CHECKPOINTS Motorcycle documentary with Graham Jarvis and Colton Haaker



Life has many paths. Which line will you take?

Is it worth making sacrifices to become a world-class professional rider, or is it better to ride motorcycles for pure enjoyment?



Created by Traction eRag and Motojournalism.

The creators of Fifty Years of Kicks bring you Checkpoints, a new motorcycle documentary about living a life devoted to off-road riding. We check in with five riders, ranging from 15 to 75 years old.

Featuring:
Graham Jarvis (age 40) - Red Bull Hard Enduro champion
Colton Haaker (age 25) - Maxxis FIM SuperEnduro champion
Paul Rodden (age 75) - 50 years of competition and trail riding
Larry Murray (age 65) - former Can-Am and Husqvarna Enduro rider
Jamie Baskerville (age 15) - Beta-supported GNCC racer

The 40-minute documentary will be distributed for free on YouTube. The release date will be April 28th, 2016, at 6PM EST.

The documentary was filmed in August 2015 in Mattawa, Ontario, Canada, on the Voyageur Multi-Use Trail System (VMUTS). Five riders from around the globe were assembled to discuss living an off-road lifestyle.

What are the first steps in becoming a professional rider? What aspects of "normal life" do you have to give up in pursuing that goal? How do you remain on the podium when you are 40 years old? Can it always be fun? These are some of the questions posed in the film and addressed by a group of men who have focused their lives on dirtbikes.

Funded by our fans with Kickstarter.

Sponsored by: Ontario Tourism, Husqvarna Motorcycles, Beta Motorcycles, What a Ride, Canada Rides, TekVest, and Bytown Motorcycle Association.

On-set

So much news coming soon, Just wrapped shooting the Fifty Years of Kicks sequel with Paul, Larry, Graham Jarvis, Colton Haaker and Jamie Baskerville. The day we finished I got a message saying the original documentary was chosen as an official selection for the Motorcycle Film Festival in Brooklyn! What a week!











Fifty Years of Kicks Sequel?

Holy smokes, there might be a sequel to our motorcycle documentary Fifty Years of Kicks! Check out the video below to get an idea of what it's all about: Motorcycle documentary - Fifty Years of Kicks sequel


A few clips from a recent cross-Canada jaunt. Shot with the GoPro Hero3, the Nikon D600,  and a Konova camera slider.

Prairies

Vancouver Island

I've been busy wrenching on the sidewalk the past few weeks - scheduled to head to BC from Montreal tomorrow, off to visit family and figured I'd make a trip out of it.

I'm due to leave tomorrow, so of course right now the bike is completely apart while I sort out last-minute LED lighting

The state of the KLR earlier this year:
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Black plastic = handguard fairings and "Wheat Whacker" fairing mod:

The forks are off for an install of progressive springs and an Eagle Mike fork brace along with an Acerbis supermoto fender.

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I'm also trying out 8" Odyssey II Jesse luggage  - I want to carry my DSLR video equipment to capture some epic Canadian landscapes and hopefully a story or two...

The KLR is in Cross-Canada mode.
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I'll be updating in real-time with photos on Twitter - you don't even need an account to follow along.

Keep an eye on twitter.com/motojournalism for the latest.

See you on the road!


Smartphones for motorcycle travel photography



Well, I know I'm late to the party - the last few years have seen smartphones change the way we produce and consume photography. There's no question that it's possible to create fantastic imagery with a smartphone. 



What's kept me away is my completely irrational dislike of telephones - I do not have a land line, or cell phone. I love to talk with people! Just not on the telephone...
So when I realized that the 5th generation iPod touch was essentially an iPhone minus the phone. I figured it was worth trying out.

I've mentioned in the past that I recommend traveling with two cameras; A "serious camera" for the best quality photos, and a point and shoot that can be quickly pulled out to capture those "on the road" moments.

On the road repairs - perfect place for a smartphone snapshot
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I carry a Nikon D600 as my primary camera and was using the excellent Lumix LX2 as a point and shoot. But it's battered and beat, held together with tape and long due for retirement.

I must say that I'm shocked to find the iPod as a potential replacement for the  aging LX2.
After all the iPod has only a 5mp camera, no real control of aperture or shutter speed, the tiny sensor is awful in low light and dosen't handle high contrast situations well - blown highlights look particularly nasty. The image quality could best be described as "acceptable" not brilliant.

Read more here! >>

Motorcycle photography in Switzerland

I was very lucky to be invited to Switzerland for three weeks in August - and while it wasn't explicitly a motorcycle trip, there was plenty to photograph from a motorcyclists perspective.


I was able to get a couple day's worth of riding and photographing on a borrowed motorcycle, and boy did it make me appreciate my luggage setup on my own KLR650! More on that later...

Here are a few of the photographs, a sneak preview.


I had no idea that the Swiss made motorcycles. Here is a gorgeous 1934 Condor 850 sidecar.




















Love the "motorcycle" icon on Switzerland's road signs.






Vintage Husqvarna, vintage gear, vintage sideburns! This guy was racing with the modern enduro bikes.



My girlfriend's grandfather checking out a Moto Guzzi at what looks to be an auction or motorcycle show.




Somehow the Swiss license plate just looks right on this Steve McQueen edition Triumph Bonneville T100...



















I was lucky to be loaned this BMW Ündersteer 1200. Not built for the Swiss twisties! I sure was happy to be on a bike though!




The bike I wish I was riding!







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