Thunder Press January 2021 | Page 27

me , “ and I had the perfect bike for it ; a repossessed Husqvarna with a blown engine .”
The scene is obviously staged , but the fire was 100 % real . Most viewers probably thought the bike was a total loss , but it wasn ’ t , as Malcolm repainted the fuel tank , replaced the cables , tires and seat , rebuilt the engine , and ended up selling it . “ I often wonder who has that bike now ,” he says , “ though I doubt there ’ d ever be any way to confirm its history . But it ’ s out there somewhere , and worth a lot of money .”
Cowtrailing and Assorted Pranks
The last ten minutes of On Any Sunday are , to me , the movie ’ s very best scenes , and here ’ s why . Motorcycling , for all its wonderful physical and visceral thrills , the speed , the G forces , the wind in your face , flying through the air , and that special feeling of losing traction and then gaining it back with a little wheelie exiting a corner , is fundamentally an emotional exercise .
There have been times in my life on a motorcycle when things were Just About Perfect . Whether explor-
THUNDERPRESS . NET | JANUARY 2021 | 27