The Coolest Kid in The Universe

By Keith May
(Originally appeared in Cycle World magazine)  


My nephew Wesley. Blessed with natural grace and fountains of energy, he rides anything with wheels (or without) and can shoot the tail off a rattlesnake at fifty yards. Quiet but fearless, he takes it all in stride of course. He is, without a doubt, in my completely objective opinion, absolutely the coolest kid in the Universe.

On a much-too-rare visit home to Georgia I spent some time with this youngest of our brood. He was ten and I was thirty-something. After humbling me on PlayStation he showed me his old Honda 50R. Mechanically sound but cosmetically challenged, a modest hand-me-down from an older cousin. Papa has a big Quad down the street so we pulled that out too and I was soon chasing Wes around pine and kudzu trying to keep up. Did I mention he’s fearless? And sneaky too–leading me into a briar-patch and smiling from the tiny exit. Luckily big Quads include a Reverse gear. Time to swap four wheels for two. Tag you’re it, Wes.

The next morning he and I were drinking coffee, tossing pennies against the curb of the local motorcycle dealer anxiously waiting for the doors to open. Outgrowing the Fifty, he wants to shop around and pray for a miracle. Inside awaited a generous collection of sparkling, never been ridden CR, KX, SX, RM, and TTs. And pimped-out pocket-bikes too. Toys for all ages. Alot to consider, but reaching the ground is priority one, at least with tiptoes. He’s instinctively drawn to the flashiest mini-motocrossers, but remarkably pragmatic and looks for something he can get the most use from. A pitch he’s charmingly rehearsing on me.

Twenty five years ago I was using the soft-sell on my Dad. He did his own research and Christmas morning a Kawasaki KD100 waited under the tree. Simple. Durable. Kick-start only. One down–three up. I rode the wheels off that little green monster and was free to ride anywhere a full tank could carry me. As long as I was home for dinner. My small world was suddenly a large one and getting bigger all the time. Thanks, Santa Claus.

Meanwhile, Wesley continues to look for an upgrade to the venerable XR50, but now that he’s discovered girls too, he has a whole new world of options.

Wesley Daniell. Coolest kid in the universe. The legend continues.