Keanu Reeves Answers Motorcycle Questions With Gard Hollinger | Tech Support | WIRED

Hi, I'm Keanu Reeves. And I'm Gart Hollinger. And we co-founded Arch Motorcycle. Let's answer some questions from the internet. This is... Motorcycle support. Okay, you 7247. Why did you put like that attitude on it? I don't know. Wants to know. What's the fastest you can go in first gear? Well, that depends on the motorcycle and how much you twist the knob. Dude, you're not gonna, you're not gonna go 60 miles an hour in first gear. Like 30, 35. Your motorcycle is gonna ask you to shift between eight and 33 miles an hour. Okay. Lonely corpse. See, you read that like you're lonely. Lonely corpse. I'm an actor. What is the difference between a MotoGP bike and its street equivalent? Speed. Handling. Yeah. What's the difference between a Formula One car and a street car? Speed and handling. This is from The Inoffensive Man. And he asks, has anyone ridden an Arch bike? What was it like? They're amazing motorcycles. And with the clients that we have, they too find an Arch motorcycle amazing to ride. Which is very nice. We call them performance cruisers and a sport cruiser. I would say the aesthetics and the way they ride. But also, you like to point out that it's built for them, right? Yes, they're bespoke. Yeah. Like a custom suit. Yes. Minky Mink asks, what causes a death wobble and how do you fix it? We like to call it a speed wobble, but I guess this is a- It can be two. Two, yes. It's an instability in the chassis. So without getting too detailed, it causes the front end to start to shake and it'll just keep going. And it'll cause the whole motorcycle to shake. They make things that help it if the geometry of the motorcycle doesn't do it on its own, called the steering dampener. And that'll help that not happen. But how do you fix it? Steering dampener. Or fix the geometry. Like I had a motorcycle crash where I went to, sometimes I had to tighten the seat on my Norton and I was like going down the street and I was kind of going, and I was going, you know, like 45 or something. And I went to reach down and tighten my seat and the front got light. Yeah. And what'd you do? I didn't crash that one. Okay, that's good. Yeah. Oh, no, wait, I did crash that one. Yeah, I did actually. I lost it and it went down and I burned through my pants. Okay. I mean, I guess there's two, besides mechanical fixes, slow down. Like turn off the throttle. Don't hit the brakes right away. Yeah, I didn't do mine. Yeah. Aquora user asks, how many motorcycles have you owned and which one was the best? Why? I've owned a lot of motorcycles over the years, but not that many street motorcycles. Most of mine were dirt bikes when I raced off-road. And I don't own an Arch oddly enough. Fortunately, I get to ride one a lot. I've had the good fortune to be able to ride many varieties of motorcycles. How many have I owned? I'd say 16, maybe. Yeah, I have a few Nortons. I love Nortons. Really enjoyed Kawasaki, Ducati, my boner Moto Guzzi, Italian manufacturer, Virus. I don't have them all the time. Some got stolen, some crashed. And my favorite motorcycle is the Arch KR GT1 because it's amazing. It looks great. It rides great. Aquora user wants to know, as a motorcyclist, what's something you wish all car drivers understood? We're on a motorcycle. We only have two wheels. You're behind the wheel of a huge 2000 plus pound vehicle. You're responsible for what it does. Get off your phone. Yeah, that sounds good. When I'm in a car, I try to be hyper aware of because I've been on the other side a lot. Speaking from experience. This is from alarmingentrance846. How do you make biker friends as a new rider? Ride. Yeah. And then of course you have to stop once in a while. So during the stopping of the riding. You meet people. And you get to share the experience. Yeah. And then I guess sometimes you become friends. Yeah. But you're always friends of the road. If you hear about other places where people ride, go say hi. Or your local motorcycle shop. Local motorcycle shop. Say what's going on, hey. Go on the road. Go for a ride. You'll make some friends. If you own an Arch motorcycle, we try every year to organize what we call an Arch Owner's Experience. And... Arch Owner's Event. An Arch Owner's Event Experience. No, an Arch Owner's Event. We call them both. The invitation says Arch Owner's Event. Every invitation I've had. Okay. It doesn't say join us for the Arch Owner's Experience. It's an Arch Owner's Event that you can have an experience and ride with fellow owners. Even if you're a new rider. So that's another way. Yeah. By attending an Arch Owner's Event. Exactly. ProfessionalLow1000 wants to know, what's the difference between a single cylinder versus multiple cylinder motorcycle? Is there an advised model for beginners? Well, literally a single cylinder has one cylinder and a multiple cylinder motorcycle has more than one cylinder. I wonder if there's a question behind the question. There is, of course. Which is probably the answer to maybe that is that in many cases a multiple cylinder motorcycle is gonna be heavier, have more horsepower, go faster, quicker. And would you advise one model over another? Yeah, I guess something lightweight, maneuverable is a good place to start. Yeah. Don't go too big in terms of CC, but don't go too small. Yeah. And