ARCH Motorcycle Company founders Keanu Reeves and Gard Hollinger join WIRED to answer the internet's (rubber) burning questions about motorcycles. What's it like to ride an ARCH bike? What's Keanu Reeves' favorite motorcycle? How many motorcycles has he owned? What causes a "death wobble" while riding a motorcycle—and how can you fix it? Gard and Keanu answer these questions and plenty more on Motorcycle Support.
Keanu Reeves + Gard Hollinger's VISIONARIES is now available to stream for free on TheRokuChannel.com
Director: Jackie Phillips
Director of Photography: Grant Bell
Editor: Alex Mechanik
Expert: Gard Hollinger; Keanu Reeves
Creative Producer: Justin Wolfson
Line Producer: Joseph Buscemi
Associate Producer: Paul Gulyas; Brandon White
Production Manager: Peter Brunette
Production Coordinator: Rhyan Lark
Talent Booker: Paige Garbarini
Camera Operator: Lucas Vilicich
Sound Mixer: Gray Thomas-Sowers
Production Assistant: Lauren Boucher; Abigayle Devine
Post Production Supervisor: Christian Olguin
Post Production Coordinator: Rachel Kim
Supervising Editor: Eduardo Araujo
Additional Editor: Jason Malizia
Assistant Editor: Andy Morell
Special Thanks: Sonia Butt
Keanu Reeves + Gard Hollinger's VISIONARIES is now available to stream for free on TheRokuChannel.com
Director: Jackie Phillips
Director of Photography: Grant Bell
Editor: Alex Mechanik
Expert: Gard Hollinger; Keanu Reeves
Creative Producer: Justin Wolfson
Line Producer: Joseph Buscemi
Associate Producer: Paul Gulyas; Brandon White
Production Manager: Peter Brunette
Production Coordinator: Rhyan Lark
Talent Booker: Paige Garbarini
Camera Operator: Lucas Vilicich
Sound Mixer: Gray Thomas-Sowers
Production Assistant: Lauren Boucher; Abigayle Devine
Post Production Supervisor: Christian Olguin
Post Production Coordinator: Rachel Kim
Supervising Editor: Eduardo Araujo
Additional Editor: Jason Malizia
Assistant Editor: Andy Morell
Special Thanks: Sonia Butt
Category
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TechTranscript
00:00Hi, I'm Keanu Reeves.
00:02And I'm Garth Hollinger.
00:03And we co-founded Arch Motorcycle.
00:05Let's answer some questions from the internet.
00:08This is...
00:09Motorcycle Support.
00:10♪♪
00:15Okay, you 7247.
00:18Why did you put, like, that attitude on it?
00:20I don't know. Wants to know.
00:22What's the fastest you can go in first gear?
00:24Well, that depends on the motorcycle
00:26and how much you twist the throttle.
00:28Dude, you're not gonna...
00:30You're not gonna go 60 miles an hour in first gear.
00:33Like, 30?
00:3435.
00:35Your motorcycle's gonna ask you to shift
00:37between 8 and 33 miles an hour.
00:41Okay.
00:42Lonely corpse.
00:44Ah, see, you read that like you were lonely.
00:47Lonely corpse.
00:48I'm an actor.
00:49What is the difference between a MotoGP bike
00:51and its street equivalent?
00:53Speed.
00:55Handling.
00:56Yeah.
00:57Well, what's the difference between a Formula 1 car
00:59and a street car?
01:01Speed and handling.
01:03This is from The Inoffensive Man,
01:06and he asks,
01:07has anyone ridden an Arch bike?
01:11What was it like?
01:12They're amazing motorcycles,
01:14and with the clients that we have,
01:16they, too, find an Arch motorcycle amazing to ride.
01:21Which is very nice.
01:22Which is very nice.
01:23We call them performance cruisers and a sport cruiser.
01:27I would say the aesthetics and the way they ride.
01:31But also, you like to point out that it's built for them, right?
01:35Yes, they're bespoke.
01:37Yeah.
01:38Like a custom suit.
01:39Yes.
01:40Minky Mink asks,
01:42what causes a death wobble and how do you fix it?
01:45We like to call it a speed wobble,
01:46but I guess this is a...
01:48It can be, too.
01:49...difference in two, yes.
01:50It's an instability in the chassis,
01:53so without getting too detailed,
01:56it causes the front end to start to shake,
01:59and it'll just keep going,
02:01and it'll cause the whole motorcycle to shake.
02:04They make things that help it
02:05if the geometry of the motorcycle doesn't do it on its own,
02:09called a steering dampener,
02:10and that'll help that not happen.
02:12But how do you fix it?
02:14Steering dampener.
