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| Mark D. Vickers |
Mark D. Vickers served for 33 years as a British Army officer and has lived in various countries around the world including Hong Kong, Germany, Nepal and Albania, as well as his native England. Since taking early retirement in 2012, he has lived with his wife Estella in Taiwan. He has written numerous magazine and newspaper articles on a wide range of subjects, including quite a number about Albania, but this is his first publicly published book.
Mark’s other passion is art and he has had eight solo exhibitions of his paintings.Relevant to the story of this book, the author is on the Victory Motorcycle Club’s Board of Directors and is also their official historian.
Right from the outset one should understand that this is not simply yet another book solely about motorcycles. The Victory motorcycles are the thread which hold the book together, but it is as much about people and places and adventures and thoughts. It is a collection of short stories told by Victory motorcycle enthusiasts from all around the world, from the USA to Indonesia, Canada to Australia, UK, Germany and many other places in between.
Interview with Author Mark D. Vickers
By Dr. Ermira Babamusta
Could you tell us about what inspired this book?
Mark D. Vickers: In 1998 anyone wishing to purchase an American motorcycle had almost no alternative to Harley-Davidson. Then, on 1st July 1998 Polaris (famous for snowmobiles, amongst other things) revealed a brand new American motorcycle using the brand name Victory. These big American motorcycles soon developed a very keen and enthusiastic following and the Victory Motorcycle Club quickly became established.
In 2011, Polaris purchased the famous Indian Motorcycles brand. Then, one day in January 2017, Victory enthusiasts were shocked to wake up to news that Polaris were ceasing production of their beloved motorcycles. Over the 18-year life of Victory Motorcycles, they had become much loved with an extremely enthusiastic following, and had proudly won 25 of the motorcycle industry’s highest awards.
You also bought a Victory some months later in Taiwan, where you are currently living. Tell us about your involvement with the motorcycle club?
Mark D. Vickers: I quickly became involved in the international Victory Motorcycle Club and could experience the passion which enthusiasts had for these machines. Yet, the January 2017 announcement left nearly everyone in shock. There had not even been a rumour of this, and even specialist parts suppliers were taken by complete surprise. People reacted in different ways, sadness, shock, anger – all the emotions one might imagine, and understandably so. Some quickly put their motorbikes up for sale, fearing that the value of their expensive motorcycles would drop like stones, despite Polaris’s assurances that parts would still be manufactured for a further ten years. Many people had put all their savings into owning a Victory motorcycle, and now many felt betrayed. It seemed so sad that overnight so many people’s dreams had been shattered because of a cold corporate decision.
The book does not only tell the history of Victory. It goes beyond that.
Mark D. Vickers: Yes, some owners started selling their bikes, and it was clear that the Victory Motorcycle Club, which had supported the brand so strongly, and had arguably helped in no small part to Victory’s development and success, would also face some great challenges and changes. But there was a hardcore who vowed that they would never sell their beloved motorcycle. The more people I spoke to the more I learnt about the amazing adventures and great enjoyment that the bikes brought to peoples’ lives, and continued to do so. The ship needed steadying!
So, my original idea was to write a book in two halves, the first part indeed being a history of Victory, and the second part would be stories from enthusiasts around the world. But Polaris didn’t reply to any of my correspondence, and I then discovered that two experts who had worked for Victory were producing a history of the brand themselves. I had already spent hundreds of dollars buying research material but I knew that these two experts would have much greater access to records and original photographs than me, and in any case I was becoming more and more fascinated by the stories I was hearing from enthusiasts everywhere around the world where Victorys had been sold. I therefore changed tack and decided to focus solely on these individual stories.
Could you give us a taste of some of the stories that are included in your book?
Mark D. Vickers: Some of the stories are specifically about these bikes, but the majority of the stories are more about places visited and people met. Some people gave me access to blogs or diary notes which they had written and which I then turned into complete stories. Others produced polished essays which needed nothing more than minor editing. One or two spoke to me on the telephone rather than writing things down. In one or two cases a story was started, but then for whatever reason the story teller backed off and left me wondering what came next – in those cases I used what the person had told me, and what I knew about them, to create the story. Of course the “owner” was shown the draft and we adjusted it together.
So, to give you a few examples: there are several stories by a couple of owners who told of their road trips in the US. Many of these are more about the places they visited, the people they met, where they stayed, even the road and weather conditions. I can only hope that others enjoy these stories as much as I did. Other stories are quite incredible.
One such is about a guy who rode from Brooklyn to Argentina and he tells, in diary format, of his journey and the people he met along the way and his experience of the countries crossed. Another rode from Florida to Alaska covering huge distances each day, and another is of a British guy who joined a group which rode from UK to the Sahara dessert. One chap in Indonesia was undergoing chemo when his wife bought him a Victory (not his first) – perhaps it was to encourage him during his treatment. Sure enough after he won his own personal victory he gathered a group of his friends for a road trip around Sumatra. Another guy had a terrible alcohol problem, and it was only when he got his first motorbike that he managed to kick the habit – he simply could not enjoy his bike otherwise! One lady tells how she had always lacked confidence in herself, and it was through challenging road trips when she got her bike that she developed such admirable courage today.
Another lady tells how she was involved in a bad accident many years ago, completely put off every riding again, and only years later was she somewhat tricked into riding around a racetrack on the pillion seat of a bike belonging to a famous Swedish motorcycle racer, after which she was bitten by the bug once more.
There was a famous book written in the 1970s called “Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance” so as a practicing Buddhist I decided to write one short story with my own experience, which I have called “Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Riding”. There are a couple of humorous tales too, such as a husband and wife, who each tell their own feelings about their (his!) Victory – and quite different versions of the same story they were too! Each story stands as its own chapter, and I have deliberately striven for as much variety as possible.
What other projects are you involved in? What else can we expect from you?
Mark D. Vickers: I continue to paint and exhibit whenever I can. For most of 2018 I have been concentrating on a series of paintings from a Buddhist pilgrimage I did in Szechuan China. I keep thinking I will finish the series, but then I think “just one more”. I think there are ten paintings completed now.
I have also been working on several other writing projects and have had a few articles on widely differing subjects published in various publications this last year. But bigger projects include a couple of other books. The manuscript of one is complete – about 300 pages – and takes the form of questions and answers to a guru in one of the Hindu traditions. Because of the nature of the book it needs that spiritual master to go through it in detail and I fear he may not find time to do so too quickly. Anyhow, my part is done, at least for the time being and I am therefore parking that to one side. I am not sure exactly where this next idea has come from but recently I have developed an unexplainable desire to write a book about a certain aspect of Buddhism which appears very infrequently in English.
There are many books in English about Buddhism, but not about this specific, and important, subject. I don’t want to describe it too much now but suffice to say it is an exceptionally challenging project which will take years of effort but, if I can achieve it in the way I envisage, it will be something in my latter life which I would feel is very meaningful and worthwhile. I am also half way through a book which I have been wanting to write for over ten years – a book of short stories which I may call “Tales from Albania”. In some ways similar to my “Victory Tales” book, I am striving for variety, so this will include personal reminiscences, history, and even some stories from Albanian folklore.
Actually I am very enthusiastic about this book as Albanian culture remains dear to my heart. At one stage last year I was sure that I was moving to Albania to work for someone there, but as I was preparing to depart suddenly I didn’t hear from him again. I had thought that living there would have been the perfect time to finish the book. Then a couple of Albanians had promised to check some details for me, but months have gone by without any replies, despite repeated assurances, so sorry to say that this project went on the back-burner until I regained my enthusiasm to get past those set-backs, and at least until I had the Victory Tales book completed. Maybe I need to visit Albania again before I attempt too much more!
Finally, returning to your “Victory – Motorcycle Tales from Around the World” book – have you had much feedback, and for those wishing to purchase a copy or to read more about it, where can they do so?
Mark D. Vickers: The book has only been available from this month (February 2019) so the first feedback is only just reaching me. So far it has all been very positive. One chap in the US already bought four copies and has ordered another four. From what he tells me it is proving to be a very popular gift, and also amongst those who like the relaxed way it is written even if they have no interest in Victory Motorcycles. Another guy wrote to me saying that although he has already undertaken numerous long road trips himself he feels greatly inspired by reading of others adventures and experiences.
The most surprising so far was a letter I just received today. A couple in UK took the trouble to send me a hand-written letter to say that they had recently purchased a copy from Amazon, even though they had never heard of Victory motorcycles, and had never owned a motorbike. The husband is 91 and the wife 90 and can no longer drive and seldom go out but they were now thoroughly enjoying reading so many stories from all over the world! I am delighted with such feedback. This was never about trying to make money as an author, but to encourage and enthuse people, and if I have done that then I am thrilled.
The publisher set up a website for the book: www.VictoryTales.com which includes further details. It is available from numerous online booksellers including Amazon; Amazon UK; Amazon Japan; Bookdepository; Barnes & Noble; ECampus; TextBookX; Abebooks; Abebooks UK; Bookquest; and Alibris.