Stupid Squid Tricks

[rocketman]

Well I saw in this past Sundays paper that another sports bike rider bit the dust. The thing that really riles me about this one is that he was performing the stunt for a local production company that had put an add in the paper looking for riders to perform their antics on the street for a video with the claim that "a good documentary will change the perspective on reality." What reality, stupidity? Sorry but I got to question how is a documentary showing street stunts performed by kids wearing nothing more than tennis shoes tee's and shorts on the streets of Washington going to promote motorcycling in a positive way? I checked out his site Holding It Big Productions and noticed that one of his sponsors is Pepsi, wonder if they know what he is promoting? While filming stunt shows, along with promoting other dare devil acts in a controlled environment by professionals is all well and good, promoting and encouraging street stunts merely for his own profit shows a total lack of concern for anybody's welfare and says to me he's just in it for the money, and couldn't care less about the sport itself. All the disclaimers in world don’t mean squat when in the same breath you promote the very thing you’re posting the disclaimer for!
While there is not much I can do about sites like the promoter of the stunt, I can write to Pepsi and his other sponsors and express my concern about their sponsorship of such organizations/businesses as well as write the production company itself and let him know what I think of him and the fact that I’ve written his sponsors. And I also know what my next article for VirginiaWind is going to be about!

Just me $.02

RM stepping down from the soap box.


here's the article in full on the washington post site
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A32224-2004Sep18.html

[JetDoc]

Famous redneck last words... "Hey, Y'all! Watch this!"

Stupidity has it's own rewards, and if we're lucky, only the guilty parties will suffer for it. :dunno

[James.A]

I imagine the conversation went something like this.......

Film Producer:" here, sign this release form"

Amateur Stunt Man: "sure, ten bucks is ten bucks"

To the extent that the reporting of the incident discourages the behavior, a senseless tragedy would be slightly less tragic.

[BubbaZanetti]

this is one facet of motorcycling that makes no sense to me and i have absolutely 0 interest in..........


i'm 24 and i can assure you not all kids are like this, haha, i'm perfectly content with my 60 hp and shaft drive although the new 1200S is very appealing.........

[cgarr]

Is this the same story as this one?

Fatal wheelie (http://www.wtopnews.com/?sid=271814&nid=25)

If so the the quote below from the story slays me. Any news story with a line like this can't possibly lead to any good for anyone at all.........


"Both men were wearing helmets, shirts and shoes, but neither was wearing pants or underwear, police said."

:eek :eek :eek

[gambrinus]

A little chlorine in the gene pool is needed now and then. Now ask yourself if any of the other involved squids will walk away from this having learned anything.. of course not. It's a sad thing when someone dies, but stupid people keep coming up with new and entertaing ways to do it.


RW

[lorazepam]

From the article:Both men were wearing helmets, shirts and shoes, but neither was wearing pants or underwear, police said.

WTF is that all about, dumbasses gone wild?

[RebeccaV]

The reckless and unsafe riding is bad enough but to film it, glorify it and make money from it is disgusting.

IMHO the whole fad or whatever is more detrimental to the sport of motorcycling and to riders rights than loud pipes.

[/rant]

[BradfordBenn]

Ah Darwin would be so proud.

[jgr451]

Well if it upsets BG it upsets me..

Mind you,his pals said he died doing what he wanted to do...at 21...

[rocketman]

Spoke with Pepsi Company whom he claims as a sponsor, they said that there has never been any affiliation with the promoter and a cease and disist order has been issued per his claiming Pepsi's sponsorship and if he doesn't take it off his web site they will proceed with a civil suite. Ha Ha, between that and possible crimial charges and and civil suites brought the parents of the kid who died, it will put a bit of a damper on his promoting street stunts for video taping by his company.

RM

[James.A]

Good!

[manicmechanic]

We've got an engine in our shop for a sportbike used for stunts. I have repeatedly talked to the owner about his doing his stunts on public roads, and the impression it gives of ALL motorcyclists. "Well, I only do it on the country road near my house, and it never bothers anybody else. Besides, how can it affect YOU?" Yeah, right. Now his crank bearings are shot from his laying the bike on its side and doing full-throttle donuts until the tire blows. He wonders why his engine blew. Seems the oil pickup is on the bottom and doesn't pump much when on its side. But he still doesn't get it.

