Re: Letter from Ted Simon

["mike bevan" <mike.bevan@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I am not too sure how we would go about paying for access or whether I would
want to.
Is there any way that all us biking fans could each make a small donation to
get Ted on his way.
I am even prepared to forgive him for going BMW instead of Triumph. Perhaps
Hinckley should get their act together quickly.
The museum in Coventry is well worth a visit (free this year) lots of bikes,
including Jupiter, also lots of cars, commercials and buses. Great day out!

- ----- Original Message -----
From: Blake Sobiloff <sobiloff@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: Sprint ST-RS list <ST@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Friday, November 17, 2000 5:03 AM
Subject: Letter from Ted Simon


> Hi all,
> This nice little note arrived in my mailbox this evening, and I thought
> I'd share it with you all. I'm curious if anyone else has the itch to
> help Ted out...
>
> -------- Original Message --------
> Date: Thu, 16 Nov 2000 17:00:47 -0500
> From: Ted Simon <tsimon@xxxxxxx>
> To: Recipient List Suppressed:;
>
> Hi Everyone,
>
> It's been a while, and I owe you an update.
>
> Pulling this journey together is strangely unlike the experience I
> remember in 1973 - strange because I can't quite figure out why it's so
> diferent. Maybe writing this down will help to clarify it for me (after
> all, that's why I became a writer in the first place).
>
> In detective work, they used to say <italic>cherchez la femme,
> </italic>on the assumption that there was always a woman at the bottom
> of it. In these non-sexist days, it's safer to follow the money. And
> maybe that's why I feel as though my plan is still incomplete.
>
> I have the bike, and it's well supported (more on that later).
>
> I have some definite writing assignments in the UK that will bring in a
> monthly amount, but the commitment so far is meager - about $850 a
> month. That's less than $30 a day.
>
> I figure my total fuel consumption will be about 1500 gallons (US)
> which, spread over 18 months, may come to about $5 a day. While there
> are plenty of places where one can live on less than $25 a day
> (sometimes much less) it doesn't leave much of a margin, and it
> certainly won't cover big ticket items like shipping the bike, and
> myself, across various oceans.
>
> That's not the end of the story, of course.
>
> There's a film production - German/British - that's looking very
> positive (although of little immediate financial benefit to me).
>
> And of course I'm still negotiating with magazines in the US, but I've
> got to tell you that getting timely responses from most of those people
> is like pulling ring nails out of teak. I won't speculate on the
> reasons for this - that's an essay in itself - but it makes life
> difficult.
>
> They may come through - frankly I think they'd be silly not to - but
> enlightened self-interest doesn't seem to play a large part in the
> motorcycle industry's choices. For example, take Triumph. I think
> you'll agree that "Jupiter's Travels" is a fairly major presence in the
> literature of Triumph. I've been identified with the marque for 27
> years. When I began to plan this trip, the new Bonneville was
> announced. Well, given what's available today, that bike is probably
> not the first choice for rough off-road travel, but it's probably as
> suitable as the old '73 Tiger was. And in my mind's eye, I saw the two
> bikes - the old Tiger, and the new Bonneville - sitting facing each
> other in the museum in Coventry, and that alone seemed worth the extra
> effort of pushing it through the Sudanese desert. So I sent the people
> in Hinckley my best shot - you know, TV, movies, press, the book at the
> end of it all, and of course, the picture in the museum. I assumed they
> would  give it some serious thought. Maybe they did, but if so they
> haven't told me. In fact they never even acknowledged the letter.
>
> Does that make any sense?
>
> Fortunately I have a bike which is really much better equipped to
> handle the journey. It was handed to me on a plate. Extraordinarily
> enough, TWO people have  offered to give me motorcycles, both BMW GS's,
> and both very similar. One is an R100GS, sitting in Switzerland. The
> other is an R80 GS, of recent manufacture, with 1000cc pots, waiting in
> England, so I chose that one. It is fully fitted out with Tesch boxes
> and all kinds of other goodies, and the donor has generously offered to
> keep me in parts, so that's what you get for writing a good book 21
> years ago. If I get their permission, I'll identify both these
> benefactors on a later occasion.
>
>
> One very important element in my plans has always been a really
> effective and dynamic web site. I had hoped that this would be provided
> by one of the aforementioned magazines, and it may still happen, but I
> feel less and less like leaving it in their tender care.
>
> I have now inspected a number of expedition-style web sites. The ones
> I've seen have terrific designs and not much content. So I am wondering
> whether this is something I should grasp more firmly. In all humility
> (really!) I can't think of anyone doing anything on this planet right
> now that offers more potential for good content than this thing I'm
> planning. So I have two questions for you.
>
> First, is there anyone on the receiving end of this epistle who could
> design and maintain a top-flight web site with maps, pictures and
> stories, changing more or less constantly for 18 months?
>
> Secondly, would you be willing to pay, say, $5 a month for access to
> it? There would have to be enough of a viewer base to compensate the
> webmaster, and enough over to leave me free to put my best stuff into
> it.
>
> Some people say there's too much free stuff on the web for this to
> work. Well,  I don't want to knock it, but the stuff I've seen is free
> for a reason.
>
> Anyway, let me have your response, positive or negative. I'll soon know
> whether this will fly.
>
> But whatever happens, one way or another, I'll be leaving the UK at the
> end of January, and it's going to be a fantastic adventure.
>
> Thank you for taking an interest.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Ted Simon
>
> "The interruptions ARE the journey"
>
> Check out <italic>Jupiter's Travels</italic> and <italic>Riding
> High</italic> at http://www.jupitalia.com
>
>
>
>
> --
> Blake "Dawgbert" Sobiloff <sobiloff@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Burlingame, CA, USA
>
>
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