Stephen Stoops: Rider of the Month January 2017!
Last Updated: November 30th, 2020
We love it when people in the riding community reach out to us and recommend a rider they think needs to be highlighted as our Rider of the Month. We love it even more when we realize it is someone who has been tight with us for years. Bike nights, movie events, and of course training, have all been part of Stephen Stoop’s involvement with TEAM. We’re excited to share Stephen’s 40 years of motorcycling experience with all of our readers.
STEPHEN’S FIRST GEAR SHIFTS
When we communicate with our Rider of the Month, we’re very interested to find out about their history in motorcycling. Stephen’s extensive motorcycling background means more opportunity for discovery. Here’s what our January 2017 Rider of the Month had to say:
I started riding when I was 9 years old. I had a Honda QA50 and I rode it hard. That started me down a path that has brought me much joy throughout my life. I owned many different motorcycles and customized many of them myself. I once had a Yamaha that I completely disassembled over the winter just to learn about it and see what I could change or make better. I had to do it in my apt. bedroom because I had no garage. The pieces of that bike were spread out across the floor like an exploded view in a manual. My whole apartment smelled like a garage! I’ve had many bikes since then and loved them all. But the best of them all is my BMW S1000RR. All those years it was the bike I was trying to build.
I actually stopped riding for a while after I got married as my wife did not like it. When I started riding again here in Arizona I met some really great people. The motorcycle community here is at once small and yet large. There are so many riders here but everywhere I go I see a friend and meet more friends. Many of my friends talked about taking a Total Control class that helped them ride better. Well I was skeptical as I had been riding for many years and you know, what else could I learn. Well you don’t know what you don’t know until you know it. I took a class with TEAM Arizona and was impressed by the instructors and what they were teaching. I rode out of that class with knowledge that has helped me ride better, faster and safer.
I started out mostly riding sport bikes and doing track days. Lately I started riding with the AZRatPack and doing more long distance rides. I have found a whole new world to explore. I’ve ridden to Seattle a few times and done the SCMA 3 Flags Classic twice now. Riding on the open roads and exploring new areas of our country is so great. I love turning up some tunes and just riding. Last year I rode 7500 miles in 11 days all around the west coast. I added a BMW GS to my collection for those longer rides. But now I am getting the itch to build something again. Who knows??
All in all, the best thing about riding motorcycles is the people you meet while doing it.
What a fantastic sentiment; the motorcycling experience is enriched by the quality of the people in the community. That’s the purpose for our Rider of the Month segment. We want to share the best and brightest. We want to highlight people like Stephen who make motorcycle riding in Arizona great. Who would you recommend?
Riders, we want to honor YOU! Do you know someone who should be TEAM Arizona’s Rider of the Month? Entering their name is SIMPLE.
- Email Bill (bill@motorcycletraining.com )
- In the subject line, type “Rider of the Month”
- In one paragraph, tell us why this rider deserves the title TEAM Arizona Rider of the Month!
Let’s have some serious FUN with this gang! There are some great stories out there and we don’t want to miss them, so tell us about yourselves!
