Stand Up Rider Interview: Wesley Bracken

Hi Wesley, welcome to the blog! Lets get this party started – could you tell us a little about yourself and your motorsport history?

My name is Wesley Bracken, I turned 36 this year. Got my first motorcycle when I was around 10yrs old and been hooked on riding ever since. Rode some motocross when I turned 18 but never got above an intermediate level rider. Broke a few bodily things as most motocross riders do and decided it was time to hang it up about 6 years ago. 

I dabbled in motorcycle track days after giving up motocross and did some small time club racing with a little organization out of Omaha, NE. Asphalt racing gets super expensive however with the cost of tires, track time, and the level of money I was spending just didn’t correlate with the level of fun I was having.

Not saying road racing isn’t fun because it is super awesome, but after burning up a $400 set of tires a weekend it gets pretty expensive. I still have a CRF450 supermoto but have not been to the track in a couple years. I ride the sand dunes in Oklahoma at least once in the winter with the CRF450 and also have a Husqvarna FE450 dual sport that I trail ride when it gets too cold for skis. Gotta spend as much time behind bars as possible!

Man, I feel ya on the street track days. It was fun, but not that fun since the barriers to entry were much higher. And crashing was lame. So how did you end up getting into stand ups?

My best friend Ryan and his brother Brandon, who I met doing the track days/road racing stuff, got me on a ski. They grew up spending summers at Lake of the Ozarks and been riding stand ups for years. They invited me out to the lake and stuck me on a Kawasaki 650SX and told me it was the easiest ski to learn on. What a joker!!! Ryan and Brandon just laughed and laughed as I attempted to get up on the ski and wore myself out falling over and over again. I figured it wouldn’t be as difficult due to all the motorcycle experience I had, but skis are a different animal!

After that first outing I wasn’t necessarily a fan because I could barely ride 10 feet without falling over.

Later that season I got on Ryan’s round nose Superjet and could instantly tell a huge difference in the handling. After a weekend on the Superjet I could get up no problem and make some slow turns without falling over. I was totally hooked after that summer. Purchased a square nose Superjet that winter so I could have my own machine to put hours on the following season.

Sometimes having motorcycle experience is a downside because of the habit of counter steering. At least it was for me. So after the “easy” 650SX, was it difficult to learn to ride a stand up and how was the learning process?

Well, starting out my “Friends” who knew how to ride gave me little to no instruction. Most guys will understand! I didn’t quite understand the concepts of how the ski worked and the effect applying power would have on handling, how to weight the tray etc. All I really knew was that you needed throttle to turn and propel the ski. I struggled a lot because I was trying to ride it like a motorcycle at first. Getting on the round nose Superjet and feeling the difference in power and handling was amazing! It was much easier for me to ride and I totally fell in love.

Now when I am teaching someone new I make sure to explain to them about how the suction from the pump helps stabilize the hull and give them specific steps like how to start in deep water, how to learn throttle control, and riding on your knees first before standing up. Always give them positive feedback! The look of accomplishment on someones face the first time they get up and ride is awesome.

I have noticed females seem to learn better or ride better than males right off the bat. Not sure whats up with that? 

It is just because we’re better! Haha, it is most likely because women are often lighter weight than men so the ski has less to carry. Ok, so let’s move on to some favorites! What is your favorite part about riding stand ups and what is your favorite ski?

#1 – My favorite part is not being too serious. Just loading up and heading to my local lake 10 minutes away to get some tray time in. Just hanging out and spending time on the water with friends is a great way to spend the summer.  

#2 – I get almost as much adrenaline rush out of riding skis compared to motorcycle racing, but without the risk of injury and way less sweating! 

#3 – Compared to motorcycle racing /riding, the cost of riding ski’s is super cheap and the maintenance is so much less than a bike. You literally just put your mixed gas in and go ride. Wipe the ski down when you take it out of the water and that is it. No oil to change, no air filters to clean, chain to adjust, no tires to change. Its great. I am surprised that more people don’t ride them, especially the retired motocross guys which there are quite a few in the Kansas city area. 

