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At the office,
I was seriously intrigued by a guy.
His name is Jean-Luc from the debt collection department.
"You wanna take a coffee Jean Luc?"
"Euh, I am busy right now and anyway I don’t like coffee."
"I prefer soups and someone broke the machine downstairs."
Jean Luc, try to know why? passed his bike license not long ago.
But when Jean-Luc he rides a 2 wheel, he is on 3 wheel.
The only time when he tried,
it was during the Olympics on a track
with him pushing it only to finish on his stomach.
Well, Jean-Luc and biking equals 2.
So, I wanted to do something for him.
To make him live the biking adventure with a big A.
"You wanna ride Jean Luc?"
"Ohhh ah I would love to but I have so much work."
"Let’s go to Scotland on a Harley!"
"Ooh! Let me give a call"
"and I am yours right away."
"Yes, It is Jean Luc from the debt dept,"
"I’m calling you for the invoice."
"Geuugeueu, what my mom? Hello?"
"Hmm it is fine, he will pay. I am coming."
"Hmm, Mister Cochet can I dress like this?"
"I think we will change 2 or 3 things my little Jean Luc."
So, on fair morning,
we left for a real authentic road trip
on Harleys Davidson to Scotland.
I say authentic trip for 2 reasons.
First, I quickly understood
that my doubtful heart impulse
will be with consequences.
"Can you translate Jean Luc?"
"It seems they say that we need
to pull on the hand brake Mister Cochet."
"You can do it Jean Luc?"
2nd, we did not leave on big touring bikes
but on simple naked 1200 sportsters,
a 48 and a 70.
"Forget it, we arrived Jean Luc."
2 wheels, a motor and the spinal column
directly connected to the asphalt.
Our face confronting the harsh environment
like the old school spirit.
So, it was true, Jean Luc struggled sometimes,
he even dozed off.
We can understand, 1200 km done in 17 hours on the same day.
Though in Kennagraig,
located 100 miles west of Glasgow
and at the dock where the ferry will take us
to the Hebrides Island,
Jean Luc won his first stripe as a biker.
"1270 km within 17 hours.
It is very good Dude, you are a biker."
My new tenderness for Jean Luc did not remove
anything to his heavy disability.
"Mister Cochet, the boat is all broken!"
"Don’t worry; we will fix it my little Jean Luc."
Direction, the Hebridean Islands.
3 hours later, with our tires we touched Saint Graal,
the Islay Island, the Hebrideans princess,
small pieces of earth making
- an ultimate defense against the fury of the North Atlantic Ocean.
A moor tough, wild and authentic where one can’t cheat.
We go directly to the essential points.
The suspensions of the 48 are made of hard wood,
the ground clearance is limited,
the front brake seems to be
from the Quaternary frozen time
and the tank only has a 7.5 liters capacity.
For the chagrined spirit, the 48 model would be used
for an urban ride for funny boho,
the look prevails over the utility.
However, these defects made you feel
you are on a non standard bike
with strong behavior, which is really charming.
Hyper stripped, lowered at her max
with her huge ball front tire mounted on a 16 inch rim,
her minimalist headlight
and the rear view mirror located under the handlebars.
The 48 found her inspiration in the 1940 US bobbers.
The 48 would have warned you.
With her, it is tough and without mercy;
a feeling accentuated by the string single seat saddle
available as an accessory.
But the locals from Islay Island would never live under the tropical sun.
So, like them, let’s take the equation upside down.
Cos, finally who ever has already ridden
on a real rigid frame
would find the 48 widely comfortable except the big shock.
The weakness of the front brake
allows discovering that anticipation is a virtue.
But also the rear brake that will be used largely.
Moreover, the small autonomy of 140 km to 150 km
before running out of gas
will allow us to stop and to enjoy time.
There is no reason to hurry.
Because of the very low gravity
providing a good balance,
the 48 chassis does not mind to be pushed.
In cornering entrance, we touched softly the foot pegs on the asphalt,
a sign of not putting more angle.
We stabilize the bike with the rear brake
and at the end of the corner,
we release the brake in order to open
largely the throttle with a good nice torque.
If by any chance a bump shakes the chassis,
you will obtain there a great recipe
to free a good endorphin dose making you happy.
Only one thing down,
the average grip of the Michelin Scorcher.
It is better than the precedent 48 tires but it is not perfect.
The 72 is more generous with his pilot
even if she shares the same chassis of the sportster 1200,
the same single seat,
the lowered suspension
and the short rear mudguard of the 48.
However, with her handlebars close to the ape hanger,
her thin tires with white side,
her big 21 inch front wheel,
her great metal flake painting,
the 72 is more about the San Francisco custom culture.
The real chopper in all its beauty.
The 72, Jean Luc got stuck to it like a mussel to her rock,
enjoying a better comfort compared to the 48
because of the bigger clearance of the fork
and cos of the better padded saddle
and also a front steering easier to guide
when the road gets worse,
mainly cos the 21 inch front wheel.
Moreover Jean Luc discovered the V2 Harley,
the centerpiece of the sportsters.
A good big dude of 1200cc that will need to go over 6000 Km
to free itself and to be enjoyed.
