The Last Motorcycle On Earth

Motorcycles are outlawed. Gasoline is $20 per gallon. Self-driving cars are becoming dominant. Silicon Valley tech firms and the U.S. Government have collaborated to push society toward a fully-autonomous transportation system and motorcycles are an easy first target in the campaign to ban human-operated vehicles. This is the plot basis for the first season of The Last Motorcycle On Earth, a new and dramatic fictional three-part series (so far) that takes a look into the future and the new world of technology that threatens to destroy a motorcyclist’s passion and way of life.

Sounds like our worst nightmare, doesn’t it? God forbid anything like this would ever happen, but it sure does sound like an interesting premise for a show about motorcycling.

“There is a culture war on the horizon between Americans who want to drive their own vehicles and those who want to be driven by a robot,” says director Eric Ristau. “On an engineering level, motorcycles pose enormous challenges to autonomous vehicle technology. We wanted to envision a future where motorcycles have been banned and suddenly every rider is an outlaw.”

As crazy as this idea sounds, it’s not as farfetched as one might think… though some studies suggest motorcyclists would actually be safer in a world of autonomous vehicles.

“Our current youth culture is largely focused on virtual experiences rather than the tangible, physical stuff past generations were drawn to – in this case, motorcycles, cars and expression of personal freedom through travel. More young people than ever are deciding against getting a driver’s license and interest in ownership of vehicles by that group is at an all-time low. It is said that the last person to receive a driver’s license has already been born”, said Ristau.

I would imagine (and hope) that if motorcycling was actually threatened in the way the show suggests, there would be a cultural uprising and revolt against the idea that would make lawmakers question its merit in the first place. Car and motorcycle culture is a major component that’s too deeply engrained in the American lifestyle, and that’s not even mentioning all the fun and freedoms getting rid of motorcycles would result in.

By now, we’re all familiar with how much controversy debating gun ownership rights stirs up; I can only imagine how taking away our cars and motorcycles would go over. Over my dead body, is how I personally feel about it. Cold dead fingers.

The team behind The Last Motorcycle On Earth has finished production on the first hour-long installment of the show and is in the process of shooting the second and third episodes. Being an independent production, they have relied on their own funding so far, but are reaching out to the motorcycle community for additional support.

The team has set up an IndieGogo campaign (similar to the Kickstarter crowdfunding platform) and are hoping to raise $145,000 to finish the second two episodes. The premise of The Last Motorcycle On Earth is a scary one, but an interesting one nonetheless. It has certainly piqued my interest and I know I would definitely watch the show.

To find out more about the series and how to help by donating, head over to lastmotorcycle.com. In the meantime, check out the show’s trailer and some background information about its conception from its producers below!