02:15Or fix the geometry.
02:16Like I had a motorcycle crash where I went to...
02:19Sometimes I had to tighten the seat on my Norton,
02:21and I was going down the street,
02:24and I was kind of going...
02:25And I was going, you know, like 45 or something,
02:28and I went to reach down and tighten my seat,
02:31and the front got light.
02:32Yeah?
02:33Yeah.
02:34And what'd you do?
02:35I didn't crash that one.
02:36Okay, that's good.
02:36Yeah.
02:37Oh, no, wait.
02:38I did crash that one.
02:39Yeah, I did, actually.
02:40I lost it and went down,
02:41and I burned through my pants.
02:44Okay.
02:44I mean, I guess there's two...
02:46Besides mechanical fixes, slow down.
02:49Like, turn off the throttle.
02:51Don't hit the brakes right away.
02:53Yeah, I didn't do all that.
02:56Aquora user asks,
02:57how many motorcycles have you owned,
03:00and which one was the best?
03:03Why?
03:03I've owned a lot of motorcycles over the years,
03:06but not that many street motorcycles.
03:09Most of mine were dirt bikes when I raced off-road.
03:12And I don't own an Arch, oddly enough.
03:14Fortunately, I get to ride one a lot.
03:17I've had the good fortune to be able to ride
03:19many varieties of motorcycles.
03:22How many have I owned?
03:24I'd say 16, maybe.
03:26Yeah, I have a few Norton's.
03:29I love Norton's.
03:30Really enjoyed the Kawasaki, Ducati,
03:32my Bonamodo Guzzi,
03:34Italian manufacturer, Virus.
03:37I don't have them all the time.
03:38Some got stolen, some crashed.
03:41And my favorite motorcycle is the Arch KR GT1,
03:45because it's amazing.
03:46It looks great.
03:48It rides great.
03:49Aquora user wants to know,
03:52as a motorcyclist,
03:53what's something you wish all car drivers understood?
03:57We're on a motorcycle.
03:59We only have two wheels.
04:01You're behind the wheel of a huge 2,000 plus pound vehicle.
04:07You're responsible for what it does.
04:09Get off your phone.
04:12Yeah, that sounds good.
04:13When I'm in a car, I try to be hyper aware of,
04:17because I've been on the other side a lot.
04:19Speaking from experience.
04:22This is from alarmingentrance846.
04:25How do you make biker friends as a new rider?
04:29Ride.
04:29Yeah.
04:30And then, Chris, you have to stop once in a while.
04:33So during the stopping of the riding-
04:35You meet people.
04:36And you get to share the experience.
04:38Yeah.
04:39And then I guess sometimes you become friends.
04:42Yeah.
04:43But you're always friends of the road.
04:45If you hear about other places where people ride,
04:47go say hi.
04:48Or your local motorcycle shop.
04:50Local motorcycle shop.
04:52Say what's going on, hey.
04:54Go on the road.
04:55Go for a ride.
04:56You'll make some friends.
04:57If you own an Arch motorcycle,
04:59we try every year to organize
05:03what we call an Arch Owner's Experience.
05:06Arch Owner's Event.
05:08An Arch Owner's Event Experience.
05:10No, an Arch Owner's Event.
05:11We call them both.
05:13The invitation says Arch Owner's Event.
05:15Every invitation I've had-
05:17Okay.
05:18It doesn't say join us for the Arch Owner's Experience.
05:21It's an Arch Owner's Event
05:23that you can have an experience
05:26and ride with fellow owners.
05:28Even if you're a new rider.
05:30Even if you're a new rider.
05:31So that's another way.
05:32Yeah.
05:33By attending an Arch Owner's Event.
05:35Exactly.
05:37Professional Low1000 wants to know,
05:40what's the difference between a single cylinder
05:42versus multiple cylinder motorcycle?
05:45Is there an advised model for beginners?
05:48Well, literally a single cylinder has one cylinder
05:51and a multiple cylinder motorcycle
05:54has more than one cylinder.
05:56I wonder if there's a question behind the question.
05:57There is, of course.
05:59Which is probably the answer to maybe that is that
06:03in many cases, a multiple cylinder motorcycle
06:05is gonna be heavier, have more horsepower,
06:09go faster, quicker.
06:10And would you advise one model over another?
06:14Yeah.
06:15I guess something lightweight maneuverable
06:17is a good place to start.
06:19Yeah.
06:20Don't go too big in terms of CC,
06:21but don't go too small.
06:23Yeah.
06:24And seating position.
06:25Make sure you're comfortable
06:26with when you're sitting on the bike
06:27that you have contact with the ground
06:29so that when you stop,
06:30you feel comfortable.
