Obsessed with Japan, Got a New Job!

While the Fly Boys have put riding on hiatus until it warms up just a little, we are still keeping it tres chic and real trill at the same time. Except keeping it trill is not without its own drama. Like the other day we were chilling at Bailey's getting some $2 drafts on Tuesday and my man got mad at me for allegedly screwing up his game with this waitress. Apparently telling a "21 year old" waitress she "needs to meet my younger brother" is uncool.

In other news I copped a pair of the Air Jordan True Flights--a remake of the Jordan VIIs that were so crispy and cheap--I had to get them. I got them for $38 plus $15 on Ebay. They had been worn twice. They are fly and the most comfortable pair of shoes I've ever owned period. Then I picked up a pair of Air Jordan Spizikes stealths with the patent leather material all over them at Down Town Locker Room at a retarded discount. These are so dope I can't even get myself to wear them yet. These are selling for no less than $120 everywhere else including Ebay. I was thinking about breaking them out on new years but I doubt it. Expect to see them on Ebay soon lol!

I'm the newest Service Writer at Battley Cycles. This is going to step up the Fly Boy game a little as this will allow us additional access to parts and special deals. Battley Cycles also sponsors a number ot track days at Summit Point where I hope to put the ol' VFR to the test one day. Of course I will also be teaching MSF Rider Courses at Montgomery College starting in the Spring. If anybody is interested in getting their "M" endorsement, holla at ur boy!

Last but not least, I am obsessed with Japan. Always have, always will be. They have the most flamboyant (and awesome) fashion culture, radical motorcycle culture and an even doper sneaker culture than we do. They even possess the most beautiful bicycles and bicycle culture which is punctuated by their love of Keirin racing--a kind of indoor track bicycle racing where competitors are bet on like horses.

A rapper and designer by the name of Verbal (one of the member of the Teriyaki Boys) is starting to make a real statement in the fashion world. While he's not Japanese (he's Korean born), his designs are rocking Tokyo as much as the Japanese are rocking his designs. Verbal has a quote from Salvador Dali on his website that speaks volumes: "It is good taste and good taste alone, that possesses the power to sterilize and is always the first handicap to any creative functioning." Pictures speak for themselves.

That's all for now! This is your boy Big Treez aka McFly just reminding you to keep it trill and tres chic.

Velma Hart, Non-Profits and The Middle Class Sense of Entitlement: Definitely Not Baller!

I read this morning that Velma Hart, the ignorant black woman cemented in history for publicly taking President Obama to task for not doing enough to help her out economically, has lost her job.

What annoyed me was the whining albeit eloquent nature in which she did this. During a CNBC townhall meeting this troll popped out of the woodwork like a mole at Dave and Busters and then told Obama that she was exhausted from defending him and his policies and was still waiting on the change she voted for. She said this like she had practiced it in front of a mirror for days and I even wondered if it was a Tea Party stunt. Nevertheless, the clip gained traction throughout America as other middle class Americans shared the same trepidations.

Admittedly, I felt a little sorry for her. This pudgy black lady who probably felt like going to college was her ticket to financially distinguishing herself from lesser black folks (toungue-in-cheek of course), was suddenly faced with the reality of joining them and myriad others, black or otherwise, who were facing the prospect of job losses and having to alter their standards of living.

Once I learned that she was the Chief Financial Officer at a non-profit, I nearly laughed out loud. As someone who worked at one of the most well respected non-profits in Capitol Hill, The Children's Defense Fund, I suddenly understood where this woman was coming from.

As someone who had worked in HR at CDF for some time, I was privy to the pay scales of the employees working here. If other non-profits work anything like The Children's Defense Fund, its like this: You have a small group of elites at the very top that are making incomes that seem to exceed the spirit of non-profitness. For instance, you have your CEO and CFO and HR Executive and your fundraising executives that are earning in excess of $150,000 a year. Then you have your peons--researchers, educators, policy analysts and program coordinators that are continually bombarded with job description add-ons. Their pay is minimal and their tenure, tenuous. So while you have an elite group at the top that is making a ton of money for a non-profit, you have your proletariat class that is disposable and gets the crumbs.

Velma Hart is one of these overpaid "non-profit" elites--a career "non-profiteer" if you will. She feels entitled to profit off the donations of others--pretty "ghetto" if you ask me. And then has nerve enough to accost someone as dignified as Barack Obama with some accusatory, self serving nonsense.

Velma Hart, like many other Americans right now is a victim of an illusory promise that is uniquely American: If you go to college and kiss enough ass, you are entitled to a salary. NEWSFLASH: You are not entitled to a job. Go out and hustle like every other entrepreneur out there. Obama is not responsible for your pathetic career choices--you are!

The new Lebron's (Miami Vice colorway), My Motorcycle for Sale!

So You haven't heard from me in a little while and its just because I've been up in the cut trying to wheel and deal and get my Honda VFR all tuned up (cuz its definitely not baller when you casually walk up to your sick ride and then your bike doesn't start).

So what are we obsessed about now? I hollered at my main man Delante (VP of Fly Boys) and he's running around to different malls trying to find a second pair of the Lebron Miami Vice editions. He needs one pair to walk around in and another to sell on Ebay. Basically the shoes had a short run and were released in Miami only and were then re-released for a small run for the general public at which time they were still almost impossible to own.

In other news, my 1990 Yamaha FZR 600 in the cocaine white w/ classic Yamaha red white and blue stripes is for sale. What the hell am I thinking you ask? Its just that its the slow season in the bike business and I already own another motorcycle. Its not fun paying insurance and maintenance costs on two bikes. Riding this thing is like wearing a vintage pair of Jordans. People compliment you where ever you go. Even though its an older bike people give you props for owning what some consider to be the original crotch rocket. I can actually credit this bike with earning me my entire network of friends in the tight knit sportbike scene. I'm asking $1,800 but will take $1,500 from the right person.

This is Stanton aka Big Treezy aka McFly, Sergeant-at-Arms of Fly Boys MC reminding you to keep it trill, keep it G, keep it Flyboymotochic (not chick but chic like the French say it).

Gucci Mane: A Case Study in Being Black

I learned early this morning that Gucci Mane, while on parole, was arrested again for allegedly driving on the wrong side of the road and destruction to public property. Officers had to pepper spray him in order to subdue him. The long arm of the law continues to haunt Gucci just as it haunts T.I. and Lil Wayne.

The news reminded me of my own singular run-in with the law and my own unprovoked harassment by Montgomery County Police (see "Adventures in Sportbike Riding). Do black folks really speed more than whites? Do black folks perpetrate more crime than whites? Or do whites simply fly under the radar while blacks travel with flashing beacons on their backs?

I suppose riding a sportbike is as much of a beacon as anything. But just like the non-violent drug felon's record follows him for the rest of his life--hampering his ability to find work and preventing him from voting, my record was tainted in much the same way.

I was unfairly stopped by a pig for going 65 in a 55. I was unfairly slapped with two points by an old white male judge who could see nothing but the fact that I'm black and ride a sportbike. These points nearly prevented me from being admitted to the Rider Coach program which would have significantly hampered my financial future. I nearly became another victim of the justice system--a system that seems to find ways to fish out young black males and then keeps them on a short leash forever.

Supra kicks are dope

All of us are sneaker heads (some of us more than others). So what are THE dope kicks right now? One word. Supras.

Some of y'all know all about them. Some of you have never heard of them. They are skate shoes--kind of like vans but higher-end and higher quality. The reason they stand out is that they're built with the goal of protecting a skater's foot. So in addition to having a nice soft flat sole, they have good padding around the foot and a layer of neoprene padding above the toe which makes these shoes as great for riding as they are for skateboarding.

While the low tops look a lot like other skate shoes, the high-top versions such as the Muska Skytop and the TK Society are distinctive and the only ones I would actually buy--seeing as you're riding a motorcycle, you need the coverage anyway. I've just about worn my old Muska Skytops into the dirt and need a new pair asap.

The Skytops pictured are new for the 2010 holiday season and are FRESH! I'm a huge fan of suede Skytops and the black colorway with red accents is dope. The Skytop IIs just recently came out but I'm not sure what I think of them yet. I keep looking at them at the Zumiez in Tysons Corner but I'm trying not to act on my impulses quite yet.

Adventures in Sportbike Riding

I thought everyone might be amused by this exchange:

To Whom It May Concern,

Thank you for considering my application. As a former Baltimore City Public School Teacher, it has been a dream of mine to teach again--and a subject matter for which I am very passionate.

I am writing to explain the context of my receiving a ticket for going 10 mph over the speed limit on I-270 towards Washington. I was merging onto the I-270 express lanes from the Sam Eig ramp when a truck going about 10 mph over was dropping debris from his load. The debris appeared to be pieces of broken drywall about the size of small envelopes. I determined that this posed a serious hazard and began the task of passing the truck on the fast lane. Almost as soon as I began accelerating to pass I was radar gunned by a police officer on the shoulder. I explained my predicament to the officer and he told me that I would have to explain it in court. When I explained it in court, the judge told me that instead of passing the truck, I should have slowed down. When I explained that this would pose a hazard as it is especially dangerous to ride slower than the pace of traffic on the highway, he seemed unimpressed. In essence, he seemed like someone who had never ridden a motorcycle. I left the court defeated, and as I recall, $180 poorer.

What I didn't know, until very recently examining my record, is that the judge slapped me with 2 points. To make matters worse, I found out this could jeopardize my becoming a Rider Coach--something I've been dreaming of doing ever since I took the Motorcycle Safety Course myself.

In the two and a half years that I have been riding motorcycles, I have clocked over 35,000 miles on my Yamaha FZR and Honda VFR. Most of these miles are commuter miles on 495 and 270--highways notoriously treacherous for motorcycles. I feel I have something to contribute in the way of real world knowledge.

Please excuse this hiccup in my driving record. I am a safe rider and my otherwise unblemished record shows this. Thank you for your consideration.

Thank You,
-Stanton Byrd

Response:

Stanton,

I received your application from Shaun Anderson at Montgomery College. Thank you for your note with an explanation for your speeding ticket. I am going to accept your application, but you need to be aware that if you get another citation and additional points on your record you will very likely be dismissed from the Instructor Prep Course.

The situation you describe that resulted in your being cited is not uncommon. My guess is that how you executed your maneuver is what attracted the attention of Officer Friendly with the speed honesty checker. Sure, getting out from behind the truck to avoid the falling debris was a good choice, but going to WARP wasn't.

The fact that you were on a sport bike probably didn't help the situation either. However, you'd think that the fact that you pulled over might have been considered in your favor.

You've taken the BRC so you know that part of it addresses a road management strategy where you need to consider consequences. As an Instructor you will be a role model. Yellow lights mean stop and the contact patches of both tires will remain in contact with the road surface.

I'll be forwarding you an email about the IP BRC2 this Saturday.

Phillip S.

Manager
Motorcycle Safety Program
Driver Instructional Services Division
Motor Vehicle Administration

Flyboymotochic

The vision of my blog is basically this: Accept motorcycles for what they are to many of us--an outlet for self expression and the ultimate fashion accessory. My idea is to create a forum for sharing ideas about bikes, fashion and ever-evolving trends.

The inspiration behind this is our own motorcycle club, Fly Boys. We are a burgeoning club--we are small but we have a lot of heart. We recruit members by literally talking to riders in the streets at stop signs and chatting up folks at bike nights. While our bikes are shiny and a little loud like everyone else's, one thing stands out; our fashion efforts exceed those of most of our peers.

The blog, at least initially, will obviously reflect the latest obsessions of the club. However, as this will be an open forum for discussion, ultimately I want to invite submissions, pictures, whatever! I hope to be the curator of a collection of ideas and make this blog a destination for the intersection of motorcycles and fashion.