Ninjette Member Interviews

[csmith12]

Who wants to be the first? lol

My preference is that these are recorded skype video calls, you can see me, I can see you. I will encode the video and upload to youtube for sharing with ninjette. If you would prefer not to be interviewed, then your more than welcome to pm me the responses to the questions below and I will make a transcript post for your approval prior to posting or... you're free to post your transcript yourself.

Just so youre prepared, here are the questions that I will ask to get things going, but don't be surprised if other questions are asked as the interview develops on it's own.

Basic question set;
What do you ride and how do you like it?
How long have you been riding?
What got you started riding?
What are your current goals?
How do you relate to other local riders?
If you could ride anywhere, where would it be?
Do you have any special skills that are unique?

Specialty questions;
What drives you to participate on ninjette?
Who is the real Unregistered?
How does your family support your riding?

Racer questions;
What do you get out of racing that you don't get anywhere else?
What do you wish your bike did that it currently doesn't?
If you could race any bike, what would it be?
If you could race anywhere, where would it be?

If nobody wants to go first, I will volunteer to go first and someone can interview me.

[cuong-nutz]

Interesting. I'm on an outdate laptop.

[csmith12]

Even an outdated laptop, will do skype as long you have a mic. Voice is just fine too if video is an issue.

[ally99]

Chris, you're so fuggin cool. what a great idea!

[Desmoluci]

Originally Posted by csmith12

Who is the real Unregistered?

[csmith12]

^^^ lol Mick

Chris: What do you ride and how do you like it?
Alex.s: i ride a few different bikes, mostly the 250 though. its a good little bike, no major issues and it does what i ask it to do. its pretty cheap on the wallet.

Chris: How long have you been riding?
Alex.s: well, its an interesting question, i started when i was 15 riding 40 and 50cc two stroke pocket bikes, but i didn't ride on the street until i was 19 riding a friends 150cc scooter... and i didn't ride my first "real bike" until i was 21. i'm now 25. so depending on how you look at it, either 4 years or 10 years.

Chris: What got you started riding?
Alex.s: well my brother bought a pocket bike when i was 15 because the boys in my family have always been interested in motorcycles because my father was always interested in them. for a long time when we lived in canada and then norcal he wanted to get a goldwing, so when he passed away from cancer we kinda all were left with the urge to ride.

Chris: What are your current goals?
Alex.s: be happy. make others happy. help when you can. always offer help. some will take it, some wont. don't be offended when someone doesn't want your help.

Chris: How do you relate to other local riders?
Alex.s: unfortunately a large majority of riders in my area are pretty squiddy. lots of ego in a lot of them, so many of them don't like to just chat about things. they see dainese and shoei and a* and start getting swollen balls and the need to show off. but the normal people around are cool. it's surprising how many random people you run into that aren't on a bike or haven't ridden in awhile but used to ride or ride dirt or something. it's typically that random dude in a hawaiian shirt, shorts, and rainbow sandals sipping coffee near a nice view that offers up the most meaningful and thought provoking conversations.

Chris: If you could ride anywhere, where would it be?
Alex.s: dirt bike on the moon with liquid oxygen. can you imagine the woops???

Chris: Do you have any special skills that are unique?
Alex.s: i can rotate my tongue my than 360 degrees. i can also make a happy face with it... the ladies are a fan of my tongue.

Chris: What drives you to participate on ninjette?
Alex.s: the questions people ask are a great learning experience. if i don't know something, i go and find out. then everyone knows the answer. plus when i'm drunk, trolling people is very entertaining.

Chris: Who is the real alex.s?
Alex.s: nobody knows! there's a girl named keiko in japan who might have an idea where to find out though.

Chris: How does your family support your riding?
Alex.s: they're respectful with my life choices but the girls would prefer it if they involved things less dangerous.

