Please do not support betterhelp! There are lots of ethical concerns with how patients are treated and the company selling peoples' personal information to ad agencies and social media companies. Appreciate the content! Always inspirational!
My brother was a spirited man. His last project was to rebuild a bike from the ground up, get his license, and learn to ride.. which he did. He died 3 years ago, and I've dreamt of learning to ride on that bike ever since. My Dad now owns it. For some strange reason, my brother doesn't have a grave or a memorial. I don't know why that is, but I see that bike as if it were his memorial. I sit with it. I put my hands on it. I try to envision him turning those tools as he meticulously gave that machine its second chance at life. I think it would be a tremendous honour to feel the way you speak about riding while on his bike. I think it's about time I got my motorcycle license. Thank you, Van.
Well said. Sometimes when people ask me what I like about riding I tell them, Imagine you could run as fast as you wanted for as long as you liked and never get tired.
I can’t get enough of these “love letters to motorcycles” type videos. I unfortunately had to sell mine years ago. Affording to feed my children became priority but I have the itch, the love and the magnetic draw to motorcycles to this day. My time will come to be back on two wheels and I will cherish every single second of those rides.
He best kept secret in the motorcycling world is Vietnam. Take a peaky, light bike with road tyres and ride from Phuong Nha to Khe Sanh. A Vitpilen 401 would not be ideal, but would be close. If you don't have a mystical experience doing that, you've got dramas.
At the age of 52, I began my riding journey two years ago on a whim to find a new hobby. I wish I had done it earlier in my life, but it’s like the saying goes “the best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago and the next best time is now.” Riding washes everything out of my mind and thrusts me into the moment, the best therapy money can buy.
Rode over 100k miles and have had 20 road bikes. It all came to a end.. I miss it..I've shed tears over it...I've have yet to find some way to fill the void. RU-vid has become one way and spending time with family. My therapy has changed.
@@tamekyle A deer ran into the side of my bike and destroyed my left arm. It took 10 months to just get back to work and many hours of P.T. I'm able to work again in my trade witch was a blessing. At this point having a 5 year old at the time and my wife dealing with the fear of me riding. I decided they come first right now and have learned alot about coping and being a better me in the end.
I’ve had everything from a classic Vespa to an antique sidecar bike. Nothing was better for my mental health than riding a motorcycle. It makes me feel good. People who don’t understand, don’t understand.
I currently have a Triumph Speed Twin 900. Have been riding motorcycles for six years now. It’s my therapy. My outlet. Even the most mundane of rides - the commutes to work in the pouring rain, for example - can just be spectacular. I genuinely feel sometimes like a bird in flight, or a fighter pilot; it’s that nimble swinging and slicing of the bike through the streets, the traffic, the scenery. It’s just bliss.
I’ve been through so many hobbies. I started riding a little over a year ago and there’s nothing like it. Absolutely nothing. I’m totally in love with it and it’s helped me decompress and clear my mind every time I get on. I go through withdrawal if I don’t ride. I know the risks but for such a fulfilling experience I won’t live in fear of them.
Van, been watching on here since the very first day and upload. I was sent here by your brother. You, hands down have to be my favorite film maker and always leave feeling inspired to do something I love to do. Thanks for making content that has substance an redeems this space. Thanks for reminding me that I am a spirited man!
I have an old DR 650 that I take out every week. Couldn't afford therapy anymore so I bought a cheap motorcycle at 42. I'm 45 now and I honestly don't know what I would do without my bike. Although I live in Canada and I can only ride it during the spring-fall, I try to make the best of it and remember the fun I had in the winter; It always puts a big grin on my face. I can't tell you the amount of rides I've taken that just cleared my head. Shes my ride or die, her name is Darlene.
I’m 54 in a couple of weeks and only started riding a couple of months ago. Also a DR650 (her name is Varla). While I wish I’d started 20 years ago, I kind of think it happened when it needed to happen, I’m much less of a hellraiser, I’m many years sober and rarely even smoke weed anymore. I’m not out to break speed records or pop wheelies and generally prefer riding under the posted limit when I can. And it’s absolute bliss. I recently nicknamed it “cheater’s zen” because of how arrested in the moment you become while riding.
One of your best videos. I love pouring over maps and planning routes and trips. Following you on the map board and seeing the locations as you encountered them was amazing. Meditative and sublime soundtrack. Thank you for sharing your ride.
That is the coolest map animation ever! Keeping something (worth keeping) in shape is rewarding in itself, even if it does not feel like that while swearing over an issue .. Thank you for this video.
