cameras from Best Buy. In the book they talk about the decision path they went down to go from "lets ride around the world" to "lets ride around the world and make a broadcast quality tv documentary out of it". The bulk of the series shows the off-road stuff obviously because that makes for the best TV. Story is typically better when there is drama and struggle. Not much drama in watching them drone down the highway for days on end. I think about their trip and even with the long stretchs of bad road / no road riding they had to do, the bulk of their trip was still on pavement. So in my opinion they chose a good bike for the job. In the series they only talk about KTM as the other choice (again that was good drama), but in the book they also talked about how they looked at the Tenere, Africa Twin, Varadero (I think) and others. When you look at the nature of their trip: long stretches of highway, some off-road, some bad-road, carry lots of crap - the GS is kind of a natural choice. Somebody in this thread mentioned the problems they had with the bikes. The rear frames cracked which they admitted could've have been caused by the fact they had the bikes overload. I don't care what vehicle you are talking about but welding a frame without making sure the electronics are protected is a recipie for disaster and they admitted they didn't think about that. The shocks that blew over and over in LWD were Ohlins - go figure! No final drive failures! Woo-hoo! Reading the books gives a little more insight into the trips. I read both. Follow these books up by reading Ted Simon's __________________ 2002 VFR 800 1999 Vulcan Nomad 2007 XR650L 2010 KLX250S

10-07-2009, 12:44 PM	#55
T.Low Studly Adventurer Joined: Jul 2009 Location: Bellingham, Wa Oddometer: 854	[quote=zrxmoto]I don't understand people's disdain for LWR and LWD. I find them immensely enjoyable to watch. Ha! I know, whats the big frikin deal? Homey: "Dude, we can watch re runs of Roseanne Bar show or these british actors riding motorcycles from London to New York?" Dude: "Uh,... is Tom Arnold a guest on Roseanne, tonite?" __________________ '10 Gas Gas ec 450, plated '05 Gas Gas fse450, plated. For Sale (sort of)

10-07-2009, 09:26 AM	#49
laukkanen Gnarly Adventurer Joined: Aug 2009 Location: CT Oddometer: 103	It had both good and bad impact on off-road riding depending on what you want out of off-road riding. Simply depends on what you want. Seems like the OP is unhappy people have become interested in what used to be (and still largely is) a niche activity out of the mainstream. It is like when emo kids are into indy bands and they 'sell out' leaving the emo kid all alone ( ) because he can't possibly be interested in something that more than a handful of eccentrics are into. On the other hand, it has brought an immense amount of money into the off-road market which actually helps develop better gear, etc for everyone. As for flocking to the BMW dealers and then whipping out a touratech or wunderlich catalogue- whatever floats their boat. Not everyone has the coin to drop on those things but they make some good products for what they are designed for.

10-07-2009, 12:37 PM	#54
Old Nubbins Gnarly Adventurer Joined: Feb 2009 Location: Darrington, WA Oddometer: 434

10-07-2009, 01:51 PM	#59
KSJEEPER Beastly Adventurer Joined: May 2005 Location: Kansas City area Oddometer: 4,023	If it served to entertain, and got a few more people on bikes (whether on the perfect bike or not) its a move toward goodness. The bashing of a couple of guys who rode around the world for fun, and decided to film it for us to enjoy, grows tedious... Yes they had support, so the DVD was a bit more 'lame'. Had they not had said support would we have a 2 DVD set to watch ? Doubtful. So to get it straight, we prefer our adventure documentaries to encompass acts that can't adequately be documented. Oh, and since they made it home, maybe their choice of bike wasn't SO terrible. And I have my doubts as to whether the KTM would have held up as well. Might have handled better in the tight stuff, but they did a ton of road miles we didn't see for which the BMW was better suited. I feel like if i left ADV and came back in 5 years, there would be a fresh thread second-guessing / doubting LWD / LWR. Leave it alone already, sheesh.... __________________ 2002 KLR650 - 2007 HD Electra Glide 'It doesn't matter how big a ranch ya' own, or how many cows ya' brand,the size of your funeral is still gonna depend on the weather.' Harry Truman "Death smiles upon us all, a U.S. Marine smiles back"

10-07-2009, 01:56 PM	#60
ReactorTrip glows in the dark Joined: Oct 2008 Location: East Tenn Oddometer: 553	I think it's a decent road bike http://killboy.blogspot.com/2009/10/convert.html

Thread Tools	Search this Thread
Show Printable Version Email this Page	Search this Thread: .
Display Modes
Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode