Rider Out of Norm

I ride a motorcycle. A 2005 Yamaha R6. It's my blue devil. I love my bike.

Zed taught me to ride a motorcycle. I had only rode an ATV prior to that. And I had been a stick shift expert when I drove my 99 Honda Civic Si for Chako Racing. So the whole shifting aspect of motorcycle riding wasn't too hard. What was somewhat hard was getting over the fear of falling down. Once you are moving, the bike basically rides itself. I was taught in the parking lot of Blind Cafe in Upney.

Zed's first bike was 250ccs so it wasn't too hard to learn and it wasn't so fast that I would have killed myself. Soon after, Zed got a Suzuki GSX-R 600. That's when I realized that I myself, wanted my own bike. Years later, my bike dream would come true thanks to some great advice from my mommy and Johnny Orion.

So I have been riding for a few years now and I can say that I am a pretty experienced rider.

Back in the day, I was part of the most influential Spanish Christian rock band. We were Backhouse, and we were here. Our debut/final album went aluminum.

One day we were having a show so I decided to roll up on my motorcycle. Like all rock stars, I had to make an entrance. Geeves joined me and rode there on his dad's Harley. I didn't care too much that his bike was a road bike and my bike was a street bike. All I cared about was that we were rolling 2 bikes deep. I felt like we were the Hell's Angels. Well more like Hell's A-Holes. Nevertheless, we rode there feeling cooler than Zack Morris. To our dismay, no one was there to watch us ride in. We parked our bikes in front so everyone could see and went in for sound check, green room snacks and to meet up with the rest of our entourage which included the usual suspects; Ed Noir, Conrad, Zed, Jazz, Pungu, etc..

The concert, needless to say, was a rousing success. All 50 people rocked out to Backhouse's hits.

When we had finished our set and were at our merchandise table signing autographs and what not. People asked whose bikes were parked next to our table. I nonchalantly would reply, "oh yeah, that's my bike. I forgot where I had parked it.".

Then the most usual thing happened. Ed Noir comes up to Geeves and asks him to let him ride his dad's Harley around the parking lot.

Now, one thing about Ed Noir, if he says he knows how to do something, he usually does but Geeves had to ask.

Geeves: You know how to ride a bike?

Ed Noir: Come on man. I'm f-ing Ed Noir.

That's all she wrote.

The next thing you know Ed Noir is on top of the Harley, without a helmet mind you, revving her up and treating her like the beast she was.

He took off perpendicularly from the table and all of a sudden stalled the bike.

Rian: Don't worry Geeves, he's Ed Noir.

Geeves eyes were filled with the slightest inkling of hope but mostly despair.

From afar I could see Ed Noir turn the bike, now it was facing parallel to us and he had some space to ride forward, turn around, and make his triumphant return to cheers and ooos and aaahs. Like Joaquin Phoenix as Caesar returning to Rome in Gladiator.

For some reason Ed Noir couldn't get the bike into gear. The next thing I saw and heard was "varoom" (the bike being revved up), "click" (the bike in first gear).

He was ready to roll..........

"Varoom"
"Varoom"
"Vaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrooooooooooommmmmm!!!"

He vanished behind a building blocking my view and then.....

"CRASH!"

Then.....

Silence (for a millisecond)

"Oh my god!!!!"

We all ran to Ed Noir's aid. All hoping that he was ok. When we got to where he was, he lay on the ground with only his spirit broken. The bike was about 10 feet away from him on it's side.

The bike was unrideable and was placed on the back of Conrad's truck and taken back to Geeve's dad's house. Geeves had a look of death in his eye thinking his dad would make that look a reality.

I rode home alone that night.

Caesar never made it to Rome.