The Lowdown Show - By ADVrider

ADVrider.com

Join host and Gemini award-winner Neil Graham as he explores the people and passion behind the rapidly growing adventuring riding community.

The former editor-in-chief of Cycle Canada magazine, Neil applies his expertise in documentary filmmaking to delve into the intrigue that shapes the world of motorcycling, as told by designers, pundits, presidents, outliers and outlaws.

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20 episodes
Updated Friday

Episodes20

Newest first

Friday · 53 min
Don't Make The Mistake Of Getting The Wrong Gear
On episode 121 of The Lowdown Radio Show Oregonian Brian Price joins Neil to talk all-things riding gear. Price, easily the biggest riding gear nerd we've ever met, has elevated choosing gear for motorcycling to far more than just grabbing a jacket from the closest on the way out the door. At least it should be more than that, according to Price, who has spent much of his professional life—he’s also an online gear retailer—musing about the helmets on our heads and the gloves on our hands. If you’ve ever wondered about neck braces or airbags or the boots on our feet—boots, incidentally, are Price’s obsession—it's a conversation that will, hopefully, prompt you to think far more critically about what’s saving your skin. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
July 24 · 32 min
California Dreaming: Here's What's Coming Next For The Motorcycle World
Wonder where all the young riders have gone? Well, the ones in California that aren’t riding electric Surrons and the like are riding ratty old choppers and Triumph Desert Sleds. Episode 120 of The Lowdown Radio Show features Nathanial Ramirez, a young Mexican-American enthusiast whose tasteful films document the west coast scene. Ramirez tells us about his influences—Spaghetti Westerns among them—and why any motorcycle over 10 grand is, to many his age, irrelevant. We’re going to be featuring video clips from his Motorcycle Archives project so, if you can, head over to YouTube. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
July 17 · 39 min
The Future Of Print Magazines: What Happens When The Game Changes?
Word leaked out this month that the parent company for Cycle World—formerly the magazine and latterly the website—has pulled the plug on the publication. Not so many years ago this would have been unimaginable. At its height, Cycle World had 300,000 subscribers and was the main conduit for OEMs to reach enthusiasts in the most lucrative motorcycle market in the world. And now, seemingly, it’s all come to an end. Joining Neil to talk magazines and shifting markets are Motorcycle Global’s Michael Uhlarik and ADVRider.com managing editor Zac Kurylyk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
July 10 · 41 min
When A Motorcycle Manufacturer Gets Stuck In The Past
Some brands of motorcycle--we know who you are--can't stop going on (and on) about their past. Kind of like the neighbor who can't believe a gallon of gas isn't 35 cents anymore. But is clinging to the mythology of past successes healthy for the future of a brand, as marketers would lead you to believe? Or is a backward view unhealthy for both the manufacturer and its true believers. Think of it this way: the brand with the greatest legacy of all, be it Grand Prix wins or iconic models or the way it revolutionized motorcycling itself is a brand we don’t think of as having any legacy at all: Honda. Manufacturers who can’t seem to address modernity lean on legacy like it’s a walker to keep them from falling over. Motorcycle Global’s Michael Uhlarik weighs in on the perils of clinging too tightly to what once was. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
July 3 · 31 min
Do Test Stories Still Matter To Riders?
On The Lowdown Radio Show episode 117 managing editor Zac Kurylyk joins Neil Graham to talk about the ins and outs of motorcycle reviewing. We want to know what matters to you. Do reviews influence your decisions? If so, how and why? What’s important to you? Range? Seat height? Tread depth? And what is it that reviewers always miss? Vibration? Buffeting? Engine sound quality? Or do you just think that we constantly suck up to manufacturers for the chance to ride the latest and greatest? Let us know what you want to know Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
June 26 · 40 min
How To Build A Better Bike Show In The 2020s
