Interview: Peter Egan

There are many good motorcycle columnists, but few great ones. And Peter Egan is undoubtedly one of the all-time greats. Like all the best writers, he knows how to tell a story—and his stories capture the almost indefinable magic of motorcycling better than anyone else. If you've read Leanings, the paperback collection of his best columns, you'll know what I mean. What was the first motorcycle you bought with your own money? It was a beat up old 1952 James-Villiers 150 2-stroke, bought for $50 with my lawn-mowing money when I was 14. The mixture screws were missing from the...