What impact did On Any Sunday have on moto culture?

burnside
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burnside
Edited Date/Time 7/16/2017 7:19am
I'm researching for a project and would love to hear from some dudes that were around in this era.
How big of a deal was it? What can you compare it to these days?

Cheers boys!
|
philG
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philG 9/16/2016 6:07am
9/16/2016 6:07am
I was only a kid.. but remember it being on at our local cinema.. 2 nights only and it was rammed.
cz2crf2wc
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cz2crf2wc 9/16/2016 6:15am
9/16/2016 6:15am
It was huge for the industry. I remember it as the best movie ever.
magoo1982
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magoo1982 9/16/2016 6:57am
9/16/2016 6:57am
I was riding a couple yrs before it came out, my local movie theatre that showed OAS had a Honda dealer next door.they promoted it together which made it kinda cool . I sat thru it 2 times on a Saturday and same on Sunday . most of the people l saw were people I saw at the races ...At that time the Honda dealer also sold Pentons and Huskies...
SCR
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SCR 9/16/2016 7:16am
9/16/2016 7:16am
I was 9 yrs old and had been riding a honda sl70 for about a year. Dirt bikes were already all I thought about. I heard about this motorcycle movie and my mom agreed to take me because back then they had double features and oddly On Any Sunday was playing with Love Story which was a tragic chick flick I had to sit thru but it was worth it.

That movie was a big part of a perfect storm of motorcycling that included Japanese bikes being sold in the US, baby boomers and the culture of the 60s and 70s where kids were told to go outside and play without parental supervision. It came out a few years after Edison Dye brought the Euros over to do MX exhibition races. MotoCross tracks were popping up all over the country. Bikes were simple, inexpensive, and there was hills, fields, empty lots, and desert available to ride.

That movie might be responsible more than anything else for the bike sales of the 1970s which have never been matched.

The opening seen with the bicycles is also probably responsible for the beginning of BMX racing. We were already building jumps and riding our Stingrays in empty lots. But after the movie it really exploded and everyone spent countless hours learning to wheelie just like the kid in the movie.

It's hard to explain how big of an impact that film had. If I hear any small part of the soundtrack from the film it has an instant emotional impact. It's forever burned into me.

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motogrady
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motogrady 9/16/2016 8:00am
9/16/2016 8:00am

I was already into it, I was gonna be a professional motocross racer, for me, it was cool.
But, unless you were already in the scene, it passed the masses right by.
Saw it at some small theatre on the other side of town, took a few friends.
It was great.

Now, this film, this hit the masses.
Every guy I went to high school was chomping at the bit to ride cross country, and snub their nose to everything that smelled of The Establishment.


http://youtu.be/J1cDECkN2xg

The movie that hooked me on dirt bikes, a few years before that, Steve McQueen, The Great Escape..
PFitzG38
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PFitzG38 9/16/2016 8:06am
9/16/2016 8:06am
I was one of the originals.

I walked out of the first premier in Santa Monica and was a changed kid. I knew what I wanted to do and it gave a name to what we were doing on our Schwinns. Motocross.

It completely changed my life, I have never been the same since.

Edison Dye, Bruce Brown and Dave McCoy have had a huge impact on my life, along with an MR50, an XR75, and finally of course a CR125.
burnside
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burnside 9/16/2016 8:16am
9/16/2016 8:16am
I'm loving these stories!
Does anyone one know if the sales increase can be quantified?
CarlinoJoeVideo
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CarlinoJoeVideo 9/16/2016 8:26am
9/16/2016 8:26am
I don't think I was born when the first one came out. But I've been making action sports videos for the last 10 years. To your question about what companies now, I don't think there has been anything or will be. Like someone mentioned above, it was the perfect storm, the sport/motorcycle riding was beginging to grow and this amazing film that was very achievable came out. People left the theater thinking, "that could be me" which in return helped sales and perticapation.

