Rider of the month: David
My name is David Rodríguez Lavandeira. I’m 38 years old and a native of Viveiro, Galicia. My profession was that of Merchant Seaman, and I say it ‘was’, because in February 2019 I had a professional accident. I experienced an inner struggle and needed the most difficult intervention of my life. Then I thought… A motorcycle?! But I didn’t want just any motorcycle. I needed a motorcycle that would fit with my bohemian personality. Deep, sensible and noticed because of its class, not by how much noise it makes. Then one day I saw the Brixton Rayburn and it was love at first sight.
- In one word, why do you ride a motorcycle?
Happiness. It allowed me to connect with life and gave me pure freedom.
- What was it about Brixton Motorcycles that got your attention?
From a very young age, I firmly believed in elegance and class. Brixton motorcycles represents that elegant style of years gone by.
- Why did you start riding again?
In February 2019 I broke my leg, which ended my profession as a Merchant Seaman. I can’t run, surf or climb – activities that made me feel free. This isn’t just a motorcycle for me – it’s my psychologist, a best friend, and my adventure companion.
- What Brixton are you riding? What’s your favourite thing about it?
I ride the Rayburn 125. What I like most is her elegant features, like the bikes James Dean used to ride in the 50s, and at the same time, the bohemian style that gives her that hipster look – which is always so attractive and visual.
- How long have you been riding for?
I’ve been riding since I was 18 years old. I spent 20 years driving motorcycles with higher displacements, such as Harley and Ducati, and my decision to ride a Rayburn was because I have never seen a motorcycle with such style, and it fits with my way of understanding life. There are motorcycles that need to make a lot of noise for people to look at them, then there are the Brixtons – which without making noise, are noted for their elegance.
6.What’s the craziest ride you’ve been on? Where do you plan on going next?
The great madness of man and woman is the journey towards love, and that is what I feel every time I travel on my Rayburn. I feel an immense desire to live. I feel free and my soul smiles. My Rayburn is a precious madness that drives me to find freedom and security – freedom from solitude, and the security of shooting by at the rate my senses allow.
- The furthest from home you’ve ever been on your Brixton?
I’ve travelled 4500km since I got my Rayburn in August. I’ve been to Asturias and León when the pandemic mobility restrictions allowed it. Every kilometre I did on top of my Rayburn was pure happiness, pure life. I don’t usually make plans; I prefer going day-by-day and doing what my heart tells me, although I haven’t seen my brother for a year due to the pandemic. We live in different places and are both riders, and the other day he asked me: what if we ride after COVID, taking long motorcycle routes, getting off at Cádiz, doing short stretches of 100/200 km per day and stopping at different places? It would be great and more with a brother. And possibly our next adventure.
- The most beautiful place you’ve been on your Brixton?
Every morning, I wake up very early to see if the grey and rainy weather we have in my native Galicia offers a truce. If so, I usually make a thermos of American coffee, grab my backpack, go down to the garage for my Rayburn, then head to the ancient Celtic ruins of the Castros de Fazouro. There, I see the sun rise in the East while I enjoy a hot coffee, thankful for a new day. For me, that is being a millionaire. Life is moments, and for me, to be with my brixton in a place where our ancestors lived watching the sun rise, is pure magic.
- Would you rather ride on ocean roads or mountain passes?
As a man from the sea, I need the incomparable smell of salt-peter on my routes, and the noise of seagulls marking the course of the wind. I respect the route between the mountains a lot, and on many occasions, because of where the compass points, I’ve rolled towards the mountain. But I have salt-peter in my DNA so if I have to choose, the routes where I see the sea is my true north.
- The best place to run out of gas?
A good rider would never run out of gas, because a good rider knows the general condition of his motorcycle. Although if that did happen, I would like to run out of gas next to my parents’ house, … so I get to eat my mum’s rich food.
Foto: David
Davids Motocycle: Rayburn 125
Follow David on Instagram: @dave__rayburn