Hari ng stunts

Ask any old-time biker how to perform stunts on a bike and chances are, you would hear the name Francis Daban. "Yun ang hari ng stunts. Tumatayo at humihiga yun sa bike," is what you will be told.I’ve heard that name a dozen times. No, it’s not because I’ve been trying to do some wheelies or stoppies but old bikers tell me about this living legend because my bike – an ageing but still spunky Honda CB750 – reminds them of the man. "Ganyang-ganyan yung bike na hinihigaan niya eh."

Intrigued, I asked around where Daban is now. I was told that he has gone back to his home in Jaro, Iloilo; that he has opened a bike repair shop there; that he still performs occasionaly, especially fiestas. I wasn’t expecting, however, that I would meet him this soon.

I finally met Daban three weeks ago during a trip to Iloilo. Manuel Sta. Cruz, president of S.C. Kymco Pilipinas, invited us to watch the drag races for the Kymco Spike moped and on the way to the former queen city of the south, I asked our host if there’s a chance I would bump into Daban. "Darating yun sa karera, sigurado," assured Manny.

Meeting the legend

The moment we arrived at Iloilo’s makeshift drag strip, I immediately eyed the bikes parked on the side of the road. One bike caught my attention. It was a 1978 Honda CB400, a smaller version of my bike. I knew right then that Daban was around.

Gilbert Limjoco, S.C. Kymco’s vice president, approached us and tapped me on the shoulder. "Yun si Francis," he said, pointing to a bespectacled man with greying hair. The man didn’t look fearsome. Standing about 5’2", with a frail frame and soft voice, he didn’t appear like the legend I was expecting him to be. I was looking forward to a man with muscles (you need bulk to toy with big bikes). But Daban didn’t have much. What he has, as I learned from later conversations, was an insatiable yearning to ride bikes.

Born the only son of a Spanish mestizo father and an American mother 65 years ago, Daban had been riding bicycles since his toddler years. His father was among the first men in Iloilo to own a Harley-Davidson and when Daban reached 14, he was already taking out the 1200cc cruiser on Panay island’s still-unpaved streets. "Hindi ko pa nga kayang padyakan yun eh. Pinapa-start ko sa boy namin tapos itatakas ko na," he recalled.

It was in Fort San Pedro, the Luneta park of Iloilo, that Daban learned the basics of stunt riding. Along with friends, he experimented with bikes of different sizes. He mastered them all and in no time, he was being invited to show his daredevil skills during special occasions. He was also winning competitions left and right, ranging from scrambling (motocross) to circuit racing.

Because of his skills in riding, Daban was tapped as a regular escort for the Tour of Luzon. Tour veterans still remember him as the first and probably the only motorcycle rider ever to match a cyclist’s speed going down Kennon Road from Baguio.

Touring on a bike

We didn’t arrive early enough to see Daban perform during the race intermission. So I asked him for a favor. Nope, I didn’t ask him to do some stunts; I just asked if he could tour me around Iloilo on his bike. He readily agreed.

We scheduled to meet the following day. After having breakfast of La Paz bachoy, I took the pillion seat of Daban’s CB400 and he drove me off to different interesting places in the city. Three other riders– Mel Yap of Emcor (the biggest dealer of Kymco in Visayas and Mindanao), STAR local correspondent Leo Solinap and Manila Standard’s Dino Directo– joined the ride, each of them taking a Kymco Spike 125 which trounced bikes of various makes in the races the previous day. We went to the oldest bakery, stopped by different churches, visited a traditional sinamay-weaving factory, and passed by dozens of century-old mansions that dotted Iloilo.

As we were going to Miag-ao to see its magnificent church, Daban told me about safety. In his youth, he said, he didn’t pay much attention to safe riding. It was only when he grew older that he realized that safety is what every biker should have in mind whenever he rides a bike.

"Kailangan huwag ka lang sakay nang sakay," he said. "Dapat iniisip mo palagi ang safety mo at safety ng paligid mo."

Daban never showed any fancy ability during our three-hour ride. What he displayed were basic, no-nonsense skills – flawless gear shifting, accurate braking, super-smooth maneuvering and truly educated road manners. He never passed a vehicle without making a signal first. And he stayed on his lane when the traffic was not moving.

When we returned to our hotel, Daban showed me pictures from his youth. I couldn’t believe my eyes. The gentle, soft-spoken and frail-looking man who just toured me around on his bike used to make motorcycles fly. "Kaya n’yo po akong turuan kung paano gawin ito?" I asked him, pointing to a picture of him flying over a row of vehicles on a motorcycle. He simply smiled. "Madali lang yan. Ang kailangan mong pag-aralan ay kung papaano kontrolin ang sarili mo. Madali lang magkontrol ng bike. Mahirap magkontrol ng sarili."

EDITOR’S NOTE: Bikers is a column open to contributors. If you are a biker who wants to write, send us any piece about a biking issue, an interesting bike, tour, store etc. Contributions should be e-mailed to starmotoring @yahoo.com.