These days the sport has grown(to its max?) there's 20 different web videos that come out each week. Even if a really popular video comes out like a viral Robby Madison surfing on a Moto bike, it's not realistic for any of us to try that.
deltadestroyer11 9/16/2016 9:04am
9/16/2016 9:04am Edited Date/Time 9/16/2016 9:08am
It exposed dirtbike riding as a hobby more than as a sport..although there is some competition roots in this documentary style movie... The impact was greater than that of just a liesurely time riding dirtbikes movie would suggest.
I didn't see the movie untill the early 80's...like 81 or 82...but I can remember other 10 yr old kids talking about it...those of us that had dirtbikes at that young age...

The significant of that movie is probably greater now than it was 40 years ago.. but only from a historical point of view..In hindsight I'd say the movie had a signifacant impact on moto culture and more importantly American Cutlture of the time...

On Any Sunday had the biggest impact on moto culture until 1987's classic style movie Winners Take All came along....When that movie came out...it changed my life forever...
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mgifracing 9/16/2016 9:07am
9/16/2016 9:07am
OaS definitely drove me to become a motorcycle racer. Something about the dirttrack stuff got me going. Chased the dream for most of my life. Just a bucket of broken bones now but watching Mert and the boys going sideways at 120 sucked me right in. MX and roadracing came along later down the road but I was hooked on all of it!Cool
cz2crf2wc
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cz2crf2wc 9/16/2016 9:13am
9/16/2016 9:13am Edited Date/Time 9/16/2016 9:18am
It crossed over o the surf community also because Bruce Brown did The Endless Summer

On Any Sunday is often credited as the best and/or most important motorcycle documentary ever made."[4] Roger Ebert says it "does for motorcycle racing what The Endless Summer did for surfing". Ebert praises the film's high level of artistry in accomplishing the impressive footage of motorcycle races (which he says are difficult to film), and he also credits the film for not bothering viewers with the technical details of how the filming was done.
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SCR 9/16/2016 9:30am
9/16/2016 9:30am
burnside wrote:
I'm loving these stories!
Does anyone one know if the sales increase can be quantified?
You can look up history of bikes sales and see a huge rise in sales at this time but I don't know that you can quantify exactly what the movie was responsible for. But anyone that was involved at the time intuitively knows the movie had a big impact on sales.

There were a lot of moving parts, a lot of things happening at the time and a lot of circumstances that made it a catching lightning in a bottle moment. And the movie showed up at the perfect time.

When you hear old timers talking about the glory days of motocross and dirt bikes in the 1970s its not just nostalgic memories of youth. It really was a unique moment. There is nothing that has happened since that is comparable.
rjs
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rjs 9/16/2016 9:37am
9/16/2016 9:37am
SCR wrote:
I was 9 yrs old and had been riding a honda sl70 for about a year. Dirt bikes were already all I thought about. I heard...
I was 9 yrs old and had been riding a honda sl70 for about a year. Dirt bikes were already all I thought about. I heard about this motorcycle movie and my mom agreed to take me because back then they had double features and oddly On Any Sunday was playing with Love Story which was a tragic chick flick I had to sit thru but it was worth it.

That movie was a big part of a perfect storm of motorcycling that included Japanese bikes being sold in the US, baby boomers and the culture of the 60s and 70s where kids were told to go outside and play without parental supervision. It came out a few years after Edison Dye brought the Euros over to do MX exhibition races. MotoCross tracks were popping up all over the country. Bikes were simple, inexpensive, and there was hills, fields, empty lots, and desert available to ride.

That movie might be responsible more than anything else for the bike sales of the 1970s which have never been matched.

The opening seen with the bicycles is also probably responsible for the beginning of BMX racing. We were already building jumps and riding our Stingrays in empty lots. But after the movie it really exploded and everyone spent countless hours learning to wheelie just like the kid in the movie.

It's hard to explain how big of an impact that film had. If I hear any small part of the soundtrack from the film it has an instant emotional impact. It's forever burned into me.
X2. SCR nailed it.

