The Starboyz stunt team has been the face of the stunt world since a couple U.K. mags put the stunt scene in the public's eye. Their first DVD, rebelliously named FTP, hit the shelves in 1997 and sparked a revolution in the way sportbikers treat the streets.
What started as a gang of reckless riders from Ohio throwing it down on clapped-out beaters has evolved into a clever group of businessmen with ventures in stunt schools and entertainment.
Throughout their storied history, the Starboyz have received both praise and hate from the motorcycle community. Many of their rivals have told them that they'd never make it-that stunting will never take off and that there's no way to make a living pulling wheelies. Starboyz' Scott Caraboolad recalled, "After Kevin (Marino) and I were first featured in magazines I'd get phone calls and e-mails about how beat up our bikes were. Nothing about what we were doing, just how shit our bikes were. It was frustrating as hell."
But those sentiments didn't discourage the Starboyz; rather it lit a fire under their asses and gave them a reason to step up the game-a reason to show the world, especially the haters, that the Starboyz are legit.
They've gone beyond merely proving their critics wrong; they went big this year and got one of the most respected names in custom bikes to trick out their Chicago Cycles-sponsored Suzuki GSX-R1000s. McCoy Motorsports of Pikeville, Kentucky, has been pumping out some of the sickest bikes around for years, and though the McCoys are best known for their wild Yamahas they can make damn near anything pop. The Starboyz' Suzukis are another rolling demonstration of McCoy Motorsports' supreme customization skills.
The Starboyz have turned the redheaded stepchild of motorcycling into a profitable business while maintaining their roots, rough edges and DIY attitude. Caraboolad said: "What most people don't realize is that we absolutely work our asses off, sometimes with little payoff, sometimes with great payoff, but it's a constant battle. These bikes are obviously one of the payoffs."
Their endeavors have included everything from producing DVDs and hosting big-purse stunt competitions to creating a wheelie school. Initially these guys really just wanted to turn a buck doing what they love, and now they're running around with the best gear, the hottest bikes and sponsors to pay the bills.
When McCoy Motorsports and the Starboyz got together to customize the 2007 Gixxers they decided to pull out all the stops. The goal was to create stunt bikes with style that would work equally well at a show or bike night yet still perform at the stunt spot. Marino said, "We wanted the performance show-bike feel but we needed to be able to throw it down too. Nobody in the scene is running nitrous either-so we hooked it up."
Caraboolad discussed the reason for the minimal swingarm stretch: "The stretched fat rear really gives off an aftermarket feel, and the 240 looks sick but is still stuntable. We wanted to create a crossover market that mixes stunting with other motorcycle arenas."
The 2007 GSX-R1000s are fitted with double-braced Diablo swingarms that hold Cyko Racing 240mm rears wrapped in Pirelli's awesome new Diablo fat 240 rubber. Nitrous kits were installed just for laughs, while ST Machine levers and bar ends trick up the bars and Racing 905 cages protect the blindingly glossy, heavily metal-flaked Gator Customs paint jobs.
McCoy Motorsports works very closely with the development of Cyko wheels and decided to give each bike unique flavor by tossing Typhoon wheels on Kevin's green bike and Cyborg hoops on Scott's red monster. Trick inserts fill some of the gaps on Caraboolad's ride, while Marino's Cykos look crazy enough without the additional flair.
Shane McCoy gave props to the boys at Gator Customs: "The paint really made these bikes. Kevin and Scott picked some colors that they liked and Gator Customs knocked it out of the park with the paint they laid down."
It looks like the Starboyz are trying to set new trends in the sportbike industry yet again. Gone are the days of haggard rides and crappy gear. They've realized that to be viewed as truly legitimate in the motorcycle industry, they'd have to ditch the broken bikes and do the daredevil dance on clean machines that dispel the rebel image. But don't get it twisted, the Starboyz haven't gone soft or sold out...they just found a way to make their passion pay.
Caraboolad is totally stoked on his 100 percent sponsored ride: "We've been working so hard for so long. Whenever I ride these bikes it proves to me that we have really done something right. Plus, the beers always taste better when someone else is buying."
The Starboyz have every right to be proud of what they've accomplished, but they remain humble in their success. Caraboolad gives the big shout-out: "We owe our speedy growth to our sponsors. Without their support we would still be riding limited-edition shit boxes."
The guys who popularized zip-ties and furry fairings (glad those days are gone) are now rockin' some of the sickest rides around. Haters, how does that taste?