Two things you’re likely to find at a motorcycle event are bad food and bad music--is it really necessary in this short life to hear another cover of Highway to Hell? There’s a man up here in the northeast who’s attempting to change all that. The Moto Craft fest has morphed from a big city event to a country shindig. Think Born Free with fewer choppers and Panheads Forever tattoos. Alex de Cartier joins the show to talk about the shortcomings of traditional shows, the pitfalls of staging an in-the-flesh event in a virtual world, and why live music at a motorcycle event doesn’t have to suck. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
June 19 · 1 hr 5 min
The Perfect Motorcycle For Surviving The Apocalypse
Do you have 600 cans of chickpeas next to 400 tins of peaches in your bunker? Do you think fuel-injection is a government ploy to plot your every move across the landscape? If you answered yes to either of those questions (or if they gave you reason to pause) then this week's show is unmissable. The two-wheel-drive Rokon is the oddest motorcycle you've never seen in the flesh. And, at 60-plus years old, it's also the second-longest continuously-produced motorcycle brand in America. Take that Indian. The Rokon is proof that a niche within a niche is a sound business plan. Company owner Tom Blais gives The Lowdown the lowdown on staying the course. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
June 12 · 48 min
Indian Motorcycles Takes A Hard Shot At Harley-Davidson
Indian motorcycle have a new owner and a new CEO and they're gunning for Harley-Davidson. As the cruiser market shrinks, the competition between America's two brands, in the wake of unconfirmed reports of Indian's controversial and inflammatory new initiative, becomes personal. New Harley CEO Artie Starrs is mocked for his pizza and golf past, while Indian boss Mike Kennedy (ex of Harley-Davidson) is held up as the real-deal rider. But beyond the hyperbole, we delve into the effectiveness of political-style attack ads. Is taking down your competition a way to gain market share, or do you risk alienating the exact same people you're attempting to lure into your camp? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
June 5 · 57 min
How An Industrial Design Firm Shaped KTM's Motorcycles
From irrelevance in the mid-'90s to Europe's best-selling brand to near collapse--KTM surfed high on the waves yet nearly succumbed to the troughs. But there's far more to the story than COVID-era overproduction and camshafts with substandard metallurgy. Industry watcher Michael Uhlarik takes us through KTM's backstory with a special emphasis on its unusually intimate relationship with Kiska, the industrial design firm who shaped the motorcycles, the messaging, and the meaning of the brand. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
May 29 · 1 hr 9 min
Here's The Story Behind Motorcycle Dealership Fees
Many things in life are perplexing, but none more than this: buy a pack of Sweet Caporal cigarettes from old Mrs. Harrison down at the general store, and she doesn’t charge a separate fee for handing them to you or for having them shipped to her store. And yet, when you buy a motorcycle, the price on the manufacturer’s website isn’t what we pay at a dealership, because it's subject to shipping fees and setup charges as separate line items. Why isn’t there just one price? The National Powersports Dealers Association is lobbying for just this. But, alas, it’s not as simple as it sounds. Longtime dealership man and NPDA board member Mark Sheffield joins us to untangle the bizarre and byzantine pricing practices of the motorcycle industry. All this on The Lowdown Radio Show. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
May 22 · 37 min
Forget Round The World—Ride To Work Instead
Have you noticed the price of fuel lately? Unless you’re living like the Unabomber, of course you have. And since most of you have a motorcycle or two in the shed, that most likely gets far better mileage than your car or truck, the time has come to save a little money and have a little fun. Just yesterday I took a 100-mile round trip to a car dealership for a new coolant reservoir. I stuffed it into my backpack like a high-schooler their homework, then wobbled off to a coffee shop to warm my numb hands. Did I mention it was 39 degrees? Our first guest this week knows all about pain. Duluth Minnesota’s Andy Goldfine, despite living farther north than even foolish Canadians, rides as much as he can, as often as he can. And it’s not just because he’s cheap. Frugal is a kinder word. Andy knows the benefits of riding and is loathe to abandon them the eight months of the year when his homeland turns to barren, hostile, sinister tundra. Our second guest is ADVRider helmsman Zac Kurylyk who reminisces about dodging moose and deer on the way home from his turn-of-the-century gig as a newspaperman. And then Neil Graham, never to be outdone, shares his stories of riding to a horrible summer job on an XT500 long before the turn of the last century. Add this week’s episode up and what do you get? The annual Ride to Work day, which happens the second Tuesday in June and which is spearheaded by Andy Goldfine himself, who, incidentally, has a designated winter commuting motorcycle. All this, on this week’s Lowdown Radio Show. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