I was 15 and already just started racing, but OAS jumpstarted motorcycles into a whole new lifestyle.

I've been in the MX industry for over 40 years now and have loved almost every minute of it!
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mumbles 9/16/2016 9:47am
9/16/2016 9:47am
SCR wrote:
I was 9 yrs old and had been riding a honda sl70 for about a year. Dirt bikes were already all I thought about. I heard...
I was 9 yrs old and had been riding a honda sl70 for about a year. Dirt bikes were already all I thought about. I heard about this motorcycle movie and my mom agreed to take me because back then they had double features and oddly On Any Sunday was playing with Love Story which was a tragic chick flick I had to sit thru but it was worth it.

That movie was a big part of a perfect storm of motorcycling that included Japanese bikes being sold in the US, baby boomers and the culture of the 60s and 70s where kids were told to go outside and play without parental supervision. It came out a few years after Edison Dye brought the Euros over to do MX exhibition races. MotoCross tracks were popping up all over the country. Bikes were simple, inexpensive, and there was hills, fields, empty lots, and desert available to ride.

That movie might be responsible more than anything else for the bike sales of the 1970s which have never been matched.

The opening seen with the bicycles is also probably responsible for the beginning of BMX racing. We were already building jumps and riding our Stingrays in empty lots. But after the movie it really exploded and everyone spent countless hours learning to wheelie just like the kid in the movie.

It's hard to explain how big of an impact that film had. If I hear any small part of the soundtrack from the film it has an instant emotional impact. It's forever burned into me.
SCR you nailed it. I was 13 when the movie came out. I was already into dirt bikes for about four years but like you said it exploded after that. I was up in Sacramento at that time and if there was an open field of any kind there were trail marks and there were people riding lawn mower engine mini bikes and Honda Mini trails as well as all kinds of beater bikes being ridden. I remember when the SL100/125 came out, people were buying those and taking the lights off and putting knobbies and a megaphone exhaust on them had the best time ridding in the dirt. I really miss that time. I had an old 1953 Triumph 200cc Tiger Cub that I loved. It was a simply and great time to ride dirt bikes.
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Falcon 9/16/2016 9:51am
9/16/2016 9:51am
That was my first movie. My dad took me to see it (sleep through it) when I was a baby. a few years later, he bought a brand-new 1974 DT175 and rode it around for fun. I got to sit on the gas tank and putt around with him; some of my favorite memories ever.
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DonM 9/16/2016 10:07am
9/16/2016 10:07am
Before the movie the world looked at anyone that wanted or did ride dirt bikes as Hells Angels, that was what most people perceived.
The movie showed the world that not all motorcyclist were bad and that people were actually having fun riding motorcycles. I was a 12 yr old kid that convinced my dad that we needed to be part of this so we went out and bought an SL 350 for my dad, an SL 125 for me and an SL 70 for my younger brother. My brother and I raced and were part of the industry for years and still have friends either in the industry or still racing in the 50+ class cleaning up at Loretta's!
This movie absolutely started the sales crush in the 70's and the explosion of off road motorcycling....It was a great time to be involved!
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Mini Elsinore 9/16/2016 10:11am
9/16/2016 10:11am Edited Date/Time 7/16/2017 7:19am
My Dad took me and my brother to see it.
He then signed us all up for the "Yamaha Learn to Ride" Program.
After we got our certificates, he went out and bought himself a CB-550-four, my bro a DT175, and I got a YZ80B.
^^^^this is what On Any Sunday did for me^^^^^
SCR
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SCR 9/16/2016 10:18am
9/16/2016 10:18am
SCR wrote:
I was 9 yrs old and had been riding a honda sl70 for about a year. Dirt bikes were already all I thought about. I heard...
I was 9 yrs old and had been riding a honda sl70 for about a year. Dirt bikes were already all I thought about. I heard about this motorcycle movie and my mom agreed to take me because back then they had double features and oddly On Any Sunday was playing with Love Story which was a tragic chick flick I had to sit thru but it was worth it.