#4 –  Distance to the riding area! In Kansas City we have 2 lakes to choose from that are 30 min or less from downtown KC. I live less than 10 min from the preferred lake for the local wakeboard/surfers. WIN WIN.

Favorite ski is definitely a 2008+ Superjet. I think it is the most versatile ski out there. It jumps, plays and carves well and is a great all around ski. My amigo Mike aka @imotormike on Instagram has a Judge Motorsports built 1100 swapped SXR that has a special place in my heart as well. I think it is the sound those 1100’s produce. It just sounds like a total beast. Anyone that rides one knows. That and the ability to do 60+mph on the water standing up is pretty cool. I will likely add one to the collection someday. 

Really coudn’t have said that better myself, riding stand ups is so freeing. I stand by my opinion that a lot of motorcycle riders would benefit from switching to, or at least adding, stand ups in their lives. So what do you currently ride, and what are your future riding goals?

Like most stand up fanatics, I own a few. After riding my square nose a couple years I wanted a more reliable ski and found a great deal on a 2017 Superjet and was once again blown away with the handling of the 2008+ hull. That is one thing I love about stand ups is the difference in handling. If you want to slide around you can hop on a 550, 650, X2, square nose, or pre-2008 RN Superjet and rip your shorts off with a little technique. If you want to carve up some buoys or a cove you can jump on a SXR or 2008+ SJ and they will just rip! Never been on an aftermarket hull but I’m sure the race versions are amazing carvers. 

Currently in my stable is a 1995 Superjet (Best OEM graphics ever, *fight me*), a 2017 white/black Superjet (Main \Ssqueeze), and I just picked up a 2015 Superjet because I also love those OEM graphics and…why not? Everyone needs at least 2 Superjets! I wish I could own more. Would love to have an 1100 swapped SXR or AM race hull for strictly buoys, maybe a Krash reaper or WB1 for boat wakes when the water is super rough. 

Future riding goals are just to continue to have fun and get better every year. I wouldn’t mind hitting a race or 2 next season, but I don’t really plan to get serious about racing. I enjoy just the freeride/versatility aspect. Launch the ski, carve some turns, do some subs and tail stands, hit some boat wakes. Whatever you feel like doing that day you can do.  At my local lake there is always some surf boats out and they are pretty cool letting me launch off their wake. I would love to learn nose stabs and maybe work up to barrel rolls off a boat wake eventually. 

Quite the stable! I agree, Superjets are muy bueno! Tell us a bit about how you train/practice to reach your goals?

Hit the gym when not riding! Fitness will help your riding tremendously. Most new riders are surprised at how physical riding stand ups can be! The gym and strength training are your friend. When I am on days off work I try to burn at least a tank of fuel a day at my local lake and more if I head to Lake of the Ozarks. Tray time is super important. You just happen to learn little tricks that you won’t learn anywhere else but in the tray.

Outside of skis, what other things do you like to do?

Anything behind bars. I was heavy into mountain biking in college, but now is just a fall/winter thing for me. I still have a couple dirt bikes. One is set up for dunes or a supermoto, the other is a street legal trail slayer. Would like to do more adventure riding in the mountains of Colorado, Idaho or pacific northwest with it.

Yes, yes, I like your style. My husband and I were thinking about picking up a few SuMos and doing a Colorado trip sometime. Well Wes, thank you so much for sharing your story! In closing, what advice do you have for fellow people interested in learning how to ride stand ups?

GET ONE! These are too much fun not to enjoy. Yes the learning curve is steep, but it is so rewarding to go out and get better every session. For other motorcycle fans especially the motocross guys these are a no-brainer. They are great crossover training that will work your whole body without the risk of injury. I love teaching people how to ride and trying to grow the sport.