seating position. Make sure you're comfortable with when you're sitting on the bike that you have contact with the ground. So that when you stop, you feel comfortable. You don't tip over. Which is real. Yes, I know. Jesp676A asks, how do I get the yellow arch motorcycle seen in trailers, et cetera? I guess he's talking about Cyberpunk. Oh. The arch Nazare. The Nazare. You can't get that motorcycle, but you can. You can have it in the game. In the video game. Cyberpunk 2077. It's based on a motorcycle we've been trying to make for a number of years called the, we've been calling the Method 143. That one you can own, but it's not exactly the same. The bike in the video game has the sounds of an arch engine. It does. From a Goodwood bike. Yeah. Which isn't an arch engine. What did that sound like? You made that sound once. AffectionateAD5047 asks, can someone explain the styles of bikes to me? I'm gonna try. Okay. Cruiser. Ford Control Cruiser. Enduro. Oh yeah. Enduro, kind of more upright, straight bar. Off-road can go in the dirt. Sure. Motocross. Motocross, racing. Kind of attack position. Attack position on the dirt. So that would be a dirt bike. But then if you want a tour on a dirt bike, then you would get into a Panamera or a BMW. Adventure, an adventure bike. And that's kind of like way up here. You sit up a little higher. And then there's a cafe racer. Oh, that's kind of. It's kind of in between a drop bar. And then that takes you into sport bike. What would you call a Triumph, a Norton, a BSA? That's a classic bike. A classic. Yeah. A Honda. Mid control. Urban. No, it's not. I don't know. We don't know. 11Charles asks, can someone explain the safety benefits of lane splitting? Safety benefits, getting out of the way. I think it was also in California. It was invented partially to accommodate air-cooled motorcycles so that they wouldn't overheat and stop in traffic, which isn't very safe. Air cooling. There's many other benefits besides. Yeah, but some not for safety. And it's not very safe if you're going two or three times the speed of the traffic. No, that's when it becomes unsafe. But it's really good if you want to get to somewhere on time. A Reddit user asks, how well do motorcycles handle bumps and cracks in the road? Depends how big the bump and how wide the crack. And it depends on the motorcycle. So it goes from really poorly to not so bad. New road crack is usually, surprise! Yeah, but you try to look down the road and see it and anticipate it, you know? Yeah. But sometimes it is a surprise. Yeah, and then you really hate these things if you're in a turn. Yeah. Like a bump. Leaned over in a turn. If you're leaned over and you're in a crack or a bump, I don't think you're looking to do that. From DSJr1388, why do motorcycle riders point two fingers down when they pass each other and where does it come from? It's a wave. It's not always two fingers down. Sometimes it's, you know, this off the handlebar. Sometimes it's... I see you doing that all the time. Can you do that wave that you do all the time again? You're super... And I initiate that. Yeah, you're like the first guy. Hi! Yeah, you're just like that guy. Yeah. Where does it come from? Fraternity, community, saying hi. And I think there's a specialness to riding a motorcycle of being a motorcyclist. There's something unique. Yeah. You know, it's other than, it's not usual per se. And I always thought of it too as like, I see you, I'm here, that support. Like there's something behind it that's like, I see you, you see me. Hey, isn't it great we're riding motorcycles? But it's also kind of somehow a support, like if there's ever a day and you're here on the side of the road. Yeah. Like I'm gonna be there. A Reddit user asks, how does one start riding a motorcycle? Put your leg over it. I mean, you can start with a lesson. That's so stupid. Usually someone has to show you what's up a little bit. Yeah. And it especially depends on how old you are when you start riding. It's easier when you're a kid, because when you fall over, it's like less traumatic and you're rubbery. Unless you're like you as a kid where you're like, hmm, this is fun. I wonder if I can jump off stuff. Go faster through the woods. Go flying. I somehow enjoyed falling off. In the modern world, and you're older than 18, take a lesson. Yeah. Or two. Or not. I was eight years old. I was 22. Did you take a lesson? No lesson. You kind of did. Oh yeah, lesson. I had my first lesson. Yeah. But my lesson was- From the owner, like this is where things go by. So I didn't have any like, I didn't, I had a lesson, but no instruction. There you go. Instruction. If you're older than 18 and you have no experience on a dirt bike or other motorcycles, get some instructions. Inebriated Chinchilla wants to know, how different is riding without a windshield compared to with one? Wind. Quieter with a windshield? Yeah, can be, sure. You're going to ask. You're thinking, I can see what you're thinking. I'm not going to, I'm not going to- I'm going to tell you what you're thinking. Okay, all right. How high is the windshield? How wide is the windshield? Yeah. Where does the windshield protect you in terms of your sitting position? But still, wind. Which is why it's called a- Windshield. Yeah, but it's quieter. Yeah. And also in colder temperatures, it helps you stay warm. If it's windy