A tattoo artist. A chef. An interior designer. A celebrity superstar. They come from different backgrounds, but they all found something more on a motorcycle.
When author and journalist Eric Hendrikx set out to interview 100 motorcycle riders from across the globe for his book, the professional project quickly turned into a personal mission.
Photo: Renata Kaveh/Submitted
“I wanted the book to be a realistic snapshot of motorcycle culture today,” he said. “It was important to tell everyone’s stories.”
Hendrikx said he could have included many more stories, but it was a long journey to 107.
“When I got to 40, I thought, ‘What have I done?'”
At first glance, Motorcycle Life could be dismissed as a coffee-table book that would only appeal to enthusiasts, but it quickly transforms into many things: a memoir, an anthology and a meditation, alongside striking photography that offers insight into risk, resilience, solitude and, ultimately, human connection. As Hendrikx points out, there are lessons for everyone, whether they ride or not.
I wanted the book to be a realistic snapshot of motorcycle culture today.
“Riding demands 100 per cent focus,” he said. “You have to be aware of everything around you. I think that translates off the bike. When you train your brain that way, it lingers and influences everything else you do.”
Hendrikx’s passion started in childhood. His dad rode a motorcycle.
“That was my early introduction to them,” he said. “He used to put me on the tank and ride off into the wilderness.”
He met many of the riders featured in Motorcycle Life through his work as a journalist, and the book features a Q-and-A format.
“I test and review motorcycles, so I meet a lot of people,” he said. “They all jumped at the opportunity. They were excited and supportive.
Cost and Benefit Outweigh the Risks
Hendrikx said there is also a flirtation with death that comes with motorcycles, which can feel “fun and romantic.” But once a rider masters a bike and becomes one with it, they can feel safe.
Not that he hasn’t crashed a time or two.
“I have a titanium shoulder, a dozen screws and five plates in my back,” he said. “I went off a mountain in the Swiss Alps after hitting some ice, so I’ve been there.”
Hendrikx said he talked to actor Keanu Reeves, who has had a few accidents as well but still rides at high speeds on the track.
“I asked him, ‘How do you feel about the danger and the risk, given where you are in your career?'”
He said, “I look at it as a cost-benefit ratio. I consider the cost and I choose the benefit.”
Buy the book
Featured
Motorcycle Life
By Eric Hendrikx
Eric recommends
Ghost Rider: Travels on the Healing Road
By Neil Peart
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
By Robert M. Pirsig
The Tender Bar
By J.R. Moehringer
We independently select everything we recommend. Buying through us may earn us a commission, which supports our work. Prices and availability are subject to change after publication.