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Stunters are a controversial subculture of motorcycling. Stunters perform stunts such as wheelies, stoppies and burn-outs on sportbikes, on public roads and in private venues. Some stunters have organized commercial teams.

(The term stunters is also used in the video game TrickStyle.)

History

A wheelie on a motorized vehilce is nothing new. In drag racing they are considered a problem, robbing power that could be used to accelerate the vehicle faster, and many classes of drag racing use wheelie bars to prevent them.

But those are for vehicles specifically built for drag racing, which rarely are street legal, or unmodified from stock. In contrast, since at least the 1970s, some motorcycles straight from the showroom floor were able to be wheelied.

In the late '80s and continuing today, motorcycles, and especially sportbikes, have become lighter and more powerful, and have therefore become easier to wheelie. Other stunts have also become possible if not easy with the advancement of motorcycle technology. 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."[1] But at the same time, the cost of a motorcycle has remained relatively low compared to other street-legal vehicles with similar power-to-weight ratios.

In the '90s some riders made performing stunts the primary focus of their riding. A wheelie or other stunt was not just something to do while riding, it became the main goal in riding.


One person says he can do a wheelie, and somebody else says he can do one better. It just goes from there.

— Andy Lancaster, Vertical Mischief rider, [2]

...there's a lot of long, straight roads out here [in Nevada]. It was pretty boring just riding around looking for curves all day. We figured we'd either learn to do stunts, and maybe make some money from it, or stop riding all together.

— Derrick "D-Mann" Daigle, former Las Vegas Extremes rider, [3]

Commercial Stunting

Some stunters form teams and make stunting into a commercial endeavor, such as the Star Boyz. They sell branded merchanise, videos of their stunts, produce shows and even offer schools on stunting.The StarBoyz formed in 1996 in Akron, Ohio, USA, and another commercial team, Las Vegas Extremes formed in 1999.

Rebadged as Freestyle Streetbike, the sport is becoming recognized by more mainstream venues, such as AMA Superbike races, which sometimes feature professional stunters as "halftime" entertainment.[4]

Equipment

Stunters will modify their motorcycles to better adapt them to the sport. Stunting equipment includes:

  • 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. Also used by many non-stunters.
  • Crash cages -- these cages provide more protection from damage than frame sliders. Only used by stunters. (Commercial example)
  • 12 o'clock bar -- Protects the tail light of a motorcycle during a 12 o'clock wheelie stunt. Also necessary for stunts such as an Ape Hanger. Only used by stunters. (Commercial example)
  • Hand Brake -- Hand operated rear brake allowing the rider to safely control the height of the wheelie when the rider does not have access to the rear foot-brake, such as during a highchair wheelie.

Common Stunts

  • Wheelie - Lifting the front wheel of the motorcycle using the power of the engine.
    • 12 O'clock - Very high wheelie, past the normal balance point of the motorcycle.
    • High Chair - Wheelie with the rider's legs over the handlebars.
    • Coaster - A decelerating wheelie. The Wheelie is so far back beyond the balance point of the wheelie that the rider must constantly ride the rear brake to keep the wheelie from falling over backwards, effectively slowing down. A rider can pull in the clutch to create the effect of a wheelie with no engine noise. Conversely some riders will pull in the clutch and peg the engine on it's rev-limiter, called a "rev-limiter coaster"
    • Ape Hanger - Hanging from the bars with one's hands while doing a 12 O'clock, scraping the bike's 12 o'clock bar and allowing the riders feet to drag behind the bike.
    • Cliff Hanger - Hanging from the bars with one's feet while doing a 12 O'clock.
    • Circle - A wheelie performed traveling entirely within a circle. "The Circle wheelie is the epitome of control on a motorcycle" -Matt Gorka
  • Stoppie - Lifting the rear wheel of the motorcycle using momentum and braking force. Also referred to as an Endo.
    • Biscuit Eater - Stoppie with the rider's legs over the handlebars. Also known as the "highchair endo"
  • Burnout - Using the power of the engine and braking force to cause the rear wheel to spin, heating the rear tire and producing smoke.
    • Suicide Burnout - Burnout with the rider dismounted and standing in front of the motorcycle.
    • Chainsaw - An extreme form of Burnout performed by the stunter standing beside a motorcyle laying 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.
    • Hyperspin
    • Switchback - Any stunt performed with the body facing the rear of the motorcycle, opposit the direction of travel.
    • Christ - A stunt performed with the rider standing straight up on the seat or tank of the motorcycle with both arms extended while the bike is in motion. Also called a "Jesus Christ" or a "Cross". Can be combined with a switchback.

(Note: the jargon of stunting is still evolving and expanding along with the sport. These terms may be used differently in different areas, and is by no means comprehensive.)

Controversy

The fact that many stunters perform their stunts on public roads draws the ire of other motorcyclists. They intentionally draw a lot of attention to their apparently reckless behavior, and other motorcyclists, especially sportbike riders, feel that stunters give all riders a reputation for being irresponsible and dangerous to others.


The average Joe thinks that just riding a motorcycle on a public highway is only slightly less dangerous than searching for land mines with a butter knife. A motorcycle with the front wheel even an inch off the ground looks totally out of control to them, to say nothing of one dragging its taillight. No surprise that the sight of four guys hoisting Standups sends them running for the 911.

— Greg Walsh, StuntLife.com owner, [5]


These stupid tricks are accompanied by outrageously fast speeds, applied in all the wrong situations. All, of course, to be done on the street and with motorcycles that have the power-to-weight ratio of Trident missiles. The results, as I'm sure many of you have seen for yourselves, are often disastrous. In the process, there is plenty injury, death, and a mountain of totaled motorcycles, the repercussions of which are felt by every responsible rider on the street to one degree or another.

— Tim Kreitz, Moto-jouralist & Riding Instructor


Many motorcyclists simply equate stunters with squids, and disregard them. However, stunters are not merely squids who have some talent. The squid is typically ignorant, inexperienced, and most likely will only ride a motorcycle for a short period before giving up the sport out of fear, boredom or financial pressure.

Stunters are dedicated to their sport. They practice, they discuss the sport with other stunters, they modify their motorcycles specifically for stunting. Some even turn stunting into their profession.

It might be argued that stunters are born of squids, but that same argument can be made of many motorcycle subcultures.

References

  1. ^ Martin Child, "Stoppies,"Bike, March, 2007, p. 152
  2. ^ Sid Schwartz, "Motorcyclists take to Lake Koshkonong for stunt competiton", January 31, 2005, The Janesville Gazette
  3. ^ Mike Seate, "Freestyle Nation", Super Streetbike, retrieved March, 2007
  4. ^ Mike Seate, ibid.
  5. ^ Greg Walsh, "Us and Them - Motorcycle Stunting Future & Lifestyle", Super Streetbike, retrieved March, 2007

See also

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