By Mollie Beth Wallace

The Natchez Democrat

VIDALIA — Whether he’s rushing into a burning building or cruising through winding back roads, 22-year-old Cameron Boyette said he is an adrenaline junkie.

The Concordia Parish firefighter was spending quality time with his newest street bike, a blue Suzuki GSXR 750, when The Dart landed on Lee Street last week.

Boyette said he grew up riding four-wheelers and dirt bikes, and most of the men in his family have spent plenty of time on motorcycles.

“Most of my friends have (bikes),” Boyette said.

While he owns a truck for his primary means of transportation, Boyette explained that his bike serves a slightly different purpose.

“If I’m stressed out I’ll go out riding,” Boyette said. “By the time I come back (my family) can deal with me.”

Boyette’s mother, Tammie Cothren, chuckled as her son described the bike’s therapeutic quality.

“There’s no stopping him,” said Tammie Cothren. “He’s pretty strong-minded.”

Though Cothren worries about her son on the roads, she admitted that she encouraged his love for outdoor adventures.

“I bought him his first four-wheeler for his 13th birthday,” she said. “We had more fun mud riding and riding in creeks.”

Another important woman in Boyette’s life worries about the daredevil too, his girlfriend, Alexa Mallory.

Still, anxiety doesn’t stop Mallory from donning her pink helmet and climbing on Boyette’s bike.

Mallory recalled her first bike ride with Boyette, and she admitted she underestimated the skill it takes to ride.

“He told me all about the leaning stuff,” Mallory said.

“I was wearing jeans and they were slippery,” she said. “I ended up sliding on his seat,” she said.

“I reached my hand back and said ‘what are you doing on my seat?’” Boyette said. “I’d never had someone end up on my seat before.”

Mallory eventually learned the tricks of leaning with the bike during turns, which is something most people don’t think about, Boyette said.

“It’s a lot more to it than people think,” he said. “Going fast on a bike is different than going fast on a car.”

Though he loves the adrenaline rush, Boyette said he’s aware of the dangers motorcyclists face on the roads.

“My bike being loud has saved my life plenty of times,” he said.

Boyette said drivers who don’t see his small bike are alerted by the noise from his exhaust pipe.

But other drivers aren’t his only concern.

Once when he was taking a curve on a back road in Natchez, he was startled to see a herd of cows in the road.

“I was leaning over and I rode between two cows,” he said. “Now that really scared me.

“I went like 10 miles an hour the whole way home.”

Boyette said he plans to eventually trade in his street bike for a more comfortable cruiser, but until then he and Mallory will continue enjoying the balancing act of riding.