What do you read?

[lewellen]

So I was killing time in a Borders Books in suburban Illinois today (business travel on a weekend really sucks, incidentally) and while thumbing through the motorcycle magazines, saw I could subscribe to Motorcyclist for two years for $12. (Plus - in the fine print - an extra $3 per year for postage. Nice.)

At the moment, the only moto magazines I subscribe to are Motorcycle Consumer News, and BMWON (as a member of BMWOA). I've just added Motorcyclist to the list.

So ... it got me to wondering what other folks read, and why.

For me, I read MCN as a Consumer Reports for motorcycles; their regular columns (e.g. Medical and Mental Motorcycling) are also usually very good. I read BMWON because it comes with the Owner's Association membership. (Even after having ridden for about 20 years now, I still have yet to attend any formal motorcycle rallies or meets other than the annual Cycle World shows, or join a club - not that there's a BMW one around me. Guess I am a Lonesome Skull after all...) And I will be reading Motorcyclist because it is inexpensive, and they have lots and lots of glossy ads to gawk at.

How 'bout you folks?

Good roads,

- Lewellen

[spoonyfork]

I have an RSS subscription to cycleworld.com and I have picked up an issue or two of Road Runner magazine.

My current literary focus is adventure riding books. I have read the classic Jupiter's Travels by Ted Simon which is a very dangerous read! After finishing it I spontaneously spent the next week riding around the coastal back roads all the way around lower Michigan. I have also read Long Way Round and Long Way Down by Ewan and Charley (the TV shows were much better). My adventure motorcycling book queue includes:

• Two Wheels Through Terror by Glen Heggstad
• One More Day Everywhere by Glen Heggstad
• The Longest Ride by Emilio Scotto
• 10 Years on 2 Wheels by Helge Pedersen
• Motorcycle Adventurer: Carl Stearns Clancy: First Motorcyclist To Ride Around The World 1912-1913 by Dr. Gregory W. Frazier

[BigEasy]

If you haven't suscribed to motorcyclist yet, keep looking for a bonus card that includes a subscription to Sport Rider for free. There was one in the issue that came this week to the house.

My subscriptions include those two and Road Runner, Cycle World and HOG the journal for Harley Owners Group. The HOG script was a freebie when I bought the Electra Glide this spring and is suprisingly good.

[fastdogs2]

I am a BMWMOA member, so I receive the ON. I am also a BMWRA member, so I receive OTL.

I also subscribe to:

Cycle World (Peter Egan's column, Leanings, is worth the price of the subscription).
RoadRunner
BMW Motorcycles
MCN

That may seem like a lot of magazines to some, but hey, it's my hobby, so I like to be kept up to date on things, especially with what BMW is doing.

Bill

[websterize]

For dead-tree reading, I get the BMWMOA and AMA magazines from memberships — they're OK. My favorite motoring book is Dale Coyner's "Motorcycle Journeys though the Appalachians, Second Edition."

Online, the ADVrider ride report about Angola is absolutely riveting, and I enjoy following ChiTown Joe's eclectic reports on that site. Probably my favorite motoring tales to date are this one from a local rider, about his GS and Neil Peart, and this one, about the crossing Canadian Trans-Labrador Highway. I probably re-read them once a year.

[r12gecko]

current reading:

Bicycle Diaries - David Byrne http://www.amazon.com/Bicycle-Diaries-D ... 707&sr=1-1 - artist & musician Byrne offers fascinating impressions of cycling in different cities around the world and various digressions on pop culture and life in general that spin off from them

recently:

The Perfect Vehicle: What it is about motorcycles - Melissa Holbrook Pierson http://www.amazon.com/Perfect-Vehicle-W ... 887&sr=8-1 - thoughts on motorcycling mainly centred around touring the USA from a female Guzzi rider; excellent writing

One Man Caravan - Robert Edison Fulton Jr. http://www.amazon.com/One-Caravan-Incre ... 966&sr=8-1 - fantastic reading from an American who toured the world on a Douglas flat twin in the 1930's

long ago reads:

Jupiter's Travels - great
Zen & the Art... - crap (sorry, just can't get into the self-pitying, indulgent, semi-mystical excess of this one)

watched:

Long Way Round & Long Way Down - both excellent; haven't touched the books

seen and read:

The University of Gravel Roads - Rene Cormier http://www.amazon.com/University-Gravel ... 428&sr=8-3 - Saw Cormier speak about his five-year journey around the world on a 650GS single at BMW Toronto - a well spent evening - and picked up the book later; great photos and very good writing - he's only weak when it comes to setting down dialogue; the descriptive stuff is terrific

[deilenberger]

current reading:
The Perfect Vehicle: What it is about motorcycles - Melissa Holbrook Pierson http://www.amazon.com/Perfect-Vehicle-W ... 887&sr=8-1 - thoughts on motorcycling mainly centred around touring the USA from a female Guzzi rider; excellent writing

As Bob Higdon once said when introducing Melissa at the Square Route rally - "lots of people write about motorcycles - only one really 'gets it and can put it in words..' welcome Melissa Holbrook-Pierson." Happily - I can count Melissa among my friends. (I helped out a bit when she decided it was time to get back into bikes after a 10 year hiatus..) Super person with a great sense of humor about another mutual friend (a long distance riding legend..)

