We Are Explorers
ILLUSTRATION | INGE BERMAN
Ads are usually pretty lame. I could probably count on my fingers the ones that have made a lasting impression on me because (let's be honest): marketing people seem to try harder for Superbowl commercials than any other time of the year. Jangly, mediocre (approachable?) music and over-earnest voice overs tend more to reinforce my hatred of free-to-air TV than make me want to shell out hard-earned dollars for anything... but that's not to say that I can't find creative ways of parting with cash.
On the rare occasion that an ad makes me smile or gets my heart racing, I pay slightly more attention. So, despite the particular BMW number below featuring our friend Parker (and the mild bias herewith), it remains an exciting and unusually cinematic window into motivations for riding, without resorting to sunny, everything-is-wholesome-and-overexposed ad land, and shows off some pretty spectacular Australian landscape (and one pair of stilettos inexplicably ablaze).
Traipsing about the place on a G 310 GS (a water-cooled, single cylinder 4-stroke, with a 10,6:1 compression ratio, EFI, ABS, 175.5kg wet weight and a max speed of 143km/hr, with both the pearl white metallic and racing red versions featuring in the short), filming sounded like an experience in itself - avoiding seagulls and the sneaky waves dissolving sand beneath her, with continuous late nights and early mornings exploring the twisty roads through Brisbane hinterland. Mount Glorious is a real place: we have no sympathy for your plight, Parker.
Truly a lady of her word, shortly after filming she left on another adventure beginning in the US Pacific Northwest, and is riding all the bikes: dirt, sport, mini, old, new, on trails, up mountains, between cafes... She's no stranger to track days or Aftershock (winning the distinguished Spirit of Aftershock award in 2017), always at her own pace (which, on a late 80s superbike, is faster than most) and certainly her own style (changing up her look from Kaneda in Akira to full bunny suit to short shorts, as temperatures require and circumstances allow). We're keeping tabs on her travels via the wonders of the internet, subconsciously planning our next escape, and keeping her beloved gixxer nearby in the hope it lures her back soon.
PHOTO | LUCIA BRAHAM
Jo is a buxom redhead looking for adventure. She loves her motor children equally, and if you ask really nicely, she might let you take them for a spin. Easily distractible, but also easily obsessed, she is our Editor-in-Chief, resident proof-reader, and zany ideas lady. Caffeine is her fuel of choice.