May 15 · 43 min
From A Dating App To Riding The Death Road
Would you travel round-the-world with someone who showed up at your house in the early days of dating with their own pillow? I like my pillow as much as the next man, but bringing one to an overnighter with your new lover is as sexy as bringing you own slippers. But wait, Heather Lea’s story gets even odder. Twenty-seven days after meeting the pillow-man, she decides to ride around the world with him. This from an independent woman who ran her own arts and culture magazine and who had a history of short relationships. But this man—Dave—was, in Heather’s words, “handsome, adventurous, smart and employed.” Here’s a tip for young men everywhere: “employed” is the key word there. Predictably, they had challenges, which included getting out of the driveway on day one and a bad crash not long after. But because bad things make for good stories, Heather wrote about the experience in in the book Riding Full Circle, and it’s on deck this week on The Lowdown Radio show. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
May 8 · 1 hr 1 min
A Straight-Talking Harley-Davidson Dealer
Everybody—everybody—has an opinion on Harley-Davidson. The company, who’s stock, not so many years ago, was a safer bet than gold, has fallen upon challenging times. This from a company—according to analyst Michael Uhlarik—that in its heyday turned a profit of nearly 30 percent on each motorcycle sold, when the industry average is nearer the mid-single digits. In the fat years, Harley-Davidson was indeed a license to print money. But no more. Past Harley CEO’s have tried seemingly everything the right the ship. There’s been the re-wire, the hardwire and the cut-the-wire-in-two. As much fun as speculating on the future of Harley is, this week on the show we speak to someone with skin in the game. A Harley Dealer. George Gatto owns Three Rivers Harley-Davidson near Pittsburgh. Gatto also runs Gatto Cycle, a Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki, Kawasaki, CF Moto and Royal Enfield dealership. On top of all this, Gotto chairs the National Powersports Dealers Association Harley-Davidson dealer council. He’s a busy man. With a bad back. But he made time for us—and we’re chuffed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
May 1 · 46 min
Unpacking The Secret History Of The Suzuki V-Strom
On Episode 108 of the Lowdown Radio Show, Michael Uhlarik pedals his fixed gear bicycle into town to talk about the most unhip motorcycle this side of the Bajaj Pulsar. It’s motorcycling’s equivalent to sensible shoes, and you and I know it as Suzuki's V-Strom. It’s not pretty, it won’t brighten the corner of your garage in wintertime and it’s clearly built to a price. And yet—as its adherents never fail to tell you—it’ll do everything a BMW or KTM can do for half the cost. But while the V-Strom is moderation personified, its development history is anything but dull—it may have ended up as everyman’s motorcycle, but at its heart, it was a machine built to conquer the racetracks of the world. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
April 24 · 1 hr 1 min
Investigating The Death Of The Harley-Davidson Street Lineup
On Episode 107 of The Lowdown Radio Show we speak to Michael Hopkins, president of an industrial design firm with longstanding ties to Harley-Davidson in the brand’s formative years. Hopkins also worked at the Motor Company for nearly 16 years, and our conversation stretches from the design of the Coke bottle to Willie G. Davidson’s Hail Mary play that dragged Harley-Davidson out of the doldrums 50 years ago. Well, couldn’t they use another miracle right about now. Like a lightweight introductory machine to bring new blood into the brand. Like the Street was supposed to do, but failed. And wouldn’t you know it, Hopkins worked on the Street when he was at Harley-Davidson. Why was it a flop? What did he learn from the experience? We also talk planned obsolescence—the founder of his company is heavily associated with the term, speaking of which, did you know that rival manufacturers colluded to ensure that lightbulbs died an early death? This and more on The Lowdown Radio Show. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
April 17 · 37 min
