Daryl in The Beijinger, December

Five things Daryl can create with his hands:
B&W Photography - I can process, develop and print my own film. A lost art.
Music - I play the guitar, bass and drums.
Cheesecake - I make a mean cheesecake.
Vietnamese coffee - an art I learnt from a Vietnamese shaman.
The perfect shisha - something I picked up during my time in Dubai.  

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The best thing about riding a two-wheeler is being able to lean into a corner with your whole body, almost like a bird. The bike feels like an extension of you. It’s natural. But with sidecars and quad-bikes, you steer with your hands. You lose that feeling of flying.
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The only way to be happy in life is to do what you love. And I love art and motorcycles. I did the math.
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Motorcycles have a lot of personality. They can be rugged yet refined, heavy but agile. It’s not something as pronounced in bicycles or scooters.
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The sidecar community will hate me for saying this but to me, sidecars are bulky. They don’t have the elegance and form of a refined two-wheeler.
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I got my first leather jacket from a thrift store in LA. It was brown and tattered like a retro pilot jacket. I got it for 20 dollars…it was awesome!
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Who’s the coolest person who’s ever ridden a motorbike? Batman. Someone real: Steve McQueen.
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I go for midnight bike rides through the city streets to catch long stretches of road to myself. There’s a feeling of serenity - almost like meditating.
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I’d love to design a car, but for me, cars have become a tool to get you from A to B. Perhaps one day I could bring back the charm of driving.
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The builders here claim to make custom bikes but true customization means more than just altering the paint job. Bandit9 aims to shake up the motorcycle culture by redefining customization here in China.
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