This Motorcycle Life Podcast

The Toronto Motorcycle Film Festival made its debut in September, joining cities like Lisbon, New York and Portland in celebrating this special aspect of motorcycle culture. After our interview in Episode 4, festival director Caius Tenche invited me to moderate a panel discussion with some of this year’s filmmakers and judges. Naturally, I jumped at the chance. It was a lively and fascinating conversation, and I’m excited to share it with you in this special episode.

Although most of us resist, there’s something about a motorcycle that dares you to disappear, hit the road and just see what happens. In this episode, I talk to someone who regularly takes that dare. Kendall Wright lives the freelance life, and with the freedom that gives her, points her bike toward the horizon whenever inspiration strikes. We spoke on the eve of her departure for a spontaneous lap of the continental U.S., and her cheerful sense of adventure will inspire anyone who wonders, “what would it be like to just go?”

To be passionate about motorcycling is to be passionate about motorcycle films, or so it seems lately. In this episode, I talk with Caius Tenche, director of the Toronto Motorcycle Film Festival, about why our appetite for two-wheeled cinema is so insatiable. Tenche gives the digital age its due; it’s never been easier to record and share our stories. But behind this, it turns out, are reasons far more timeless and essential to why we ride.

The best kept secret about motorcycling, and the maybe thing that surprises new riders the most, is its deep sense of community. In this episode, I talk with Marina Mann, co-founder and CEO of EatSleepRIDE, a community-powered web site and app for motorcyclists, about why we're all brothers and sisters on two wheels. She nails it, and after hearing our conversation, you'll never let a salute from another rider go unanswered again.

Nothing is more fun on a motorcycle than a twisty road, and nothing is more difficult to master. In this episode, I talk with former pro racer, riding instructor and million mile veteran Todd Eagan about what it takes to get there. After a steady diet of stern lectures about physics and skills, Eagan's perspective is refreshingly human. And cornering mastery turns out to be as much art as science, and as much about faith as technique.

The epic long distance ride is as close to the heart of motorcycling mythology as anything except maybe the machine itself. This episode explores why these odysseys tug at so many of us through one rider's story. After 50 years on two wheels, Terry Bell had never taken that long ride. Then one day, everything changed. The trip would be called 'The Big Stupid', and its lessons were surprising.