[rocketman]

Originally posted by manic mechanic
Now his crank bearings are shot from his laying the bike on its side and doing full-throttle donuts until the tire blows.

And the purpose of this is ????:dunno (anyones guess!)

Must be nice to have money, and tires, to burn!:brow

RM

[BradfordBenn]

Originally posted by rocketman
And the purpose of this is ????:dunno (anyones guess!)


Kind of like loud pipes: the louder the pipes the smaller the ....

The stupider the trcik the smaller the ...

[username]

Originally posted by BradfordBenn
Kind of like loud pipes: the louder the pipes the smaller the ....

The stupider the trcik the smaller the ...

hey, that rhymes...

part of me is outraged by this, and part of me is just adding it to the numbness that goes on in front of TV cameras. turn on TV any night and you see people behaving like total morons for money. granted, most of the shows dont involve dying, but it's only a matter of time before they take the harness and rope off the people on fear factor, and let them really hurt themselves.

tune out.

[amiles]

I'll bet that guy left a hell of a skidmark at the scene of the crash!

[dlearl476]

So how do y'all feel about this:

BMW impressed visitors with a slick exhibition of vintage motorcycle line-ups from bygone eras to commemorate BMW Motorrad's 80th anniversary. The French stuntman Jean Pierre Goy popped more than a few 'wheelies' by performing breathtaking motorcycle stunts to perfection, leaving onlookers begging for more.*

JP has been a regular at almost every major moto-meeting I've been to forever. Of course he does stunts in more than a helmet and gloves! (Mostly really nice BMW Rider Aparel, even at Ducati Revs America)


*lifted from a SA-MOA site. Report of the anniversary party in Germany.

[merrittgene]

I've seen a video of a Jean Pierre Goy performance, and it truly was breathtaking. I see the major difference as he does his stunts in a private arena, not on a public street.

I really don't think the performance of a professional stunt person endorses or adds any credibility to someone who is reckless on the street.

It's not much different than track-day vs. street racing; one is responsible, one is reckless.

BTW, it was really something to see Jean Pierre Goy do a wheelie on an LT (he scraped the back of the top-case).

[MarkF]

I like to target shoot. Sure, it offends some of the public. But I do it on a private shooting range. I imagine if I did it on Main St. it would be illegal, dangerous and would offend many more. Sound familar?

MarkF

[BouncinBob]

Stupid squid tricks will eventually be off road. As the sport gains acceptance, places are popping up for these riders to do these tricks off road. Much of this started with the STAR Boyz in my area. One of them had his bike serviced at the shop next to my daughter's daycare.

The STAR Boyz won't be seen on the street anymore as they are making too much money. There are now contests for this sort of riding and we have at least one off road place for people to do this stuff around here. I guarantee there will be more.

Many ski areas did not allow snow boarders at first. Now they build snow parks to compete for the boarder's money.

Kids used to skateboard in parking lots, then there were signs everywhere to stop them. Now what town doesn't have a few skate parks for them?

The squids will be off the road soon with their tricks. If you see any cheap property with straight flat pavement or areas that can be paved, maybe you might consider cashing in on this new craze.

[rocketman]

Wish that were really the case, but there will always be those who will want to do in the street. Even with all the skateboard parks around I still see plenty of kids on boards in parking lots, streets, etc. One thing is that it costs to use the parks, and another is that you've got to get there. Same thing will hold true with any place set up for trick riding, so a lot of folks who want to do it will still do in the street. Plus as one group said on an interview I saw on Discovery Channel they thought doing it the street had a greater thrill than in shows they put on.

So....

here's the link to the article about it that I worte for my Oct issue byline of VA Wind
When Going to the Extreme ..Turns Deadly (http://www.virginiawind.com/byways/when_the_going.asp)

RM

[BouncinBob]

Rocketman, you are right to a degree. There will probably alway be some street stunt riding. But much of what is happening now can move to an appropriate facility.

On a weekend or evening around here, I rarely go through a major metro highway without seeing someone performing a wheelie. I believe this will get less common with time.

[rocketman]

This is one area where I'd rather hope you're right and I'm wrong, it would be one less thing for us to watch out for when riding, there's enough insanity out there already! :)

RM

[Stuff2C]

Personally I love watching the squids in Orlando @ Steak & Shake or Hooters on thursday nights.
Wheelies, Burnouts, Stoppies, Crashin and TICKETS.

STUPIDITY SHOULD BE PAINFUL!

