Afleveringen
-
If youâre a motorcyclist living and riding in the U.S., Nick Haris works for you. Even more so if youâre one of the more than 200,000 members of the American Motorcyclist Association, whose tagline is âRights, Riding, and Racing.â Haris leads a team of six who comprise the AMAâs government-relations department. Their job is to protect your rights as a motorcyclist in the halls of government.
In the second of two interviews with Haris, âDriven to Rideâ host Mark Long digs into significant issues facing 21st-century motorcyclists, such as autonomous vehicles. âIf this technology cannot recognize and respond correctly to other road users,â states Haris, âand I donât care if it is a pedestrian, a bicyclist, a motorcycle, or another car, it shouldnât be allowed on public roads.â
Haris sheds light on other hot-button subjects, like alternative energy, helmet laws, land management, and lane filtering. âI often say, âTen percent of the world has an opinion about motorcycling. They're in favor of itâyou and I. Ten percent have some reason they donât like it. And then, 80% donât care.â So, letâs not move them into the, âI donât like motorcycling category,â by doing something stupid.ââ
Connect with Us:
Website:
www.driventoridepodcast.com
Instagram:
www.Instagram.com/driventoridepodcast
Facebook:
www.facebook.com/driventoride
Email:
-
Annick Magac and âDriven to Rideâ host Mark Long grew up in different parts of the country, but they share common ground. They both live to ride and ride to live, as the saying goes, and they both have a strong sense of community. Whatâs more, Magac founded her own motorcycle-oriented podcast, âFĂ©roce,â which, as its title suggests, inspires listeners to âlive fiercely.â
No surprise, Magac has a competitive streak. In her 20s, she road-raced a Grand Prix-style Honda RS125 in American Historic Racing Motorcycle Association and Championship Cup Series events at various East Coast tracks, including historic New Hampshire Motor Speedway. âIt was amazing,â she says, reminiscing about the diminutive two-stroke. âI think that may be the most exotic thing Iâve owned.â
In this episode, Magac offers tips for riders who use motorcycles as their main form of transportation. Top of the list, she says, is warmth and safety. âI have heated grips. I have a connect for a heated vest. I donât fool around anymore with being cold. And I always wear gear. Thatâs my commitment to my family and my commitment to myself in case things go sideways.â Check. Check.
Annick's website - https://liveferoce.com/
Annick on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@annickmagac
FĂROCE Podcast on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/live.feroce
Annick's Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/annickmagac
Connect with Us:
Website:
www.driventoridepodcast.com
Instagram:
www.Instagram.com/driventoridepodcast
Facebook:
www.facebook.com/driventoride
Email:
-
Zijn er afleveringen die ontbreken?
-
Motorcycling and politics donât mix, right? They do for Nick Haris. In college, the Washington state native was an economics major and worked at a motorcycle shop. Degree in hand, he applied for his dream job: a government-relations role at the American Motorcyclist Association. âIt was just kind of a natural combination of that interest in politics and that love for motorcycling,â he says.
In 2023, after more than 20 years on the job, Haris was made director of the AMAâs Government Relations department. In the first of two interviews with âDriven to Rideâ host Mark Long, Haris reiterates something we all know, that motorcyclists are a relatively small portion of the U.S. population. âIf we look for reasons to divide ourselves,â he says, âweâre not going to have a lot of success.â
Spending long, memorable days in the saddle gives Haris time to think about the future of our country. âReality is,â he says, âitâs the city council that makes the decision or the board of supervisors that sets the zoning rule that really probably affects you more on a daily basis than anything that Congress is going to do. Day to day, itâs the locals that you really need to get to know.â Good advice.
Connect with Us:
Website:
www.driventoridepodcast.com
Instagram:
www.Instagram.com/driventoridepodcast
Facebook:
www.facebook.com/driventoride
Email:
-
Larry Fletcher grew up in Wisconsin in the late 1960s and early â70s, like a lot of people his age, doing âsilly stuffâ on minibikes with his buddies. He took a break from motorcycling until he moved to Chicago as a 20-something. âI figured out, what a great way to commute,â he says. âBikes were an easier way to get around, and I loved getting back in the saddle again. It was great.â
Fletcher worked the Chicagoland bar and club circuit. Motorcycles, especially the vintage British iron he favored, were part of the street scene. That eventually led in the mid-1990s to establishing an official chapter of the U.K.-based â59 Club,â which was famously founded by the late Rev. Bill Shergold, known in two-wheel circles as the âton-up vicar.â
Fast forward to the present day. Fletcher, Martin Cimek, and Sean McKeough have grown the annual MOTOBLOT hot-rod culture celebration into an event so big it needed its own dedicated venue. âWhatever youâre into,â he says about the biker blowout of the summer, âinternal combustion or even now with electric, anything on two wheels, we embrace it.â Invitation accepted!
