Upperclassman Boys Pick Up Motorcycles, Chicks

By Emily Dukas

Zigzagging between cars, zipping down city streets, zealously sporting an all-leather ensemble for safety and style.

For a few upperclassmen males at PHS, owning a motorcycle is not just a hobby; it’s a lifestyle.

“It’s really the freedom and flow of it that keeps me rolling. Leaning deep into turns is a feeling like nothing else,” junior Byron Essert said. “It is just pure fun. Also it’s a big plus with chicks, no doubt.”

Essert said he’s been stoked about motorcycles since he was a kid.

“I got my M1 license about two months ago,” Essert said. “And I got my motorcycle license after my normal driver’s license because it makes the process a lot easier, and legally driving a car is righteous, too.”

Senior Forrest Yeh said he bought a bicycle with an engine on Craigslist that cost as much as his gloves, and then he fixed it up. That way he didn’t have to pay for registration, and he is allowed to ride on the sidewalk.

“The reason I got my motorcycle license is because I ride them in the dirt at Yoso all the time, and they get hella better mileage than my car,” Yeh said.

Yeh said he doesn’t even need a motorcycle license for the bike he has, an engine kit on a 1930s Hawthorne Flyer bicycle, but got one anyway.

“It’s a living, breathing machine, my baby, and it takes practice to know how to handle her,” Yeh said.

Yeh figured he could pass the tests easily, and said the five bikes his family already owns were otherwise just sitting around, collecting dust.

“They needed a little love,” Yeh said. “When I got my license, I had to promise my mom I wouldn’t buy my first motorcycle until after my first year of college, and I won’t drive on the freeway.”

He said both those conditions were fine because of the number of bikes already in his family and because the freeway is dangerous.

Essert’s parents however, are a bit more resistant to the idea of motorcycles.

“The parent situation is weird; they let me drive their scooters, which is chill, but won’t co-sign yet for insurance on a legit sport bike,” Essert said. “I gotta persuade them, but it’ll happen soon.”

Senior Marshall Wentworth said the best part about riding a motorcycle is the easiness of and the little kids stopping and looking when he drives by.

Wentworth said his parents were definitely concerned, and they only agreed because they hoped he would grow out of the motorcycle phase.

Librarian Susan Stutzman, mother of Wentworth’s girlfriend, senior Hope, said she thinks motorcycles are very dangerous and prefers it if her daughter doesn’t ride them.

“Marshall is really interested in cars, wears protective gear, and is very responsible,” Susan said.

Susan said her daughter doesn’t even want to ride on the motorcycle, so it was never an issue.

“I’ve never ridden on it because I’m a spazz and Marshall doesn’t want me to,” Hope said. “My parents definitely don’t want me on it, but I don’t really want to either because Marshall like just learned how to ride.”

Hope said she thought it was sort of funny when Wentworth first got the motorcycle because it didn’t necessarily match his personality. She was also worried because it’s so dangerous and she knows so many people who have lost someone in a motorcycle accident.

“Motorcyclists are 38 times more likely to be seriously injured in an accident than if they were in a car, so the risks are far greater,” Wentworth said.

Wentworth also said the majority of crashes are single-vehicle crashes, as in motorcyclists going off the side of the road. Over 25 percent happen at night, and at least 25 percent involve drunk drivers, so a safe motorcyclist can take steps to significantly reduce his or her risks.

“Motorcycles are sneaky, and they lure you with their badass looks, exciting handling, and ridiculous mileage,” Yeh said.

Essert agreed there is a greater chance of hurting oneself on a motorcycle than a car, but he said it all depends on who is driving.

“Motorcycles are definitely more dangerous,” Yeh said. “At hospitals, doctors call them Donor-cycles.”

Yeh said he mainly uses his bikes for transportation around Piedmont, or off-roading, to reduce his risk of getting in an accident.

“I avoid the freeway and dark,” Yeh said. “I either wear a bright red helmet, or white helmet that I painted with Indian designs; both will attract attention from other drivers, and hopefully keep them from running me over.”

Hope said she considered motorcycles cool, but that stereotype is sort of outdated.

“It reminds me of old movies where there’s like a surly dude on his motorcycle, like Grease 2,” Hope said. “There is that stereotype definitely, but I think anyone who knows Marshall knows he doesn’t match it. Also, he calls it the white stallion, which is pretty damn goofy.”

Emily Dukas is a junior at Piedmont High School, a staff writer for The Piedmont Highlander and a member of the varsity water polo team.

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