Vie de motard, the life of a biker like you - the offbeat motorcycle webzine

Buddies, brawn and a touch of madness - that's the DNA of Vie de Motard. So it's hardly surprising that Michel from Ixtem and Quentin from VDM are such good friends. A friendship that began with the same passion for motorcycles and mud. But what is VDM anyway? A blog, a webzine, a Youtube channel? All of the above! Above all, VDM is a brilliant middle finger to old-fashioned talk of the biker spirit having evaporated in the 90s. What's the motto of this collective of crazy bikers? "It's not the bike that counts, it's the state of mind". We'll introduce you:

Hello Quentin, you've given your all to represent Vie de Motard and answer our questions. Thank you, Quentin! Let's start with the basics: can you tell us about the genesis of Vie de Motard according to Saint-Cigalou?

Vie de Motard has undergone 3 major changes in the nearly ten years of its existence. At the very beginning, it was simply a blog in which I recounted my adventures as a young, everyday motorcyclist. I created it after reading an article in some magazine that accused the new generation of bikers of not riding anymore, of not having the "biker spirit" or being passionate enough. I found this "old fart" discourse completely out of touch with reality. Hence the blog: viedemotard.fr

Soon enough, the blog turned into a webzine where other editors came to share their experience, report, illustrate and so on. It was here that the truly collective side of the adventure was born. Last but not least, we created our Youtube channel and added a number of videographers to the team.

Vie de Motard is first and foremost a story between friends. Who are the crazy bikers behind it all?

Vast question. Maybe I'll start with the one who's really hidden: Mathieu. With the arrival of my children 5 years ago, I had to ease off a lot. He was kind enough to take on the thankless role of webzine editor and CM of our Facebook page. Remember the maniac who climbed into the Dantesque snow of the 2019 Vercors winter event by VFR? Well, that's him.

Then, of course, there's Julien, ourinstagame darling. He's a talented videographer and an angel with devilish ideas. He made a name for himself by completing the RGA in 24 hours, there and back. Then, a few weeks later, he climbed the North Cape in a Honda Pacific Coast. Why did he do that? Because why not!

There's also Lucas, who climbs on a 660 XTZ, Rémi, who our most loyal subscribers have seen grow over the videos, Botan with his magic pencils, Cyril, our late-night gogo dancer, Anto the evil road captain, Régis the sidecarist-phobe, Chacha the fighter with a heart of gold, Fredo and his units of measurement, Olivier the almost punctual driver,...

But if I start writing a paragraph about each member of the gang, we're not done yet. At Vie de Motard, there are no loudmouths, but there are "mouths". Dense, real characters who exude passion, 10W40s and croziflette.

Vie de Motard is an offbeat motorcycle webzine as well as a Youtube channel. What topics do you cover?

On the webzine, it's a bit like "motorcycling from every angle". It doesn't matter what the subject is, as long as the story is well told. On our Youtube channel, we've abandoned the technical shows and subjects to concentrate on what we like doing and filming best: adventures with friends, preferably in mud or snow, ending with the inevitable bivouac.

As I often say, at Vie de Motard we have nothing to sell, nothing to advise you. We're just offering to take you out for a cold, vicarious laugh with us for the duration of a video.

Your website is very unifying because every type of biker can find himself there. From the long-distance adventurer to the occasional handgrip wringer, not forgetting the gruff biker who only feels good in the mud. What do you see as the common denominator?

I'll quote Tonton bécane's motto: "It's not the bike that counts, it's the state of mind". Some people say to us, "You've made me want to buy an old trail bike and ride around like you". But don't bother, man! You've got a bike that runs? Well, go ride it!

As I said at the start of the interview, Vie de Motard was originally born out of a desire to show that - in various forms - the famous biker spirit still existed. And I think that's where the common denominator lies.

How did you become motorcycle enthusiasts? Did you all fall into the passion when you were kids, or did some of you become bikers later in life? Did one of you infect the others?

That's a complicated question for a group to answer. We all have different profiles. Some, like Mathieu and myself, were on a motorcycle almost before they could walk. For others, like Julien, Myck and Marie, it was on a moped that passion came knocking at the helmet. Finally, some, like Régis, waited until they were adults to get started.

On the other hand, the "contamination" takes place on the motorcycle. From the pure pistard to the traveler, a visit to Vie de Motard inevitably means, at one time or another, testing the road ("it's all about the roadster", one of our mottos) and pitching a tent around a campfire. And... it's hard not to like it, once you've had a taste.

