Motorcycle Stunt Riding

Motorcycle stunt riding, often referred to as stunting, is a motorcycle sport characterized by stunts involving acrobatic maneuvering of the motorcycle and sometimes the rider. Common maneuvers in stunt riding include wheelies, stoppies, and burnouts. Sport bikes have become a common vehicle for stunts.

 

Stunters are a controversial subculture of motorcycling, perform motorcycle stunts on sportbikes, both on public roads and in private venues. Some stunters have organized commercial teams.

As Martin Child wrote in Bike, "With lighter, shorter, better-braked bikes on the market, the stoppie has never been so easy for so many." In the 1990s some riders made performing stunts the primary focus of their riding.

Stunting equipment includes:

1.       Frame sliders — These large knobs are attached to a motorcycle's frame to protect the fairing from damage should the rider lay down the bike.

2.      Crash cages — These cages provide more protection from damage than frame sliders.

3.      Subcages — Subcages are very similar to crash cages, but for protection of a different sort. While crash cages are protection for the frame itself, motor mounts and cases subcages focus on protecting the subframe of the motorcycle.

4.      12 o'clock bar — 12 bars, as they are referred to, are commonly used on stunt bikes. These bars attach to the subframe of the motorcycle and are used when 12ing the bike. Furthermore, with the introduction of the 12 bar came an array of bar tricks which all occur while the motorcycle is resting on the bar itself.

5.      Round bar— A variation of the 12 bar, round bars are becoming more and more popular nowadays with riders straying away from bar tricks and increasing the technicality of Circle combinations. The round bar is just that, it is a curved bar that hugs the contour of the motorcycle tail section with no flat sections.

There are many variations of the basic wheelie. The "high chair" is a wheelie with the rider's legs over the handlebars, while a "tank wheelie" is one in which rider sits on the tank with legs spread. A "frog" is a wheelie in which the rider stands on the tank, and a "seat stander" is performed with the rider standing on the motorcycle's saddle. Standing on the windshield while riding the bike at 12'oclock is called a "watch tower". The "12 o'clock" is a very high wheelie, past the normal balance point of the motorcycle. A wheelie performed by two or more men on the same motorcycle is called "man-dom".

The "chainsaw" is a form of burnout performed by the stunter standing beside a motorcycle lying on its side holding the motorcycle exclusively by the right handle bar then causing the bike to "orbit" around the rider while maintaining control during the burnout.

Notable performers:

1.       Doug Domokos (1955–2001), "The Wheelie King" — held the record for longest wheelie for 8 years after a 145 miles wheelie at Talladega Speedway in 1984.

2.      Dave McKenna, Australia's number one Freestyle Street Bike Stunt Rider since 2011.