OK, hands up all those people who've always wanted to go to Japan.If not to see all the hard-core, turbocharged JDM cars, how about just to visit the land where a decent number of the world's fastest sportbikes are brought to life? I, for one, was one of those people, and when American expat Jason Fullington, who was organizing the motorcycle stunt portion of the Multiplex Motorsports Expo, asked if I wanted to tag along to help out with the show, I didn't need to be asked twice. My suitcase was as good as packed.
Situated in Odaiba, the district that is directly adjacent to Tokyo Harbor, Multiplex had in past years already proven itself to be a seriously kick-ass event, and it didn't let up for a second in 2006. Featuring a stunt show set up by the well-connected Fullington and his Japanese business partner Akira Hamano, Multiplex '05 saw top American stunters Jason Britton, Ernie "E-Dub" Vigil and Nick Brocha attend the event to show off their U.S. riding style. For '06, Fullington and crew raised the bar even further with a full field of U.S. and Japanese riders going head-to-head in a crowd-appreciation competition. And there wasn't a second stringer in sight, with American stunt stars Darius Khashabi, Chris "Teach" McNeil, Joe Dryden, Eric Hoenshell, and Vigil and Brocha again (along with Britton, who came back to judge this year's event) making the show this year.
Arriving sporadically the day before the event, the U.S. riders were greeted and immediately ushered off to Tokyo's downtown Roppongi district to kick things off with a Red Bull-sponsored pre-event party. After a feed and a few drinks (Red Bull, of course), a random Scottish expat (probably named Angus, but not wearing a kilt on this occasion) who'd parked his shiny new MV Brutale in front of the bar found himself handing his keys and helmet over to Khashabi, who wanted to kill the streets on his first night in Tokyo. Being unfamiliar with the bike (not to mention, fully aware of its nearly $20K price tag), Khashabi wasn't about to do anything outrageous, yet he did manage a couple of tall monos past the establishment all while the owner of the bike was on the phone to his Japanese wife trying to explain to her that he was letting a top American stunt rider beat up on his brand-new exotic bike!
The next morning was an opportunity for the riders to familiarize themselves with the borrowed stunt bikes they would compete on. While some bikes were ready to go, a couple of the riders, especially McNeil and Dryden, were forced to spend most of the day fitting up their gear and preparing the bikes. A few of the bikes were dedicated stunt machines with dented tanks done by Japan's Team No Limit, but the dish in the tanks wasn't quite grippy enough for American asses. After a quick discussion with the team, they agreed to let the American riders bash the tanks a bit further-a bummer (no pun intended) because the first dents were Bondoed and painted up pretty! Unfortunately for Nick Brocha, he not only knocked out the Bondo from his donor bike, but he also knocked a hole right through the top of his tank! In traditional stunt style, though, the J-B Weld Kwik came to the rescue, and he was on his way before long, busting his usual mental combos and circles.
Riding a Honda F4i that resembled his own back home, Khashabi was the first to hit the practice area but was soon back in the prep area after his bike started knocking like the front door of a Nevada cathouse. The Japanese guys weren't about to let him sit on the sidelines, though, and they immediately set about looking for a replacement ride. Six hours of driving and countless wrench turns later, a replacement bike wearing all the same gear was ready for Khashabi to ride Saturday.