A group of local motorcyclists has been tearing up streets, tracks and dirt. This isn't a biker gang, this is Sun Devil Riders Club.
Sun Devil Riders Club is a motorcycle club at ASU which hosts group motorcycle rides as well as events such as camping trips and barbecues for their members.
Stephanie Ware, a supply chain management senior and one of the club’s vice presidents, said the club caters to all levels of motorcycle riding experience.
“Sometimes we’ll go in different groups,” Ware said. “Maybe we’ll have the sport bikes in the first group and the cruisers in the second group so we can make sure we’re being safe and being appropriate to people’s different riding levels.”
Ware has been biking for most of her life, beginning with riding dirt bikes across sand dunes. She said it runs in the family.
“My dad started riding motorcycles back when he was about 16,” Ware said. “When he met my mom, my mom had never rode, so he taught her how to ride a quad.”
When Ware and her brother were born, they too were brought into the tradition of motorcycle riding.
“We were introduced to motorcycle riding at a very young age, and we just fell in love with it,” she said.
When she found out about Sun Devil Riders Club, she knew she had found the group for her.
“When I heard that there was motorcycle club on campus, I immediately knew that I wanted to join,” Ware said. “I met some of the executive board members and from there I started to tag along on activities.”
Ware said that despite the numerous motorcycle riding clubs in the Phoenix area, being able to ride with fellow ASU students makes Sun Devil Riders Club stand out.
“It’s the people,” Ware said. “You can find other people to ride with, I’m sure, in Phoenix, but the guys that are in this organization are definitely a tight-knit group — like a family.”
Axel Welter, exploratory sophomore and another club vice president, said the club focuses on all forms of motorcycle riding.
“We have pretty much every kind of riding,” said Welter. “We have off-roading, we have street riding, we also do track days occasionally.”
Welter went on to say that the club has a diversity of different types of motorcycles in the club.
“Every kind of bike, we have it,” said Welter.
Welter added that Sun Devil Riders Club was not necessarily just about motorcycle riding, but about the shared interest of motorcycles.
“It’s not all about riding,” said Welter. “It’s more about lifestyle.”
Mike Scott, computer science senior, said he first wanted a motorcycle at the age of 3. His father, while teaching him how to ride a bicycle, reminded him that he wouldn’t be able to use training wheels on a motorcycle.
“I looked at him and was like 'Alright, pull them off,'” Scott said. “He was like 'Alright let’s see how long this lasts.' ... I rode about 10 feet, fell over, and he waited for me to bust up crying. I got up, rode another 10 feet, fell over, and then got up, and then rode around the block, came back and I was like 'Alright, let me ride on a motorcycle now.'”
Scott said that he was wary when he first joined the club. He didn’t know exactly how formal the club would be.
“What happened was we started hanging out and just started being like a circle of friends,” Scott said.
Scott mentioned the club’s variety in riding styles and said he does not go on street rides, but rather prefers to ride with other dirt-bikers.
Scott said motorcycle riding has become second nature to him.
“It was just so comfortable for me from the get-go that it was just an extension of my body,” Scott said. “It’s all fluid, it makes sense.”
Reach the reporter at jdarge@asu.edu or follow @jeffdarge on Twitter.
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