Motorcycle Stunt Driving Facts & More

Motorcycle stunts are a growing sport in the UK and the US. However, US law prohibits “stunted” motorcycles on public roads and can even land you in jail quickly.

If you are buying a second hand motorcycle, check to see if the bike has become atrophied. Check for flat spots on the front tire that show you that the bike has done some wheelies and also check for scratches that could have been the result of a crash. Stunting can damage engines, transmissions, and suspension, so be careful unless you intend to use your bikes in the same way, like a stunt bike.

Robert Craig Knievel, Jr. is probably the most famous American motorcycle daredevil. Now regarded as an icon and a legend, he began his career as an artist somewhere in the late 1960s. He performed numerous motorcycle jumps that are televised across the country. His attempt to jump Snake River Canyon located in Twin Falls, Idaho in 1974 was one of the most-watched events (ranked # 4) on ABC’s Wide World of Sports to date. He died last year, on November 30 at the age of 69.

Some motorcycle drills and stunt teams in the US include the South Florida Motorcycle Team, the D-Aces Stunt Riders Motorcycle Team (Wasau, Wisconsin), TenNinety6 (Kalamazoo, MI), and the Hardly Angels ( a women’s motorcycle team).

Bob Duffey, a professional motorcycle jumper, was dubbed “The Fastest Man on Two Backwards Wheels”. It has an ET of 11.71 seconds and a trap speed of 122 mph. The man is intact on the slip track going backwards. This record was made with an original 1979 Kawasaki Z1R-TC, his favorite bike, in an event approved by the IDBA (International Drag Bike Association).

Debbie Evans – The Trials Queen was the first woman to successfully participate in United States Trials in the late 1970s and is generally considered the greatest female cyclist in the history of the sport.

Australian Robbie Maddison now holds the record for the “Longest Motorcycle Jump”. He broke it in early January this year at an exhibition event sponsored by a large hotel. He jumped 322 feet, 7 inches (98.34 meters) in total and ended up breaking the Guinness World Record of 277 feet, 6 inches (84.58 meters) set in 2005 by Trigger Gumm.

Perhaps the best known sports bike trick is the “wheelie”. It is a trick in which the front wheel or wheels come off the ground and the vehicle is balanced on the rear wheel or wheels.

Other popular bike stunts include the handstand (the rider does a handstand on a moving motorcycle), the Endo (a stunt that lifts the rear tire of the motorcycle off the ground while balancing it on the front wheel or wheels while keeps rolling), the Stoppie (stopping a moving motorcycle so that the rear wheel is lifted into the air while the machine is balanced on the front tire and comes to a complete stop), 12 o’clock Wheelie (a kind of wheelie which is facing up and the rider scratches the tail of the motorcycle on the street), Circle Wheelie (wheelie while riding in a circular motion) and Combo Wheelie (a wheelie that features multiple rider maneuvers while on one wheel).

A full range of protective gear should be worn when attempting a stunt on a high powered motorcycle. Some popular brands include Alpinestars, Teknic, Icon, Sidi, and Joe Rocket, while Arai, Bell, AGV, KBC, Icon, Shoei, and Suomy are some of the more popular helmet brands.