Brought together by adversity, Ryderz motorcycle club has flourished into a force of its own.

“Even though we had grief, it instantly brought our club together,” said William DaCosta, secretary to the biker group.

A year after the Transport Control Department banned the popular collectible Honda CR150, local dealers still refuse to bring in the model, Mr DaCosta said — even though TCD eventually relaxed its injunction enough to allow existing models to be licensed.

But the dispute over the vehicles, covered last summer by this newspaper, “made us closer as a club — we always refer to each one of us as family”.

“We had maybe ten, 12 members before. We’ve got 28 people now.”

Ryderz is not a racing club, but devoted to discussing the finer points of bikes, swapping spare parts and assisting one another with mechanical matters.

As well as supporting sister clubs in charitable rides, the group is working on plans to import containers of its own gear.

“We started off with just two people,” vice-president Troy Glasgow said. “It’s really grown after the TCD incident. If you’re willing to go to bat and fight, then it shows what we’re like as a club.”

•To learn more, e-mail ryderzmotorcycleclub@gmail.com.