Arts & Entertainment

Stars of 'Biker Boyz' taught the ropes of speed riding

By Ray Hafner
The Daily Cougar

When Rick Gonzalez showed up for his first day at biker camp, as part of the new movie Biker Boyz, he was a little nervous about hopping on a Ducati, the Ferrari of motorcycles.

"They had to show me where the buttons were," the Brooklyn native said. "You put the slowest learner on with the hardest bike ­ you got problems."

In the film, Gonzalez plays Primo, a young California racer who joins up with Kid, played by Derek Like, in an effort to unseat the reigning "King of Cali," Laurence Fishburne.

Luke, Gonzalez and fellow Biker Boy Brandon Fehr, who plays Stuntman, recalled their time preparing for the movie and the high learning curve for handling these "beasts of great power," as Fehr put it.

Riders spent three weeks at the camp, learning the ropes, hanging out with real bikers and trying to look cool for the film. While Gonzalez admits 35 mph was speedy for him, Luke and Fehr revved up their machines a tad faster.

Luke, who is winning critical acclaim for his performance in Antwone Fisher, remembered racing co-star Dijmon Honsou and was pushing up towards 100 mph when "my life flashed before me." He decided to take it back down a little.

Fehr, best known for his work on televisionis Roswell as an emotionally troubled alien, actually had three accidents during filming. The most spectacular one was when he flipped the bike and shot it 50 yards down the set.

"The whole thing was airborne and pointing up," he said. "All I saw was speedometer and blue sky. Thatis not what you like to see. I like speedometer and road."

Despite the focus on the races and the obvious comparison to 2001is The Fast and the Furious that inevitably ensues, the actors all insist Biker Boyz is more than that.

Envisioned as a contemporary western by writer/ director Reggie Rock Bythewood, the movie delves into the world of mostly black biker gangs and sets up Kidis mission to unseat Fishburneis Smoke as a coming of age story.

Gonzalez said the movie would educate "folks that bikers arenit just Hellis Angels on Harleys." One scene in the movie shows the various biker teams holding a bike wash to raise money for local schools.

"They actually do that," Gonzalez said. "The reality is these guys help the community."

Gonzalez also remembered being surprised when he first met Kid Rock, who plays Dogg, sitting in front of his trailer with fake grass lying on the ground.

"Heis like a mom," Gonzalez remembered, saying Rock was continually going around asking, "‘You guys hungry? You thirsty?i Heis a sweetheart."

Gonzalez said he probably wonit be buying a motorcycle anytime soon. Fehr is actually riding a borrowed Honda, and the 28-year-old Luke said he wouldnit mind getting a bike.

Whatis stopping him?

"My wife,"he said.
 
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