Motorcycle Courier Stories

[deadwolf]

Stumbled upon this ADVrider thread that's been going for 8(!) years now and spent a couple days going through it. Lots of entertaining short tales from couriers from around the world about working during the heyday of motorcycle couriering during the 70s and 80s.

As someone born in the 90s with the advent of the internet just around the corner, what really struck me was how the internet really shut down m'cycle couriering as a big industry; prior to the 'net, there wasn't really any other way of quickly sending stuff around cities apart from a motorcycle courier

https://advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=375701&highlight=%22dark+moto+tour%22

(Ignore the moto tour search stuff in the URL, was looking for DDMT thread and this was one of the hits )
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Motorsapien Art

[Snop Doog]

That's a very interesting thread, the stories that I have read so far are great, they'll definitely help pass the time. For some odd reason which I don't know about, I really would like to do some motorcycle courier work and after reading what I have read, I want to start now! Thanks for sharing

[wr6133]

[Snop Doog]

[chickenstrip]

"The Carin Sharin Chronicles" by Dave Gurman is a good read on this subject, for a UK point of view. It's a summary of his articles written for "The Rider's Digest", a publication that used to be distributed for free around London (I used to pick up a copy at the tea hut at High Beach), originally intended for London couriers.

I've often thought it's something I would have liked to try, but nowadays I don't think I'd be game for it. Doesn't matter what the weather, you have to be out there all day, every day, which might have been ok when I was younger, but not so much now. But yeah, some of it makes for good reading.
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Chickenystripgeezer's Biking Life (Latest update 19/10/18) Belgium, France, Italy, Austria tour 2016 Picos de Europa, Pyrenees and French Alps tour 2017 Scotland Trip 1, now with BONUS FEATURE edit, 5/10/19, on page 2 Scotland Trip 2 Luxembourg, Black Forest, Switzerland, Vosges Trip 2017
THERE'S MILLIONS OF CHICKENSTRIPS OUT THERE!

[sidewinder]

Would this actually work?
He said his particular bike was a little rough - the right hand jug was a 450 and the left hand jug was a 650 (or some similar odd combination of engine sizes).
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"Nitrous is like a cheap hooker, you want to hit it but are scared of the consequences

[Andy9934]

Is the money good?

I like riding a bike but I wouldn't even consider increasing the amount of high pressure, high traffic riding I do, too dangerous.
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Surrey
Honda Varadero XL125

[andys675]

[Rogerborg]

Actually interesting stuff, although it does go a little "Buster McCrabbe and me were bombing down Horse Guards this one time, then Daleks, but we still got to the pub for last orders."
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Biking is 1/20th as dangerous as horse riding.
GONE: HN125-8, LF-250B, GPz 305, GPZ 500S, Burgman 400 // RIDING: F650GS (800 twin), Royal Enfield Bullet Electra 500 AVL, Ninja 250R because racebike

[Wafer_Thin_Ham]

[Snod Blatter]

[deadwolf]

The stories do read a bit like what the Used Motorcycle Guide published (dear god I did enjoy those!) and I liked how easy it was to just get into the swing of things. Not sure whether it's due to the way with words the authors have, or because the experiences they chronicled are universally shared (if a little bit on the wild side) among motorcyclists.

I have a hunch that traffic was far less congested back in the 70s/80s though, which would allow a lot more crazy filtering and general delivery hoonage. I also wonder what madness the couriers back then would have got up to if they had access to supermotos
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Motorsapien Art

[sickpup]

[Wafer_Thin_Ham]

[sickpup]

[Rogerborg]

[sickpup]

[_Iain_]

[Rogerborg]

[XBIKER]

Quite agree with Iain in that a courier job may sound an amazing, exciting, drama filled and simple way of earning lots of cash since what could be nicer than being paid for riding around town all day in the sunshine.

Ahh, bless!

[_Iain_]

On paper it sounds amazing. In reality, it's horrible.

The worst bit is it sucks the fun out of riding, as having spent all day riding & being miserable you get to an odd day off, mates are going out for a ride. Fuck that, spent all week riding, you just want a break from it all.

Mebbe it was better in the '80s.
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Please be aware that the above post may be full of complete nonsense.
Riding: '07 KTM Duke II, Baotian BT49QT-20 Driving: '88 Volvo 340

[sickpup]

Standing on the steps at Stonor Park with Lord Camoys after he invited me in for wine discussing the fuel costs of cutting the grass in the park.

[Snop Doog]

[27cows]

It's the kind of job (or was, in the early 90s when I did it) which was fucking horrific at the time but which you can now look back on with a sense of fond nostalgia. There were loads of up sides...but it didn't seem like it at the time.

The single best memory I have is of going to Television Centre and getting snapped aboard a 400 Superdream the meat in a John Lydon/Barry Sheene sandwich, with Lydon pretending to be doing me up the Gary The cad

I idiotically gave that picture to the person who bought the 'Dream off me

The worst memory I have was from the utterly appalling winter of 1991/92. Riding this terrible GSX400 that kept cutting out on me in the slush. Frozen solid. Getting splashed with icy water from the puddles every time I stopped to spray more WD in various bits of the electrics. Hands in the most indescribable agony from constantly being exposed to the cold air. Finally getting to my destination and dropping parcel (which turned out to be a bundle of important documents) and getting them soaked. Some bitch from hell shouting abuse at me for doing this. And finally getting home in the throes of hypothermia to discover that our landlord was evicting us within days because his son had left uni and had nowhere to live.

But you tend to remember the good stuff.

Can't imagine what the game must be like now. It's a completely different world.
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The RXS100: vehicle of choice for Chuck Norris

[Pete.]

UBG/UMG used to be full of courier's stories. Though they were obviously heavily embellished it was still a good laugh to read sometimes.
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a.k.a 'Geri'

132.9mph off and walked away. Gear is good, gear is good, gear is very very good