And it's FREE.:jawdrop

[amiles]

At a M/C dealer on Rt 18 in Medina, Ohio, the parts department had a TV showing a tape with the antics of some knuckleheades on a public highway somewhere. I asked why they would show a tape such as this that might very well encourage kids to do the same stupid things. I got a blank stare (If you have to ask you wouldn't understand, I suppose) and a stupid shrug of the shoulders.

It might be argued I suppose, that we males that managed to survive our teens and twenties despite our strongest attempts to kill or maim ourselves should remain mute on this subject. I just wish these kids didn't have to learn the laws of physics the hard way. Stupidity is OFTEN painful.

Fortunately here in the Myrtle Beach area (with the exception of Memorial day weekend) The vast majority of motorcycles are the cruiser type who's owners transgressions IMHO are excessive noise and annoying traffic manners.

[einnar]

Gotta agree.. Leave it to the professionals in full gear, under controlled conditions...

Speaking of which. I'd heard that Mr. Goy had produced a DVD of his stunts at one or more of his shows..... anyone hear this, or know where to get it? I think I see it on his site, but I don't speak / read french.

Jean Pierre Goy (http://www.jpgoy.com/)

[Voni]

Go here: http://babelfish.altavista.com/

Not only can you translate phrases, there is a place you can type in a web page url and it will translate that.

Voni
sMiling and feeling very multilingual

[einnar]

Thanks Voni.
Didn't look like there was a way to order it off his site directly, but he did provide an email address, so I sent him a request for more info. :)

[James.A]

I suppose it is Squid season, again.

[merrittgene]

Under La Boutique it seems the DVD is available for 25 Euros. I didn't see any way to place an order though, except via email or phone.

[merrittgene]

I suppose it is Squid season, again.

To me, a squid endangers his life and the lives of others on public roads in an amateurish way. Plus, their recklessness drives up insurance costs, and drives down the public opinion of motorcyclists.

Also to me, Mr. Goy is a professional, and shouldn't be compared to squids. Stuntperson would be a better description.

(Of course, if you were merely pointing out that squid season is upon us...then I can't disagree with that.)

[James.A]

In fact, I have already seen plenty of dickweeds of all varieties since the afternoon weather turned fair. As a Rounder, I can't help but be amused.

[lorazepam]

Here is a stupid squid trick gone bad. Maybe a loop of this one would be a good one to show at the parts department. When the guy is ordering a clutch lever and left side plastic, he could see what it looks like on video (http://www.uponone.com/videos.php?id=211).
Warning to mike and the princes the Fbomb is said in this one.

[RebeccaV]

Here is a stupid squid trick gone bad.
Pretty st00pid stuff.

[CJM]

In 1994 there was a fatal car crash here in Greenville SC at the Embassy Suites that involved a Maxima with 6 teens and an RX-7 driven by a 38 year old. At first the local paper /news folks were blaming the kids (only 2 them lived, the driver of the RX-7 also died), speeding and all that. Some people were taking the position that it served them right...gene pool cleansing, you know.

My youngest son was friends with all of them and best friends with Allison. I had to tell hem that she was dead. When I asked him a few days later if he was ok his reply was:

"No, Dad, I'm not. But there is nothing I can do about it."

To quote my wife of 31 years (whose intelligence and common sense never fails to amaze me):

"I don't care what they were doing. NOBODY deserves to die for doing something stupid. Especially someone so young."

Oh, the car crash....38 year old was .38% on the blood alcohol.


Think about that next time you get all high-and-mighty about someone getting killed.


MTBATP

[BubbaZanetti]

yeah,

i'll never be "happy" with somebody dying

but if these guys are out there putting MY life at risk with their inexperience and stupidity i'm certainly not gonna be upset if a non fatal crash makes them give up riding forever...............

[Gnome]

From the article:

WTF is that all about, dumbasses gone wild?


"My moma always told me to wear clean underwear". I would ask why,and she would tell me,"you might be in a wreck"
-The Late Great Lewis Grizzard.

[einnar]

Just FYI: after about 7 days, I got an email response :
Hello,

For information, you can paid with Paypal on our account jean-pierre.goy@wanadoo.fr, you give me your adress and I send one DVD to you. The price is 30,20 euros (DVD + postage du)

In waiting to read you,

Best Regards,

Christine Goy

That comes out to a little over 38 USD.