Here we are, two episodes just two weeks apart! I know, you’re probably as stunned as I am. Without going into all the boring details, I have five or six active interview requests in the wild right now. I’ve been on the phone with two PR departments, fielded a dozen emails and even have two interviews scheduled, but my planned guest for 96 bailed at the last minute due to a work-related conflict. I was just going to wait after the interview happening on Tuesday to release the next episode, but Vanessa Ruck (who had already agreed to be on the show) had some free time today and saved my skin!
Of course, my internet connection decided to die five minutes into our chat and I spent the next 20 minutes frantically troubleshooting and rebooting everything in the house (including the toaster) while she patiently stayed in the Zoom session, wondering what the hell was going on with me. I’m glad she waited, because … now, you know I pursue guests who know stuff I don’t know because I want to learn more about motorcycling and motorcycles and motorcyclists, but what I learned from Vanessa was a huge lesson in perseverance and toughness. You’ll have to listen in to find out what I mean.
In the meantime, please visit/follow Vanessa on her blog site, The Girl on a Bike, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube. You can also read an ADVPulse article about her, but you might want to wait til after you listen to the episode to do that.
(She mentions Eleuthera in our discussion – it looks like an idyllic place to live indeed!)
The news is short and sweet this time around, starting with Octane -a powersports financing company- buying media assets from Bonnier Corporation. By “media assets” I mean a half-dozen or more popular magazines, including Cycle World, Motorcyclist, Dirt Rider and more. Cycle World also announced they’re following Motorcyclist into the digital-only realm, ceasing print operations after the October 2020 issue.
Benelli is expected to debut a powerful new liquid-cooled inline-four engine at CIMA, the biggest motorcycle trade show in China. There have also been rumors Benelli will finally show off their midsized adventure bike, the TRK 800.
If you’re a fan of the Long Way series, which features Charley Boorman and Ewan McGregor riding motorcycles long distances, the third entry in their saga -this time involving Harley-Davidson LiveWires- finally debuted on the Apple+ streaming service. The first thee episodes are out now; another follows on 22 September and the rest come one a week until they’re all out.
Remember when we had Damon Motorcycles co-founder & CEO Jay Giraud on the show in Episode 56? Damon’s back, having announced two US$40,000 special editions of their Hypersport HS electric motorcycle. They also raised $3 million in funding and bought a bunch of IP from Mission Motors, whose products hold several land speed records.