There’s just something about being deep in these sandy Michigan trails, and being on my 1996 cr250r and hearing that engine just singing. I went through the whole motor and did the top end, feels good knowing I did it right and it runs good now because of what I did last summer. I ride with my 67 year old dad believe it or not. He’s on a 95 KTM 300. he has a 73 Yamaha DT3 250, the bike I learned how to ride, but it’s not good in these sandy trails. I told him I would find him a 125 2 stroke and came home with the KTM 300. It’s a blast
Marie Kondo asks people "does this bring joy to your life" but she never asks: "how would you feel, if this was no longer in your life, and you would never be able to see it or touch it anymore?" She doesn't ask what loss you will feel at the absence of something.. or the potential future loss you will feel in its absence. which is just as important I think.
Right. Love it! How about this one? Would you replace it if it was stolen or lost? When I got my bike stolen, I almost immediately went and bought another one. It's a structural piece in my life.
I went 5 years without a bike. It was never far from my thoughts. I don't think I will go another span of time without riding as long as I am able to do so.
@@redmond9653 I mean, I have some boxes that I haven't seen in many years, haven't even thought of for a number of years, but then when you go back to your parent's place, see a box of stuff from your childhood in the garage, and suddenly all the memories come flooding back. At the time, a box of toys are just toys, fast forward 20 years later and it's a treasure chest. As someone else mentioned, a good metric about how important something is, is how quick you would replace it if it was gone.
This is one of my favorite videos on youtube, and such a great summary of the motorcycling experience. I've bought and sold many bikes over the years, but my beat-up, high mile XR650L will forever live in my garage, cost be damned.
This video has come to me at a strange time, a cross roads of my very own. My beloved birth year 97 Harley softail has started the riding season yet again with a new major leak, which makes me resentful at it. But every time I start it up and not only hear, but feel it to my souls core ,that feeling melts away. When I sit on it and twist the throttle it’s akin to talking to a best friend whose personality fits me like a glove. I’ve almost died on the bike countless times, weather it be from deer or drivers to busy looking at their phones to pay attention to the fact that they are driving a 2 ton metal bull down the road and I’m only a pony, but it’s a bike I’d be fine dying on. I feel guilty when I think of selling it to get a newer bike that would give me less problems and I know I’d regret doing so but I can’t keep putting money into something I can’t actually use and don’t make enough money to have more than one. Like you said it’s therapy. This is not something I ever wanted to think about, but life has its way of throwing things at you when you least want them but need them most…
When you risk your life you are not always met with death. My dad was just in a motorcycle accident and was left with permanent brain damage and a feeding tube. Wear your helmet and obey all traffic laws. Remember, you are not invincible, and there are fates worse than death.
I am a new rider. Started just half a year ago. I started going on adventure/Enduro trips with my dad. I new it would be fun and a great bonding opportunity with my dad but I've never expected it to be so therapeutic. I am a narrator thinker with adhd so riding is truly the only time my brain is clear and quiet. Truly the best and most consistent meditation ive had.
Southern California is warm most of the year and it very rarely rains. On top of this, Malibu has wonderful topography and great roads for riding. You are in such a great place for motorcycling and it is so much fun watching you take advantage of it. Thanks for making this video and keep dancing along the back roads.
I recently got into riding. This will be my 4th season. For this season I am riding from Hollywood MD to Anchorage AK. You pretty much nailed the reason why I ride and why this year i will put on 10K miles to get from Home to Coast to Coast to Home. Thank you for your content, creativity, and your soulful words. P.S. the GS series is still the best series :)
Good luck on your trip. When I moved to California I took all backroads, no interstates. I HIGHLY recommend this way of motorcycling across the country. Never far from civilization but just far enough to really experience the vastness and beauty of the country.
Thanks for this. Not only is your work insightful but this channel feels like the next frontier of what youtube could be. It all feels so tastefully done in contrast to the quirky youtube culture that we usually see.
This video spoke to me. Summarised in such an articulate/gentlemanly/relatable manner how I feel about the many facets of being a motorcycle rider. Love your work. Fix the Beemer.
Love the video! a colleague is thinking about selling his R nine T. He put 600 miles on it. He’s not cut out motorcycle riding wood it seems. You should get it.
That buildup all the way to the reveal of the ocean... absolutely outstanding. I'm from Michigan, seeing bodies of water isn't anything new, but seeing the ocean is far up on my list of simple things I need to do. This was lovely.