One Man Caravan - Robert Edison Fulton Jr. http://www.amazon.com/One-Caravan-Incre ... 966&sr=8-1 - fantastic reading from an American who toured the world on a Douglas flat twin in the 1930's

Absolutely fascinating book. Equally fascinating is "Twice upon a Caravan" - the film he made of his trip. He lugged around a 35mm camera and film, and except for some missing Chinese and Japanese footage (the US Government wanted it during WW-II and never gave it back) - it is a visual telling of the same story. What's amazing to me - how little the areas like Afganistan have changed since he was there almost 70 years ago. I did correspond with him a bit - with the intent of riding up to CT and meeting him, but it never happened. A real missed opportunity.

long ago reads:
Jupiter's Travels - great

Great read - as with Fulton, he pretty much did this trip on a bet, with no preparation and actually no experience riding a bike. Ted is still around (and another friend - he comes to stay when he's on the east coast) and did the trip over again starting at age 70.. That story is available on a CD - text and great illustrations - http://www.jupitalia.com/ - "Jupiter Returns".. He has several other books there worth getting.. If you have a chance - drinking some good dark beer with Ted can be super entertaining.. he has lots of thoughts that might challenge your view of the world.

Zen & the Art... - crap (sorry, just can't get into the self-pitying, indulgent, semi-mystical excess of this one)

Ditto. Only got about half way through it when I decided I was wasting my time.

watched:

Long Way Round & Long Way Down - both excellent; haven't touched the books

Good watching, but they pale compared to Fulton's and Simon's journeys. I feel they never gave the crew enough credit - after all - the cameraman was always riding along, loaded down with camera gear.

Certainly "The Worlds Fastest Indian" is one of the true classics of motorcycle movies. That's been on my wanna read the book list for a while now.

And Peter Egan's books (collections of his columns for Cycle World) "Leanings" and "Leanings 2" are ones you won't want to put down. Great author (on cars and bikes), and someone I'd love to meet.

[BigEasy]

Don, Definitely find time to read One Good Run aka Worlds Fastest Indian. Burt would have been a cool guy to hang out with, great story.

[mogu83]

Usually you see posts like this in February - guess the bored season is coming early. It's still riding season in Jersey.

[deilenberger]

Usually you see posts like this in February - guess the bored season is coming early. It's still riding season in Jersey.

Gee Harry - was doing that all weekend. You missed a good rally (Last Chance in Elmer NJ - where? The part of NJ no one knows about..)

[lewellen]

Usually you see posts like this in February - guess the bored season is coming early. It's still riding season in Jersey.

As I said ... on a weekend business trip to Illinois ... on an absolutely gorgeous fall day ... when the HOG packs are out getting some last rides in before the weather turns too bad for them ... Very frustrating that I can never get the company to rent me a bike rather than a car. :-)

Off-topic, I spent about 10 years in Illinois. It's one of those (few) states that doesn't have a helmet law, and while I always ride with a full-face, I respect the rider's right to choose. That said, after living in CA for a couple of years it seemed weird to see that many lidless Harley riders trundling around. (The part I was in was pretty suburbanized ... the few Beemers I saw were in full touring kit.)

Good roads,

- Lewellen

[mogu83]

Gee Harry - was doing that all weekend. You missed a good rally (Last Chance in Elmer NJ - where? The part of NJ no one knows about..)

Had to stay home this weekend. Guzzi rally in Maine two weeks ago, MotoGiro last week and leaving Wednesday morning for a week in Southern West Virginia (Pipestem Guzzi Rally). Thing I like to read most is road signs.

[staves]

I've been a magazine junkie for years and recently moved many of my subscriptions over to digital form at zinio.com.

If, like me, you spend a lot of time in front of a computer, zinio is a great way to read mags (and save a few trees).

One year digital sub to Motorcyclist is $7.50 (no postage fee, BTW!) They offer hundreds of U.S. and international mags. I don't work there, just enjoy their service.

- Scott