"Tell me what you ride, I'll tell you who you are", let's talk about motorcycles. What bikes do you ride?

Well, almost all of us have several bikes in the garage, but let's just say our common denominator is trail riding. We ride Transalp, Super T, DR, Ténéré and other 80/90s merguez.

Nothing to do, however, with the current craze among influencers and other well-coiffed people for these very Instagrammable "youngtimers". We've been riding these bikes for years because they're reliable and inexpensive (well, before the fad hit). Most have at least one lap on the odometer, and their fairings are held together with tape and serflex. But for all their scratches and excessive oil consumption, they have the rare charm of the motorcycles of yesteryear.

In all your motorcycling adventures, the "band of mates" spirit seems to be the basis of everything, or at least the notion of sharing. This raises two questions. Firstly, do you ever go on solo road-trips? And secondly, what does the motorcycle element bring to your ramblings? Could you have created "Vie de pêcheur, la vie d'un amateur de truite comme toi"?

It's funny, it's often a reflection we make to ourselves: if motorcycles brought us together in the beginning, as a result of a shared passion, today we no longer need this vector to meet up and spend time together. And, above all, to be there for each other on difficult days. You'll think we're nuts (if we're not already), but not a day goes by when we don't talk. We really do. I'd have a ton to say on the subject, and at the same time it's very complicated to put into words what unites us.

Les copains d'abord de Brassens: that's what Vie de Motard is all about. Quite simply.

What are your experiences and relationships with motorcycling? Weekend outings, enduro, speed, long-distance road-trips?

All of the above, Captain! We love it all!

We want to hear all about it. Tell us one of your craziest motorcycle anecdotes. What memory will you tell (or not tell) to great-grandchildren when you're spoiled?

My craziest motorcycle story? When Laurent Cochet and I were shooting a video for the Moto Tour. We ended up in an improbable chase with a Gendarmerie Kangoo where... No, it's too soon. I'm not ready to tell you yet.

Winter brings its own special spice to motorcycle adventures. What's your most memorable trip in the cold?

I think that for the Vie de Motard gang, the adventure that will remain etched in stone will be the epic 2019 Vercors winter. It was an absolute bezina, and we were practically the only ones to make it back on our two wheels. It took us 6 hours to cover 6 kilometers! An inferno of ice and blizzard that would forge unshakeable friendships.

Michel, the Boss of Ixtem, was lucky enough to take part in one of your TT pirate treks. He has unforgettable memories of it. Can you tell us a little more about this event? How do you prepare and test the routes? Do you need a very good level of off-road riding? How can people take part?

The TT Pirate rando was a real mess. In August, Rémi and I prepared a hardcore trail of around 150km on the Altiligérien plateau. Then, at the end of October, just after the first snows, we sent a hundred or so trail runners to the scrap heap. Everyone fell, everyone had a hard time, everyone had a good time. There were "compulsory solidarity" passages. In other words, no matter how good you were, it was impossible to get through on your own. Always in the spirit of Vie de Motard.

There were quite a few fairings and broken bones (including Louis, the boss of Enduristan France, who lost a collarbone), but the participants knew what to expect and accepted the risks. I'll be an old fart for 5 seconds: this was trail riding... before trail riding became fashionable. Before all the kooks came wheeling down the trails, pretending they were Paris-Dakar. They didn't come to "consume" an event, but to experience an adventure, with all the unknowns and risks that entailed.

We no longer organize the Pirate. First of all, since the TET was created, a lot of pros have been organizing great trail rides on a regular basis, so there's plenty for beginner bikers to do. And then, following the last edition in 2019, a pro guide had sold my trail that he'd picked up via a participant for an edition of the KTM-je-sais-plus-quoi. And I was deeply disgusted.

In short, we're going to wait for the trail craze to die down a bit, or do it again in a very confidential way with participants selected for their state of mind. To live happily... let's live hidden.

On the Viedemotard blog, you give a voice to the Vie de Motard Family, a small community of 2-wheeled (or even 3-wheeled) enthusiasts who love to write. How do you join this closed circle of biker/writer?

It's very simple: just contact Mathieu via our Facebook page and have a chat with him. I promise, no one is forced to roll around in the mud to write for Vie de Motard.

Riding, struggling, bivouacking, laughing - you don't need much to be happy! What do we love about Vie de Motard? They make you want to hop on your bike and ride away with your mates. After discovering their adventures, one thing's for sure: the biker spirit is alive and well!

Follow the adventures of Vie de Motard riders on facebook, instagram, their Youtube channel, and the vie de motard.fr blog.