Connect with Us:
Website:
www.driventoridepodcast.com
Instagram:
www.Instagram.com/driventoridepodcast
Facebook:
www.facebook.com/driventoride
Email:
-
Thalassa Van Beek fell in love with motorcycling as a teenager working as a hostess and model in her native Netherlands. She was handing out brochures at a trade show when a blue Yamaha YZF-R6 caught her eye. âRight then and there,â she recounts to âDriven to Rideâ host Mark Long, âI decided to get my license because I needed to ride that bike.â
Van Beek earned her license at age 19, and she has been riding pretty much ever since. She bought a Honda VTR250, which was followed by a CBR600F and then her dream R6. Today, living in motorcycle-crazy Spain, she owns a handful of machinesâall Yamahas. âEvery time Iâm on the bike, it just makes me happy and excited, like I can conquer the world.â
Van Beek eventually formed her own agency, âMotorcycle Marketing.â She surrounded herself with experts specializing in copywriting, graphic design, SEO, and social media. She has one hard-and-fast rule: Everyone has to ride motorcycles. âItâs a specific language,â she says. âYou can just tell when a campaign is written by someone who isnât a biker. It shows.â Indeed, it does.
Connect with Us:
Website:
www.driventoridepodcast.com
Instagram:
www.Instagram.com/driventoridepodcast
Facebook:
www.facebook.com/driventoride
Email:
-
Moms are the best advice-givers. Wyoming native Brady McLean once dated a woman from a multi-generational motorcycle family. âHer mom is the first one that I can ever remember saying, âGo fast, donât die,ââ he recalls. McLean took that message to heart and ultimately founded a lifestyle apparel brand by the same name dedicated to âthe culture and community that inspired our existence.â
Emboldened by the roads he and his friends call home, McLean helps spearhead the âDevilStone Run,â an annual motorcycle ride through the Equality State. The four-day trip begins at Devil's Tower, in the northeast corner of Wyoming, passes through Yellowstoneâthe worldâs first national parkâand concludes in Jackson Hole at the base of the Grand Tetons.
Asked to name the most rewarding aspect of building âGo Fast, Donât Die,â or any of his other businesses, McLean doesnât hesitate or mince words. âItâs a million percentâno question, no close secondâthe people,â he says. âWhatever industry youâre in, whatever business you run, you should be saying, âHow can I make my communityâs life better?ââ
Connect with Us:
Website:
www.driventoridepodcast.com
Instagram:
www.Instagram.com/driventoridepodcast
Facebook:
www.facebook.com/driventoride
Email:
-
Vanessa Ruck is a self-proclaimed âgo-getter, a chase-your-dreams kind of girl.â Her path to motorcycling came in a roundabout way: on the heels of a devastating bicycle accident that required seven surgeries and put the adventure-lover out of action for most of a decade. During her recovery, Ruck decided that life-changing event would not dictate her future.
In the eight years since Ruck began riding motorcycles, she has completed some of the most challenging off-road races in the world. âA lot of people see the sort of riding and racing that Iâve been doing and think Iâve been riding since I was a teeny tot,â she says. That late start aside, motorcycling has unlocked an all-new and often-unexpected world for âthe girl on a bike.â
When she isnât riding one of her several motorcycles, Ruck is a passionate and engaging motivational speaker, focusing on mental health and helping others make empowered decisions. âLife is really short,â she says, âand itâs absolutely incredible what we can achieve if we put our minds to it.â Want to know how to turn doom and gloom into drive and inspiration? Just ask Vanessa Ruck.
