1. Great stories on the big screen
As the riding season draws near here, in Scandinavia, I find myself watching more and more motorcycling
and riding videos as the cold days go by. Seeing my bike stand in the basement and wait for its turn to roll on
the streets is rather grim business after all... As the chilly winds keep blowing outside, I decide to join some
of the well-known stories of modern knights and passionate adventurers.
With this series of articles I intend to take you through
some of the movies that I enjoy most, ones that are both
inspiring and inviting – each in its own way. I shall point
out what caught my attention and what I found most
interesting in the stories. However, beware of the possible
spoilers that I might include in my short reviews.
This article includes my take on “On any Sunday”,
“TT3D”, “Motorcycle diaries” and “The world’s fastest
Indian”. I encourage all to see these films as they are
wonderful true stories presented in an enjoyable and fun
way.
“On any Sunday”:
Despite numerous plotlines, the turbocharged “On any Sunday”
kept me entertained, interested and craving for more all the way
through. The movie takes the audience through the history books
of motorcycling. Starting with Speedway, a sport that all modern
drifters look up to. A sport where safety was not on the list of
requirements. A sport where speed collides with balance,
determination and courage. However, “On any Sunday” does not
stop there, I was amazed to see the racers move onto frozen lakes
and perform identical miracles on ice, riding on 2-inch-long-nail-
mounted tires..
But not everything in the movie goes in circles – the motorcycle land speed record is set, too. On a hardly
driveable rocket/car/motorcycle in a surreal environment of dried out salt lakes. Already back then man’s
need for speed was present and as we can see 40 years later, it is still here to stay with more and more people
joining and supporting the cause.
Finally, the film shows the everyday life of passionate cross and hill-climbing racers in a honest and
engaging way. I rarely catch myself thinking that somewhere, on the other side of the world, there is a bunch
of riders fighting their way up and over a hill but it definitely exists and expands the horizon of
motorcycling.

2. And even though I got to see many careless adrenalin-driven riders successfully make it across the finish
line, I am glad for the evident evolution of protective riding gear. Nowadays most daily commuters buzzing
around on their scooters wear better gear than top professionals did over 40 years ago. As “On any Sunday”
shows, back then riders made their own cast steel shoe modifications for Speedway, taped temporary visors
one on top of each other to quickly get rid of the mud (not too much advancements in nowadays motocross!),
not to mention the highly “sophisticated” leather helmets/masks. Good only for serving your brain as a bowl
of morning oatmeal, if you ask me.. But those were the days, no
one minded the danger - everyone embraced the thrill and
excitement that riding brings. The professionals did not mind
creating DIY solutions and tuning their own bikes for hours on
end.
It was inspiring to see so many people race and support riders
even in no-prize races. Just like myself long time ago, I
watched kids starting to ride at an early age and look up to
riders as the modern freedom fighters.
“TT3D”:
The movie goes into great details about the history of the
famous race on the Island of Man. We are shown how the
locals feel about their home island becoming a centre for
motorcycling enthusiasts and whizzing, nearly flying
machines. It shows how the passion for riding and the
motorcycle sport in general unites thousands of people
from different backgrounds.
The race visualises our hidden wishes to ride really fast in
cities and towns. Something that is so real and yet still
hard to grasp – riders flying at 250 km/h through narrow
British streets and bends 1 meter away from you. Speeds which require special cameras simply to capture
and track the fluid motion.
The movie takes us through how some of the best professional riders live – how they feel, how they prepare
themselves and their bikes for the race, what they fear,
what they think.. A world where the word “safety” is
something abstract and intangible. Full-on professionals
and daytime mechanics, whose bravery and will cannot
be measured or compared in any way, race side by side
(not literally, thank God).
A kind of spirituality is felt when the time to race comes:
concentration is sky high, coated with unreal amounts of
adrenaline and courage – the riders start, max throttle and
max hope to finish first or finish at all...

3. “Motorcycle diaries”:
Even though in the end “Motorcycle diaries” seemed to
resemble a biographical story more than a true road
movie, it showed a grandiose tour across South America
that brought two friends closer together than ever before.
I could see recognise many real-life aspects from my own
visit in South America. The movie shares magnificent
landscape, cultural riches and strong characters
throughout the storyline. In the end, it became a trip that I
joined in, a trip that made me think and consider what is
it that I find important both in my own life and in the
world. And all of this was done through a fun, eventful and charismatic motorcycle tour.
The two main characters travel close to nature, almost completely disconnected – it is something that we, the
modern people, get to experience rarely. They travel in a nomad style: with low resources, meeting many
local people, seeing true life, gathering real experiences.. Only once I had the chance to travel like this – on a
two-day tour in central Ecuador.
The motion picture illustrates how strong one man's passion for his motorcycle may be. Funnily, the machine
of the movie has both a name and gender. The two riders depend on her mood and personality. Riding in the
snow without paved roads, the bike’s old age, the tent
flying away in strong winds, crashes – I, as a viewer, was
invited to see and experience, at least partially, all of it.
And it was shown brilliantly, with true emotions, conflicts
and humour.
The politically simple journey of two friends across a
continent that is in desperate need for change, called
“Motorcycle diaries”, appealed to me as an adventurous
rider and a human being. A great story and wonderful
motivation for travelling with your friends.
“The world's fastest Indian”:
The story revolves around a passionate rider from New
Zealand who, despite his respectable age, is still young at
heart. His drive for motorcycling and speed takes him
through a dramatic journey where he takes his self-tuned
old “Indian” motorbike to Utah, USA to see how fast he
and his bike can go on the racetrack. The likeable
character goes through many challenges to eventually
fulfil his lifelong dream – to set a new motorcycle land
speed record. People who laughed at the notion of a 40
year old bike with an elderly man for a rider competing
for the title of the world’s fastest, ended up wholeheartedly supporting the crazy man from kiwi-land in his
pursuit for glory.

4. The movie has a lot to teach; I was inspired and have a hard time remembering other movies that I took so
many quotes from. When asked about the fear of death, the rider does not even blink before answering:
“No... You live more in five minutes on a bike like this, going flat out, than some people live in a lifetime..."
The story combines many different experiences, some of which could be defined as bad, some as incredibly
fortunate but throughout the whole adventure, the man’s determination goes great lengths. As the main
character puts it: “If you don’t follow through on your dreams, son, you might as well be a vegetable."
“The world’s fastest Indian” just like the other movies on
this list shows some insight into yet another riding/racing
style – the fight for speed. Here, in the world where each
bolt and nut is important, where pistons last but a couple
of minutes and both machines and motorcyclists are
tested at their limits, fellow riders of all styles and
backgrounds support each other and see past their
differences. We are allowed to peak into this alternate
world where all parts and efforts which do not last to the
end serve as “offerings to the God of speed” – a symbol
of endless determination and complete devotion.
Back to riding!
Even though these movies have helped me a great deal to get through winter without riding, the inspiration
has lead me to start planning two spring tours already. It is just 5 degrees Celsius here, but the sun is shining,
the snow is gone and there are no signs of salt on the roads anymore. That means just one thing – I am finally
dragging my bike out from the basement!
Regarding the films, my advice is as follows - I highly
recommend each and single one of these movies for all
riders/motorcycle enthusiasts, however, beware that you
shall watch them on your own responsibility! Possible
side effects include wanting to ride even more and
spending even more hours on preparing your bike.. Where
ever you may be, the ancient proverb is valid: “No matter
how long the winter, spring is sure to follow.” Happy and
safe riding!