Chris: What do you get out of racing that you don't get anywhere else?
Alex.s: racing is very stressful. there is actually a lot of bad feelings associated with everything leading up to racing. prep work is hard and tedius. even just getting there and getting through scrutineering and out on the track for qualifying is quite a lot of work and is very draining. but then you're out there looking for your starting grid number, and you're waiting for the flag to go out and your heart is pounding and you're sweating and you can feel all your limbs shaking... you can't even blink because you might miss the wavers' shoulder twitch..... but then... you see it!!! before you know what has happened your hands have already launched you and you're already strugging to keep the front down while simultaneously trying to get the bitch into 2nd. you're about 6 inches away from at least 5 other bikes-- all of which are just as jacked up as you are. and all of the sudden you're in a race. a ****ing race! there is no room for anything else in your mind while you are racing. the side of the track? gone. the crowd in the grandstands? gone. what exists is a track, you, your bike, and the people in front of you. before you know it you see the flag man waving two sticks. then what seems like the next lap he's waving the white flag. you could have sworn there was supposed to be more laps but suddenly it's the end of the race, with only one corner and one other bike between you and your finish line.... the feeling of stuffing your bike into that last corner and snatching that last position away from that last bike in front of you.... it is the feeling of real success. success you don't feel often in life, maybe only once or twice. for that brief few seconds -- which feel like an eternity while it's happening -- life is amazing.

Chris: What do you wish your bike did that it currently doesn't?
Alex.s:[/B] fly

Chris: If you could race any bike, what would it be?
Alex.s: i would love to try an old school 500cc two stroke GP machine. quite terrifying but it would be a real experience.

Chris: If you could race anywhere, where would it be?
Alex.s: i'd love to take some laps around macau. i definitely will visit nordschleife. and IOM. eventually

Thanks Alex for taking the time.

[Sirref]

cool idea, I'm down for it. Just let me hunt down a working mic first.

[cuong-nutz]

Originally Posted by csmith12

Chris: Do you have any special skills that are unique?
Alex.s: i can rotate my tongue my than 360 degrees. i can also make a happy face with it... the ladies are a fan of my tongue.

Alex.s' pick-up line

Got the old camera and mic working from my Iraq deployment

[NevadaWolf]

Eh, what the heck? Can't guarentee I'll be interesting in the least, but I do have Skype. Voice only through the PC or video over either mobile thingy.

[Sirref]

nvwolf if chris starts asking you about your ridiculous seat time the interview will get real interesting real quick don't worry about that

[NevadaWolf]

Or I'll just end up with video proof I should be playing in a bouncy room.

[alex.s]

you know i've heard that long-distance bicyclists in races wont stop to pee even if it's dire.

Link to original page on YouTube.

[csmith12]

2 more interview transcripts are waiting for approval.
@NevadaWolf - I got some good questions that would only apply to iron butt riders.

[csmith12]

@Desmoluci (Mick), thanks for taking the time to answer. Keep doing your thang!

Chris: What do you ride and how do you like it?
Desmoluci I have a bunch of bikes, but lately I've been riding my '99 KLR 650, '87 Duc and '71 XS1b Yamaha. I like all of my bikes, that's why I bought them!

Chris: How long have you been riding?
Desmoluci 40+ years.

Chris: What got you started riding?
Desmoluci A kid in my neighborhood had a Harley Rapido 125 that he let me ride when I was about 12 or 13, and it changed my life forever.
My parents wouldn't allow me to have a bike while living with them, so after HS graduation I moved to an apartment and paid cash ($1157) for a brand new 1975 Yam MX250B. Way too much for a noob. School of hard knocks for sure.

Chris: What are your current goals?
Desmoluci Well, I'm retired from my day job, so my goal now is to do volunteer work for the elderly (geeky, I know) and to keep teaching motorcycle safety with the PAMSP. Oh yeah, and ride a lot too.
http://www.pamsp.com/default.aspx

Chris: How do you relate to other local riders?
Desmoluci Great! Everyone was a noob at one time, and done a bone-head thing or two.

Chris: If you could ride anywhere, where would it be?
Desmoluci Baja on an XR600.

Chris: Do you have any special skills that are unique?
Desmoluci Been known to turn an okay wrench.

Chris: What drives you to participate on ninjette?
Desmoluci Lookin' to get one, taking my time to find a creampuff.

Chris: Who is the real Desmoluci?
Desmoluci

Chris: How does your family support your riding?
Desmoluci 100%. It's who I am, and always have been.

Chris: What do you get out of racing that you don't get anywhere else?
Chris: What do you wish your bike did that it currently doesn't?
Chris: If you could race any bike, what would it be?
Chris: If you could race anywhere, where would it be?
DesmoluciQ: How do you make a million dollars racing?
A: Start with three million..
Too old and slow now. Coconuts turned to Spanish peanuts.

[NevadaWolf]

Originally Posted by csmith12

NevadaWolf - I got some good questions that would only apply to iron butt riders.

As mine's still a bit squishy, I'll do my best. Still, I'm game. I'll PM my details (not that it is super hard to guess...)

[csmith12]

I got you.

