WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — Lamont Mead is not your average truck driver. He prefers to drive something else with a few less wheels: his motorcycle.
“This is my baby, I love this bike, man,” he said, gesturing toward his modified Harley-Davidson.
What You Need to Know:
Lamont Mead crashed his motorcycle a few days after buying it
He's one of nearly 3,700 people who get into a motorcycle accident every year
Mead took it upon himself to take a bike safety course with the police department after his accident
He’s only been riding in Forsyth County about four months, and it was never really in his plans.
“I rode by Smokin’ Harley-Davidson, and I was just like, ‘Man … I want a bike,’” Mead said. “So, I literally did a U-turn and went and bought a bike that day.”
Mead crashed his bike within the first few days of getting it, so he had to wait a bit before he could really get going. It gave him some downtime, however, to really learn the craft.
“The whole time my bike was getting fixed, I was watching videos, learning how to ride, seeing the best setup, how I want to do it,” Mead said. “And then, that’s how I ended up with this setup.”
That setup being a GoPro rig, cellphone holder and microphone, among other modifications. The look is quite futuristic and has earned Mead the nickname “Ironman” among the Twin City Sons of Thunder, a biker club in Winston-Salem.
He puts the rig to good use, posting many of his riding adventures on TikTok under the username ironman sot.
Riding doesn’t come without a little danger though. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, Mead is one of 187,849 motorcycle owners in the state of North Carolina.
According to the NCDOT, he’s one of 3,696 people who get into an accident every single year, on average, in the state.
The highest accident totals naturally come from months with better weather and in higher-populated counties such as Mecklenburg, Wake, Guilford, Forsyth and Cumberland, which is a bit of a surprise due to its lower population compared to the others.
Of the nearly 3,700 accidents per year, 172 result in death, on average.
“I crashed without having any knowledge, so now, I want to take all the opportunity of learning this bike, learning the sport and learning why it’s good to be safe,” Mead said.
And he has been learning. We actually met Mead as he was taking a biker safety class with the Winston-Salem Police Department.
The courses are offered all around the state through an NCDOT initiative called BikeSafe, aimed at cutting down on motorcycle accidents and deaths by educating riders on road safety.
Mead is currently a prospect with the Twin City Sons of Thunder, which means he’s on his way to becoming a full member of the organization. Now, riding is a part of who he is.
“That first to second to third gear, it’s just like aaaaAAAhhhhh. And then when you switch and you catch it, it’s just like, wooo,” he said with a smile. “When you get on this bike, nothing else matters except for you and the road and the wind.”
For those interested, Mead gave us the following breakdown of his bike's make, model and modifications:
"My bike is A 2020 Harley-Davidson (H-D) Street Bob, (FXBB).
"My mods are as follows:
"Willi G Skull, hand grips, Stage 1 Screaming Eagle (SE) air intake, Neighbor Hater exhaust slip-ons, front and back LED lights, H-D throw over saddle bags, Saddlemen Step-Up seat, H-D crash bars with H-D highway pegs, H-D 1/4 fairing. Stage 2 SE, SE pro tune, cam, Willi G air cover and oil cover."