Sport bikers - quick and slick
Long before Orange County Choppers roared through Spokane and thousands of leather-clad Harley riders rumbled along Interstate 90 and local back roads, Long Lake resident Demian Petretti was buzzing the streets of Spokane on a shiny black and red sport bike.
When the sun sets on north Spokane, 35-year-old Petretti leaves a little patch of rubber in his driveway as he crouches on a high-speed Yamaha YZF-R1 1000cc motorcycle and heads to a sport biker hangout along North Division Street. At a gas station near the NorthTown Mall, Petretti joins a dozen riders from all over Spokane who compare notes on the best tricks, smoothest routes and newest custom fittings for their high-speed sport bikes.
“We all just started hanging out here, and I kind of became the leader because I’m the best rider and the oldest rider here,” Petretti said. “A sport bike is the best speed machine for the money on the planet. You can get a brand new bike for about 13 grand and take it to 140 mph in a quarter mile. There’s not much out there that can outperform that.”
For the uninitiated thrill seeker, a sport bike is the kind of motorcycle Tom Cruise maneuvers through a high-speed chase in “Mission Impossible II.” On a sport bike, also known as a crotch rocket, the rider leans forward over the bike in an aerodynamic position and grips shortened handlebars to control the bike, instead of the wide-grip, upright riding style common for most cruisers.
After two years of late night rides that draw a regular crowd of 30-plus sport bike riders at the Division Street hangout, Petretti formed the motorcycle stunt team High Ridaz. The team dazzled a crowd at Spokane Raceway Park in May during the Lilac Funny Car Championship with Evel Knievel-style stunts fit for the X-Games. The riders nightly cruise the streets of Spokane, occasionally joining the biker crowd at Roadhouse Motorcycles for Thunder Thursdays in Post Falls. They performed at the Operation Kill Boredom Festival in Newport, Wash., on Aug. 26.
“We’ve been meeting here since last year, almost every night,” said rider Brett Woolett, who lives in Spokane Valley. “Sometimes we’ve had as many as 40 bikes out here. High Ridaz started at the beginning of the year when we decided to get together and organize some shows.”
Woolett flattened the gas tank of his Suzuki GSX-R 750 sport bike with a hammer to perform more tricks and added an accessory to the back of his bike to make it easier to perform vertical stunts on the motorcycle. He also added a crash cage to the sides of his red and sliver sport bike.
“We’re all kind of a competitive bunch so when someone pulls a good stunt, we’re already out there trying to do something a little better,” Woolett said.
On most Saturday nights, Greenacres residents Chad Larson and his girlfriend, Jennifer Barton, cruise to the sport bike hangout along North Division on a black and orange Honda CBR-1000 sport bike to meet up with High Ridaz members. Larson has been riding dirt bikes since he was a kid and started riding sport bikes a few years ago.
Reece Wallace from Spokane Valley also joins the group most nights on a red and black Suzuki GSX-R 500 sport bike wearing a mini helmet. He’d rather not wear a helmet, but Washington requires motorcycle riders to wear one. About a year ago, Wallace wrecked his motorcycle and was seriously injured, but he’s back on the road racing the streets of Spokane and performing stunts with the High Ridaz.
“People either love us or hate us,” Petretti said. “Half of the drivers want our autograph and the other half are calling 911 when they see us riding wheelies and racing down the street. Harley riders have a little different lifestyle than sport bike riders, but I think they’re just a little jealous because we’re the outlaw riders now.”