Broadway Rider Ah Wai
Ever wonder who’s behind those motorbike gangs you see roaming the streets of Mong Kok? June Ng talks to Ah Wai, a motorcycle lover who helped to found the Broadway Riders, a motorcycle club that in its heyday had over 500 members. He talks about why group driving is such a great ego booster.
HK Magazine: When did you decide to start up the club?
Ah Wai: I have always liked motorbikes, and I started the club as a result of a coincidence. About 10 years ago I parked my bike in front of President Shopping Centre in Causeway Bay and bumped into some other guys that had the same model as me. So naturally, we started to talk and exchanged tips, and then later, we formed a club. We call ourselves the Broadway Riders because we like to gather in front of the Broadway Cinematheque in Mong Kok.
HK: How big can the meetings get?
AW: The biggest gathering I’ve ever attended had more than 70 people. We gathered as usual in Mong Kok, and drove to Tung Chung because there are more parking spaces there. But we don’t usually hold such a big gathering.
HK: Did you form a club just to look cool as you ride around on the streets?
AW: Well, that’s not the only reason. But anyone who joins this kind of club craves admiration from passersby. So yeah, we think we’re cool.
HK: How frequently do you guys meet? Do you have a routine?
AW: We meet every weekend, either on Saturday or Sunday. We never plan our route—we just drive along. But now that we have more members, people have started to make maps and post them online for reference. The hot spots for us include crossing the harbor and driving to Deep Water Bay, Repulse Bay, Stanley and Shek O, before driving back over to Kowloon side. In my craziest days I had to fuel my bike three times a day, and saw the club members more than my family.
HK: Meeting up just to drive around seems a bit dull. What else do you do for fun?
AW: We plan a lot of group activities besides driving, such as barbecues. It’s great fun to drive together to certain location, park, and then eat, drink and chat. We also organize overseas travel tours—on motorbikes, of course.
HK: What do you think of Hong Kong’s roads? Are they friendly to motorbike drivers?
AW: When you’re away on holiday, everywhere you go seems better than in your hometown. But truthfully, Hong Kong’s roads aren’t at all friendly to motorbike users. Even though Macau is much smaller than Hong Kong, they have 80,000 motorbikes, while we only have 30,000. The roads aren’t really designed for bikes, only cars, which can affect our safety.