The Lowdown On Cold Trips and Hot Grips on the Springtime Special
This week on the Lowdown Radio Show managing editor Zac Kurylyk chews the fat with Neil Graham about the ritual of the first spring ride. For Zac, it's often a miserable ride in gruesome weather, while Neil focused on his travails with gusty winds and frigid girlfriends. Rarely did the trips—or relationships—go well, though both confess that early season jaunts were not without merit, proving the old dictum correct: Why did the man beat his head against the wall? Because it felt so good when he stopped. Then Zac recounts a harrowing tale of attempting to fix the heated grips on his WR250 and Neil looks forlornly to the heavens and asks why, despite having cleaned the carburetors on his Ducati, it remains a cantankerous cold starter. All this, and Zac’s mindset in anticipating his first ride after a serious crash late last season. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
April 10 · 55 min
A Photographer's Tales from the Tail of the Dragon
This week something a little different. US 129 just may be the most famous motorcycle road in the world. We know it as the Tail of the Dragon. Three-hundred-something curves in 11 miles. Today we talk to Darryl Cannon, the photographer behind Killboy.com, the company who takes all those roadside photos that you can buy once you get back home, to prove that you rode the road. Darryl’s the first to admit it’s an odd business. But think of this, for 25 years thousands of motorcyclists have ridden by his lens. Is anyone better equipped to discuss everything from riding technique to the trends and fads we motorcyclists follow more than Darryl? And if you’re planning to ride the Dragon this season, we get his tips on when to go and how best to give ourselves a fighting chance of coming out the other end. This and more on the Lowdown Radio Show. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
April 3 · 44 min
What You See When Riding A Motorcycle Through A War Zone
Most of us ride to get away from it all. Rare is it that a motorcycle is used to get straight into the middle of a mess. But that’s exactly what journalist, photographer and philanthropist Neale Bayly did. With a GS on loan from BMW in Munich, Neale rode straight to a Ukraine on the verge of war. And he’s been back multiple times in the years since. What does one find in a war zone? How do you navigate the day-to-day? It’s not what you might think. We wouldn’t have thought that soldiers, staying is a house abandoned by a family fleeing for its life, would insist on removing combat boots before walking on the carpet. This and much more with Neale Bayly. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
March 27 · 1 hr 13 min
Gone Electric: Here's What's Happening In The World Of Battery Bikes, And Why
This week Michael Uhlarik talks about Motorcycle Global’s hot-off-the-press 50-page white paper on the state of motorcycle electrification. It’s important to note that this isn’t an up-with-people whitewashing. It’s a data-driven report on the industry—to the industry—on the ups—and there are many—and the downs—and there are many—of the electric motorcycle business. It’s a market that’s everything you could imagine. Huge growth in some areas and epic failures in others. And Michael gives us the best answer to why Harley-Davidson-owned Livewire, who predicted that by now they’d be selling 100,000 electric motorcycles a year, instead, in 2025, sold a lowly 653. Whether you’re an early adopter of technology or your last will and testament implores your offspring to bury your KLR alongside you, you’ll find this episode of interest. Original research report available from Motorcycle Global here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
March 20 · 44 min
Taking An Inside Look At The State Of Motojournalism
On Episode 102 of the Lowdown Radio Show, presented by eBay Motors, Mel Gantly is our guest. Mel, as die-hard an enthusiast as was ever born, worked for decades (yes, decades) to land a full-time gig at a motorcycle publication after years of freelancing. He even moved from BC, on Canada’s west coast, to the UK to make it happen. And, wouldn’t you know, he pulled it off. He got the job of a lifetime. And then it went south. But the reasons why it didn’t work out are what’s interesting, and should send a chill down the spine of anyone who believes in independent, truth-seeking journalism. And once Mel shuffles off, Neil shares his hard-won wisdom on keeping track of all those steering-head bearing and oil and filter changes—and, in the process, learn uncomfortable truths about the inside of Neil’s head. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices