Some motorcycle associations are distancing themselves from reckless behaviour by motorcyclists on the road.
Two clubs – Black Knight Bikers and the Trident Motorcycle Club – say they do not take part in lawlessness and anyone caught riding a motorcycle recklessly or without the proper licensing should feel the full weight of the law.
“Whether you’re driving, riding or whatever, once you’re supposed to have a licence to be on the road, you should have a licence to be on the road. Once you have to be insured, you should be insured. So we do not condone persons without a licence or without insurance biking in any form or fashion,” said Deanzer Roberts, public relations officer of Black Knight Bikers, one of the largest motorcycle clubs in Barbados.
She was responding to Justice Carlisle Greaves’ fiercely condemning reckless and illegal motorcycle riding in yesterday’s Saturday Sun when he said: “Given the environment in which we are in this country, with motorbikes persecuting this whole country, unregistered, uninsured, unlicensed, men driving ’pon one foot, people wheelieing, these things scare the daylights out of the citizenry of this country. And real noise [too]. After the gunmen in this country, after the men that shooting up the place, it is the motorcycles that terrorise the country”.
He was ruling over a case involving Constable Renaldo Goodman, who caused the death of Owen Stuart in 2018, after he rode a motorcycle along St Barnabas Road, St Michael, in a manner and at a speed dangerous to the public.
Roberts said her group was not what some people might think when it came to motorcycle users.
“Yes, we bike because we love it but at the end of the day, we don’t want to be classified as a group of lawless people because we are not that type of group,” she said, adding that they also did charity work.
“We stand for principles. Yes, we bike, but you won’t see a Black Knight Biker riding through [traffic] and wheelieing. We understand some men do it for fun and we’re not saying they can’t do it, we’re not saying they should or should not do it, but what we are saying is that all bikers are not the same,” she said.
President of Trident Motorcycle Club, Jim Woodstock, said several things could affect some people on motorcycles.
“I’ve seen this before, they could be good men and righteous men when they’re sober . . . but they get on the bike after having a couple of drinks too many and they start to get foolish. It always comes down to the few who ruin it for the many. For God’s sake, if you can’t see the pedestrian, you shouldn’t be riding,” he said.
However, Woodstock is still a firm believer in motorcycles and said there should be more motorcyclists on the roads as the majority were cautious and were good riders.
“When you pass cars, you go slowly. You’re just glad you’re not stuck in traffic. This is a really hard situation but motorcycles should not be discouraged. You know, if there were fewer cars and more motorcycles, there’d not be so [many] traffic jams,” he said.
The president said Tridents comprised older bikers and were unlikely to attempt some of the stunts done by some younger bikers, adding they used cruiser bikes rather than racing ones.
“You’re not 18 or 20 anymore and even if you’re that age, you really should be careful because you don’t want to die early but, especially if you’re older and you have a family, you should be more mature and respectful of that.
“That’s the problem with some of the younger crews that are doing that, but I ride mostly with my brothers. The Tridents are all older bikers,” he said.
Woodstock said they also participated in charitable activities, often along with the Black Knights, adding they had recently concluded their Independence Day ride and participated in the Ride For Paws for Hope Sanctuary.
“We’re here to help with the biking community and make it safe while being helpful to the community. We do charity events and a lot of people like to have the bikes over so the kids can all see the bikes,” he said. (CA)
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