[csmith12]

Scheduled skype interview with NevadaWolf What a trooper for being the first victim... ummm I mean first full media interview.

[NevadaWolf]

[csmith12]

Thanks for taking the time Gurk and good luck in your new digs.

Chris: What do you ride and how do you like it?
Gurk: 2007 Yamaha R6. I love the bike for all the great things and regardless of all the shortcomings it's associated with. I feel like getting used to a bike and feeling home with it is more important than finding a bike that suits you 100%. Especially for someone like me who has spent 99% of all his riding on the same bike. I learned to ride on this thing for better or worse. It's hard to look elsewhere now.

Chris: How long have you been riding?
Gurk: 2 years and 9 months. All but 3 months of it on track only.

Chris: What got you started riding?
Gurk: Like most of things I do, the seed was planted very early. Like my career. I used to draw bands' logos and stuff all the time as a kid. Then in collage I changed majors 3 times until I came back to graphic design again.

Similar with bikes I suppose. I remember marking old Kawasaki sport bike models on huge bike catalogs. Deciding which bike and what gear I want when I grow up. This is when I was 5 years old.

Growing up in Istanbul, I never saw riding as an option. Traffic is horrible and people REALLY try to kill you in traffic over there especially if you're on a bike.

So then I moved to US at 21 years old. Still wasn't ready with my non-existent finances and time. Finally last few months of college, I decided to sell all my camera gear to buy my first bike, 2010 SE Ninjette. Like all my decisions in life, there was years of build up behind it. But it all happened super quickly once I decided to go for it.

Sold my camera gear, got the money, took MSF, bought my bike, took my M-licence I think all within 2 weeks time and there I was, riding.

Chris: What are your current goals?
Gurk: Become a consistently fast A group rider in any track I go to. Have a solid, precise riding technique. A lot of friends keep telling me I should race. And I absolutely will one day. But I like to approach things systematically. I know where I lack. And I don't NEED to race to get that stuff sorted. Basically focusing on a lot more riding coaching this year. Getting some proper instruction and going to track as often as possible like the last 2 years.

Chris: How do you relate to other local riders?
Gurk: At the moment, I don't. Just moved to the Bay Area and don't know many riders around. I'm as picky on rider friends as I am with my regular friends. I'm really not a huge group kind of guy anyway. I really need a few really close people to me that I can trust and share everything with. A few of them back in Socal for sure. Looking forward to find a few here too.

Chris: If you could ride anywhere, where would it be?
Gurk: Laguna Seca is now within reach. So I'm gonna say Catalunya!

Chris: Do you have any special skills that are unique?
Gurk: Unique? Not really. I have mean table tennis skills though?

Chris: What drives you to participate on ninjette?
Gurk: Sorry but if I'm honest, mostly boredom.

Chris: Who is the real Gurk?
Gurk: For most people, just some a$$hole. Which is totally fine For a few, a guy who just wants to ride, ride and ride and get better at everything he loves to do. If a thing is worth doing, it's worth doing well. Even if it's playing a stupid computer game. Just get better at it! Super tiny baby steps forward is still positive progression

Chris: How does your family support your riding?
Gurk: They know how much it means to me and they are all happy to see me follow my passion. My mom was absolutely against bikes in general. But she knows I have a level head and since I ride track only, less worried that I might end up on someone's windshield.

[Sirref]

I can't seem to find my mic :/
still down for a text interview though

[csmith12]

Originally Posted by Sirref

I can't seem to find my mic :/
still down for a text interview though

Well, you just hold on a minute right there. I got some special questions for you too. Answer the questions in the PM please (will send pm a bit).

Thanks

[Sirref]

Originally Posted by csmith12

Well, you just hold on a minute right there. I got some special questions for you too. Answer the questions in the PM please (will send pm a bit).

Thanks

Did my pm not go through? was pretty sure I managed to send it in. resending

[csmith12]

Lol, I got your other pm brah (address confirm). I will send you some additional interview questions via a pm later. Working right now...

[csmith12]

Your stuff will be shipped out Mon. or Tues.

[NevadaWolf]

Wait, stuff?? We get stuff for doing an interview?? I want stuff!!


j/k

[Sirref]

Originally Posted by csmith12

Your stuff will be shipped out Mon. or Tues.

looking forward to it

helps that I decided to stickerbum my car this summer (among other things, plastidip mmm) and obv those are being added to the collection of skateboarding/snowboarding/mountainbiking/local band stickers that I've accumulated over the years w/o using them.

