OK, Who did it?!?!?!??!
Thread Starter
I Enjoy Posting At StuntLife!
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 1,670
From: Naperville, IL
OK, Who did it?!?!?!??!
who's getting the media attention here? this is not a very nice reflection on chicagoland stunt riders. if you're lazy, start reading at the "biker boyz" heading.
http://www.suntimes.com/output/roepe...ws-roep20.html
It's amazing what you can see on our expressways
May 20, 2003
BY RICHARD ROEPER SUN-TIMES COLUMNIST
The things I've seen while driving on Chicago's expressways. In my high school days, this one time, not in band camp, a bunch of us were in a Chevy Nova on the Kennedy when a car came at us going the WRONG WAY. It dodged us and presumably hundreds of other cars before reaching a safe haven, as there were no stories in the newspapers the next day about a car going the wrong way on the Kennedy and causing a major pileup.
Another time I was on the Dan Ryan in my trusty Camaro when I was passed by a car that was on fire. When I say it was "on fire," I don't mean it was going fast, I mean it was on fire.
And there have been numerous occasions when I've been left in the dust by maniacs who were going so fast I felt as if my car was parked. They had to be going at least 100 mph, weaving in and out of traffic as if they were playing a video game. (Sometimes there's a series of cars flashing by like they're in "The Fast and the Furious," and you wonder if you're the equivalent of an orange pylon in some street drag-racing contest.)
I've also seen all kinds of strangely decorated cars, not to mention strangely decorated people driving normal-looking cars. And, like anybody else who spends a lot of time on Chicago's highways and busy streets, I've had my share of sightings of cars that were so crumpled and bruised that they looked like losers in a demolition derby; ominous-looking, rusted-out vans going 35 mph in the left lane; huge bands of Harley-riding motorcycle clubs navigating the roads with the precision of migrating birds; ridiculously stretched limousines with hot tubs in the back; 40-year-old men driving vintage 60-year-old cars; 60-year-old women driving vintage 40-year-old cars, etc., etc.
But I've never witnessed anything as astonishing as what I saw last Saturday night.
The Biker Boyz
You'll know what I'm talking about if you were heading south on Interstate 57 near 111th about 6:50 p.m. last Saturday.
I have to admit I was going just a little bit faster than the speed limit--maybe 56 or 57 or 70 mph--when I spotted the first motorcyclist in my rearview mirror, gaining rapidly. Traffic was flowing at a steady rate, but he was moving through it like Funny Cide in the stretch at the Preakness.
He was riding a speed bike of some kind--maybe a Suzuki--and he was on the left shoulder, and he wasn't wearing a helmet.
And he had his arms and legs straight out, like a clown pretending to pratfall.
In the meantime, a second biker appeared out of nowhere on my right. This guy was riding side saddle--literally skipping along the expressway. Then he hopped over the seat and was on the other side of the bike, as if he were a trick rider in a rodeo.
He, too, was without helmet.
The two extreme cyclists kept performing death-defying feats as they weaved in and out of traffic at a speed of at least 80 mph. For a while I tried to keep up with them--I'm not sure why, maybe to see if they'd get caught in traffic and I could get a closer look and maybe talk to them--but they were going much too fast for me to safely stay on their trail. By the time I got to the stretch of I-57 near 127th Street where the lanes narrow due to construction, the trick-riders were long gone.
I've seen extreme motorcyclists perform amazing stunts on ESPN2 and I've read about renegade thrill-seekers who take to the streets to perform wheelies and stoppies and "skiing"--i.e., shifting into neutral and hanging onto the bike as your feet drag on the road, like the second motorcyclist did at one point on Saturday. Earlier this year there was even a movie called "Biker Boyz," which was based on an article about real-life African-American street-racing clubs in southern California.
But to see a couple of these guys in action was something else. I kept thinking that if either of them so much as stumbled, they'd be instant mashed potatoes on the road. And if they caused some motorist to panic or if they otherwise precipitated a crash, there could have been multiple serious injuries or fatalities--and these two, had they survived such a crash, would have been facing serious jail time.
What a thing, to risk your lives and the lives of others in the name of motorcycle trickery. I don't care how experienced and talented you are--doing these stunts in an uncontrolled environment in the midst of motorists that have no idea what's coming isn't just dangerous, it's criminal.
X-treme idiocy?
I'm sure that many readers know a lot more about extreme street motorcycling than I do; I welcome your feedback. I'd also like to hear from anyone else who was on I-57 on Saturday and saw these two men and can add to the story--and anyone who has witnessed other X-game moments on Chicago-area expressways.
