[MOTORCYCLE ENGINE]
JAMIE ROBINSON: This week's episode I've got Matt Farah
from "Tuned" on the back.
Going to take him for a ride.
He thinks motorcycles are dangerous, stupid, and, what's
the other thing?
MATT FARAH: Terrifying.
This is such a bad idea.
JAMIE ROBINSON: Welcome to
"RideApart." [MUSIC]
[MOTORCYCLE ENGINE]
[MUSIC]
JAMIE ROBINSON: How was that, man?
MATT FARAH: OK.
That's like being driven around with like Michael
Schumacher.
Right?
It sounds like a really good idea, except, going, OK.
He's going to be in a Formula One car.
But there's going to be another Formula One
car on top of it.
And oh, the brakes won't work as well.
And it won't turn as well.
Dude.
Bloody hell, man.
JAMIE ROBINSON: Did you like it, though?
Did you have a bit of fun?
MATT FARAH: It's terrifying.
You're really good, by the way.
You are very good.
This is fun.
I'm never doing this again.
Ever.
I will never get on the back of a motorcycle with another
person, ever.
If you weren't who you are, I would not be doing this.
Not a chance.
JAMIE ROBINSON: Well, I am who I am, so
you're coming with me.
MATT FARAH: All right.
One more time for good measure.
This backpack thing works, too.
That way I don't have to be quite as touchy feely with
your groin area.
[MOTORCYCLE ENGINE]
[MUSIC]
JAMIE ROBINSON: You're OK.
And I'm petrified.
[MUSIC]
MATT FARAH: It's a very interesting experience, being
on the back of a bike with you.
JAMIE ROBINSON: You reckon?
MATT FARAH: Yeah.
I mean, because first of all, when you hit the brakes, I'm
like pushing you into the gas tank.
JAMIE ROBINSON: Man, I have had a few ball injuries there.
MATT FARAH: Are your nuts crunched right now?
JAMIE ROBINSON: There's definitely a left testicle
that's definitely squashed.
MATT FARAH: I'm pretty sure they can all see my ass.
And you go really fast.
For having someone my size on the bike, you
going pretty fast.
JAMIE ROBINSON: I'm just-- honestly, I'm not going crazy,
but I'm having some fun with you.
MATT FARAH: I think the biggest difference between how
you ride and how I ride is, you trust the brakes a lot
more than I do.
I don't normally--
on a car, sure.
But on a bike?
I don't get that hard on the brakes.
JAMIE ROBINSON: Yeah, you've got to get to know your bike.
It's difficult to do that kind of in a city
environment and stuff.
So that's why I go into the track.
It's a good idea.
You get to know your machine, you know?
And I've ridden so many of these superbikes.
I know straight away, without a doubt, brakes are damn good.
Right out of the box.
MATT FARAH: Because we've ruined the power to weight
ratio of this bike.
JAMIE ROBINSON: There's still a lot of powers to be had.
MATT FARAH: I'm sure.
You're not even going anywhere near red line.
JAMIE ROBINSON: Oh, man, I haven't got out
of second gear yet.
MATT FARAH: Of course not.
JAMIE ROBINSON: I've just been playing in
first and second gear.
MATT FARAH: But you should tell people at home, advice
for being a passenger on a bike, probably.
JAMIE ROBINSON: Well the most important thing, really, is
like I said to you right at the start.
Is just go with the flow of the motorcyclist.
Don't move around on the back.
Because when you move around, I feel it.
And then everything on the motorcycle is so sensitive,
that, to make corners you make transitional kind of weight
distribution changes, these kind of things.
So when you move it changes that weight around.
I wanted to go right at one point.
And you moved left, and I actually went left.
And I was like--
MATT FARAH: That's not good.
JAMIE ROBINSON: Alert, you know?
But that can be kind of quite unnerving at times.
Because, to be quite honest, when you're going around a
corner it's not normal to want to lean.
But if you lean with the bike and don't fight it, then you
just become one.
There were some of those tight turns then that I could take.
I didn't even feel you.
And that's what I want, you know?
That's what you want from a passenger.
You don't really know they're there.
And that really helps the rider, then.
He can just concentrate on the job in hand.
MATT FARAH: Well, after like one run, I sort
of figured it out.
JAMIE ROBINSON: Yeah, oh man, you were dodgy from the start.
MATT FARAH: I think it probably helps to have someone
that at least is familiar with riding a bike, though.
JAMIE ROBINSON: Yeah, I mean I've put all kinds of people
on the back.
And some people have had no experience at all, but the
most important thing, like I said, is just go with me.
Where I go, you go.
Don't fight it.
Just go along with the ride.
MATT FARAH: But I would say as a passenger, the scariest part
is the braking.
That's probably, that and that you like to get my head really
close to objects.
JAMIE ROBINSON: Well you see--
MATT FARAH: I took a cactus to the face up there.
JAMIE ROBINSON: Yeah, but like, the TT had all of these
kind of like trees, and all what.
MATT FARAH: You have a full face helmet on.
Look at me.
JAMIE ROBINSON: Hey, dude, this comes down.
You can use it.
MATT FARAH: You could--
you said, oh, leave it open.
We want to see your eyes.
JAMIE ROBINSON: If you get scared, at least you're
going to see it.
MATT FARAH: No one's ever going to see my eyes again if
I take a cactus to the face.
