Easy Riders
Two freewheeling Club Members see their bikes as the perfect means to explore and appreciate their adopted home.
Trains, planes and automobiles are the most common modes of transportation in Japan. But for Club Members Lloyd Danon and Martin Zotta, nothing beats the feeling of roaring through the Japanese countryside astride a motorcycle.
As cofounders of a Tokyo-based financial planning firm, Danon and Zotta are usually managing clients’ portfolios or advising on offshore tax strategies. Whenever possible, though, they escape Tokyo on two wheels.
Bike touring, they say, provides a great way to interact with Japan. After all, motorcycles give explorers both range and flexibility. Riders can travel hundreds of kilometers in a day while enjoying the freedom to stop along the way to take photos or experience the local culture.
“No matter where you go, the roads are pristine, the country itself is very beautiful, the food is amazing and the drivers are polite…except for the taxi drivers,” says 41-year-old, Argentine-born Zotta with a laugh. “It’s such a great way to see Japan. When you use a car, you’re thinking of going from A to B. But with a bike, you want winding, scenic roads, and point B is an afterthought. It’s more about the part between.”
Danon, a 41-year-old Brit and self-confessed “petrolhead,” says motorbikes are often associated with danger and death in his home country. “In Japan, it’s not really like that because everyone here is used to bicycles or mopeds,” he says. “It’s very, very safe.”
The duo earned their Japanese motorcycle licenses about 10 years ago. Danon describes the testing experience as like “going to Disneyland,” because the process didn’t involve riding on real roads, just test courses. Each now rides what is known as a “naked” bike: a highly maneuverable, windshieldless sport bike. Danon owns a Triumph Speed Triple while Zotta rides a Ducati Monster.
When touring, they store their clothes and camping gear in hard cases on the back of the bikes. They have completed a few epic journeys around Hokkaido, Japan’s northernmost main island, staying at campsites and inns along the way. Using a service offered by All Nippon Airways during the summer, Danon and Zotta usually fly on the same plane as their bikes to Sapporo.
“Hokkaido is basically the motorcycle mecca of Japan in the summer,” says Zotta. “Open roads, few cars, pristine views and amazing food. It also has a mild climate compared to Kanto—perfect for motorcycling. When people on motorcycles pass you, they wave to you.”
Although they’re out on the open road by themselves, Danon and Zotta say they particularly enjoy the social aspect of motorcycling culture. They’re even considering forming a club for bike lovers at the Club and are keen to hear from other bike-owning Members.
“A great thing about riding bikes in Japan is you get to meet a lot of people,” says Zotta. “Especially when you get out of the city, they just come up to you to chat about you, your bike, where you’re going and where you’ve been.”
Words: Tim Hornyak
Image: Benjamin Parks