I also deliberately left out some identifying characteristics of the two motorcyclists, in case they want to contact me and tell me what's what.
Because I'd sure like to hear from a couple of motorcycle cowboys who have such little regard for their own skulls.
E-mail: rroeper@suntimes.com
http://www.suntimes.com/output/roepe...ws-roep20.html
It's amazing what you can see on our expressways
May 20, 2003
BY RICHARD ROEPER SUN-TIMES COLUMNIST
The things I've seen while driving on Chicago's expressways. In my high school days, this one time, not in band camp, a bunch of us were in a Chevy Nova on the Kennedy when a car came at us going the WRONG WAY. It dodged us and presumably hundreds of other cars before reaching a safe haven, as there were no stories in the newspapers the next day about a car going the wrong way on the Kennedy and causing a major pileup.
Another time I was on the Dan Ryan in my trusty Camaro when I was passed by a car that was on fire. When I say it was "on fire," I don't mean it was going fast, I mean it was on fire.
And there have been numerous occasions when I've been left in the dust by maniacs who were going so fast I felt as if my car was parked. They had to be going at least 100 mph, weaving in and out of traffic as if they were playing a video game. (Sometimes there's a series of cars flashing by like they're in "The Fast and the Furious," and you wonder if you're the equivalent of an orange pylon in some street drag-racing contest.)
I've also seen all kinds of strangely decorated cars, not to mention strangely decorated people driving normal-looking cars. And, like anybody else who spends a lot of time on Chicago's highways and busy streets, I've had my share of sightings of cars that were so crumpled and bruised that they looked like losers in a demolition derby; ominous-looking, rusted-out vans going 35 mph in the left lane; huge bands of Harley-riding motorcycle clubs navigating the roads with the precision of migrating birds; ridiculously stretched limousines with hot tubs in the back; 40-year-old men driving vintage 60-year-old cars; 60-year-old women driving vintage 40-year-old cars, etc., etc.
But I've never witnessed anything as astonishing as what I saw last Saturday night.
The Biker Boyz
You'll know what I'm talking about if you were heading south on Interstate 57 near 111th about 6:50 p.m. last Saturday.
I have to admit I was going just a little bit faster than the speed limit--maybe 56 or 57 or 70 mph--when I spotted the first motorcyclist in my rearview mirror, gaining rapidly. Traffic was flowing at a steady rate, but he was moving through it like Funny Cide in the stretch at the Preakness.
He was riding a speed bike of some kind--maybe a Suzuki--and he was on the left shoulder, and he wasn't wearing a helmet.
And he had his arms and legs straight out, like a clown pretending to pratfall.
In the meantime, a second biker appeared out of nowhere on my right. This guy was riding side saddle--literally skipping along the expressway. Then he hopped over the seat and was on the other side of the bike, as if he were a trick rider in a rodeo.
He, too, was without helmet.
The two extreme cyclists kept performing death-defying feats as they weaved in and out of traffic at a speed of at least 80 mph. For a while I tried to keep up with them--I'm not sure why, maybe to see if they'd get caught in traffic and I could get a closer look and maybe talk to them--but they were going much too fast for me to safely stay on their trail. By the time I got to the stretch of I-57 near 127th Street where the lanes narrow due to construction, the trick-riders were long gone.
I've seen extreme motorcyclists perform amazing stunts on ESPN2 and I've read about renegade thrill-seekers who take to the streets to perform wheelies and stoppies and "skiing"--i.e., shifting into neutral and hanging onto the bike as your feet drag on the road, like the second motorcyclist did at one point on Saturday. Earlier this year there was even a movie called "Biker Boyz," which was based on an article about real-life African-American street-racing clubs in southern California.
But to see a couple of these guys in action was something else. I kept thinking that if either of them so much as stumbled, they'd be instant mashed potatoes on the road. And if they caused some motorist to panic or if they otherwise precipitated a crash, there could have been multiple serious injuries or fatalities--and these two, had they survived such a crash, would have been facing serious jail time.
What a thing, to risk your lives and the lives of others in the name of motorcycle trickery. I don't care how experienced and talented you are--doing these stunts in an uncontrolled environment in the midst of motorists that have no idea what's coming isn't just dangerous, it's criminal.
X-treme idiocy?
