Understanding Motorcycle Performance Terminology

The concept of stunt

Stuntriding is a sport that involves performing motorcycle tricks and showcasing difficult motorcycle poses. Some common stunt maneuvers include wheelie, stoppie, and burnout. To perform these stunts, a sports motorcycle is essential. The individuals who participate in stunt performances are called stunters.

Most stunters want to protect their bikes, so equipping their bikes with protective tools is crucial. These tools include crash knobs, crash protection frames, tail crash frames, which are used to protect the fenders and exhaust from touching the ground during wheelies. Additionally, a handbrake for the rear wheel is a necessary accessory for stunting, as it is difficult for stunters to use their feet to operate the rear brake while performing stunts.

Wheelie

Wheelie is the act of lifting the front wheel of the motorcycle using the engine’s torque or the clutch. There are several variations of the basic wheelie.

Circle: a wheelie performed in a circular motion on one wheel, this is a relatively challenging stunt. However, a more difficult variation is the circle wheelie with the rider’s right foot placed on the left foot-peg, this wheelie is called “Ralph Loui.”

High chair: a wheelie where the rider puts their feet over the handlebars.

Tank wheelie: a wheelie where the rider sits on the gas tank with their legs extended.

Frog wheelie: a wheelie where the rider places their feet on the gas tank while standing or sitting.

Seat stander wheelie: similar to “frog,” however, the rider stands on the seat.

The most skill-intensive wheelie is probably the watchtower, in which the bike is brought to an almost vertical position, while the rider stands on the windshield of the bike.

On the other hand, the 12 o’clock wheelie is considered a very high wheelie because the bike is almost standing up straight.

A variation of this wheelie is the coaster, in which the rider helps balance the bike without using engine power. Specifically, the rider will forcefully lift the front of the bike, exceed the balance point, and use the rear brake to rebalance the bike and prevent it from falling backward. Conversely, some stunters choose to use the clutch and throttle simultaneously to achieve maximum engine speed to regain balance.

The opposite of the “12 o’clock” wheelie is the nose wheelie. With this wheelie, the rider leverages the bike’s forward momentum to lean forward, causing the rear of the bike to lift, while the bike continues to move at high speed.

Performing a wheelie with two or more people is called a man-dom.

In addition to the wheelie, stunters have many other tricks, such as:

Ape Hanger: one-handed grip on the handlebars while performing a “12 o’clock” wheelie

Cliff Hanger: one foot placed on the handlebars while performing a “12 o’clock” wheelie

Stoppie/Endo: lifting the rear of the bike using the bike’s momentum and braking force.

Biscuit Eater: both feet placed on the handlebars while performing a stoppie.

Burnout

Burnout has various styles, including basic burnout, “suicide burnout,” “chainsaw burnout,” and “merry-go-round.” In these styles, “suicide” means the stunter stands in front of the bike and performs a burnout; “chainsaw” means the stunter performs a burnout while standing beside the bike, causing the bike to both “burnout” and rotate around the stunter; finally, “merry-go-round” means the stunter tilts the bike and sits on one side while maintaining a circular motion at one point.

Other Concepts

Acrobatic: Performing various poses while riding the bike.

Hyperspin: a stunt that is similar to “merry-go-round,” but the stunter kneels instead of sitting on the bike.

Switchback: the stunter sits facing backward.

Christ/Jesus Christ/ Cross: the stunter stands upright on the seat or gas tank and extends their arms or legs. This stunt can be combined with “switchback.”

Deactivator: the stunter jumps off the bike unexpectedly while performing a wheelie.

These are some basic stunts that are widely used by stunters. Stunting has now been recognized as a legitimate sport and is organized in professional competitions.

In Vietnam, this extreme sport is also developing rapidly, with many stunt groups across the country. Evidence of this can be seen at various events such as the Vietnam Motorbike Festival, Motul Bike Fest, BMW World… where spectators are thrilled by the performances of the stunters.

Anh Duc (TTTD/Source: Testxe)