It's an age-old debate: Which group of riders are the most naturally skilled? Racers claim to be the two-wheeled masters because they constantly push bikes to their limits. Stunt riders argue they have impeccable balance and throttle control. Custom bike riders proclaim their proficiency by rolling around on expensive machines with fancy paint jobs, stretched-out swingarms and huge fat tires. Finally, it's the motorcycle-mounted police officers who ride everyday that hardly seem impressed by the others.
With a talented and boastful roster of competitors, Super Streetbike decided to put an end to the argument and assembled a diverse group of riders from all disciplines for a head-to-head competition to see who really has the most skills. This dream team of riders includes a World Superbike champion, a world record-holding stunter, a custom bike builder and our very own bossman to see who could claim the crown. To keep it from turning into an all-out fistfight, we threw in a motorcycle cop as well.
We leveled the playing field by taking it back to the basics. To test our competitors' skills we ran them through the riding portion of the Motorcycle Safety Foundation (MSF) Basic Rider class. All riders started out with a score of zero points and were given points for each mistake, just like at the actual school. The goal is to make it through the course with the least amount of points. If a rider fouls enough to earn 25 points it's an automatic failure.
The Competitors
Kane Friesen
Kawasaki Stunt Rider
World Record Holder
2009 Kawasaki ZX-6R
Kris "DJ GQ" Cottrell
Scorpion Customs
Self proclaimed king of the streets
Custom Suzuki TLR
Dave Sonsky
Super Streetbike Magazine
Editor-in-chief
2009 Kawasaki ZX-10R
Neil Hodgson
Team Honda Corona
Former World Superbike Champion
2009 Honda CBR600RR
Officer Irene Gomez
Santa Ana Police Department
Traffic Officer
BMW R1150RT Police Bike
Test 1:
The U-Turn
For the first round, our riders had to make two consecutive U-turns in opposite directions (a figure eight) inside a designated area. The purpose of the U-turn test is to demonstrate overall motorcycle control, specifically slowspeed balance and clutch/throttle management. Sounds simple, right? Points were earned (remember, that's a bad thing) for crossing the boundary lines or putting a foot down. Going slow has never been so hard.
Kane Friesen
Score: 3 points for crossing the boundary
Quote:
"Left handers are no problem, but as soon as I went to the right I messed up. I found it easier to do the U-turn in a burnout."
Officer Gomez
Score: 0 Points Deducted
Quote: "For me it wasn't that difficult being that we train on tight U-turns. Some of the other riders couldn't do it because their bikes are not made for that."
Dave Sonsky
Score: 3 points for putting A foot down
Quote: "I thought I had this easy, but I screwed myself by not using the full amount of space."
Neil Hodgson
Score: 3 points for crossing the boundary
Quote: "I ride fast for a living, so when you see me going slow I'm quite nervous and out of place. I was wobbling everywhere."
Kris Cottrell
Score: 8 points for crossing a boundary more than once and putting A foot down
Quote: "You try doing a U-turn with an 18-over swingarm and a 360 tire! It's cool though, I'll get them next round."
Test 2:
Swerve Test
Next, our riders were forced to swerve around a stationary obstacle. Points were given if they hit the object, braked during the swerve, crossed the boundary, went the wrong speed or swerved in the wrong direction. It's a good test of the rider's throttle and braking skills as well as their ability to countersteer. Rather than slamming on the brakes, sometimes it's easier to avoid Fido or an oncoming car by quickly changing direction.
Neil Hodgson
Score: 0 Points Deducted
Quote: "I have no idea what I'm doing here. Somebody said there'd be a lot of hot chicks and we'd be by a swimming pool. I feel like I've been conned."
Kane Friesen
Score: 0 Points Deducted
Quote: "Anyone should be able to pass this one. If not, you might need to rethink riding a bike."
Kris Cottrell
Score: 5 points for going out of bounds
Quote: "The full gear was cutting off my riding style-low and slow."
Dave Sonsky
Score: 5 Points for decelerating in the turn
Quote: "The cop hit a cone and still passed. I knew this test would be rigged."
Officer Gomez
Score: 0 Points Deducted
Quote: "Out of all of them, this was the best to show how to react instead of dumping the bike.