Connect with Us:
Website:
www.driventoridepodcast.com
Instagram:
www.Instagram.com/driventoridepodcast
Facebook:
www.facebook.com/driventoride
Email:
-
Daniel Ritz stumbled upon motorcycling a dozen years ago while working as a newspaper editor in Southern California. âThere was a small shop up the street from where I was living,â he tells âDriven to Rideâ host Mark Long. âI started looking at Triumphs, and I saw the Scrambler as a good mix: heavy enough for big trips but light enough to still move around a bit.â
For three years, a Matte Khaki Green Scrambler (âTo this day, itâs still the most beautiful bike Iâve ever seenâ) was Ritzâs sole transportation. âI just really committed to being as light-footed as I could, to being mobile,â he says, noting that he interacted with more people commuting and running errands on his motorcycle than when driving his pickup truck.
Now living in Idaho, the conservation editor for âSwing The Flyâ and founder of âJackâs Experience Trading Co.â has traded Pacific Coast Highway for Forest Service roads. âWild people enjoy wild places and wildlife,â says Ritz. âI feel very lucky to have access to a pretty remarkable landscape that is well-built, and sort of curated, for motorcycling.â
Connect with Us:
Website:
www.driventoridepodcast.com
Instagram:
www.Instagram.com/driventoridepodcast
Facebook:
www.facebook.com/driventoride
Email:
-
Some might say Aussie Alana Baratto was destined to work in the motorcycle industry. Her father was a rider, both on- and off-road, and he shared that cherished pastime with his daughters. Alana was gifted a Yamaha PW50 at age four and attended her first Grand Prix a year later. âIt was something that I grew to love,â she explains, âand then decided to make into a career.â
After a stint as a service advisor in a Sydney dealership, Baratto took a role with Aprilia. She went back to school and earned a marketing degree, ultimately leaving powersports for five years. âThat passion doesnât go away, I discovered, so I came back,â she says. Four years with KTM led to her current position, head of marketing for Ducati Australia and New Zealand.
âHaving that understanding of the dealership floor is invaluable,â Baratto tells Mark Long on this episode of the âDriven to Rideâ podcast, âso thereâs nothing about my career that I would change.â While she admits it can take a concerted effort to keep that passion burning, itâs definitely easier to get out of bed every morning when you do what you love.
Connect with Us:
Website:
www.driventoridepodcast.com
Instagram:
www.Instagram.com/driventoridepodcast
Facebook:
www.facebook.com/driventoride
Email:
-
There are few better examples of a relationship coming full circle than British expatriates Teejay Adams and Arthur Coldwells. The pair knew each other as teenagers, and even dated, but they didnât marry until some 40 years later, well into adulthood, on the heels of other relationships, and, in Teejayâs case, raising three children. Another common theme between Teejay and Arthur? A deep and lasting passion for motorcycling.
Teejayâs earliest memories of two wheels are of riding pillion in London with her boyfriend at the time. âI just loved it,â she says. âWe were on 1970s Japanese motorcycles, and they were just chrome and colorful and gorgeous, and I was completely swept up by that whole rugged, manly thing. That was my introduction. From there, I moved on to riding myself.â
Coldwells got his start in boarding school, secretly forming a motorcycle club with a fellow student. âI had been reading Motor Cycle News and was completely caught up in the whole racing and motorcycle thing,â he recalls. Arthur founded Ultimate Motorcycling magazine 20-plus years ago. More recently, he and Teejay started their own podcast, âMotos and Friends,â which focuses on bike reviews and culture.
Ultimate Motorcycling Website
Motos & Friends Podcast
Connect with Us:
Website:
www.driventoridepodcast.com
Instagram:
www.Instagram.com/driventoridepodcast
Facebook:
www.facebook.com/driventoride
Email:
-
Motorcycling and music seem to go hand in hand, or at least thatâs the opinion shared by Wes Fleming, the host of âChasing the Horizon,â and Mark Long, the host of âDriven to Ride.â Both enjoy playing stringed instruments, Wes favoring the guitar while Mark is a bass player. âI donât think thatâs a bad thing,â admits Fleming, adding, âItâs the two groups of people that I like.â
Besides his podcasting duties, Fleming is the digital media editor for the BMW Motorcycle Owners of America, a 25,000-member organization with more than 40 years of history and a network of riders across the entire U.S., 10 Canadian provinces, and all seven continents. Despite its affiliation with the German marque, âChasing the Horizonâ covers other brands and aspects of the powersports industry.