06:31You don't tip over.
06:32You don't tip over.
06:33Which is real.
06:34Yes, I know.
06:35Jesp676A asks,
06:38how do I get the yellow Arch motorcycle
06:40seen in trailers and said,
06:42I guess he's talking about Cyberpunk.
06:44Oh.
06:45The Arch Nazare.
06:46The Nazare.
06:47You can't get that motorcycle,
06:49but you can.
06:50You can have it in the game.
06:51In the video game.
06:53Cyberpunk 2077.
06:55It's based on a motorcycle
06:57we've been trying to make for a number of years
07:00called the,
07:00we've been calling the Method 143.
07:03That one you can own,
07:04but it's not exactly the same.
07:05The bike in the video game
07:07has the sounds of an Arch.
07:10It does.
07:11From the Goodwood bike.
07:12Yeah.
07:13Yeah.
07:14Which isn't an Arch engine.
07:15What did that sound like?
07:16You made that sound once.
07:19AffectionateAD5047 asks,
07:23can someone explain the styles of bikes to me?
07:26I'm going to try.
07:27Okay.
07:28Cruiser.
07:29Forward control cruiser.
07:30Enduro.
07:31Oh yeah.
07:32Enduro.
07:33Kind of more upright.
07:34Yeah.
07:35Straight bar.
07:36Off-road can go in the dirt.
07:37Sure.
07:38Motocross.
07:39Motocross.
07:40Racing.
07:41Attack position.
07:41Attack position on the dirt.
07:43So that would be a dirt bike.
07:44Yeah.
07:45But then if you want a tour on a dirt bike,
07:47then you would get into.
07:49Yeah.
07:49Like a Panamera.
07:51Yeah.
07:52Or a BMW.
07:53Adventure.
07:54Adventure bike.
07:55And that's kind of like.
07:56Way up here.
07:57It's a little higher.
07:58And then there's a cafe racer.
08:01Oh, that's kind of.
08:02It's kind of in between a drop bar.
08:05And then that takes you into sport bike.
08:08What would you call a Triumph, a Norton, a BSA?
08:11That's a classic bike.
08:13A classic.
08:13I would guess.
08:14A Honda.
08:15Yeah.
08:16Mid control.
08:17Urban.
08:18No, it's not sister.
08:19I don't know.
08:20We don't know.
08:20Eleven Charles asks,
08:22can someone explain the safety benefits of lane splitting?
08:25Safety benefits.
08:27Getting out of the way.
08:28I think it was also in California.
08:30It was invented partially
08:32to accommodate air-cooled motorcycles
08:34so that they wouldn't overheat and stop in traffic,
08:37which isn't very safe.
08:39Air cooling.
08:40There's many other benefits besides.
08:42Yeah, but some not for safety.
08:45And it's not really safe if you're going
08:47two or three times the speed of the traffic.
08:50No, that's when it becomes unsafe.
08:53But it's really good
08:54if you want to get to somewhere on time.
08:55A Reddit user asks,
08:57how well do motorcycles handle bumps and cracks in the road?
09:01Depends how big the bump and how wide the crack.
09:04And it depends on the motorcycle.
09:06So it goes from really poorly to not so bad.
09:09New road crack is usually surprise.
09:12Yeah.
09:13But you try to look down the road
09:14and see it and anticipate it, you know?
09:17Yeah.
09:18But sometimes it is a surprise.
09:19Yeah.
09:20And then you really hate these things if you're in a turn.
09:23Yeah.
09:23Like a bump.
09:24Leaned over in a turn.
09:25If you're leaned over and you're in a crack or a bump,
09:28I don't think you're looking to do that.
09:30From DSJr1388,
09:33why do motorcycle riders point two fingers down
09:36when they pass each other?
09:37And where does it come from?
09:39It's a wave.
09:40It's not always two fingers down.
09:41Sometimes it's, you know, this off the handlebar.
09:44Sometimes it's...
09:45I see you doing that all the time.
09:48Can you do that wave that you do all the time again?
09:50You're super-
09:51And I initiate that.
09:52Yeah, you're like the first guy.
09:53Hi!
09:54Yeah, you're just like that guy.
09:56Yeah.
09:57Where does it come from?
09:57Fraternity, community.
09:59Yeah.
10:00Saying hi.
10:01And I think there's a specialist to riding a motorcycle
10:04of being a motorcyclist.
10:06There's something unique.
10:07Yeah.
10:08You know, it's other than.
10:09It's not usual per se.
10:11And I always thought of it too as like,
10:14I see you, I'm here, that support.
10:16Like there's something behind it that's like,
10:18I see you, you see me.
