Limited edition photographic print of Junior Stander

Junior Stander

Lanyon Street, Amsterdam, Mpumalanga, South Africa 2011/07/09 11:39

‘I was born in Bloemfontein in 1988, in the Universitas Hospital. Then we moved here... I got this bicycle from a guy who wanted to trade it for my motorbike. He wanted to build a go-kart out of it. I asked my dad if it was okay and he said yes. The guy brought me the bike and I figured out how the little motor works, and how to adjust the chain and all that stuff... It had a problem before: the chain used to slip off if you switched on the motor while you were riding. I lined it all up and tightened the chain, and from then on it’s been riding smoothly. At the moment I don’t have the two 12-volt batteries attached here in the back, they’re being charged. I normally just strap them on with old tubes. So it’s a front-wheel drive – when you switch on the motor it pulls with the front wheel. You must check it when the batteries are fully charged! You know, I “drift” with the bike, or I wheelie, or I ramp, or I do a “stoppie”. My tjommies and I found a big stoep outside the municipality offices that’s very smooth. We used to pour water all over it and do doughnuts and “burnouts”, but now they closed it off with a railing... We’re not allowed to ride there any more.’