I'm sure that many readers know a lot more about extreme street motorcycling than I do; I welcome your feedback. I'd also like to hear from anyone else who was on I-57 on Saturday and saw these two men and can add to the story--and anyone who has witnessed other X-game moments on Chicago-area expressways.
I also deliberately left out some identifying characteristics of the two motorcyclists, in case they want to contact me and tell me what's what.
Because I'd sure like to hear from a couple of motorcycle cowboys who have such little regard for their own skulls.
E-mail: rroeper@suntimes.com
Stunlife's #1 Gimp!
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 1,902
From: Aurora, Illinois
This was my e-mail. If you don't agree with what I said, keep in mind I was trying to represent and still come off as a decent, fine, upstanding citizen. Our movemnet need that.
__________________________________________________ _
While I am an avid enthusiast of "Extreme Sportbikes" or "Sportbike Freestyle" or "Stunting" (depending on who you talk to). I agree with your article. I however want you and your readers to know that the 2 clowns you were talking about in no way represent the whole stunt riding community.
Extreme sportbike lunacy really got it's start in 1996 when a then little known group called the Starboyz (www.StarBoyz.com) started video taping their madness and hocking it at motorcycle shows. Since then groups have been popping up all over the US. They have sold hundreds of thousands of tapes and DVDs to date and the sport has done nothing but grow since then.
I have been into the sport for some time now and like most people that are really into the movement have seen it change dramatically. Now day most groups don't do tricks on busy roads, they tend to hide in industrial parks and parking lots. Most of the professional groups do not want the negative image attached to tricking off on public roads. You will still see some stoppies at stoplights and a RARE wheelie when traffic is light. But I guarantee someone who is truly into stunting will be wearing their gear (leather jacket and helmet minimum) and not putting you or your loved ones in any danger.
The stunt community is growing. Stunlife.com (based in Aurora, IL) opened for business less than a year ago and started a message board for people into stunting. Now less than a year later, the message boards have over 5000 members from as far away as Germany. Most of us on the boards preach about wearing gear and about how "there is a time and place" to do tricks.
So Mr. Roeper, for the stuntriding community, I appologize. And to the 2 clowns you saw on I-57 .....Buy some gear and try to find the time and place to do it. I used to enjoy skitching (skiing on the side of the bike) past soccer moms in the past but we really don't need the negative image when there are alot of people trying desperately to make this a legitimate sport.
Sincerely,
Shaggy
(Real name witheld)
__________________________________________________ _
While I am an avid enthusiast of "Extreme Sportbikes" or "Sportbike Freestyle" or "Stunting" (depending on who you talk to). I agree with your article. I however want you and your readers to know that the 2 clowns you were talking about in no way represent the whole stunt riding community.
Extreme sportbike lunacy really got it's start in 1996 when a then little known group called the Starboyz (www.StarBoyz.com) started video taping their madness and hocking it at motorcycle shows. Since then groups have been popping up all over the US. They have sold hundreds of thousands of tapes and DVDs to date and the sport has done nothing but grow since then.
I have been into the sport for some time now and like most people that are really into the movement have seen it change dramatically. Now day most groups don't do tricks on busy roads, they tend to hide in industrial parks and parking lots. Most of the professional groups do not want the negative image attached to tricking off on public roads. You will still see some stoppies at stoplights and a RARE wheelie when traffic is light. But I guarantee someone who is truly into stunting will be wearing their gear (leather jacket and helmet minimum) and not putting you or your loved ones in any danger.
The stunt community is growing. Stunlife.com (based in Aurora, IL) opened for business less than a year ago and started a message board for people into stunting. Now less than a year later, the message boards have over 5000 members from as far away as Germany. Most of us on the boards preach about wearing gear and about how "there is a time and place" to do tricks.
So Mr. Roeper, for the stuntriding community, I appologize. And to the 2 clowns you saw on I-57 .....Buy some gear and try to find the time and place to do it. I used to enjoy skitching (skiing on the side of the bike) past soccer moms in the past but we really don't need the negative image when there are alot of people trying desperately to make this a legitimate sport.
Sincerely,
Shaggy
(Real name witheld)
back in the saddle again
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 7,322
From: terre haute, IN
while i don't agree with the no helmet or just plain stupid people, i'm about ****ing fed up with people calling our sport stupid. People said racing was stupid when it started, look where it is now, people laughed at the fact that someone would swing a stick at a ball and then run around...but we have baseball now, why don't they just let it go, if htey don't like it, don't watch it. I don't like baseball, i don't watch it.
