Saturday, January 24, 2015

Michael Ornstein Interview: "Chucky" from Sons of Anarchy

Cross Country Cycle and Michael Ornstein (Chucky from the television show "Sons of Anarchy") are teaming up to host a chili cook-off at Cross Country Cycle in Metuchen, NJ on January 31st where several participants will be entering their chilies to be judged. The event runs from 11 AM to 4 PM with the chili tasting between 12 PM and 3 PM.  For a $5 donation to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, you can have unlimited chili, take pictures with Michael Ornstein and even grab an autograph.  We took the opportunity to have a quick Q&A with Michael about growing up in New Jersey as well as about riding.


Q: Where in NJ did you grow up?  What were your hang out spots?

A: I grew up in Passaic and Clifton, N.J. When I was a kid, [we would] play ball in parks every day, but our hang-out spot was behind Rizzuto Berra Bowling Alley where there was a trestle and railroad tracks and it had a big element of danger to it, which we loved. The bowling alley was in a shopping center called Styertown, [which] I think is still there. There was also a Chinese restaurant where we'd get egg rolls, an ice cream shop called Bonds, and a big store that sold everything and they had a whole lot of cheese samples that we'd kind of steal. One day, we took too much cheese and the store manager, a one armed man, chased us out into the parking lot like he was going to kill us. We also hung out in parks, in cemeteries and in the swamps, where we built forts and [blew] things up with fireworks. But I have to say, my all time favorite hang-out spot was in my Grandparent's house in Passaic.

Q: What got you into riding?

A: What got me started was just being naturally interested in motorcycles, 'cause there's hardly anything that's more exciting than a damn motorcycle.

Q: Where are your favorite riding roads/spots?

A: My favorite riding spot is NYC. It's a lot of fun like enduro [riding]. I find that anybody driving the streets in NYC is very much aware. It's a lot like being on a horse, actually. Other than that, I like to ride in the wide open. I was doing a summer gig in Vermont once and loved riding New England through those two lane highways with all those streams all over the place where you could stop, jump into the water, and dry off riding in the wind. But honestly, I prefer riding the streets of NYC over wide-open roads. 

Q: When did you start riding? What was your first bike and what other bikes have you owned since?

A: I started riding when I was 12 or 13. My first bike was a 100cc Yamaha enduro. Later on, when I lived in NYC, I had a string of beat up old city bikes; mainly Honda CBs. 

Q: What are your favorite bikes or style of bike that you’ve owned and what do you ride now?

A: I like old motorcycles from the 40's through the 70's. Harleys, Moto Guzzis, BMWs, Hondas. My favorite bikes are the old R Series BMWs. I like to be upright and slightly forward and I like the option of standing on the pegs. I also love the early GS Series bikes. I live in Los Angeles now and don't have much interest in riding here. I don't even feel safe being in a car out here. You have people driving with little dogs and cats crawling all over them, people eating cereal out of bowls with a spoon, I've seen people reading while driving, putting on make-up, everybody is texting or talking on the phone or just totally vacant. Plus, you have a lot of traffic and have to stop every seventy feet and that's no fun at all. I'm from the East Coast and don't much dig the whole lane splitting or passing on the right thing. If I lived anywhere else and could afford it, I'd like to be riding a R9T, or a custom built old R/100 or an 800GS or a Hypermotard or the new Ducati Scrambler. If I had the money and garage space, I'd have a string of bikes and ride a different one every day. Right? But, I don't have the money or the garage space ... So ... Right now, I get my riding rocks off through watching YouTube GoPro videos of other guys riding.[sic]

Q: What drew you to the R-nine T?

A: Well, it's an homage to the old R Series bikes that I love so much; the R75s to R100s, which, in my mind are the ultimate motorcycles. The R9T is a streamlined, boiled down bike that you can take anywhere you want to be headed and not have a worry in the world about weather or road. A bike I can ride the hell out of, keep forever, and, one day, give it to my son. It's a distance bike, a city bike, just a perfect motorcycle. Roland Sands designed it and I love his work. What's also cool about this bike is the ease with which you can customize it and all the options it provides for the rider. Check out the R9T Custom Project. RnineT Custom Project to see where designers out of Japan and Spain took the bike to amazing places. I always follow those customizers out of Japan and Europe, cause they tend to use the old R/90s, 75s and 100s and I really love what they do with them. I tend to like old things rather than new things, across the board. If I had a 9T, I'd most likely customize it to look like it was buried in the ground for twenty years.

Q: I've heard you are big on distance riding and have actually made several cross country trips.  What prompted you to do so?

A: What prompts me to drive or ride distances is adventure and mystery. Moving fast along a road I've never been on before is like dreaming. I like to get lost [and enjoy] all the different foods and cultures you encounter, traveling through America. My favorite thing to do is drive long distance, no matter if I'm on a motorcycle, in an old Chevy Blazer [or] our family Subaru. I drove cross country 12 times, each time without a map and I always find treasure in the vast uniqueness of America. When I lived in NYC, I took a lot of rides, like I said, up north through New England and all that. I have never taken a bike cross country, cause I've always had old used city bikes, never had a bike that was roadworthy to make the trip, but I would love to take a bike cross country. If I had my way, I'd buy a 9T in Jersey, gear up and ride through the cold and into the desert. I used to ride all through the winter in the city, I love riding in snow, so I'm cool with that. I love to be exposed to the wind and weather on a bike. My favorite aspect of living out west is the easy access I have to the California desert and Arizona, Utah, Nevada and New Mexico.There are so many county roads and two lane highways to explore, the mountains, all that. Some day, I'd love to ride Highway 1, up to Vancouver on a bike. Also, I've always dreamed of riding the Alaska Highway. If I get down to it, there is no place I'm more comfortable than being lost on the open road. it's my most natural state. And there's no better way to be lost on an open road than on a motorcycle. It's the closest I can get to actually sprouting wings and flying.

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