Stand Up Rider Interview: Brad Hall

Welcome Brad! Tell us a little about yourself and your motorsport/sports history; what started the addiction?

First, motorcycles: I got my first dirt bike when I was about 5 years old and had a couple different bikes up until I was old enough to drive. After I turned 16, I got my first street bike, a Kawasaki Ninja 250.  I rode all the way to Colorado on that bike and any time it rained, the airbox would fill with water and would flood out the carburetors. I had to stop several times in pouring rain and drain the bowls of the carburetors just so I could keep riding. On the way back, the oil light came on and I had burned all of the oil in the crankcase. I put in nearly its oil capacity when the light came on. When we got back home, I sold that bike for a profit, bought another bike, sold it for a profit, then purchased the bike I wanted from the start, a 2009 Monster Edition ZX6R. I spent every bit of money I had to buy it when I was 19 on eBay, sight unseen. Landers Harley Davidson in Arkansas had the bike and it just so happened that one of their employees was coming within about 5 miles of my house the following week, so I got free delivery! I still have that bike today.

Watercraft: My dad got a Tigershark 770 on trade and I planned on fixing it to ride. I got a new battery, tried to start it, and nothing happened. I replaced the starter, starter bendix, cleaned the carburetor, and replaced all of the fuel lines. The first time I took it out to the lake, I forgot about the drain plug and it filled up with water at the boat ramp and wouldn’t even start. The next time I took it out, I was able to ride it for about 5 minutes and it ran great! Then after hitting a wave at full throttle, the exhaust hose blew off and filled the hull with exhaust gases. I had to swim it back in to shore. I was frustrated with it at that point and traded it off, vowing to never own anything made by Arctic Cat again.  

After I bought my JS550, I was able to ride it a few times and I started having problems. I ended up having to swim it back to shore a few times. I worked on that ski more than I was able to ride it, for the second time. My family would go out on the boat and I would always be at the shore wrenching on the ski. Frustrated again, I sold it and bought a brand new Superjet.

Ahh the 550 story reminds me of, well, most 550 stories out there. I too was stranded in the lake with my 550 the first time I rode it. Ok, so moving on, how did you get into stand ups?

I stumbled upon a jet ski during my daily Craigslist perusing and the gears in my head started to turn.  I had owned a Tigershark 770 previously and was turned off to watercraft for a while because parts were impossible to find for such an unpopular ski. I was hesitant to buy another watercraft, but the small size, simplicity, availability of parts, and accessibility of the engine compartment of the stand up jet skis changed my mind. I set off to buy my first jet ski which was a red JS550.

Was it difficult to learn to ride a stand up ski, tell us about the learning process.

Learning to ride a stand up ski was actually the easy part for me. I only weigh 120lbs so I had a bit of an advantage.  I stood up the very first time I tried and fell off when I tried to take a turn. Before I even got a ski I watched every video I could find, including several of yours, so I had a pretty good idea of what to do from the beginning. Balancing came naturally to me. For all of my friends and family that have ridden my Superjet, it took most of them a few tries before they were able to stand up.

Happy to hear it was on the easy side, my knees were bloody my first day of riding. So what is your favorite part about riding stand ups?

My favorite part about riding a stand up jet ski is that it requires skill to ride, unlike “couches” that take very little skill to maneuver. I love being able to throw the ski around and fall off at low speeds. It’s satisfying to be fatigued at the end of the day and being able to set goals to work toward to nail tricks and increase riding endurance.

What do you currently ride, and what are your future riding goals?

I ride a 2018 Superjet.  My riding goals include learning every trick that’s possible on flat water with a stock powered ski, mainly hood tricks.  If I have the budget to buy another ski, I would love to try a backflip!

Superjet, nice! They make riding so much easier than many of the older skis. How do you train/practice to reach your goals?

Almost every weekend I go to the lake during the summer. If my family is taking their boats out, I will hang out with them. When we go out, I ride all day. I try to practice tricks when the lake isn’t too busy. This year after all the flooding it has been difficult to find a time where the lake isn’t crowded.

All day on the ski is DEFINITELY a great workout! Outside of skis, what other things do you like to do?

I have a bunch of expensive hobbies including playing and collecting guitars and basses, riding motorcycles, riding quads with my son, mountain biking, playing and collecting video games, and driving my car.

The motorsports addiction runs deep I see! Well Brad, thank you so much for sharing your story! What advice do you have for fellow people interested in learning how to ride stand ups?

It really helps to do research and watch videos before riding a stand up ski, especially if you don’t have a friend that’s available to help.  Everyone that has ridden my jet ski has been able to stand up on it and they all have a blast. Don’t get discouraged just because you fail. The struggle makes the accomplishment that much more satisfying!