JAMIE ROBINSON: Well that's the fun about riding, though.
You can really just pick and choose where you are on the
road, and feel a part of it.
MATT FARAH: So we're going to go down-- are we going down
Tuna Canyon?
JAMIE ROBINSON: Yeah, man, look at this.
Los Angeles.
We're in heaven right here, just surrounded
by fantastic roads.
MATT FARAH: Right, and Tuna Canyon's one of my favorites.
It's narrow.
It's one way, and there's exposure on every corner.
JAMIE ROBINSON: Oh my god.
If you do go the wrong way over that guardrail, it's a
long way down.
So at that point, if that does happen, I'd like you
to let go of me.
Because I know I said--
MATT FARAH: All right.
Fair enough.
JAMIE ROBINSON: All right, man.
Let's keep going.
[MUSIC]
[MOTORCYCLE ENGINE]
[MUSIC]
JAMIE ROBINSON: The end of the day of riding on the back of a
CBR1000, on the back of me.
How's that been?
MATT FARAH: Literally, once in a lifetime experience.
Because I'm never going to do that ever again.
That was the one and only time you'll ever
convince me do that.
It was fun though.
JAMIE ROBINSON: Yeah, you have a smile on your face.
MATT FARAH: No, no.
It was fun.
That was fun.
JAMIE ROBINSON: That was something.
MATT FARAH: It was so sketchy, though.
JAMIE ROBINSON: So how was that last half mile?
MATT FARAH: When it gets all bumpy, and I was like, OK.
You calm down, no.
That's sketchy.
You know what you're doing, though.
That's for sure.
JAMIE ROBINSON: Ah, most of the time.
MATT FARAH: Most of the time.
JAMIE ROBINSON: There was a point when I was braking
downhill hard, and I felt you on top of me, entirely.
MATT FARAH: Yeah, I was completely off the seat, like
on my toes-- oh, I just came right off my seat there--
oh, it was sketchy, but interesting.
JAMIE ROBINSON: We still had the corner to go around, and
then when I accelerated I felt you plop
back down on the seat.
MATT FARAH: All three times you said, oh that wasn't
supposed to happen, I got a little nervous.
It was a good time.
I'm glad I came out.
JAMIE ROBINSON: Yeah, yeah.
Good, good.
So anyway, you've had bikes.
You're fairly experienced.
You're more of a car guy.
So what does a motorcycle resemble to you?
MATT FARAH: In terms of a car?
JAMIE ROBINSON: No, just as a mode of transport.
MATT FARAH: Oh, I mean, I love getting around LA on a bike,
lane splitting, getting through traffic.
That stuff is great.
And I really enjoy riding the canyons at my own speed.
You know, when it goes beyond the speed that I would
personally ride, it starts to get scary.
But I know you know what you're doing.
And I know you don't, you know--
JAMIE ROBINSON: We scraped the fair in today.
MATT FARAH: That's probably my fault.
I don't think that bike is meant for my weight class on
the back of it.
JAMIE ROBINSON: I mean once--
well, you got better as the day went on,
anyway, being a passenger.
MATT FARAH: Because the first run was really scary.
And then I was like, OK, this is what's going to happen.
And I've got to do this, and then stay calm.
And then the very last run was scary too.
JAMIE ROBINSON: Did it surprise you?
The power of the bike and its agility to go through corners?
MATT FARAH: The power didn't surprise me, because I know
these bikes are really fast.
The brakes surprised me, actually.
I didn't think that--
I mean, I'm sure I knew you could stop that hard.
But I thought that with my weight on the back, that the
brakes would be significantly worse than they were.
And I don't know what percentage of full threshold
you were breaking at.
Whether it was 60 or 70 or 90 or 100.
But I mean, if I'm off the bike on you?
Those are good brakes.
JAMIE ROBINSON: You were literally my
backpack at one point.
MATT FARAH: So sketchy.
Now you have to come drive my car.
Next time.
JAMIE ROBINSON: I'd love to.
I'd love to.
I'm not much of a car guy, though.
I've been brought up about bikes.
My missus has got like a 1-point-something rubbish
Honda Civic.
I have an old '75 van.
I'm not much of a car guy.
MATT FARAH: My car has 500 horsepower.
You'll have a good time.
JAMIE ROBINSON: I'm smiling already, thinking about that.
That was a fun time.
MATT FARAH: It was.
Thanks a lot, man.
Appreciate it.
JAMIE ROBINSON: Anyway, thank you, dude.
MATT FARAH: I'm glad-- look, no scratches.
I'm good.
JAMIE ROBINSON: Look, I told you it was
going to be a fun time.
And that's what you had, right?
MATT FARAH: Yes.
I had a fun time.
Never again.
JAMIE ROBINSON: Excellent.
He's the man.
MATT FARAH: I'm going to go home.
JAMIE ROBINSON: On this?
Come on, come on.
Jump on.
Come on.
MATT FARAH: Never.
No.
JAMIE ROBINSON: Come on, I'll take you home.
I'll take you home, dude.
[MUSIC]
MATT FARAH: [INAUDIBLE].
I think that's the farthest I've ever been
leaned down on a bike.
JAMIE ROBINSON: We're just getting started.
MATT FARAH: Oh god.
[MUSIC]
JAMIE ROBINSON: He thinks motorcycles are no fun at all,
scary, and dangerous.
Let's go and show him.