[Sirref]

Originally Posted by NevadaWolf

Wait, stuff?? We get stuff for doing an interview?? I want stuff!!


j/k

nah this is for my race logo stickers

[csmith12]

PM sent brah

[Sirref]

Done writing my book
some of the answers are a bit long, you have been warned.

[csmith12]

Thank you Sirref. Keep dat oil checked yo!

Chris What do you ride and how do you like it?
Sirref: I ride a 2013 Ninja 300 and I love it, it has the obvious flaws of being a bit down on power but that is an advantage for me due to my occasional spurts of immaturity on my bike

Chris: How long have you been riding?
Sirref:I got my first bike in early December of 2012 so just short of a year and a half

Chris: What got you started riding?
Sirref:Growing up I had the opportunity to fool around on a few dirtbikes for short periods of time and I loved it, they felt like rocket ships (125cc 2strokes) and were so much fun. I'm probably going to pick up a few of my own somewhere down the line though my parents never let me have one as a kid.

Chris: What are your current goals?
Sirref: Get my 250 track ready and then get to the track, I have all the parts that I need for the rebuild so I should be good to go before my track dates in July.

Chris: How do you relate to other local riders?
Sirref: In terms of skill/speed I'm middle of the pack overall, I'm helping to teach two kids how to ride, get their license, get their bike, how to maintain their bikes what gear to get, etc. I try to learn as much as I can from more experienced sport bike riders to the point where I've annoyed a few of them with my questions lol I'm like that little kid who just keeps asking why

Chris: If you could ride anywhere, where would it be?
Sirref: If I could ride anywhere I'd ride everywhere, Get myself a solid klx650 or something like it and travel the world. If I had to choose though I'd go to either the Isle of Man or the alps.

Chris: Do you have any special skills that are unique?
Sirref: This is a hard question since I try to do and experience so many things. I play multiple instruments (alto/tenor saxophone, trumpet, guitar, bass, piano) and have composed a few pieces for jazz bands and string quartets/quintets. I was in my high school's competition marching band/jazz orchestra/saxophone quartet/Wind ensemble and a few small bands on the side throughout high school. I skateboard/longboard/snowboard/mountain bike and ride. I learned how to play a video game called starcraft really well growing up and I still play it from time to time at a pretty high level. I won a few local chess tournaments and a county wide chess tournament as a kid too. I swam competitively in middle school and can shoot a bow with fairly decent accuracy.
Really I'd have to say that I always have something going on and if I don't then I'm looking for something to do that seems fun.

Chris: What drives you to participate on ninjette?
Sirref: I like the low key community feel of the site, I live in a rural area so I like smaller communities as it lets me get to know everyone in it better. Online that means that I see IDs and associate that with previous posts/conversations that I've seen/read from that person. In addition to that ninjette is a treasure trove of information on one of my favorite things to do, go riding. I feel that some of the information that I've learned on this site has saved my life by teaching me how to be a better rider.

Chris: Who is the real Sirref?
Sirref: This depends largely on who you are talking to. On ninjette I am a postwhore extraordinaire, at work I'm "the most interesting man in the world" (direct quote from a former coworker) to my close friends I am a chill ass mother****er, and to my parents I am their loving son. Deep down I believe myself to be a person who is curious about the world around me and all of the things that I can do during my time here, I am reliable and hard working when I need to be and when I can I try to be a fun and relaxed person who's just out to enjoy my life every chance that I get.

Chris: How does your family support your riding?
Sirref: They were very against it at first, as a kid I wanted a dirt bike which was shot down though I did get a mountain bike to ride with my older brother. There were tons of arguments over me getting a bike before I got one and my dad had a near infinite number of cases where people were injured or worse riding motorcycles since he worked for state farm for more than a decade. Eventually when it came down to getting a bike my dad helped me check it out and trailer it to the place where it was inspected. He also set my insurance coverage for me which is why I have over $1mil in bodily injury and underinsured. He still doesn't like it since he's worried about me but he does like that he has never seen me riding without wearing gear. My older brother jokes how I'm cooler than him now because of it and my little sister hates how so many of her friends ask for rides once they see it but that's because she knows how I drive/ride. My mom both likes and dislikes that I ride, she had 4 brothers who all rode bikes growing up so she accepts that it's something that I want to do but as my mother she worries about me and I hate how much I make her worry. Over time I won my parents over that riding a motorcycle isn't necessarily an instant death sentence by still being around a year and a half after I started riding including the multiple times where I rode through the snow.

