Bikers Who Rode Into the Afterlife (photos)
Live to ride, ride to live is a common expression among bikers, but there are some that go even beyond that. What follows are a handful of riders who somehow managed to continue the ride after shuffling off the mortal coil.
Martin Brito - Motorcycle Junk Grave Marker
Martin Brito loved to ride his Harley chopper, and he was a bit of a clown. You might think it was the motorcycle that got him killed, but it was actually clowning around that did it. While leading a hike up into the mountains, he pretended to lose his balance while on the edge of a cliff... And then he actually lost his balance and fell off the cliff. He died in 1988 at teh age of 26, and this marker is at Los Llanitos Cemetery, in Truchas, NM.
David Morales Colon - Riding to his Own Grave
In May 2012, David Morales Colon was shot and murdered, ending his life at just 22 years old. His family went through the trouble of following his unusual request, and having him embalmed and posed for his wake on the Honda sport bike that he loved. No word on whether the bike was buried his him, passed down to a relative, or sold after the funeral.
Hans Pedersen - One Last Ride
Hans Pedersen was a man who liked to hang out with his friend, ride his Harley, drink beer, and smoke cigars. When he died at the age of 86, his son Flemming snuck his corpse out of the hospital, dressed him in motorcycle gear, and took him for a three hour ride. Together they covered nearly 60 miles, and stopped at many of Hans' old hang outs to see his friends, share a beer and a cigar. For his troubles the authorities ended up fining the younger Pedersen $300.
Motorcycle Wakes
Evidently, in 2010, a trend started in Puerto Rico where bikers wanted to be shown deceased on their rides. This slide shows an anonymous biker at his funeral riding his dark red Suzuki Hayabusa. The man posed on the silver bike is actually from a funeral in Texas, so it looks like this me be catching on.
Motorcycle Monuments
Perhaps easier than actually being buried with your bike is to have a memorial tombstone made to look like your bike? No matter what you ride you can get a full scale, or smaller version etched into stone, or even carved in three dimensions. Isn't this how you want to be remembered?
Scooting Through the Pearly Gates
In the Philippines recently a young man was killed while riding his scooter. The family decided that he loved his bike so much he would have wanted to be buried with it. Now, once he gets to heaven he can kick start it and cruise around the clouds.
Bill Standly - Riding his Harley to Heaven
Bill Standley from Mechanicsville, Ohio, died at age 82 but will live on forever for the legendary way he was buried. Planning his funeral in advance, he knew he couldn’t really ride off to heaven on his Harley, but as an avid motorcyclist he did things his way. He had a clear casket made, and was buried sitting on his beloved 1967 Harley, after being taken on a tour of the town for the whole world to see. Here he is shown at his funeral in the Plexiglas casket, about to be lowered into the ground.
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