though, it doesn't always help. Yeah, but it still helps because you're not getting direct contact with the wind. Temperature, it affects temperature. Minute Street 8159. What's your favorite place to ride in the world? California. California's really good. Yeah. I mean, that's obviously where we have most, I think, where we have most experience. Yeah, I would agree. It's beautiful. Nothing like home. Home sweet home. Especially in this case. That's amazing for motorcycle riding. Yeah. We're ticking all those boxes. So weather, view, roads. Topography. Culture. A Reddit user asks, why do some bikes with lower CC have more horsepower than some with higher CC? Well, CC stands for cubic centimeters, which is a measurement of the displacement of the engine. And typically as the displacement goes up, the horsepower goes up. Why don't you explain displacement? Displacement is the volume that is occupied by the moving of the piston inside the cylinder. Bore times stroke. Usually the larger the displacement, the more horsepower. So it's mechanical. Yeah. What else could it be? Wasn't that a great contribution I just had? That was good. To your tech talk? Yeah, that was really good. Xoverloads wants to know, how to deal with the fear of falling, sliding? Don't think about it. Yeah, exactly. Yeah, that's it. Yeah. Because if you start thinking about it, I mean, you want to pay, you have like a baseline fear that you basically check in with and know that it's there. And then if the conditions arise like rain. Yeah, slow down. Slow down. You make some things. But anyway, how to deal with it is just don't think about it. You learn that fear from doing it. Yeah. Hence take some instruction. Protective gear. Yeah. Modern motorcycles are incorporating more and more safety features that don't infiltrate the riding experience. So that's good too. From one down, four up. What tech has made your riding experience more enjoyable? Riding aids. The thing I just touched on. ABS brakes, if they're done properly. Traction control. Yeah, probably TC, right? Yeah. Probably traction control. I mean, and this is something that impacts more on the racetrack. But if we said. What tech? Yeah. Anti-wheeling. Traction control. Safety features that you don't feel unless you need them. Tires. Is tire tech? Yeah, sure. Yeah, I would say so. Tire technology. Yeah, and what about suspension? Yeah, that too. All of that. Biker Dan wants to know, if you could only have one type of motorcycle, sport, adventure, cruiser, et cetera, your entire life, what kind would it be and why? Oh, well I'd take a performance cruiser with arch motorcycle. Yeah, I agree. Ladiesman21700000000 asks, what are some things motorcycles do better than cars in your opinion? Get through traffic. Especially when you can legally split lanes. Make the commuting experience more pleasurable. Sometimes. Plus it's raining. Yeah. But even that can be nice. Yeah, that's true. Heal your soul. Yeah, yeah. NoCommunity4921 wonders, yes or no on the sissy bar? Well. Yes. No. Yes. No. Yes. No. Yes. But that was just our spiel. No, that's true. Yeah, but also I agree that, you know, yeah, sissy bar is good. Sissy bar is good. I just didn't want to make one. That's true. He didn't want to make a sissy bar. I don't dislike them. He just didn't want to make one. Because he doesn't dislike them. I mean, because he does dislike them. No. I think sissy bar is on a cruiser or any bike. Yeah. I mean, would you consider? Not so much on a sport bike. No. But like on an adventure bike, when you like put the box on. Yeah, it could be. Is that considered a sissy, or is that just a backrest? I don't know what he means, but I would call it a sissy bar. You know what he means. I don't know. He means like the steel, like backrest. But does he mean a big, tall one, or does he mean a backrest? No. You just said backrest. You said the tall backrest. Yeah, but it's a sissy bar when it's tall. Okay, then I guess the backrest isn't. Yes, the sissy bars are cool. Someone on Reddit wants to know, why do people insist you have to get low cc beginner bike? Because if you don't, you have more danger of no bueno. Because you're gonna have so much horsepower, the bike won't be, you don't have the experience to manage the conditions that you're in, and manage how to get, you might not be in conditions, situations, like the bike shooting out from under you, you'll be in a turn, you don't have throttle control, you'll be in a turn. Not stopping quick enough. Not stopping. Things come at you quicker when you're going faster. Speed is fun, but speed kills. And so, I would suggest, if you're gonna get a beginner bike, don't go wacky kooky on the high cc's. From Becky CRM, why am I dropping my bike when I stop? The bike's too tall? Your feet are slipping on something? I hope you're not doing this a lot. Man, stop doing it. You're unbalanced, and you can't control the weight of the bike, going off of its balanced state. You don't have a good contact with the ground, and balance in the motorcycle. And once it gets to a certain point. The weight. Yeah, you can't hold it anymore. Okay, those are all the questions. Thanks for watching Motorcycle Support. Oh, and don't forget. Visionaries. The Arch Project. On Roku. That was that wave. Oh. You know? Thanks. That one. Instead of like, you know. Yeah, hey. See ya, peace.