USC Moto is the official motorcycle club of the Trojans, and if you haven’t heard about it, well, I’m here to help. The 2-month-old group is looking to pick up speed and get members on board. President and founder Joel Garrison is determined to make this club one of the best on campus.

“Anybody who rides or who at least is interested in riding is welcome to be a part of the club,” says Garrison, “Some of the people have bikes, and some are thinking about getting bikes. We know a lot about them, so we tell them where to go and what bikes to get. We give them tips so they can ride better and pointers on how to keep maintenance on their bikes.”

Garrison rides a 2005 Yamaha R6, but riding solo was something he’s been trying to change. With that in mind, he set to work on creating his dream club at USC.

“It’s more fun to ride in a group than to ride by yourself, because it makes it a social event, and I thought who better to ride with than my fellow Trojans.”

The group already had its first event on Sept. 25, in Malibu, Calif., and although the weather was bad in the morning, by early afternoon it was the perfect weather. “Rock Shop Ride” was the name of their event, and it attracted about a dozen bikers from USC and Pepperdine University.

“We stopped by the Rockstar, which is a famous place where bikers come to eat and hang-out,” he says. “There were all types of bikes there: choppers, sport bikes, dual sports, Harleys and custom bikes. So we stopped, ate lunch and chatted up with other bikers.” Although it may be slightly intimidating to ride, Garrison stresses that the most important thing about riding motorcycles is not being afraid. He says he was slightly afraid, but once he gave it a chance he loved it. Taking a safety class is also important, and every ride rider must have the necessities: helmet, gloves, jacket with padding and boots.

USC Moto meets once a month and hosts monthly rides. Members keep in touch through the group’s Facebook page, which Garrison encourages all interested to visit. The group is open to all USC students, and anyone can join anytime so it’s never too late to go take a ride. USC Moto is already planning its next ride soon, keeping the pedal to the metal.

“The next ride is going to be sometime in October. We’re planning to go to Angeles Crest, it’s a fun place to ride and it’s beautiful,” says Garrison. “It’s a lot closer to USC, so I think we will have an even better turnout of riders, it has windy roads which are more fun to ride down.”

USC Moto welcomes everyone of all ages, students and faculty to ride together and share the passion they all have for motorcycles. Although a young club, Garrison and his members have big plans for the years to come.

“We want to get more riders, have more rides planned out all over California and participate in some charity rides and raise money for good causes,” he says. “Ultimately, we also want to start spawning other chapters at other schools and eventually get sponsored. We have a lot to get done so we’re moving fast trying to get this group up and running correctly. We want everyone to spread the word, and if you can’t find us on Facebook, e-mail us at scmotorcycleclub@gmail.com to get on the mailing list and find out more information.”

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