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Lori Prichard and Andrew Adams reporting A 21-year-old Kaysville man's death again raises questions about so-called bullet bikes and whether they're safe.
They can reach speeds of up to 170 miles an hour. And in Utah, all you need to do to drive one is pass a written test; no riding experience is required, even though the Division of Motor Vehicles strongly suggests a safety course for new riders.
Tyler Wilde was thrown from his motorcycle on Deseret Drive in Kaysville late Saturday night. Friends say he was an avid dirt bike rider, but he hadn't taken a safety course on riding bullet bikes. A friend said Tyler had only had the bike for two days. In fact, his bike was so new, police say he didn't even have a motorcycle license.
The night before Tyler was killed, he was just hanging out with his friends; something his friends say he liked to do.
Matt Bosen said, "He's a real friendly guy, [with] lots of heart."
Bosen watched his friend come around a corner a little too fast. Tyler slid out, his bike hit the curb, and Tyler flew through the air.
"I really thought I was dreaming," Bosen said. "I really couldn't believe what I saw. It's horrible. It's something you see in the movies, and you really can't grasp that it's real."
It's real, and unfortunately, not all that rare.
As friends gathered at the accident site, they told us this isn't the first friend to die on a so-called bullet bike. These bikes are fast, which riders say is part of the fun. Video shows a rider cutting through traffic and another popping a wheelie down I-15.
If you buy one in Utah, all you need are two things: to pass a written test and have a motorcycle license.
Lt. Brent Ward of the Kaysville Police Department said, "First off, they're extremely dangerous. They have a lot of horsepower. They accelerate very rapidly. They need to start small and gradually go as their experience is gained."
Tyler's family is wondering whether they should have let him buy the bike in the first place. But what Tyler's sister, Kenzie, really wants is her brother back. "He was really shy with other people, but he was really funny and could always make you laugh. [He was] always happy," she said.
Friends say Tyler was just headed to get something to eat when he crashed. His funeral is scheduled for Thursday.
Donations are being accepted to the Tyler Wilde Memorial Fund at any America First Credit Union.
E-mail: lprichard@ksl.com
E-mail: aadams@ksl.com