In addition to âChasing the Horizon,â which Fleming describes as, âby, for, and about motorcyclistsâ he produces three other motorcycle-related podcasts, â200 Miles Before Breakfast,â âThe Ride Inside with Mark Barnes,â and âRiding Into the Sunset.â Fleming also fronts an instrumental rock band called Hypersonic Secret and plays in a surf-music band Agent Octopus.
Connect with Us:
Website:
www.driventoridepodcast.com
Instagram:
www.Instagram.com/driventoridepodcast
Facebook:
www.facebook.com/driventoride
Email:
-
Bob Starr considers himself âlucky,â having spent his entire career in the motorcycle industry, including more than 32 years at Yamaha in marketing and, currently, corporate communications. âI turned a passion of mine at a very early age into a lifelong career,â he says with the enthusiasm of a teenager, âand I have really, really enjoyed it. I hope Iâve made a difference in the industry and, certainly, to Yamaha.â
As the New Hampshire native relates, motorcycles made an early impression. Playing in the front yard of his childhood home, he vividly recalls hearing a bike pass by. âIt was a Triumph, and it happened to belong to a local volunteer fire-department member. I would always wave, and he would always wave back. He had pipes on it, and it made a lot of noise. It was very influential to me.â
Some of the behind-the-scenes highlights that Starr relates to Mark Long, host of the âDriven to Rideâ podcast, are almost too good to be true. Like the time Wayne Rainey proposed that fellow three-time 500cc World Champion and mentor Kenny Roberts ride a two-stroke TZ750 flat-tracker at the 2009 Indianapolis Mile in exchange for Yamaha sponsorship at a celebrity pro-am golf tournament. Lucky, indeed.
Connect with Us:
Website:
www.driventoridepodcast.com
Instagram:
www.Instagram.com/driventoridepodcast
Facebook:
www.facebook.com/driventoride
Email:
-
The couple that rides together, stays together, right? Well, Cassey Stone, founder of the âHell Yeah! Motoâ womenâs dirt bike riding school, and Jacob Michna, former head of the AMA Hare and Hound National Championship Series now running the AMA West Hare Scramble Championship Series, bring vastly different two-wheel experiences to their relationship, which probably explains why they get along so well.
âIs it a Cassey ride?â Thatâs the most-asked question Stone hears when word spreads of a single-track off-road ride that she may in fact be leading through the wilds of Idaho. âI love showing people around and taking them on trails,â says Stone, adding that she enjoys turning up the heat. âWhen people start to ride in the desert, the next step has got to be the walk-out-at-midnight ride in the mountains with Cassey.â
Both Michna and âDriven to Rideâ host Mark Long have survived Stoneâs outings. âShe definitely taught me a lot of the ways of the woodsâstuff like how to saw deadfall trees,â admits Michna, whose day job is events manager for FLY Racing. âAny woods knowledge I have, Iâve definitely learned through her.â Listen to this episode, and you will understand even better why Stone and Michna perfectly complement each other.
Connect with Us:
Website:
www.driventoridepodcast.com
Instagram:
www.Instagram.com/driventoridepodcast
Facebook:
www.facebook.com/driventoride
Email:
-
Stage names often have interesting backstories. For Ryan Kluftinger, better known as âRyanF9,â host of the âFortNineâ YouTube channel, the explanation is straightforward: His boss came up with the internet alias. At the time, Ryan wasnât exactly pleased, but he shrugged it off, figuring that was a small cost for the opportunity to produce his own content. Nearly a decade later, âRyanF9â is a household name in motorcycle circles.
Ryan holds degrees in art history and physics, but he takes a journalistic approach to his videos. About FortNine, âCanadaâs online shopping source for motorcycle accessories,â he says, âFrom Day 1, they said, âGo make some content, brand it under FortNine, and make sure that motorcyclists find it useful or entertaining or valuable.â They never said, âTry to say nice things about the stuff we sell or try to promote this brand.ââ
Kluftinger is no charlatan. Heâs a second-generation motorcyclist who has been on two wheels since his pre-teen years. The Canadian earned his motorcycle license at age 17, and he doesnât own an automobile. âI tend to buy older stuff,â he admits. He currently owns four motorcycles, a Yamaha TT-R90, a Suzuki RV125 VanVan, a Honda GL500 Silver Wing, and a Yamaha TT350. In other words, heâs one of us.
