Motorcycle Road Racing and the Development of Two-Wheel Culture in Contemporary Italy

Wendy Pojmann

Just outside Austin, Texas, MotoGP pilots test the power of racing bikes on the Circuit of the Americas, a 5.5-kilometer track known for its challenging hairpin turns and a 41-meter elevation change. Fans cheer on their favorite riders, such as Spaniard Marc Marquez, Australian Jack Miller and the most recent Italian world champion Francesco Bagnaia. Enthusiastic spectators dream of the thrill of riding one of their machines by makers such as Honda, Yamaha, Ducati … Continue reading

Vivre Vite: Lou Reed, Tadao Baba, and Death

Suzanne Ferriss

In November 2022, Brigitte Giraud, a novelist and short story writer, became only the thirteenth woman in 120 years to win the Prix Goncourt, France’s most prestigious literary award, for Vivre Vite (Live Fast). In this memoir, the author grapples with the death of her husband, Claude, in a motorcycle accident that took place in 1999, over twenty years ago. Stopped at a red light in Lyon, he took off when the light changed and must have inadvertently done a wheelie … Continue reading

Authenticity Roundtable – Authenticity Through Solo Motorcycle Travel

Jason Wragg

Building upon the other two papers, this autoethnographic narrative delves into the lived experiences of embarking on solo adventure travel by motorcycle. Departing from conventional academic discourse, this narrative offers a personal and evocative exploration of the captivating world of solo adventure motorcycle travel. The purpose of this autoethnographic narrative is not to present a definitive thesis or unwavering conclusion … Continue reading

Authenticity Roundtable – Two-wheeled Authenticity, or: Existentialism on a Motorcycle?

Mathew Humphrey

In 2018, cultural historian Maiken Umbach and I published a book on ‘authenticity’ as an ideological concept. We explored the ideological appropriation of the idea of authenticity across discourse about the natural world, about industrial society, in leadership, and in the field of consumption. We had a few pages in there on authenticity and motorcycle subculture, and that potential connection between motorcycling and authenticity … Continue reading

Authenticity Roundtable – Authenticity in Motorcycling

Steven E. Alford

Significantly, motorized transport is often an element in an owner’s identity formation, from Ford Mustangs to Teslas, from Vespas to Harleys. What one drives or rides reflects the owner’s character, suggesting that there’s no small identity anxiety involved in the purchase and use of a motorized vehicle. Groups form around them, and then further distinctions are made among owners. In the world of motorcycling, distinctions are often made … Continue reading