There are a lot of interesting things on the internet that I sometimes feel should have more eyes on them. This is just a random collection of some of them that I can remember right now.
1. Allen Millyard – Youtube
I recently attempted to restore my old Pulsar 150, and failed like a king. That’s a whole other story, but after the glory of completely giving up, I found this channel that’s perhaps one of the best examples of what the internet is for. Good, humble people of extraordinary talent, talking about their passion and showing us normies how it’s all done.
Allen is too precious for Youtube in some ways, he’s just too nice, it feels weird. The simplicity of his manner, tools, and techniques hides the genius this man has with motorcycles. Since the world is an evil, depressing place, he only has 77k followers.
2. Mat Oxley – Motorsport Magazine
You obviously know who he is, I had once had the luck of being within a few feet of him, an opportunity I made the most of by running away as quickly as possible. His articles are always worth reading, but 2 of them recently were very different.
You can read them here and here.
They are related, and talk about the old world of motorcycle racing. There was cutting edge competition like today for sure, but somehow these people managed to find ways to have fun, and make incredible memories. Perhaps in 50 years time we will have similar stories from Marquez and Quartararo, but somehow I doubt the monk-like zen necessary for today’s racers makes for very rowdy times.
3. Riding on Eggshells – Youtube
I once attempted to take my girlfriend on a long ride to show her the “beauty” of motorcycle touring. She sat behind me for the 350 kms to the destination, and rode back in a bus for the return journey.
What I’m trying to say is that most bikers would like this activity to have more female involvement, and yet it doesn’t always seem to work that way. Part of the explanation why can be seen in the adventures of Liz.
I have never put myself through the pressure of riding technical trails with a large group of experienced off-roaders on a bloody Royal Enfield, but she does, and makes it through, which is extremely impressive for a new-ish rider. The journey is not always smooth, and that’s part of the weird guilty fun.