That movie was a big part of a perfect storm of motorcycling that included Japanese bikes being sold in the US, baby boomers and the culture of the 60s and 70s where kids were told to go outside and play without parental supervision. It came out a few years after Edison Dye brought the Euros over to do MX exhibition races. MotoCross tracks were popping up all over the country. Bikes were simple, inexpensive, and there was hills, fields, empty lots, and desert available to ride.

That movie might be responsible more than anything else for the bike sales of the 1970s which have never been matched.

The opening seen with the bicycles is also probably responsible for the beginning of BMX racing. We were already building jumps and riding our Stingrays in empty lots. But after the movie it really exploded and everyone spent countless hours learning to wheelie just like the kid in the movie.

It's hard to explain how big of an impact that film had. If I hear any small part of the soundtrack from the film it has an instant emotional impact. It's forever burned into me.
mumbles wrote:
SCR you nailed it. I was 13 when the movie came out. I was already into dirt bikes for about four years but like you said...
SCR you nailed it. I was 13 when the movie came out. I was already into dirt bikes for about four years but like you said it exploded after that. I was up in Sacramento at that time and if there was an open field of any kind there were trail marks and there were people riding lawn mower engine mini bikes and Honda Mini trails as well as all kinds of beater bikes being ridden. I remember when the SL100/125 came out, people were buying those and taking the lights off and putting knobbies and a megaphone exhaust on them had the best time ridding in the dirt. I really miss that time. I had an old 1953 Triumph 200cc Tiger Cub that I loved. It was a simply and great time to ride dirt bikes.
Yep. Bikes like the sl100 and Hodaka Super Rat were another thing that helped make it accessible for anyone. The Japanese made full line of dual sport trail bikes from the JT1 60 Mini Enduro, 90s, 125, 175, 250, and big bores. Easy to ride, reliable, non threatening bikes for the whole family.

Any kid with his paper route or lawn mowing money could buy a $375 Hodaka. Or get a SL100, strip the lites, install number plates and knobbies, a $20 helmet at Kmart. Show up at the track with $10 and be a motocross racer.

I bought my 74 xr 75 with my paper route and yard work money when I was 12yrs old. I think that might be against child labor laws today.

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Ted722 9/16/2016 10:56am
9/16/2016 10:56am
I think it could also be asked how did culture affect that movie.

My friend saw it in the theater when he was 13. The movie documented what he already knew and was living at the time, plus introducing him to other types of motorcycling as well. That movie helped to validate his passion. A perfect storm for baby boomers, freedom, and an affordable motorsport that embraced recreation and fun factor as well.
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anniebertmojo 9/16/2016 11:05am
9/16/2016 11:05am
As a kid I was racing mini-bikes when On Any Sunday came out. I used to have my mom drop me off at the theater to watch this movie multiple times a week. She would say I'm going through a fad and I'll get over it. At age 52, still racing REM every weekend in the 50 Int class and having a blast... I never got over it. But these scenes in the movie really made me say, "I can relate" and "I love motorcycle racing, especially motocross." When I'm having a bad day, I head over to YouTube and watch it again. For some funny reason, it puts life back into perspective.

What impact did this move have? It created a whole generation of riders, racers and it help make the motorcycle industry legit in my humble opinion.

