Why We Ride

Just saw "Why We Ride", and while it was entertaining, it isn't a great movie. For one thing, although it does show the passion that many motorcycle riders feel, the emphasis gets a bit overwhelming. I think the film takes itself too seriously, especially with music intended to add gravitas to the interviews. It seems like the producers missed the "having fun" aspect of riding in large part, which is so evident in "On Any Sunday".

Another problem with the film is that it didn't spend enough time on each area of riding, and tries to show too many types activities and riding styles, to the point that just as you are starting to say "that's cool ..." it's on to another topic.

A third issue is that too much prior knowledge on the part of the viewers has been assumed by the film-makers. For example, unless you know who Mert Lawill is, and already know his involvement with making a handle-bar grip for amputees, it's extremely easy to miss the importance of what he has done. Also, the interviewees are unnamed until the end of the film. Sure, most of the riders in our audience knew a few people, but most of us were wondering who they were, and why they were being interviewed.

We watched this film in a group of riders and non-riders. For the most part, this film just confirmed the feelings of the rides, but didn't really make the non-riders want to try motorcycles. It might not be fair to compare it to "On Any Sunday", but the comparison is inevitable. "On Any Sunday" makes most people want to at least investigate riding a bit more, just as "The Endless Summer" makes people want to go to the beach and think maybe they can surf, too.

"Why We Ride" is entertaining for riders, but it's not going to convince anyone to go out and get on a bike.

This is one of the single prettiest films a gear-head can watch. The shots, the lighting, the composure... I don't think I've ever seen another movie that can justify so much slow-motion, but it really is well done here to allow the viewer to take in everything about the shot. My only complaint is that it's strictly about motorcycling in America. There are a few shots of BMWs, Ducatis, Triumphs, and Vincents, but that's about it. MotoGP only gets talked about very briefly, as if the filmmakers knew they had to acknowledge it, but couldn't get anybody from MotoGP to participate or didn't care to. They also didn't talk about World Superbike. It's almost all dirt bikes and big, gaudy, chromed cruisers. I almost turned it off during some of the cruiser parts, but the interviewees had good stories, the editing kept me interested, and the parts focused on Bonneville and kids riding was really great. Recommended viewing for American motorcyclists, but there's a whole wide world of riders out there that may find this to be take-it-or-leave-it.

This film was done in such a moving way. It reminds you of all the reasons why you ride. Why being on 2 wheels is like music being played on the road, dirt, so on and so forth. Before my wife started riding I use to tell her to watch as we go into turns during group rides so she could see the bikes work one after the other as they lean in and lean out and how amazing it was to see that. I think the only reason that individuals don't love to ride is because they haven't tried it. People put such labels on motorcycle enthusiasts when in reality this our free therapy! They don't realize how freeing it can truly be. They don't realize how unbelievably nice the motorcycle community really is. The interviews the footage shot the quotes the age range was all great! I would highly recommend this to all riders and nonriders!

I do ride, yet I was very skeptic of this movie when a friend proposed a screening of the DVD at his place, I mean don't get me wrong any motorcycle movie to a rider is welcome, but we grew a bit wary of recent motorcycle movies composed of video clips of high jumps and silly interviews... but this one was different, it brought me shivers in my bones, butterflies in my stomach and tears to my eyes then, made me realize how fortunate I am to have found my true passion the minute I bought my first motorcycle 10 years ago, along with the joy and pride of belonging to the purest and most genuine fraternities out there! while other still searching... if you ride, you must watch it, if you don't, please give it a try, it might get across the answers to all non believers to their question, why do we ride?! the two wheel business is more elaborate, popular, and keep growing, despite its factual limitations and dangers! I truly think this movie explain why! I gave it a 9 because it did not try to elaborate the idea from current professional perspective (current moto GP and motocross champions) and why they stick to it despite the enormous pressure (believe me the money is just half the answer) but again, maybe the director wanted us to see it through the eyes of the ordinaries like most of us, so we can relate more to it!

Motorcycling came late to me, but after only a couple of years it's an important part of who I am. The makers of this movie (like a lot of other bikers) seem to feel the same way. They've tried to capture it and got close. The problem is that just like a photo of great scenery never captures the way it feels to be there, and the movie adaptation of your favourite book always disappoints, that feeling is difficult to nail down in a documentary, especially as it's not the same feeling for each of us.

They did a great job of representing those for whom riding is something emotional, philosophical, and meaningful. Some of it was really touching. What it perhaps needed were some moments of comedy to provide balance; maybe some people for whom motorcycling is just about being wild or getting crazy with your buddies, who make you laugh, but that clearly isn't the voice of those who made this fillm. They love the flow state of being out on the road and the cameraderie amongst their fellow bikers.