Just saw "Why We Ride", and while it was entertaining, it isn't a great movie. For one thing, although it does show the passion that many motorcycle riders feel, the emphasis gets a bit overwhelming. I think the film takes itself too seriously, especially with music intended to add gravitas to the interviews. It seems like the producers missed the "having fun" aspect of riding in large part, which is so evident in "On Any Sunday".
Another problem with the film is that it didn't spend enough time on each area of riding, and tries to show too many types activities and riding styles, to the point that just as you are starting to say "that's cool ..." it's on to another topic.
A third issue is that too much prior knowledge on the part of the viewers has been assumed by the film-makers. For example, unless you know who Mert Lawill is, and already know his involvement with making a handle-bar grip for amputees, it's extremely easy to miss the importance of what he has done. Also, the interviewees are unnamed until the end of the film. Sure, most of the riders in our audience knew a few people, but most of us were wondering who they were, and why they were being interviewed.
We watched this film in a group of riders and non-riders. For the most part, this film just confirmed the feelings of the rides, but didn't really make the non-riders want to try motorcycles. It might not be fair to compare it to "On Any Sunday", but the comparison is inevitable. "On Any Sunday" makes most people want to at least investigate riding a bit more, just as "The Endless Summer" makes people want to go to the beach and think maybe they can surf, too.
"Why We Ride" is entertaining for riders, but it's not going to convince anyone to go out and get on a bike.