This will soon be a big sport and then they'll probably be the same business owners sponsoring teams that said we are crazy and stupid and should get another hobby. people never fail to amaze me.
This will soon be a big sport and then they'll probably be the same business owners sponsoring teams that said we are crazy and stupid and should get another hobby. people never fail to amaze me.
Creater/Founder
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 8,512
From: OKC, OK
This was my reply to him...
I felt he wanted to talk to street yahoos and do a story of how evil they are. So I geared my email accordingly in hopes he would contact me and I could express the same sentiment Shaggy did. Here is my story. hehe
------------------------------------------------
Dear Mr. Roeper,
I saw your article in today's Chicago Sun Times about the extreme motorcyclists and it definatly caught my eye. There are a growing number of people with sportbikes doing these extreme stunts. In days gone by I was one of these people and my driving record shows it hehe Since then, I have started a business that caters to the needs of extreme motorcycle riders worldwide. It is called StuntLife Inc and I not only sell parts and accessories to assist them in being safer about what they do but have a website, www.StuntLife.com , where THOUSANDS of extreme riders come to read about the latest events and see pictures as well as videos. The real draw to the site is the StuntLife.com Forums. Its the worlds largest stunt related messageboard on the internet with almost 6000 registered members from all over the world. Many of which are from the Chicago area. There are quite a few local riders here who have great skill and talent when it comes to risking life and limb on a motorcycle. A few of us produced a video that was filmed on local roads and it is available at motorcycle dealerships nationwide. Some of the local riders have traveled across the country to comepte and have won top honors at competitions for the longest endo (front wheel wheelie) and burnout contests. StuntLife is hosting a national stunt competition Saturday July 12th in the Chicago area and will bring quite a draw of spectators who are interested in see just what they can do in a controlled environment. Anyway, before I ramble on too much, any questions you may have can probably be answered on the StuntLife.com website or messageboard.
Thanks for you time and I hope I gave you a little bit of insight into the underground world of extreme streetbike riding. Feel free to give me a call anytime. My contact info is below.
Sincerely,
Greg Walsh aka Shugga
www.StuntLife.com
President StuntLife Inc.
5 N. Elmwood Drive
Aurora, IL 60506
630-906-9770 - phone
630-906-9788 - fax
I felt he wanted to talk to street yahoos and do a story of how evil they are. So I geared my email accordingly in hopes he would contact me and I could express the same sentiment Shaggy did. Here is my story. hehe
------------------------------------------------
Dear Mr. Roeper,
I saw your article in today's Chicago Sun Times about the extreme motorcyclists and it definatly caught my eye. There are a growing number of people with sportbikes doing these extreme stunts. In days gone by I was one of these people and my driving record shows it hehe Since then, I have started a business that caters to the needs of extreme motorcycle riders worldwide. It is called StuntLife Inc and I not only sell parts and accessories to assist them in being safer about what they do but have a website, www.StuntLife.com , where THOUSANDS of extreme riders come to read about the latest events and see pictures as well as videos. The real draw to the site is the StuntLife.com Forums. Its the worlds largest stunt related messageboard on the internet with almost 6000 registered members from all over the world. Many of which are from the Chicago area. There are quite a few local riders here who have great skill and talent when it comes to risking life and limb on a motorcycle. A few of us produced a video that was filmed on local roads and it is available at motorcycle dealerships nationwide. Some of the local riders have traveled across the country to comepte and have won top honors at competitions for the longest endo (front wheel wheelie) and burnout contests. StuntLife is hosting a national stunt competition Saturday July 12th in the Chicago area and will bring quite a draw of spectators who are interested in see just what they can do in a controlled environment. Anyway, before I ramble on too much, any questions you may have can probably be answered on the StuntLife.com website or messageboard.
Thanks for you time and I hope I gave you a little bit of insight into the underground world of extreme streetbike riding. Feel free to give me a call anytime. My contact info is below.
Sincerely,
Greg Walsh aka Shugga
www.StuntLife.com
President StuntLife Inc.
5 N. Elmwood Drive
Aurora, IL 60506
630-906-9770 - phone
630-906-9788 - fax
Registered User
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 27
From: ILLINOIS
yup YOU should get something back on that note shugga
gold star for u too and a extra milk at lunch today Hehehehehehehehehehe
word........just.........word
VP double-L aka acopp07
putty-hijackers southside chapter
WORD
gold star for u too and a extra milk at lunch today Hehehehehehehehehehe
word........just.........word
VP double-L aka acopp07
putty-hijackers southside chapter
WORD