With this guy, forget the long speed up and the high rpm,
work him at low at the limit of the smoothness,
for the moment it’s almost stall.
Extort him the ultimate motor growl.
Use him at the limit of his golden vibes and there,
the little 1200cc is worth the feeling
of some 1600cc of the Harley models.
With all that, Jean Luc just understood that the bike trip pleasure
is far to be only in the practical side of biking.
Even if he still made me think about these unskilled birds
which tried to land
but which stay happy about themselves.
Jean Luc on his simple and naked Harley, he felt free,
hmmm like a cow which wants to take a bath.
He was free to say whatever he wanted. Well, almost!
"Mister Cochet, it is Justin Bieber, the singer."
"No, there are 4. Don’t you see, it is the Beatles."
Free to swallow flees if he wanted,
free to not ruminate his former life,
free to go straight even if there is a turn.
In one word, FREE.
I wanted to use his open-minded skill
to teach him a minimum of culture.
"You see my little, hmm, what is your name?"
"Jean Luc. It is cos I forgot my glasses."
"Ah, Yes! You see Jean-Luc,
biking and beach is a long love story.
Daytona races started on the beaches
and do you remember the Burt Munro movie,
when he trained to beat the speed record?
He trained on the beach."
"Burt Monroe? Marilyn’s brother?"
"Yes, my little Jean Luc."
I could have spoken about
the 1964 bloody conflict on the beach of Brighton
between Mods and Rocks who fought
about outfits, music styles, bike cultures
but I was not sure he would have understood.
With his mussel face, his style fallen from the nest,
elegant dandy, he is unquestionably a Mod.
About me, with my bad boy 48, I was a Rock.
But we had fun with our Harley’s.
But our fight just stayed as a beach joust without any police.
As we are not savages,
I also taught Jean Luc
that a bike needed to be clean
after a ride in the salty water.
But, a goal is necessary to any trip?
So, why we chose the Hybridean Islands?
Why Islay?
And here, Jean Luc was not over with his discoveries.
Because our Harleys with a century tradition,
the brand celebrating its 110 anniversary this year
was coming to meet another tradition-double its century year old,
the Whisky single mat.
There are on the island 8 of the 10 most
world famous distilleries of malt.
Islay, Harley, Harley, Islay.
So, with our authentic bikes,
I took Jean Luc to discover
Bruichladdich, Ardbeg, Laphroaig.
With Michael Heads, director of Ardbeg,
we tried to introduce him to some secrets.
Like our bikes got their peanut tank from 1960,
Whisky is the result of an ancestral know-how.
We explained to him that in a first time,
the barley is spread out
over a huge place to humidify it in order to germinate.
The starch it is contained and will transform into sugar.
After the starch is taken to a smoking-room
where it will stay during 13 hours under a peat fire.
This will provide a unique smoked taste.
"With that, it will smoked."
"Oh! a commodore 386 dx 35."
"It’s not yet distilled
and it’s too strong for you, my little Jean Luc.
Stop your ***, you are a pain in the ***."
Come after the process of distillation.
They put them into the barrels precede long years of warehouse
which is an important aspect
in the process of making Whisky.
Interesting as the stories of single malts and Harley are similar.
Neglected and having little consideration in the 80’s,
Harley and whisky are really "in" nowadays.
So, it is packed with a lot of marketing.
When you buy a Harley,
you become a H.O.G member.
When you subscribe to Laphroaig,
you become a friend for life.
You even get a symbolic plot of land of a square foot.
"Oh, I am touched, it is the first time I am an owner."
"306 378056 827. It is there."
"Mister Cochet, it is here."
"It is my home here."
Alcohol abuse being dangerous for health and riding,
we left soberly for another adventure.
Because in Islay life, it’s exciting just by herself.
With only 2 bikes as weapons,
it attracted glances consistently,
with an open face helmet showing a large smile,
we provoked interesting and rewarding encounters.
"By the way, Mister Cochet,
didn't you say you needed a haircut lately?"
Even late at night, Jean Luc was with liveliness.
The only trouble was that Jean Luc wanted
to give a sample of his French culture.
”Bali, Balo in his cradle had a *** like a bull.
Son of a *** said his mom,
you got a bigger one than your dad.”
"***."
The next day, last day of our trip,
we left to Jura Island at just 1 Km away by ferry.
We got there from this port
called Askaig after we yielded
the way to a funeral convoy
preceded by indispensable bagpipe player.
Life keeps going her eternal cycle,
for Jean Luc, an eternal happy dude
in the country with delighted people
or for this news married folks with a bagpipes song
not much different from the one before.
"Oh, it is beautiful!"
Jura, haven of peace where Georges Orwell wrote "1984",
a distillery named Jura, 500 citizens,
a deserted awesome enchanting road
and a fauna with more than 3000 deers.
We didn’t need much to convince Jean Luc
that our trip could stop here
and in the same time
we could still have a long road ahead.
"Here we are at the end!"
"So, this is the end?"
"So, what do we do now?"
"We keep on but the other way now."
"Ahh, the other way!"
Subtitles by Benoit CHARPENTIER