Ghostriders

You've all seen them... guys riding sportbikes like the Suzuki GSX-ZQV-Blargh-death Super-Racer 3000. These bikes are amazing feats of speed-oriented tech: They've got carbon fiber exhaust pipes, recessed, shock-absorbed anodized aluminum handlebars, titanium lug nuts, and black, radar-absorbing tennis-balls wedged in between the ceramic disc brakes. A few of these bikes weigh something like 450 lbs and have 180 hp-- literally mind-bending acceleration.

What do these guys do with all this power? As with everything governed by the bell curve, some of these guys can get really, really, really good at riding these machines. The elite call themselves Ghostriders, which means that they're good at two things: One, actually handling these monsterously powerful machines, and two, doing a lot of illegal stuff. If you suspect that the black BBLLUURR that just whizzed past you at over 250 km/h was one of them, you may indeed have seen one of them in action.

(more)

Essentially, ghostriders pick a route, drive it balls out, film it, and don't get caught (those that get caught just may have to abandon their bikes!).

The videos produced by the BEST ghostriders can be amazing (this guy can do wheelies at 180 km/h, and takes it on up to 300 km/h) or even downright F**KING SCARY to watch (look for the TWO TRUCKS in the middle of this one!!), but nothing, and I mean nothing can top the most famous of them all-- Pascal on the Periphique (click on the pic to view it). Holy crap! That's morning rush-hour traffic!! Who IS this guy?

Apparently, it's more like, who WAS this guy? Depending on who you listen to, this driver is/was Pascal Gallant, a guy that some claim died trying to beat his record around the Periphique, the ring road around Paris. Others claim that he's still around, and in fact, says one internet forum poster (previous link), "I talked to him yesterday." This guy is a PROFESSIONAL (actually races professionally) rider. Try this at home and you may as well make a brain omelette! Seriously. (hence, I drive a Vespa, as anyone here that knows me knows my penchant for getting in over my head should definitely NOT extend to motorcycles with THIS much power).

The latest thing now is for these highly-skilled riders to make videos of them doing their thing and selling them as DVD's on the internet.

Now, let's not get into an argument as to whether this is wrong. It is. But to me, there is a thing, and then there is the PORNIFICATION of that thing. There is sex, "sex" as we "mortals" know it, and then PORN sex as it can never really be (and do we want it or could we handle it, anyway?). The same can be said of these Ghostriders, too. We might drive a sport bike, let's say, and enjoy going fast or riding it around occaisonally, but can we really turn the machine inside out like THIS? This is, essentially, motorcycle porn, representing the unattainable pinnacle of what, by and large, everything truly isn't.

Yup. It's dangerous, too. The biggest danger here, IMHO, doesn't come from the elite riders doing this, but comes from the majorly stupid copycats that no doubt see these videos and then head out to inevitably kill a family of four... sad. But somehow, the 0.00000003% chance of my getting killed by one of these guys doesn't turn my anger against the fact that somehow, in some way, these Bladerunners exist.