Community remembers local biker and UCSB alum after passing

Twenty-two-year-old UC Santa Barbara alum Dylan Monson died in a crash on June 29 while riding his BMW S1000RR on northbound Highway 101 in Goleta, just past the Storke Road off-ramp. Monson graduated with a bachelor’s degree in communication earlier that month.

News of Monson’s passing came as a shock to those who knew him, many of whom he met through Santa Barbara’s motorcycle scene. According to Monson’s friend and recent graduate who majored in communication, Carson Osborn, he was well known and liked among both UCSB and local bikers. 

“People had feuds, people had problems, but he was one of the few in that 40 [person] plus biker community where nobody had problems with [and] everybody liked him,” Osborn said.

Beyond describing Monson as “a big cuddly bear,” Osborn also believed his late friend influenced and touched many people’s souls. 

“If someone wrongs you, he’ll be the first to step up to defend you,” Osborn said. “He’ll go through hell and high water just to help you out.”

Fourth-year communication major Thomas Henry, also a friend of Monson, recalled that he often recognized people by their motorcycles when they rode by.

“Its clear to see that he was definitely in tune with most of the people around here,” Henry said.

Those who knew Monson left flowers at a roadside memorial near the crash site.

Osborn noted that Monson worked as an EMT and planned to “continue his legacy of helping people out” by becoming a paramedic.

Osborn described Monson as a “wrench monkey,” or someone who frequently worked on his and others’ motorcycles. Henry said that Monson once drove a friend “on a dime” to San Diego to pick up a bike.

“He’s just that type of guy,” Henry said. “If you ask something of him, he’d be there to do it for you.”

Osborn and Henry agreed that Monson will be missed. 

“I’ve been past his memorial and just the amount of outpour, the amount of flowers, all the candles, all the memories people had with him; it’s really clear that, not only was he super prevalent in the group we were in, but he was all around,” Henry said.