10:20Hey, isn't it great we're riding motorcycles?
10:22But it's also kind of somehow a support.
10:24Like if there's ever a day and you're here
10:27on the side of the road.
10:28Yeah.
10:29Like I'm gonna be there.
10:30A Reddit user asks,
10:31how does one start riding a motorcycle?
10:33Put your leg over it.
10:36I mean, you can start with a lesson.
10:39That's so stupid.
10:40Usually someone has to show you what's up a little bit.
10:42Yeah.
10:43And especially depends on how old you are
10:44when you start riding.
10:45Easier when you're a kid,
10:47because when you fall over,
10:48it's like less traumatic and you're rubbery.
10:52Unless you're like you as a kid,
10:53where you're like, hmm, this is fun.
10:55I wonder if I can jump off stuff and go faster.
10:58Those are rewards.
10:59Go fly.
11:00I somehow enjoyed falling off.
11:02In the modern world,
11:03and you're older than 18,
11:06take a lesson.
11:07Yeah.
11:08Or two.
11:09Or two.
11:10Or not.
11:11I was eight years old.
11:12I was 22.
11:13Did you take a lesson?
11:15No lesson.
11:16You kind of did.
11:17Oh yeah, lesson.
11:18I had my first lesson.
11:19Yeah.
11:20But my lesson was-
11:21Was from the owner of the motorcycle.
11:22From the owner,
11:23like this is where things go and why.
11:25So I didn't have any,
11:28I had a lesson,
11:29but no instruction.
11:30There you go.
11:31Instruction.
11:32If you're older than 18
11:33and you have no experience on a dirt bike
11:35or other motorcycles,
11:36get some instruction.
11:37Inebriated Chinchilla wants to know,
11:40how different is riding without a windshield
11:42compared to with one?
11:45Wind.
11:45Quieter with a windshield?
11:47Yeah, can be, sure.
11:49You're going to ask.
11:50You're thinking,
11:51I can see what you're thinking.
11:51I'm not gonna,
11:52I'm gonna tell you what you're thinking.
11:54Okay, all right.
11:55How high is the windshield?
11:57How wide is the windshield?
11:59Yeah.
12:00Where does the windshield protect you
12:02in terms of your sitting position?
12:04But still,
12:05wind.
12:07Which is why it's called a-
12:09Windshield.
12:11Yeah, but it's quieter.
12:12Yeah.
12:13And also in colder temperatures,
12:14it helps you stay warm.
12:16If it's windy though,
12:17it doesn't always help.
12:18Yeah, but it still helps
12:19because you're not getting direct contact with the wind.
12:21Temperature, it affects temperature.
12:23MinuteStreet8159,
12:26what's your favorite place to ride in the world?
12:29California.
12:30California.
12:31California is really good.
12:33Yeah.
12:33I mean, that's obviously where we have most,
12:35I think where we have most experience.
12:37Yeah, I would agree.
12:38It's beautiful.
12:39Nothing like home, home sweet home.
12:41Home sweet home.
12:42Especially in this case,
12:43that's amazing for motorcycle riding.
12:45Yeah.
12:46We're ticking all those boxes.
12:47So weather, view, roads.
12:49Topography.
12:50Topography, culture.
12:52A Reddit user asks,
12:53why do some bikes with lower CC
12:55have more horsepower than some with higher CC?
12:58Well, CC stands for cubic centimeters,
13:00which is a measurement of the displacement of the engine.
13:04And typically as the displacement goes up,
13:06the horsepower goes up.
13:07Why don't you explain displacement?
13:09Displacement is the volume
13:12that is occupied by the moving of the piston
13:16inside the cylinder.
13:17Bore times stroke.
13:18Usually the larger the displacement,
13:21the more horsepower.
13:22So it's mechanical.
13:23What else could it be?
13:26Wasn't that a great contribution I just had
13:29to your tech talk?
13:30Yeah, that was really good.
13:32Xoverloads wants to know,
13:34how to deal with the fear of falling sliding?
13:36Don't think about it.
13:38Exactly.
13:40Yeah, that's it.
13:41Because if you start thinking about it,
13:42I mean, you want to pay,
13:43you have like a baseline fear
13:46that you basically check in with
13:48and know that it's there.
13:50And then if the conditions arise,
13:52like rain.
13:53Yeah, slow down.
13:54Slow down.
13:54You make something.
13:55But anyway, how to deal with it
13:57is just don't think about it.
13:58You learn that fear from doing it.
14:00Yeah, hence take some instruction.
14:03Protective gear.
14:04Yeah.
14:05Modern motorcycles are incorporating
14:08more and more safety features
14:10that don't infiltrate the riding experience.
14:12So that's good too.
14:14From one down four up,
14:15what tech has made your riding experience more enjoyable?
14:19Riding aids.
14:20The thing I just touched on.
14:22ABS brakes, if they're done properly.
14:25Traction control.
14:26Yeah, probably TC, right?
14:27Yeah.
14:28Probably traction control.
14:29I mean, and this is something
14:30that impacts more on the racetrack.
14:32But if we said-
14:33What tech?
14:34Yeah.
14:35Anti-wheelie traction control.
14:36Safety features that you don't feel
14:38unless you need them.
14:39Tires.
14:40Is tire tech worth mentioning?
14:41Yeah, sure.
14:42Yeah, I would say so.
14:43Tire technology.
14:44Yeah, and what about suspension?
14:47Yeah, that too.
14:47All of that.
14:49I wonder if Dan wants to know,
14:50if you could only have one type of motorcycle,
14:53sport, adventure, cruiser, et cetera,
14:55your entire life, what kind would it be and why?
14:58Oh, I'd take a performance cruiser with arch motorcycle.
15:02Yeah, I agree.
15:03Ladies man, 217-000000 asks,
15:09what are some things motorcycles do better
15:11than cars in your opinion?
15:13Get through traffic.
15:14Especially when you can legally split lanes.
15:17Make the commuting experience more pleasurable.
15:22Sometimes.
15:23Plus it's raining.
15:24Yeah.
15:25But even that can be nice.
15:26Yeah, that's true.
15:28Heal your soul.
15:29Yeah, yeah.
15:32No community 4921 wonders,
15:35yes or no on the sissy bar?
15:37Well-
15:38Yes.
15:39No.
15:39Yes.
15:40No.
15:41Yes.
15:42No.
15:43Yes.
15:44But that was just our spiel.
15:44No, that's true.
15:45Yeah, but also I agree that,
15:47yeah, sissy bar is good.
15:48Sissy bar is-
15:49I just didn't want to make one.
15:50That's true.
15:51He didn't want to make a sissy bar.
15:51I don't dislike them.
15:52He just didn't want to make one.
15:53He just didn't want to make one.
15:55Because he doesn't dislike them.
15:57I mean, because he does dislike them.
15:59No.
16:01I think sissy bar is on a cruiser or any bike.
16:04Yeah.
16:05I mean, would you consider-
16:06Not so much on a sport bike.
16:08No, but like on an adventure bike
16:10when you like put the box on.
16:12Yeah, it could be.
16:13Is that considered a sissy or is that just a back?
16:15I don't know what he means,
16:17but I would call it sissy.
16:18You know what he means.
16:19I don't know.
16:20He means like the steel like backrest for the queen.
16:22Yeah, but does he mean a big tall one
16:24or does he mean a backrest?
16:25No.
16:26You just said backrest.
16:27You said the tall backrest.
16:28Yeah, but it's a sissy bar was tall.
16:30Okay, then I guess the backrest isn't.
16:31Yeah, sissy bars are cool.
16:33Someone on Reddit wants to know,
16:34why do people insist you have to get low CC beginner bike?
16:38Because if you don't, you have more danger of no bueno.
16:43Because you're going to have so much horsepower,
16:45the bike won't be,
16:46you don't have the experience
16:48to manage the conditions that you're in
16:51and manage how to get,
16:52you might not be in conditions, situations,
16:55like the bike shooting out from under you.
16:57You'll be in a turn too,
16:58you don't have throttle control.
17:00You'll be in a turn.
17:01Not stopping quick enough.
17:02Not stopping, things come at you quicker
17:04when you're going faster.
17:05Speed is fun, but speed kills.
17:08And so I would suggest if you're going to get
17:11a beginner bike, don't go wacky kooky on the high CCs.
17:15From Becky CRM, why am I dropping my bike when I stop?
17:19The bike's too tall?
17:21Your feet are slipping on something?
17:24I hope you're not doing this a lot.
17:26Man, stop doing it.
17:29You're unbalanced and you can't control
17:30the weight of the bike going off of its balanced state.
17:34You don't have a good contact with the ground
17:36and balance in the motorcycle.
17:38Once it gets to a certain point.
17:40The weight.
17:41Yeah, you can't hold it anymore.
17:43Okay, those are all the questions.
17:45Thanks for watching Motorcycle Support.
17:47Oh, and don't forget.
17:49Visionaries.
17:50The Arch Project.
17:51On Roku.
17:52That was that wave.
17:54Oh, thanks.
17:54You know, that one.
17:56Oh, that one?
17:56Instead of like, you know.
17:58Yeah, hey, see ya, peace.