Sport touring and old TV westerns?

[Bill_Anderson]

From another thread:

Originally Posted by SouthsideDuc

There is nothing that I can think of that comes even close to clearing your head like a ride across the country on a motorcycle. The more minimal the bike, the better and the ST is fits the bill perfectly. I'm sure it would be fine on a full dressed tourer, but there is something about basic bikes and the fact that they require the riders attention that makes the trip more, hhhmmmm, personal?Tony

I wonder if those of us over the age of 50 who love sport touring were influenced by the old 1950's TV westerns of our youth. A typical western of that era involved the hero and his side kick (think Lone Ranger & Tonto, Cisco & Pancho, Wild Bill & Jingles, etc) roaming about the Wild West and riding off into the sunset looking for the next adventure. Their only possessions were the clothes on their back, the guns strapped to their sides, a bedroll on the saddle, and basic camping gear in their saddle bags.

As a kid, I thought it would be a great life, although I did wonder how they managed to keep themselves and their clothes so clean. When I ride throughout the west with my buddies, I sometimes feel that we are in a small way finally living those old fantasies of our youth.

[ma2ra]

I'm near Fitty
but for me it's not so much westerns
it would be.
1-Then came Bronson
2-Easy Rider

JC

[jbcaddy]

heading out for the wilds of northern California, Oregon and Washington this coming weekend. got the saddlebags on my pony and ready to ride! just won't have a pardner along. lone ranger?

[PookaDog]

I'm a curmudgeony 37 but can relate. Westerns were standard fare when I was growing up. As we lived in the land of one channel state TV (RTE) when I was a kid in the 70s, I remember my father, brothers, and I squinting through the snow as we tried to pick up BBC to watch "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly". Under some weather conditions we were able to pick up the signal from a somewhat dubious repeater that had been set up in the mountains. Good times, good times.

I even mention the western influence in my first big (well, big for me) trip report here: http://www.people.hbs.edu/vfahy/trip...tripreport.htm

[milznmilz]

I've always admired the resolve, resourcefulness, and pioneer spirit of the characters that populated westerns. Real men, because they had to be. And IMO there's a lot of that spirit amongst riders.

In my thirty five years on two wheels I've seen and ridden with all kinds of riders on all kinds of bikes...but the guys that most remind me of modern day cowboys are the ones that are properly geared, self-sufficient, and mechanically competent to adjust, modify, or repair their bikes to suit all but catastrophic situations. I've met scores of them over the years while attending MGNOC and BMWMOA rallies, and developed an awe and reverance for the kind of humble Yankee ingenuity these men (and women!) have shown. No showboats, these guys, just genuine straight shooters with generous hearts and can-do attitudes.

Curiously, they were mostly all on European twins

[Derwood]

Wow, Then came Bronson ! spot on Ma2ra ,That show was so cool . I was about 10 years old living in Canada at the time and fantasised that I was Bronson with the black cap, I would have both arms with clenched fist spread and stretched out in front of me raised up in the air mimicking riding that bike down the open highway , wile walking on my way to school through the snow.
Bronson roamed across the US totally free moving from one adventure to the next always coming and going unencumbered of the physical and mental chattels of modern life , like a Navajo on the Great plain.
And there is the analogy to the old West Bill, As also depicted in Easy rider in the part where Captain America and Billy stop at a poor dirt farmers ranch to fettle the bike wile the rancher fettlels the horse.
I think that 'Then Came Bronson 'influenced me later in life to seek that romance and lead to me doing a 11 month 30,000 KM trip around Australia on my XL 500 back in 1981. I remember the feeling of leaving a town I may have stayed in for a week or two and heading down the highway with that same unencumbered freedom as Bronson .I left with 1500 dollars in my pocket and arrived home 11 months later with 800 dollars and an adventure to remember for a life time.

[Chuckracer]

Wow...Then came Bronson...man, I remember that show as a kid!
Yeah, that made a big impression on me. I used to take some old blankets and roll them up like a bedroll, strap them on my Schwinn Stingray and hit the roads around Baldwinsville, NY. with my dad's sunglasses on. I had my imaginery stubble going, fingerless leather gloves, the works.

I always made it home for supper, though!

[Derwood]

That's cool Chuckracer, too Cool , I pissed my self laughing at that one.
Try this Link to the show
http://tulsatvmemories.com/bronson.html

[Bill_Anderson]

Between the westerns of the 50's and Bronson was "Route 66" with Tod and Buzz. Remember them?

[Derwood]

must be a magic 10 thing Bill , where we are at the height of our imagination , influence and play , as I see you were 10 years old in 1960 the debut of Route 66 . I was 10 in 1969 when Bronson debuted.
I never heard of Route 66, I was 1 at the time, I googled it and It looks like I got to get the video, Looks like a classic .
Route 66....Try this link http://www.tvparty.com/route1.html