Driven to Ride

Instagram:

Facebook:

Email:

Andrew Pieper

Driven to Ride

07/24/24 • 48 min

For generations of teenagers, a driver’s license represented independence, a milestone moment that transported fresh-faced wheelmen (and women) one step closer to adulthood. That is less so now, with fewer young drivers showing interest in taking to the road. Andrew Pieper, however, is all about bucking trends. In fact, he couldn’t wait to pass his driving exam so he could buy, you guessed it, a motorcycle.

“I always wanted a bike,” admits Pieper. “When I turned 16 and got my license, I immediately got my motorcycle endorsement. I didn’t even have a car until college. I rode everywhere.” Everywhere, indeed. In June, 2022, Piper set the record for the fastest time on a motorcycle across America—from Jacksonville, Florida, to San Diego, California—28 hours and 42 minutes.

On this episode of the “Driven to Ride” podcast, host Mark Long interviews the South Carolina native, who describes himself as, “Just a guy trying to live life fully alive.” Racing the clock on a Honda CBR1100XX Super Blackbird isn’t for the faint of heart, and Pieper spent a lot of time planning his cross-country record attempt, not to mention enlisting a slew of supporters to help him achieve his unique goal.

Connect with Us:

Website:

Instagram:

Facebook:

Email:

Red Bull Grand Prix of the Americas MotoGP Race Highlights

MotoGP at Circuit of the Americas

Driven to Ride

05/01/24 • 50 min

We're taking you to the Circuit of The Americas in Austin, Texas for the Red Bull Grand Prix of The Americas. We're not just going to the race - we're talking with Clerk of the Course Beth Miller; Sean Bice, the prolific MotoAmerica content creator who co-hosts the series’ weekly “Off Track” podcast; Brian Case, Executive Director of the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum; and 1993 500cc Grand Prix World Champion Kevin Schwantz, who played a crucial role in the design of the 20-turn, 3.41-mile racetrack. You've never heard a MotoGP race like this.

Connect with Us:

Website:

Instagram:

Facebook:

Email:

Alonzo Bodden

Driven to Ride

11/01/23 • 42 min

Six-foot-four-inch Alonzo Bodden strikes an imposing figure, both on the stage as an internationally recognized comedian and off it. A native of Queens, New York, Bodden moved in the 1990s to Long Beach, California, where he worked in the aviation industry as a mechanic. Since his comedy career took off, Bodden has appeared in numerous films and TV shows. He is a regular on NPR’s “Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!”

The easy-going linebacker lookalike is deeply rooted in Los Angeles’ motorcycle culture. It should come as no surprise that his taste in two wheels leans toward larger, more powerful machines. For example, Bodden currently owns a 2019 BMW K 1600 Grand America and a 2023 Ducati Multistrada Pikes Peak, as well as 2008 BMW R 1200 HP2 Megamoto.

In 2010, Bodden crashed his Ducati 1098 during a track day at Buttonwillow Raceway Park near Bakersfield, California. The crash shattered the scaphoid bone in his wrist, requiring multiple surgeries and a bone graft to fix. These days, Bodden sticks mostly to the street. So, we ask: What is it like to ride a motorcycle in a city with one of the densest traffic populations in the country?

All our links: https://linktr.ee/driventoridepodcast

Business Inquiries: [email protected]

Connect with Us:

Website:

Instagram:

Facebook:

Email:

Richard Worsham

Driven to Ride

06/12/24 • 42 min

“Farm to fork” is a popular movement in which restaurants source fresh, locally grown ingredients from nearby farms for the meals they serve, as opposed to purchasing those items from wholesale distributors that cater to nationwide chains. Janus Motorcycles is the farm-to-fork of motorcycle makers, a regionally focused alternative to the global parts vendors used by many long-established manufacturers.

In this episode of the “Driven to Ride” podcast, host Mark Long interviews classically trained architect Richard Worsham, who founded Janus Motorcycles in Goshen, Indiana. The northeastern part of the Hoosier state is well-known for its large Amish community, which provides the highly skilled and practiced labor to fabricate everything from steel frames—modeled after the classic Norton featherbed—to leather seats and saddlebags.

Janus Motorcycles has purposely kept its offerings smaller in displacement and largely free from current technology trends. “We’re more about the activity our customers are doing on the bike than we are about the technology it takes to get there,” says Worsham. “In our experience, we found the less technology you use, the more direct that feeling actually is—that sensation, that experience you have on the bike.”

Connect with Us:

Website:

Instagram:

Facebook:

Email:

Mike Van Der Sleesen, Round 2

Driven to Ride

05/29/24 • 42 min

Have you ever met someone who describes their life on this planet in such an entertaining way you lose track of time? Well, that is the dilemma “Driven to Ride” podcast host Mark Long faced with Mike van der Sleesen. Mike, the CEO of Vanson Leathers, was one of Mark’s first guests, and that interview barely scratched the surface of a life of adventure spent on and around two wheels.

See, Mike was born in the U.S. but he grew up in The Netherlands and France, where he was first exposed to the joys of motorcycling at 9 years old on a Solex, its front wheel driven by a small engine. Van der Sleesen progressed to two- and four-speed Puchs, followed by another two-stroke, a Garelli. Slot in behind a passing truck at just the right moment, Mike recalled with a chuckle, and you might catch its draft.