https://youtu.be/3W50hGEs5JE

https://youtu.be/odVWHYl7U0c

https://youtu.be/L-xrKE9rClg
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slowgti 9/16/2016 11:10am
9/16/2016 11:10am
My dad, his brothers and my grandad watched it. They all rode before seeing it, they did buy 5 new bikes that year though. They all still talk about how it opened their eyes of what could be done on a motorcycle.
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OleTex 9/16/2016 11:15am
9/16/2016 11:15am
My dad took me to see it on his '69 Triumph Bonneville. I was 7 years old and had a Rupp mini bike. This movie changed everything. MX was suddenly cool, and I raced through an XR 75, then a YZ125 and finally a KX250. I've watched it ever since and it never gets old. I have a copy and I watched it with my dad a couple of months ago. I thanked him again for taking me, and all his support over the years. My favorite movie of all time.
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SCR 9/16/2016 11:17am
9/16/2016 11:17am
burnside wrote:
I'm researching for a project and would love to hear from some dudes that were around in this era. How big of a deal was it...
I'm researching for a project and would love to hear from some dudes that were around in this era.
How big of a deal was it? What can you compare it to these days?

Cheers boys!
If you are researching the film. There was a video made by Bruce Brown called On Any Sunday Revisited about 10 or 15 years ago that looks back at the film talks to some of the riders in it, and about stories of the filming and things that happened off camera, etc. Not to be confused with On Any Sunday 2, or On Any Sunday Next Chapter.
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magoo1982 9/16/2016 11:54am
9/16/2016 11:54am
burnside wrote:
I'm loving these stories!
Does anyone one know if the sales increase can be quantified?
The Honda dealer located near me said it picked up his sales,there were cb350s and Honda scramblers everywhere. He said back in those days he doubled his money on the bikes he sold...
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Graybeard 9/16/2016 12:06pm
9/16/2016 12:06pm Edited Date/Time 9/16/2016 12:07pm
I was 10, my mom dropped me off at the Cerritos Mall cinemas, and I sat through two showings of the movie without leaving the theater. I had the stingray bike before BMX was BMX, we used to make jumps in lots around the area, and this opened up a whole new world. We spent every summer at Lake Elsinore camping and fishing, but now I wanted to see the Gran Prix! We saved our money, bought a Taco mini bike, then a Honda Elsinore 250 to ride at Saddleback Park....yeah, that movie destroyed my life, LOL!!!! Thank GOD for Bruce Brown!
burnside
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burnside 9/16/2016 1:10pm
9/16/2016 1:10pm Edited Date/Time 9/16/2016 1:12pm
Am I right in thinking back then, guys rode a bit of everything?
Like the sport wasn't so defined, specialised and segregated?
Like even DeCoster back then rode the ISDE.

Seems like guys rode everything; tracks, desert, moto, enduro - is that a fair assumption? Seems like a really pivotal time where we were finding our feet.

Also guessing land use was totally different back then too.

So stoked on these answers!
Down the road I'll explain what this is all for..!
ktmdan
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ktmdan 9/16/2016 1:11pm
9/16/2016 1:11pm
The sound track was awesome. Would be cool to see a modern movie with some jazzy stuff. I requested and had the opening theme song played on a Dallas radio station ha (The Paul Slavens show on 91.7).
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bh84 9/16/2016 1:18pm
9/16/2016 1:18pm
Being born in 92, I missed out on the "On Any Sunday" Era. My father, on the other hand, was so inspired by the movie he went on to be a mechanic, then a dealership owner. I grew up watching OAS 1 and 2 every weekend on the way to the race track.

It not only boosted sales, but many industry people who are big now got their original inspiration from it.
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SCR 9/16/2016 2:28pm
9/16/2016 2:28pm
ktmdan wrote:
The sound track was awesome. Would be cool to see a modern movie with some jazzy stuff. I requested and had the opening theme song played...
The sound track was awesome. Would be cool to see a modern movie with some jazzy stuff. I requested and had the opening theme song played on a Dallas radio station ha (The Paul Slavens show on 91.7).


There was an album. The girl that lived next door to us saw it in a record store and bought it for me. I was 9 or 10 and too dumb to know she was trying to let me know she liked me. I did enjoy the album though. Whish I still had it.

The movie also got a Academy Award nomination for best documentary.

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Spartacus 9/16/2016 2:55pm
9/16/2016 2:55pm
I think the movie contributed to a lot of divorces too.

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