Chris: Racer questions?
Sirref: While I'm not a racer yet I want to be one at some point so I'll answer this set anyway

Chris: What do you get out of racing that you don't get anywhere else?
Sirref: The feeling of competition in passing people and putting down faster lap times in a car with my local autocross league is ridiculously fun and I'd imagine that same feeling on a bike at a track would be even better.

Chris: What do you wish your bike did that it currently doesn't?
Sirref: I want my track bike to run dammit and I wish my street bike braked/accelerated better with a pillion passenger.

Chris: If you could race any bike, what would it be?
Sirref: 500cc 2stroke motogp bike

Chris: If you could race anywhere, where would it be?
Sirref: Laguna seca and the Isle of Man are the tracks of my dreams. Out of the two I believe that the IoM TT would be more of a unique experience overall so the IoM takes this question.

Chris: What do you do for fun, and ninjette doesn't count...?
Sirref: A lot actually, It's in between seasons so I'm focusing on school but this summer I'm hitting track days, I have a day of racing go-karts against a dozen friends scheduled with two races throughout the day (One race on each track I will get a podium finish for both tracks for sure but I'm not sure if it'll be 1st, 2nd, or 3rd) I'm going to be mountain biking and long boarding with my brother and a few mutual friends throughout the summer. Right this moment I'd be working on my car or my track bike though. I am making my golf uniquely mine this summer, I have plans to plasti dip it/sticker bum it/upgrade the suspension/exhaust/stereo and maybe the wheels/rims. I also am planning to add a tow hitch to my car so I don't have to borrow my mom's suv every time I want to tow something somewhere.

Chris: Are you a social person on the bike as much as you are online?
Sirref: It depends on the situation, I'm generally a social person when I'm surrounded by people who I have something in common with but if I'm thrown well out of my element then I tend to be a bit more reserved. I prefer environments with a small-medium amount of people so I can talk at length. I don't always initiate a conversation but once it's started it can be hard to shut me up hahaha

Chris: How did you blow up your ninjette engine?
Sirref: It had an oil leak that I was not aware of at the time, I have since sealed the oil leak though I will be checking my oil like I have OCD once it's running again

Chris: If riding wasn't your hobby, what would it be?
Sirref: Probably playing my saxophone, mountain biking, or go-kart racing right now my hobbies tend to change up a lot over time though I do see myself riding in some form or another for the rest of my life that I am physically capable of doing so.

Chris: What music drives you to drive/ride faster and why?
Sirref: Classical piano/violin, spanish guitar, and rock/metal. Classical music makes me want to do things perfectly so while I don't drive/ride as fast outright I am focused on being smooth and I subconsciously end up going faster as a result because I don't feel like I'm going as fast. Spanish guitar/rock/metal are all upbeat and get me pumped so while these lead me to drive/ride faster for that reason I tend to be a bit sloppier though not severely so.

Chris: How many posts do you see yourself having in 5yrs, lol hahahahah?
Sirref: hmm, good question. I want to stay with this community even if I total both of my bikes and replace them with bigger/faster bikes so I'd say at least 10k posts but likely around 20-30k posts

[NevadaWolf]

Bumpity bump, come on you all, we need to know more about you!

[csmith12]

Originally Posted by NevadaWolf

Bumpity bump, come on you all, we need to know more about Unregistered!

fixed!

[NevadaWolf]

Originally Posted by NevadaWolf

Bumpity bump, come on Unregistered, we need to know more about you!

Originally Posted by csmith12

fixed!

Fixed the fix.

[Sirref]

[CycleCam303]

I'll try it.

[csmith12]

Nevadawolf and I did the skype thing and I am currently cleaning up the raw video/voice. Once done and with approval, I will publish here. We had a good 30+min chat .

Props for being the first to do this.

[csmith12]

Originally Posted by CycleCam303

I'll try it.

[alex.s]

hey chris, next time you're at the track you should bring your video cam and ask a bunch of racers different questions about riding and stuff

[ally99]

Creative idea!
I'll do a text interview Chris.

[csmith12]

Originally Posted by alex.s

hey chris, next time you're at the track you should bring your video cam and ask a bunch of racers different questions about riding and stuff

Already planned! I was going to do that last weekend but was having cam problems. I didn't even get all the on track footage I wanted. I missed my HUGE wheelie race start and my crash. Now I am left with just trying to figure out what happened by memory, and we all know how that goes.