In the 1960s, Van der Sleesen found himself in the thick of the vibrant British motorcycle scene, and he has never lost interest. Today, Mike owns five Nortons in various trims, one of which he bought in 1972—two years before he co-founded Vanson Leathers, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. Van der Sleesen reminds us that motorcycling, much like life, is all about the journey.

Connect with Us:

Website:

Instagram:

Facebook:

Email:

Jeff Allen

Driven to Ride

05/15/24 • 52 min

Jeff Allen has been taking beautiful photographs of motorcycles for Cycle World magazine and its digital sister, cycleworld.com, for more than 30 years. Jeff got his start in the early 1990s as a studio assistant. His current position as staff photographer has taken Jeff all over the world in a unique role that enables him to capture the essence of the sport while also experiencing two wheels firsthand.

Jeff has often documented his experiences for publication in both print and on the web. “Royal Nepal Adventure: Entering the Forbidden Kingdom of Lo Manthang” left him gasping for oxygen at 15,000 feet on a Tibetan plateau. With son Evan, he set out on adventure bikes to experience the “winter wonders of the Baja California Peninsula” and to answer one of life’s great questions: “Corn or flour tortillas?”

Jeff Allen is not only an expert lensman; he is an expert rider. More often than not, on any job he is assigned, Jeff will be the rider with a large pack crammed with camera bodies, lenses, and related gear strapped to his back. But don’t for one moment think the size or the weight of that pack slows him down, forcing others to wait for him to catch up. Jeff is always close behind, looking for the perfect photo opportunity.

Connect with Us:

Website:

Instagram:

Facebook:

Email:

George Beavers

Driven to Ride

04/17/24 • 42 min

If there was a dictionary entry for “Moto California,” the definition might be “a nightclub on two wheels.” Or at least that is the concept West Coast transplant George Beavers had in his mind when he cooked up the idea of creating an exclusive and unique intercontinental vacation experience centered around riding fun motorcycles on spectacular roads in fairy-tale locations.

Beaver’s two-wheel-oriented business aspirations stem from a lifelong enthusiasm for all things motorcycle, which he relates to host Mark Long in this episode of the “Driven to Ride” podcast. “I looked at what everybody was doing,” said Beavers, “and I wanted to be different.” Hey, what else would you expect from someone who earned his motorcycle endorsement on a turbocharged Honda CBX?

If Beavers, a schoolboy motocrosser and one-time champion club road racer, is enamored with the serpentine roads that populate California’s Central Coast, the Tuscan countryside blows his mind. “Italians must spend all their money on pavement,” he says, “because the roads there are like glass.” Better yet, he adds, when it comes to the one-stop luxury accommodations, “You only unpack once.”

Connect with Us:

Website:

Instagram:

Facebook:

Email:

Doodle on a Motorcycle

Driven to Ride

04/03/24 • 44 min

Are you afraid to ride a motorcycle at night? Does your heart skip a beat when drops of rain appear on your faceshield? You’re not alone. Carolyn Figueria—better known as “Doodle on a Motorcycle” to the legion of fans who subscribe to her YouTube channel—uses her ever-expanding platform to address these and other challenges that could have prevented her from enjoying motorcycling to its fullest.

Known for her personal approach to creating unique content, Figueria has taken on many two-wheel topics relevant to both newer and more experienced riders, including picking up a fallen motorcycle. Showcasing her never-give-up approach to life, Carolyn went to the extreme, laying her 500-plus-pound, three-cylinder Triumph Tiger 900 on its side and then picking it up 100 times every day for a month.

Figueria has spent the past eight years on a mission to become a better motorcycle rider. Along the way, she has showcased those adventures—both the highs and the lows—to educate, engage, and empower others. For all those reasons and more, Carolyn is an inspiration to motorcyclists everywhere, and we are pleased she is the guest on this episode of the “Driven to Ride” podcast.

Connect with Us:

Website:

Instagram:

Facebook:

Email:

Wes Fleming

Driven to Ride

11/13/24 • 55 min

Motorcycling and music seem to go hand in hand, or at least that’s the opinion shared by Wes Fleming, the host of “Chasing the Horizon,” and Mark Long, the host of “Driven to Ride.” Both enjoy playing stringed instruments, Wes favoring the guitar while Mark is a bass player. “I don’t think that’s a bad thing,” admits Fleming, adding, “It’s the two groups of people that I like.”

Besides his podcasting duties, Fleming is the digital media editor for the BMW Motorcycle Owners of America, a 25,000-member organization with more than 40 years of history and a network of riders across the entire U.S., 10 Canadian provinces, and all seven continents. Despite its affiliation with the German marque, “Chasing the Horizon” covers other brands and aspects of the powersports industry.

In addition to “Chasing the Horizon,” which Fleming describes as, “by, for, and about motorcyclists” he produces three other motorcycle-related podcasts, “200 Miles Before Breakfast,” “The Ride Inside with Mark Barnes,” and “Riding Into the Sunset.” Fleming also fronts an instrumental rock band called Hypersonic Secret and plays in a surf-music band Agent Octopus.

Connect with Us:

Website:

Instagram:

Facebook:

Email: