Bajan Biker Jeremy Nicholls and his 2011 Yamaha R6
Although he only started riding in February 2011, Bajan biker Jeremy Nicholls was hooked almost instantly. But don’t assume that he still rides a scooter around the block because Jeremy now sports a 2011 Yamaha R6. With a top speed of 168 mph, this bike is not for the faint of heart.
Adrenaline Sun went to Paragon Military Base, St. Philip (Barbados) where we talked to Jeremy about his new found passion.
Why did you start riding?
I wasn’t sure I was interested in riding at the time. I just wanted something to do and I decided it was between diving or riding. It happened that two of my boys were learning to ride at the time and they said “Jeremy come and ride”. So I called my friend Russell and he said he was willing to teach me and from there I started to ride. At first we were rode on scooters to learn balance and then we graduated to the 125CC to learn the clutch. At that point it was a lot of fun and 3 months later we had our first ride on a 600CC machine.
The 2011 Yamaha R6 is a relatively new bike, have you gotten a chance to do any customizations as yet?
I customized the frame sliders, changed the hand grips and the levers, installed an HID Kit and I put on a full exhaust system along with a K&N Sports Filter inside of it. Those are the first of hopefully many more tweaks and customizations that I plan to do.
Tell us a little about your gear.
After you get the bike then you start looking for stuff. I have the ICON TMAX 2 Jacket and it comes with the striker protection in the back, the arms have all the padding hopefully to resist the burn outs that may happen during a fall. My helmet is also ICON. My boots are the new Dainese Dynos which came out for 2012
When was the moment that you knew you were hooked on riding?
One morning we went on a breakfast ride and we do that sometime at about 5 a.m. And honestly it was of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen. In Barbados at 5 a.m., there is no pollution or smoke, you are smelling the freshness of the morning and the early sounds of the island. I knew from then, that I was hooked.
What crew do you ride with?
I ride with Russell Wilson and some other bikers. We’re not really a crew but we ride together often. I also ride with Floss Boss by extension, Nicholas Gittens is like a big brother. He’s helped me out a lot with my bike and when Floss Boss is going on their rides he would always include me.
Have you taken any falls?
Not as yet. But my philosophy is that the road is going to claim back its rubber at some point, so we can only enjoy it now. Honestly, when I get on my bike I don’t think about falling, I try to stay positive. I remember when I started riding many of my friends were panicking, I had one particular friend who started to cry because she couldn’t believe I was getting on a bike. But I just say to people, I am the person who is spinning my throttle so have control over how fast I want to go. However what I need from motorists is for them to drive carefully and with respect for others. Indicate before they switch lanes and look into their mirrors because I may be coming or another biker may be coming and bad driving places us at risk. 90% of the times that you hear a big bike going down, it has something to do with a careless motorist.
I guess that explains your views on the Bikers Against Dumb Drivers movement.
Yes of course. The Floss Boss Crew started that campaign and it is what it says. When people driving cars make certain mistakes, those mistakes can cost bikers their lives.
Any Last Words
I want to thank Adrenaline Sun for the interview and once again to all the drivers out there on the road, please look into your mirror and see if Jeremy is coming before you change lanes.
Check out the behind the scenes video and photos of Jeremy and his Yamaha R6 below.
Jamal Hall
Jamal Hall is the Chief Digital Media Officer of web development company, Island Evolved Inc. His many roles include being an action sports writer, photographer and correspondent for Island Evolved's subsidiary company Adrenaline Sun.
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