After getting back home from STAR, I found 3 episodes of Riding with Norman Reedus recorded. I'm trying to give it a fair shot, so I've watched all 3 hours tonight.
I'd like to say it's gotten better, but I don't think it has. My opinion of the show has not improved, and it had plenty of room to go up. It just didn't do it for me.
The episode of he and a friend riding through the southern Appalachians, including Deal's Gap, really tripped my trigger. It was no better, and then it got really bad when he described going east from Fontana Dam to the Dragon Tail. If you've been there, you know you go WEST from Fontana Dam to get to the store at Deal's Gap. They said it backwards and showed it on their map backwards.
In this most recent episode Reedus and a buddy from New York went riding in the Texas hill country. His buddy was a tall and lanky guy riding a H-D Sportster in what looked like black hi-top All-Stars...a real hipster look, but not riding gear. I'm not bad mouthing the Sportster, but it was the wrong bike for the guy...he was too tall for it and almost constantly had his legs hanging out in the breeze at > 45 degree angle from the bike. And he didn't seem to be much of a rider. He needed to go on reserve at one point and coasted over to the side of the road when he "ran out of gas". After putting the tank on reserve, they continued.
Then again, he's not the only person I've seen that happen to in the last few days. Coming down the Blue Ridge Parkway this past Wednesday, I was following a big twin with loud pipes with a car between us. The car and I were being held up by the pokey pace of the big twin. I heard the big twin surge, stutter, and then die. He 'sort of' moved over to the side of the road, the car went by, and I pulled up next to him to make sure he was ok. He was feeling around the tank trying to find the fuel control valve, finally did, and the bike started right up for him. I followed him until he took the next exit to look for gas. His riding reflected the same level of competency as not being able to find the fuel control valve without stopping and feeling around for it.
Getting back to Norman Reedus...
I've been to the three places highlighted in these 3 episodes... Death Valley, the southern Appalachians, and the Texas hill country. I didn't go to any custom bike shops along the way as did Reedus although I did sample some fine eating establishments for BBQ and such. I enjoyed the company of good friends, and they were all way-more-than-competent and enthusiastic riders. I like the folks I ride with, my fellow MSTA members, way better than anything I've seen on this show. I may delete the timer for this show...it's just not doing it for me.
