Why We Ride: Templar Wales
“Riding a motorcycle is the closest you can get to flying every single day.”
Templar Wales zooms through the busy city streets of Johannesburg, South Africa, wild at heart and free in spirit. Growing up with a daredevil of a father, he had been told stories of times his own dad had flown over the handlebars into the back of trucks with his bike scaling the street underneath them. Templar, being one of three brothers, had been warned early on that none of them would ever be allowed to ride since they all shared their dad’s same flair for adventure and brazen urges that weren’t always so well-thought-out.
To Templar… all he could think was “challenge accepted”.
Biking in the Bloodline
If you haven’t already connected the dots, Templar is indeed related to Atelier Volant’s creator, Catherine Wales. She is his favorite cousin and one of the people he respects the most on the planet.
“Catherine and I share a similar experience growing up around bikes while being finger-wagged not to do it. For Catherine, it was because she was a girl. For me, it was because my parents thought I would end up killing myself in an accident. But we both ended up going against the grain and following our passion, no matter how much our own families tried to deter us. For me, I wanted the sense of freedom that comes with feeling the world around as you ride. So when it came time to get a set of wheels, my parents urged me to get a Jeep instead of a motorbike. I stuck with the ‘safety’ of four wheels for a long time because I had kids of my own and a wife. But when my spouse at the time and I separated, I just pulled the trigger and went out and bought my first bike, a Ducati 800.”
The inability to resist the attraction to motorcycles is in the bloodline; now Templar rides on a variety of different types of adventure bikes for off-roading and various street bikes. His need for speed may be hereditary, but his cautious tone comes from experience.
Safety with Style
“I’ve had my fair share of minor falls on dirt and only one, again minor, accident on the streets but they have been enough for me to know I need to wear full-gear no matter what kind of riding I am planning on doing. I think there is a thrill in that though, knowing you need to gear up and master a certain skill set in order to stand up against the road. On the urban streets, the challenge is obviously not to collide with anyone else but with dirt biking, you are putting your skills against nature and the environment. If you hit something out there, you are going to be the only one walking away with damage. A whole other sense of freedom at the same time, elevated responsibility…”
When it comes to gear that transitions with him from the back roads, the off-roads, and city streets, Templar is lucky enough to have a designer in the family. He’s been sporting a pair of AV’s riding boots for the past three years.
“They are extremely comfortable and have stayed in great shape, even though I have put a lot of miles on them. Sure, they’ve gained character throughout the years with wrinkles in the leather, but that’s what gives them personality… a storyline that we share. I feel safer knowing that my feet are more protected than wearing any old riding boot and am always proud to show off my cousins’ handiwork. You wouldn’t believe the number of compliments I have received - she’s a genius at design and it’s an honor to have been a part of AV from its birth.”
These two cousins know how to balance their inner fire with drive and have been making moves around the world, all atop of two wheels and an engine. Where will AV take you on your next adventure? The jungles of South Africa? The chaotic roadways in New York City? Or perhaps somewhere in Asia? Ride with style and safety. Ride with AV. With us, the destinations are endless.