"Fear is our worst enemy" - interview with Kyle Sliger!

February 1,2017 Tekst: Katarzyna Łapczyńska

Maybe you won’t believe me, but I’m a.. psychologist. I don’t work in it, but I like some psychological questions. From the first day I’ve started riding a bike, I’m trying to get the answer – why we all risk as much? The bikers are amazing. Really. We gave our hearts to the passion which is so beautiful and so dangerous in one. It can kill us, but we really don’t care. But what’s more interesting, if we look on the bikers little wider… Are we all “adrenaline addicts”? Do we love to take risk so often? Do we do some other dangerous activities? Do we live “faster and stronger”? Act more? Do more? I’ve asked the professional stuntrider, Kyle Sliger a few questions about his addiction to adrenaline. Here are the answers!



Katarzyna Łapczyńska #badgirl: How did you start your adventure with motorcycles? How old were you, what was your first bike?



Kyle Sliger: I started riding motorcycles at the age of 19. Only thing I rode before I turned 19 was a moped so I wasn't someone who grew up riding motorcycles. I wasn't even good at riding BMX bikes. One day in 2004 I was driving next to my brother and he slowed his bike way down. Then brings up a wheelie on his 929 CBR . But this wasn't a wheelie you see most guys do going really fast and holding it for only a second. My brother was going 30 mph right next to me and holding it and I couldn't believe my eyes. I couldn't stop thinking about it. It was enough to convince me that I was going to buy a sportbike no matter what... About a year later I bought my first 2001 Honda CBR f4i. I babied the bike like crazy. It was super clean and mint condition. Even said I would never ride a wheelie on it. But couldn't stop thinking about how my brother did it and I just had to learn. Two weeks later I started riding night and day all over town and back roads trying to figure out how to ride a wheelie.

Were you afraid of riding when you first ride some?

I was really scared trying to learn to ride a wheelie. One of the scariest things I did for myself. I'm thinking mostly because I never rode motorcycles before so it was all so new to me. But at the same time everything felt so natural for some reason. It was the cars and object that scared me I realized once I started riding in parking lots. I noticed how much easier It was to focus now.. After that all the fear was set aside and I really started to progress.

Did you like other dangerous activities before you first rode a bike?

Yes definitely. I would try anything that would get my adrenaline going. Just never got to play with anything that was motor driven.. Mostly skateboarding and all the extreme sports. I tried them all but skateboarding really stuck. What I really wanted to learn was flatland BMX but I never could figure it out. Did not make sense to me but skateboarding did. At the age 9 I got my first skateboard and from there on I was hooked. And I got pretty good on it. Getting a couple small sponsors and making a name for myself in town by age 16. That continued up until I popped my first wheelie. For some reason the wheelie was more satisfying after pulling it off. The adrenaline and feeling couldn't compare.

Do you like any other dangerous sports and activities? If yes, what is it and how often do you do it?

I still skateboard all the time. I didn't put the board to the side for good. But it definitely took some of my board skills away because my heart and desire was now focused on riding. I wish I had more time to do other activities these days but mostly I just skate and ride. I skate everytime before riding but I hit the skatepark and go hard with it only hand full of times a year. It was really bad on my wrist from falling and they would swell up and get stiff not allowing me to ride as much as I wanted. So I try not to over do it to much anymore because of that.

What really excites you in riding? What's the best point of it?

What excites me the most is how well you can connect with your motorcycle. I almost feel like a super human when I sit on my bike. I feel invincible and free. As if the bike is apart of me. Like having a super power that only works when you get on your bike.. Having that kind of control over something so heavy and not designed for that kind of use is just a feeling that can't be described.

Can you answer the simply question "why do I ride"? It dangerous, crashes are so painful... But you still go back to racing after any injury.



I can't think of just one reason why I ride. There's a lot of reasons. Mostly for the feeling. Also The test of one's self just to see what I'm capable of doing. I never think about the pain or the crash or that something could go wrong. I just feared that I wasn't going to be able to ride and get better at it if I crashed. In the past I have broken bones and what not but never did I think about quitting. To me In life quitting is not option .. I'd rather be in pain and broken when I'm older but my mind at ease knowing I lived my life to fullest and that I tried my very best at everything I did. And it makes me feel good to inspire others to do the same.

Can riding a bike be your "problem solved" tool? If you have any problem in life, do you just go riding to forget about it or you don't ride at all after "work"?

That's one of the best things about riding is how fast and easy your mind can be distracted from negativity in your life. Nothing negative comes from the bike. Having your mind at ease is the feeling of freedom. With your mind at ease and being 100 percent focused with all your motivation and drive narrowed down to one thing allows a person to go beyond the limits. The world has so many distractions and there is no way to escape your own mind. Find your passion and find what makes you feel alive and there you will find happiness.

If you are riding a bike - can you thing about something else or you are fully focused on riding?

Once I'm on the bike I can't focus on anything else but riding or what trick do I want to try next. It's not even something I try to do. It happens automatically. Even just turning on the bike and hearing it run sets my mind at ease. And even after riding I feel complete for the day and negative thoughts fade away.

Do you feel some fear when you are riding? Or completely not?

Fear is our worst enemy. Yea it may help make better and wiser decisions in life but fear is just an object keeping you from reaching your full potential. Only time I fear when I'm riding my bike is during a high speed stoppie. They scare me everytime. Other than high-speed stoppies I don't usually get scared much when riding unless I'm trying something totally new in a small space.. can't let those types of thoughts pass through your mind. To accomplish goals and push yourself to the max you need to stay focused 100 percent on success. There's no time to figure out what can go wrong when in the middle of a trick. I try to focus on what I gotta do to make it right.

Can some dangerous situation while riding makes you feel some fear or after it you are just riding the same as before?

Every now and then you will get yourself in a weird position that feels uncomfortable or unfamiliar giving you some goosebumps. For some reason when that happens I get excited. Like I cheated death. It's a good thing though because that's how you discover your boundaries. Once you know your boundaries there's nothing to fear as long as you don't take it past that point. So when that happens to me. I remember what I did and how I did it so I don’t make that mistake again. Making me more comfortable on the bike since I know what happens after that point now. But things like hand slipping off the handle bars or mechanical malfunction when something like that happens I tend to slow down and second guess my self.

Do you need some adrenaline thrill during the winter break? For example by doing some dangerous activities or just driving your car faster…



Winter time is definitely a time period of misery. I try to find a day were I can get out and get some riding in just to get it in my system. After 4 months of no riding you start to question yourself if you even know how to ride anymore. Drives me nuts. Pulling me further and further away from my dreams and desires. Like being in jail. I try to skate and fix things. Anything that can keep my mind busy so I'm not thinking about riding. I also tear my bike apart every year and rebuild it so that keeps me busy and also great excuse why I can't ride because my bikes in pieces.. haha.



PS. That's the first interview from a few about the passion to motorcycles and andrenaline. More to come! Stay tuned!

Pictures: Sierra Stunts