Connect with Us:
Website:
www.driventoridepodcast.com
Instagram:
www.Instagram.com/driventoridepodcast
Facebook:
www.facebook.com/driventoride
Email:
-
Like so many of his peers, Sean Bice began his lifelong love affair with motorcycling on a minibike. His adventures in small-town, northern New York state eventually led to the purchase at age 16 of a two-stroke Yamaha RD350, which Bice still owns. âMy dad was cool enough to go, âIâll pay for half, you pay for half, but you have to take care of this bike,ââ he recalls. âItâs where I got started. I have a lot of memories of that motorcycle.â
A writer by trade, Bice kicked off his professional career working for advertising agencies, but he is best known within motorcycling for time spent with first Yamaha and now MotoAmerica. âWhen I worked for Yamaha as a press officer,â he explains, âthere were a fair amount of people who knew me for that, and it was mostly because I not only did road racing, but I also did motocross, supercross, off-road, and ATV.â
Bice has been part of the MotoAmerica team for the past eight years. On this episode, he provides a primer on the eight classes that comprise the 10-round national series. Bice also touches on the forthcoming Talent Cup, which will replace Junior Cup in 2025, as well as the youth-oriented Mini Cup. On free weekends, Bice enjoys throttle therapy. âI like to go out on a perfect Sunday afternoon,â he says, âand just bomb around town.â
Connect with Us:
Website:
www.driventoridepodcast.com
Instagram:
www.Instagram.com/driventoridepodcast
Facebook:
www.facebook.com/driventoride
Email:
-
What comes to mind when someone says, âSturgisâ? As in, the annual motorcycle rally set in the South Dakota city of the same name. If youâre Mark Long, host of âDriven to Ride,â you know only what youâve read or been told. See, before this year, Mark had never been to Sturgis, never mind the rally. So this past August, he packed his bags and pointed the headlight of his Yamaha XSR900 toward Mount Rushmore.
Among the half-a-million rally attendees, some, like Mark, are wide-eyed newbies. Take it from Richard Worsham, co-founder of Janus Motorcycles: âDriving through Sturgis at night, itâs wildâbikes back to back.â Others, like Zach Parham, president and CEO of Comoto Holdings, have been coming to the Black Hills for decades. âI rode my first time on my own bike when I was 16,â he says. âThis is my 29th year.â
Long relates his own adventure, with insights from Worsham, Parham, photographer Michael Lichter, YouTube star âDoodle on a Motorcycle,â and others, including Cody Ertman, media and PR manager at the Legendary Sturgis Buffalo Chip, known as âThe Best Party Anywhere.â He says, âIf I wasnât working at âThe Chip,â I would definitely be one of those people who came every year. Itâs such a cool experience.âThe Buffalo Chip
Janus Motorcycles
Official Sturgis Website
Connect with Us:
Website:
www.driventoridepodcast.com
Instagram:
www.Instagram.com/driventoridepodcast
Facebook:
www.facebook.com/driventoride
Email:
-
Keith Keller ventured from the U.S. to the Cayman Islands to experience first-hand the spectacular diving and snorkeling for which the British overseas territory located in the western Caribbean Sea is known, and he stayed for the motorcycling. That description may seem odd to dyed-in-the-wool riders, since Grand Cayman, the largest of the three islands, only encompasses 75 square milesânot exactly tailor-made for touring.
On this episode of the âDriven to Rideâ podcast, show host Mark Long interviews Keller, a California native whom he met while vacationing on Grand Cayman. A lifelong motorcyclist, Keller owns Cayman Custom Cycles, a âone-stop shop for all things motorcycle in Grand Cayman.â He also operates âCayman Islands Motorcycle Tours,â which offers a lap of the island from the seat of a late-model Harley-Davidson Big Twin.