I create and watch a lot of motorcycle content. This is top tier man. Great video. Your bro Casey inspired me to start my RU-vid channel. I found you through him. Keep up the great MC content.
I grew up on these roads, I live in Central Oregon now miss that place like the Dickens. Thanks for taking your freinds up there its important for people to understand what California and those mountains have to offer.
Brilliant video. I’m in tears brother. I’ve lived in 5 countries and never owed a car with hundreds of thousands of Moto-miles under my belt and still never feel right without two wheels. It’s who I am, part of my soul, part of my humanity. Your words and the quotes you used, perfectly captures every emotion and reasoning behind this shared passion. People ask me why…all the time. I’m now just going to show these folks your video. Thank you 🙏🏻. We should ride together sometime.
My friend died 2 days ago on his Ducati 848. Went through a green light at the speed limit, while someone ran the red at full speed and t bonded him. It happened 2 days after my first track day of the year and I was already scared of traffic. This was just icing on the cake for me not wanting to ride on the street anymore. But there’s no way I can turn my back on it. I can’t go to the track every day and I’m not going to drive my lame ass car on a beautiful day. Just be aware and be extra cautious around intersections. Most of the time it’s cross traffic that kills us
I used to regularly go for scenic drives in a car along that same route. Such beautiful scenery. I imagine it's even better on a motorcycle. Thanks for sharing.
I use to ride street bikes and had one accident which left me scared every time I would ride. I switched to dirt bikes and loved it. It was like being in control of your own roller coaster. I just have to go to the emergency room one time, but at least when you are riding dirt bikes, usually if you mess up, it is on you and not some idiot driver who cuts you off or cuts in front of you.
6:01 - Reminds me of the intro from Matthew Crawfords ‘Why We Drive’ - "Riding a dirt bike on a narrow, meandering trail that is rocky and muddy, with protruding roots and fallen limbs, creek crossings, steep descents, and tight switchbacks, at a mere fifteen miles per hour, I might be taxed to the very limit of my mental ability. Picking lines, making imperceptible decisions of throttle, clutch, steering, braking, and body English, revising them on the fly as surprises arrive at my front wheel-all this demands total concentration. ... the heightened feeling of exposure one has on a dirt bike recalls one to a basic truth: we are fragile, embodied beings. There is a certain risk that is inherent in moving around, by whatever means."
And this is why I still have VW Golf mk4 GTI sat on my parent's driveway two years after it initially failed an MOT. Each time I've been round to fix one problem, another has come up and every time in between it gets covered in mould inside from the wet British weather but I'm still determined to finally get it sorted. And then no doubt go back to complaining about how the seats aren't that comfortable and the windscreen could do with replacing because it's so scratched, and...
I doubt you read the comments on videos this old but I want you to know I am about to buy my first bike so I can ride with my dad and for my adventurous self. This video brought that happiest tear to my eye I have experienced in a while. I’m ready to fly.
I don't know if the algorithm is doing its thing or if this is a sign but I just finished rebuilding an old motorcycle and I think I just found a route to go on. Thank you!
I learned 4 very important things from this video: 1. I need to ride again 2. Van has an amazing backyard in which to ride 3. Van is an amazing storyteller 4. Kona Big Wave is a great beer Thanks Van!
I didn't realize you rode! Makes sense given you live in motorcycle nirvana. That section of mullholland off Malibu canyon is one of my favorites. I made a somewhat related video a long time ago about how the scariest part of riding is when you are not riding, but rather in bed thinking about riding. But yes it's my therapy as well. See you up there!
you are my favorite poet. Your my favorite poet, but read the beginning of the Yogi Berra quote. "Keep trying, stay humble, Trust your instincts, and most importantly act! (Keep making these videos)"
I got back into motorcycles in 2019 after a decade hiatus. The idea was it would keep me occupied and sane while dissolving a failed marriage. The first bike I picked up was a Svartpilen 401. Such a fun little machine. Lightweight, torquey, sounds good, and looks like a work of art. Five years later and I'm on a Triumph Street Triple 765RS that has about three times the hp of the svart and even more pedigree and athleticism. But sometimes I really do miss that little swedish bike. It just had a character and playfulness about it that I haven't been able to recreate.
The most inspirational part of this was realizing that Dr. Phil has actually said something worthy of the title "Dr". before... I wanna float so bad but I'd rather live a life achieving other dreams than become a pavement stain at the hand of another after achieving this one enticing dream
