Easy Rider was a great movie that captured a restless time in America. Captain America and Billy cruising the country on their choppers inspired a generation to get out and see the world. But there’s another, less slick movie that more closely reflects my experiences with motorcycle travel: Cycles South. I’ve watched the film seven times and still enjoy going back for another session.
In 1975 I took off with two of my high school friends and we rode all over the USA. The bikes we used were a first year Gold Wing, a Kawasaki Z1, and a BMW R75/5. Our ride lasted 3 months and we covered 20,000 miles. Cycles South is a lot like that trip except we didn’t take any drugs stronger than beer. I think the parallels to our long ago trip are why I like this movie so much.
The no-budget, Cycles South is on YouTube in seven parts and blows Easy Rider away. Three friends and a cameraman load up their custom-painted BSA 250 singles and head out from Colorado to see what exactly is up in North America. They eventually end up in Mexico where the hijinks never stop. The film is mostly narrated, as recording and editing good audio was not cheap before the digital revolution came along. The narrator’s jokes are corny but are of the same size, variety and groan-inducing type found on any motorcycle road trip you’ve ever taken with your jerky friends.
While the film is low budget the crew that made Cycles South knew a thing or two about filmmaking. This is no shot-with-a-phone, amateur YouTube production. There are some really great motorcycling in the late 20th century shots and wild, drug-crazed scenes mixed in with the excellent off-road action shots.
In hindsight, BSA 250cc singles were not the best choice for a long, multi-country road trip but the boys came up with the perfect solution to their problems and burnt a few extra dinosaurs in the process. Trust me, you’ll be green with envy.
Cycles South ends in an unsatisfying way. It appears as if they just ran out of money and stopped filming. No matter, 6/7th of Cycles South is still better than most other motorcycle movies so get some popcorn and fire up the computer; you’re gonna love it.