Seeking interesting bikes and bikers for book

**crashe** · 21st November 2007, 20:58

Originally Posted by john mccrystal

I'm a Wellington-based writer who's been commissioned by Penguin Books (NZ) to do a book on NZ motorbikes. It's intended to be something along the lines of Jim Hopkins' Blokes and Sheds of a few years back, with photographs accompanied by a short write-up of each bike. We're looking for interesting bikes and/or bikers, but especially a combination of the two, who would be willing to have their picture taken and to answer a few questions about their bikes and themselves. I've done a couple of books along these lines previously: one on NZ owners of British cars (The Cars We Loved), and another on NZ owners of American cars (The Cars We Dreamed Of). I've also published a big history of motoring in NZ (100 Years of Motoring, which featured a section on bikes), and I'm probably best (un)known for ghostwriting Gareth and Joanne Morgan's biking adventures on the Silk Road and in Africa.
If posters on this blog were able to name the 5 most interesting bikes and bikers they knew of, and where to find them, I'd be really grateful. The book is due out mid-2008. Cheers!

I hope you don't mind me asking a few questions.....

So what type of bikes are you wanting in this book?
Sportsbikes or cruisers or tourers or what?

Are you just looking for males for this book or are you also wanting to add in a few females as well?

If depending on who you chose, what does the rider/s who participates in this book....... what do they get out of it? Other then being in the book...

How many are you really wanting to get for this book? Cos if its going on the thickness of the Morgan books, I reckon 5 will only fill up a dozen pages.... or is it only a really thin book?

As others have said above, I guess many of us do have many a story to tell from our years of riding.

**Chickadee** · 21st November 2007, 22:08

Gijoe1313! Justin is mad as a hat, awesome guy with a passion for collecting bikes of all shapes and sizes. Rides and rides and then rides some more just for the hell of it. His red camo gear makes him hard to miss, and his gregarious nature makes him an awesome mate.

He's the only guy I know that lives 3k's from his place of work, and still manages to clock 270kms per day on his commute.

**Chickadee** · 21st November 2007, 22:12

Oh and vote for M1cro, seen this man do some amazing things with his bike. Top bloke - awesome geezer. Done heaps for the biking community with mentoring and working the RRRS courses with BRONZ (Bikers Rights of NZ).

**john mccrystal** · 22nd November 2007, 06:47

All good questions -- don't mind in the slightest. We have space for about 25 bikes (that is, about 0.0001% of the 'interesting' bikes in NZ), and I suppose variety is the key. A range of bikes (classic and new, fast and slow, big and small, petrol and rice-burning...) and a range of bikers (male and female, old and young, classic and new, big and small etc).

As for what the bikers get out of it, sorry to say the answer's nothing but the fame and the glory. But I've already received quite a few replies to my query that suggest there's a bunch of bikers who are identities in the biking community, and this book is a chance, among other things, to acknowledge them. It's also a chance to have a look at the way bikes and biking fit into NZ culture, but let's not get too highbrow about it: wacko:

In the end, I've always found the book ends up being what it is when you've finished, so the content will ultimately depend on what I find along the way. By the looks of the contacts I already have (and I've only jsut scratched the surface) it's going to be great fun to put together.

As others have said above, I guess many of us do have many a story to tell from our years of riding.[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=crashe;1306638]I hope you don't mind me asking a few questions.....

So what type of bikes are you wanting in this book?
Sportsbikes or cruisers or tourers or what?

Are you just looking for males for this book or are you also wanting to add in a few females as well?

If depending on who you chose, what does the rider/s who participates in this book....... what do they get out of it? Other then being in the book...

How many are you really wanting to get for this book? Cos if its going on the thickness of the Morgan books, I reckon 5 will only fill up a dozen pages.... or is it only a really thin book?

**Grahameeboy** · 22nd November 2007, 06:52

Originally Posted by Chickadee

Oh and vote for M1cro, seen this man do some amazing things with his bike. Top bloke - awesome geezer. Done heaps for the biking community with mentoring and working the RRRS courses with BRONZ (Bikers Rights of NZ).

Yeah he has been distant for a while.

**Holy Roller** · 22nd November 2007, 08:22

Brian Hickson from Matamata would have to be a starter with his homemade diesel bike.

for a bit of background
http://www.rustynuts.co.nz/default.aspx?PageID=29

**Blue Velvet** · 22nd November 2007, 12:33

Originally Posted by john mccrystal

So what type of bikes are you wanting in this book? Sportsbikes or cruisers or tourers or what?

Those plus MX, dual purpose, etc, i.e. a good cross section.

Originally Posted by john mccrystal

Are you just looking for males for this book or are you also wanting to add in a few females as well?

Depends if they are interesting. It would be silly to include a biker/bike purely because of the rider's gender (esp. if they weren't actually very interesting).

Personally I'd like to see inclusion of successful females riders who race, sportsbikes or MX.

Edit: PM sent.