Here I am standing next to my motorcycle - a 1985 Yamaha XJ700 Maxim. I've been riding for years but just picked up this beauty in the spring of 2000. I used it for a long distance motorcycle tour across the United States and Canada that summer. In preparation for the trip, I did a little research by watching "Easy Rider" and reading "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance".

I'm just kidding about the book and the movie. I actually read "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" years ago. It's a good book which has a lot more to do with zen than with motorcycle maintenance. The middle section of the book is long and a bit boring, but if you can make it to the end it all comes together nicely.

As for "Easy Rider", I happened to see it shortly before taking the trip but that was just a coincidence. It was a little bit strange and psychedelic for my tastes (What were they smoking when they made that movie?) but you've got to love the opening sequence where they take off into the desert on their choppers with Steppenwolf's "Born To be Wild" blaring on the soundtrack.