Ducati Monster Forum

http://harpers.org/archive/2009/11/0082723 (http://harpers.org/archive/2009/11/0082723)

Long read, but enjoyable.  He talks about his Monster and an stable of Ducatis later in the piece.

Great article, thanks!  [thumbsup]

That guy has some bad ass motorcycles!!  :o

That was great ;D

Awesome read.   [thumbsup]

Thanks for the link. 

I am so peeved... I just posted the same article.  [bang] It is truly magnificent.

damn that guy is long winded.  yes he has nice bikes, yes he may be a poet but damn that stuff was just too long.

Great article.  I love Harper's, and that reminds me that I need to resubscribe. The Harper's Index is one of the best things you can read whilst on the throne. [coffee]

The only thing wrong with that short story was that it was written for an audience that is not familiar with motorbikes.  I would love to read what he would have written for enthusiasts.

Thanks for posting the link!!!

[roll]

The first thing Spidey said was that it was a long read so you were forewarned before even opening the link.  [laugh].

I'm just a few years younger than the writer and a lot less wealthy but I can relate very well to most of his experiences. Great read. Certainly more so that what usually passes for motorcycle journalism these days.

all you guys are gushing how great the article is.

I am just stating I don't think its that great of an article.  I don't see the appeal of the article, maybe i'm missing something but there really is no point or message or story to the article to make it interesting, other than "hey i like motorcycles, i crashed them, i know some really well connected people and have had motocycles nobody else can get.".  that is the entire article there in 1 sentence.

Yeah I have to agree.  Damn it stop wandering around and get to the point.  Cut the crap about violins, rowing shells, airplanes, and women.  I hate this kind of writing and I hate the "New Yorker" which also specializes in it.

Having said my piece, I'd say the guy has had an interesting life.  Sound like he has never suffered for money.  I can't relate.

I don't know if it is a great article or not.  It is definitely a long read, but I was in the mood for that and enjoyed the article.    

I wonder what his specially built MV looked like.  Maybe it was a prototype for the 750 America.  The way he describes the tail section, it sounds like the America.

(http://www.motorcyclespecs.co.za/Gallery%20%20A/MV%20Agusta%20800S%20America%2076.jpg)

Yeah, I found it boring in general, and the pretentious name dropping had me rolling my eyes.

Seemed to me to be a series of unrelated narcissistic anecdotes, some of which mentioned motorcycles.

This is a literary moto version of crappy Christian rock, "But it's about JESUS!  So it ROCKS!"

Not.

Like Hank Hill said to Bobby's Christian Rock friend, "Just stop.  You're not making Christianity better, you're just making Rock and Roll worse."

I must be a "pretensious" asshole born with a titanium spoon up my ass. ;D

Is that why you read Harper's while sitting on the crapper?   [cheeky]

Count me in the "Liked it" column, though I'll admit to occasionally reading more than just the cartoons in the New Yorker. An acquired taste, and one not necessarily worth acquiring.

And NorDog, I'd wager that there has never been an author in the history of written language as self-referential & anecdotal as Hunter S., but I bet you liked "Song of the Sausage Creature" 'bout as much as me.  ;D

Now where did I put that titanium spoon of mine? I swear it was around here someplace...

<shrug>  I don't particularly like the guy's writing style and think he's a bit pretentious, but it was interesting nonetheless.  Not the best thing I've ever read, but I thought it was worth the time it took to read it and seemed like it was something that others might enjoy.  

I particularly like first-hand descriptions of older bikes that I never knew anything about (which is pretty much any older bike).  I always find that stuff pretty cool.  I also enjoy stories about folks who rode motorcycles "back in the day" before knee sliders and armor, even though they always paint an exaggerated picture of how great it was back then and how tough they were.  That said, I can't really fault them for taking some historical license with their nostalgia.  I'm gonna do the same thing when I'm that old.   [moto]

Then again, we're on teh interwebz, so I should prolly only express really extreme opinions about the article and its detractors.  So here goes . . .  BEST.  ARTICLE.  EVER.  If you don't agree, you're a dumb, retarded retard with heavy dose of douchey, assholeish douchebaggerific make the beast with two backswaddedness.  You dumb, douchey, retarded assholish make the beast with two backswad.  Retard.   [cheeky]

I love "Song of the Sausage Creature".  The rest of Thompson's work?  Not so much.

And ftr, I didn't say anything about "self-referential" and I have no problem with anecdotes per se  Rather the phrase was, "...unrelated narcissistic anecdotes."

Narcissistic writing is lame at best, and unrelated anecdotes do not make a good read, let alone a great article.  Unrelated narcissistic anecdotes are terrible.

 [laugh] [laugh] [laugh]

You're just upset because you can't find your titanium spoon!

Seriously, try the Index, it's a lovely crapper read.  The titanium spoon saves weight. It'll shave a hundredth or so off your 1/4 mile run when compared to silver, depending on center of gravity and how far the spoon is wedged up there.


 

 [laugh]

Thank God I gave up jogging!

Words like envy, jealousy, and I hate rich people come to mind - or maybe I hate that I'm not.

LA

I think when men get old they like to reflect on their lives and need to be appreciated for all that they accomplished, my Dad was like that, and now that I am approaching old fartism I am trying to resist the urge to do the same.  I remember how uncomfortable my dad made me feel when he needed recognition for his life.  I got that feeling from this article only much worse because he was a rich old fart, with the before mention titanium spoon, and he wasn't my dad (plus all the stuff I said before). 

A custom made shaft drive MV (make the beast with two backser) [moto] [moto] [bow_down] [bow_down]