Membership
Shop by Vehicle
Track Order
Contact Us
Jared Eberwein gets a lot of satisfaction from jumping over his Harley-Davidson Road Glide, which he does dozens of times a day during stunt shows at elementary schools across Southern California.
The tricks aren’t gratifying because they’re hard — as a former competitive freestyle BMXer, Jared can tailwhip, 360, and even 360 tailwhip over anything he pleases — but because his aptly named Wheels Squared BMX Show operates entirely off the Harley.
The Glide is the foundation for the takeoff ramp and the bike hauls everything Jared needs for his entertaining and educational performance. Making that happen was a challenge that required perseverance, so every time Jared soars over the Harley he’s embodying the show’s “follow your dreams” message.
BMX shows are fairly common in SoCal — Jared says there are nine companies, several of which he’s worked for — but they’re all multi-person teams that get around in a truck, something Jared knows is inefficient. “I rode in and even ran other people’s shows, so I knew a one-man routine would work, but driving a truck felt like such a waste of time compared to riding,” he recalls.
So in 2020 when Jared started thinking about starting his own show business, he was committed to making it happen using his motorcycle. Jared has been hauling his bicycle to riding spots and gigs for years, first on the back of a Yamaha Zuma 125 scooter, then a Sportster, then a Dyna, and now a Road Glide, so the plan was to stack everything else he needed on the back of the bike, too. It was an idea that plenty of people said wouldn’t work.
It took Jared nearly two years to get a prototype setup built, and it didn’t go well.
“I was on the Dyna at the time, and I had a fabrication shop make me the ramp in sections, so it would fit into this pizza-box thing on the back of the bike. It weighed about 200 pounds. The bike was just too dangerous to ride. I felt like such a failure. I walked around my yard feeling so overwhelmed, because at that point we’d already booked shows.”
In a panic, Jared bought a Road Glide, thinking the bigger bike would handle the weight better. Before he could rig the pizza box, however, a friend suggested using a trailer behind the Dyna instead. Facebook Marketplace yielded a 1993 Venturecraft for $700. It was easy enough to tow and held everything neatly, but it meant his time-saving cheat code, lane splitting, was under threat.
“I’d already scheduled things based on how fast I knew I could get places on the bike,” he says. Jared did the best he could, riding the gap and jumping from void to void to move through traffic, “and then I just instinctively started to split.”
“Once I began using the Road Glide, it all got a lot easier. It’s a bigger bike with more power, more stability, and it’s as wide as the trailer, so if the bike fits then the trailer fits.” Besides getting comfortable splitting, Jared has made some other improvements over the years. He fabbed up better supports so the bike and ramp are more stable, he had a larger landing ramp made, and is using the trailer’s cooler tray to carry a generator.
“Before, I had to set up wherever there was power. Now I’m totally self-sufficient and can do a show anywhere,” he says. Parking lots, basketball courts, and school courtyards are common stages for the Wheels Squared BMX Show, and the audience is almost always kids.
“It’s a good fit for schools because kids love it,” says Jared. “The tricks are entertaining, obviously, but what justifies it for the schools is the educational aspect. I deliver my Four Hubs of Achievement throughout the show: Live a healthy lifestyle; follow your dreams, always be kind, and knowledge is power.”
Three years and 400 shows in, Jared says the messages he shares with the kids have become the most rewarding aspects of his job, because it comes from his heart. “I’m just a rider doing tricks and having fun, trying to stay healthy enough to keep riding and keep inspiring kids,” he says.
“The fact is, plenty of people said doing this off a motorcycle was impossible, but for me, if I wasn't able to do it off my bike, I wouldn’t have my own business. People hear ‘You can’t do that’ at all stages of their life, but I’m proof that dreams can come true. I’m going to make that a bigger part of my message next school year.”
Image Gallery