Keller is a staunch advocate for the local motorcycling community and the founder of the Cayman Islands Motorcycle Riders Associationâdonât call it a âclub.â The tours themselves are relaxed affairs, as Long can vouch, with Keller leading from the front, albeit on the left side of the road, which is the rule of law in the Caymans. Figure 90 miles round trip. âBut,â Keller says proudly, âyou see the whole island.â
Connect with Us:
Website:
www.driventoridepodcast.com
Instagram:
www.Instagram.com/driventoridepodcast
Facebook:
www.facebook.com/driventoride
Email:
-
True story: âDriven to Rideâ host Mark Long booked a Kawasaki Vulcan S through Riders Share for the MotoGP race weekend at Circuit of The Americas. Upon arrival in Austin, Texas, he went to the designated location to pick up the bike from owner Guillermo Cornejo. Turns out, Cornejo is the founder of Riders Share, said to be the largest motorcycle-sharing community in the world. What are the chances of that happening?
Wait, thereâs more. The Kawasaki was only available for Long to use that weekend because Cornejo forgot to pause his motorcycle listing on the Riders Share website. Stranded without his usual two-wheel transportation, he was forced to Uber to COTA. âIt was a terrible mistake,â admitted Cornejo, adding, âbut I still made more money on Riders Share than I spent on Uber.â Allâs well that ends well, right?
On this episode of âDriven to Ride,â Cornejo explains why booking a motorcycle through Riders Share can be easier and more cost-effective than renting one from a national agency or even a local brick-and-mortar dealer. Is Riders Share the right choice for your motorcycle-rental needs? Listen to this episode and decide for yourself. Perhaps, like Mark, you might even meet the owner of the company.Connect with Us:
Website:
www.driventoridepodcast.com
Instagram:
www.Instagram.com/driventoridepodcast
Facebook:
www.facebook.com/driventoride
Email:
-
For generations of teenagers, a driverâs license represented independence, a milestone moment that transported fresh-faced wheelmen (and women) one step closer to adulthood. That is less so now, with fewer young drivers showing interest in taking to the road. Andrew Pieper, however, is all about bucking trends. In fact, he couldnât wait to pass his driving exam so he could buy, you guessed it, a motorcycle.
âI always wanted a bike,â admits Pieper. âWhen I turned 16 and got my license, I immediately got my motorcycle endorsement. I didnât even have a car until college. I rode everywhere.â Everywhere, indeed. In June, 2022, Piper set the record for the fastest time on a motorcycle across Americaâfrom Jacksonville, Florida, to San Diego, Californiaâ28 hours and 42 minutes.
On this episode of the âDriven to Rideâ podcast, host Mark Long interviews the South Carolina native, who describes himself as, âJust a guy trying to live life fully alive.â Racing the clock on a Honda CBR1100XX Super Blackbird isnât for the faint of heart, and Pieper spent a lot of time planning his cross-country record attempt, not to mention enlisting a slew of supporters to help him achieve his unique goal.
Connect with Us:
Website:
www.driventoridepodcast.com
Instagram:
www.Instagram.com/driventoridepodcast
Facebook:
www.facebook.com/driventoride
Email:
-
If spectating at a MotoGP race in Europe is on your bucket list, then the Italian Grand Prix at Autodromo Internazionale del Mugello wonât disappoint, as âDriven to Rideâ host Mark Long discovered firsthand this past June. Long spent the week traveling with his buddy Mike, who lives in Switzerland. Together, they enjoyed the full, immersive race-weekend experience camping on the scenic (and noisy!) Tuscan hillsides.
To better understand the nuts and bolts of a MotoGP race, especially one held on the Continent, Long spoke with Friné Velilla, who has worked for series commercial rights-holder Dorna for 20 years, the past 15 as media manager. FIM MotoGP Stewards Panel Chairman Freddie Spencer knows his way around Mugello, too, the three-time world champ having won both the 250cc and the 500cc races on the same day in 1985.
One of the fastest circuits on the calendar, Mugello is also one of the most difficult to nail as a rider. âItâs technical, itâs high-speed,â Spencer explained, âbut it challenges you mentally.â Long met two more Americans, J.J. and his son Connor. âThis is number one on my list of the tracks I wanted to go watch,â J.J. said about Mugello. And Longâs post-event advice? Go. Just go. But remember to bring earplugs. Youâll need âem.
Connect with Us:
Website:
www.driventoridepodcast.com
Instagram:
www.Instagram.com/driventoridepodcast
Facebook:
www.facebook.com/driventoride
Email:
- Laat meer zien