GERRY KUE

My name is Gerry Kue and I am from Providence Rhode Island, born and raised.

I started riding when I was 18 years old. At the time, I just thought it was the cool thing to do. So I signed up for my motorcycle license and bought my fi rst bike, a 2006 gsxr 750 Burgundy and black. Ive always liked those rare colors. As time went by, I really started to realize how stress relieving riding was. No one knows the feeling until they have actually ridden. It’s a feeling of freedom and knowing you can go from 0mph to 80mph in seconds is just an absolute amazing feeling. My second bike was the 2008 gsxr 1000 copper and black. 2010-2016 were probably the best years of my riding days. Great group of guys I rode with and there was never a destination, we just rode. Some rode to escape their families and some rode to get away from their everyday stress.

In 2016 at the age of 28, I felt that I had no fulfi llment in life. It was the same daily routine for me. Wake up, work, ride, hang out in the streets and slowly see each friend go down one by one, whether it was jail, drugs or death. I realized I had to do something to better my life since my parent’s main reason for coming to this country was to better their kid’s lives. All they ever asked of us was to fi nish school, and me being the adventurous and youngest one, I did not fi nish school. That summer I decided to join the police force, something I never thought I’d do especially growing up in the area that I did. Receiving that letter of acceptance in 2017, I knew I had to sell the precious bike In order to survive the Police academy that paid a measly $10 an hour.

Years have gone by and everyday I thought about riding again. Then here comes 2020, a crappy year for all mankind, COVID-19 hits. Sadly, I lost my father to Covid in April

of 2020, followed by my mother, lost also to Covid in May of 2020. My father was a great man. A Lieutenant Colonel in the Army who fought in the secret war to help the U.S. CIA. They fought side by side with the Americans, and they won! My mother, the hardest working woman anyone could have ever met. From working in factories to growing vegetables and selling them to the community. They may not have had much, but their doors were always open to a family member in need. That was by far the worse time in my life. These two who fought so hard to just give us a better life, and yet I didn’t get a chance to show them my accomplishments because I decided to do good so late in life. Two strong people who were willing to leave their lives behind and drop it all for their kids. Traveling through the jungle of Laos not knowing if they would even make it out alive. I could never compare. Through these stressful times, riding was always on my mind, my stress free time. I came upon some cash that my parents left behind for myself and my siblings. That money

I never wanted to use on just miscellaneous items. So I found the perfect idea. I would build a bike in memory of them both. End of 2020 is when I purchased a 2009 Hayabusa. I didn’t just want to build any bike, I wanted to build the best bike because they were the best parents. In my culture (Hmong), a dragon is a sacred creature, something many will never encounter but has great powers. Remembering hearing so many folktales from my parents about dragons, that’s when the build began. The plain busa became “The Guardian”, a 300 C&S swing arm fat tire kit, custom painted wheels, fully airbrushed dragon scheme on the plastics, CNC bladed levers, custom pointed handle bars, Brocks headers with a voodoo tip, power commander, super spring, custom double projector headlight, custom tail light, custom fl ush rear signal lights and front, Hayabusa Kanji gas cap, custom gel Hayabusa kanji seats, quad lock phone holder and Of course the best, a custom front windscreen with my parents initials and dates of passing. This bike was just recently fi nished and will have many more upgrades in the winter. Will be installing led lights provided by Florida Ride or Die, custom painted swing arm, custom mesh kits, custom cut fenders and a show plate which will be made for my parents as well. Photos to come.

Lastly I want to give a big shout out to my great friend Phil who put this entire bike together, without him this project wouldn’t be possible. Props to him and his work PD Motorsports. Another shoutout to my friends Nick and Paul from Geared to Perfection (371 Metacom Ave. Warren RI), who spent countless hours to perfect the paint on these amazing wheels. And Of course the biggest shout out to my amazing wife, Paggy. I wouldn’t be where I am today without her.

P.S. All riders, please respect your bikes. I know there comes a time when we all feel invincible on these amazing machines but in reality, we are not. When you lose respect for your bike, that’s when we lose ourselves and bad things happen. It’s not only you that you have to worry about, we all know there are drivers out there who have no care for bikers. I know, because I’ve lost a close friend to an irresponsible driver who took his life and didn’t bother to even stop. Ride safe, always pay attention, wear your helmet, and respect your bike. Find me on Instagram @Go_Kue

Gerry Kue