Motorcycles
Motorcycles
Markel loves them.
His entire childhood was spent on two wheels: mountain biking, cross-country, BMX. It was a sport, but more importantly a source of freedom. Whether it was purposeful or for aimless adventure, he could travel anywhere at any given time.
Venturing into motorcycles was an inevitable capstone for his love of bikes. The same freedom and joy from his childhood returns to Markel every time he gears up and hits the road.
Since earning his license, many (different) motorcycles have entered his life. Markel continues to ride on a daily basis.
Chris Markel's first motorcycle, Chicago, IL (2017)
2026 Honda XR190L “Motopapi”
Pros: handles anything Oaxaca throws at it, blends into traffic, electronic fuel injection (surprisingly rare), lightweight champion for lane-splitting, twisties and technical trails
Cons: only carries 20 liters of mezcal
Purchased: Oaxaca, México - October 2025
2012 Ducati Monster 796
Pros: looks amazing, sounds even better, great city bike, feels like a limited-production work of art
Cons: high maintenance money-pit, destroys all groins, harder to put the smackdown on expensive supercars
Purchased: Houston, Texas - February 2020
Sold: Houston, Texas - June 2023
2006 Honda CBR600RR “The CBR”
Pros: bulletproof reliability, nimble, supercar slayer, ownership is dirt cheap
Cons: douchy, overpowered for urban riding, not suitable for long-distance rides
Purchased: Chicago, Illinois - August 2017
Stolen: Houston, Texas - January 2020
1982 Suzuki GS550L “Alaina”
Pros: two-wheel time machine, great for cities and backroads, non-douchy, could not keep chicks off the bike
Cons: broke down every 200 miles, required time, money, and patience to maintain
Purchased: Bettendorf, Iowa - March 2017
Sold: Houston, Texas - August 2018