Riding with Rilke Reflections on Motorcycles & Books
I'm not sure how I came across the book, but you know you're going home with it when you've spent the last five minutes at Borders trying to determine the year and model of the bike on the cover instead of thumbing through the pages or even reading the back cover. My bet is that it's newer 620 Monster - non-US model based on the lack of the emissions canister.
As a Monster rider who rarely goes more than 250 miles at a time, I was intrigued at the idea of someone traveling such a long distance on a naked bike. As I started the book, I was expecting to be regaled with tales of Bishop's trip on the edge of the Rockies. This turned out to be the case, and as a fellow rider and Ducati enthusiast, I could completely relate to his emotions as he rides. But as it turns out Riding with Rilke is also much more. As is often the case, the passion that we feel as motorcyclists is not limited to just our bikes but also permeates into our personal and professional lives.
Ted Bishop is an English professor and the adventure starts as he's on sabbatical from University of Alberta in Canada to research author Virginia Woolf at the University of Texas in Austin. Just as we can feel the excitement of Bishop discovering the twisties of Hwy 31 between Fairview and Huntington - you can feel his excitement at discovering early editions from his favorite authors.
I have to add that the Ducatista out there will love the various tidbits of information about our favorite Italian manufacturer. Ted treats us with visits to the factory in Bologna, stories of the Ducati Elefant and Mach 1, and basically reinforces everything about why we love Ducs.
Simply put, I would recommend not only picking up a copy, but setting aside enough time to read it on one sitting (and then re-reading passages in the morning).
Dr. Bishop was also kind enough to allow Sunday Morning Rides to reproduce his trip and even send us a copy of his original map to help us create the GPS tracks. So whether vicariously or in the flesh, browse (and download) the maps, and follow his trip.
