Motorbike Stuntriding
These are the 7 craziest bike stunts ever
We’ve raided the archives to bring you history’s most epic motorcycle stunts, so sit back and enjoy.
Since the first ever wheelie was pulled on an early motorcycle, stuntmen have been pushing the limits of what's possible on two wheels. The madness hasn't stopped evolving since, as evidenced by the never-ending supply of jaw-dropping moments supplied by modern daredevils like Travis Pastrana and Robbie Maddison.
Here are seven of the most significant motorcycle stunts in the history of showing off. Enjoy.
Robbie Maddison jumps San Diego Bay
Robbie Maddison's airborne antics never end seem to end, and picking individual jumps to focus on is nearly impossible, but jumping over San Diego Bay next to snowmobile icon Levi LeVallee has got to be one of the nuttiest. It was so foggy Maddison couldn't even see the landing as he was leaving the take-off ramp, making his 115m leap that much more insane.
Maddo tries Ski Jumping
This is one of Maddison's coolest ever videos, showing him riding on street, dirt, even a bobsled track! Of course, the action has to culminate somehow, and it does when he flies off an international standard Ski Jump at over 113kph, launching about 115m and dropping roughly 55m in the process.
Maddo also tried surfing... on his bike
Only the man who thought to jump on and off the Arc de Triomphe in Las Vegas would come up with the idea of surfing a motorcycle. By now you've probably seen the video, but in case you've been living under a rock, be sure to check it out – it's one of the most unique and innovative stunts ever performed on a motorcycle, and will likely never be topped.
Travis Pastrana lands the first Double Backflip
Like Maddison, Travis Pastrana has performed so many outrageous stunts and jumps that we could make a list soley of his achievements alone, but one jump stands above the rest. At the X Games in 2006 he successfully busted out the world's first ever Double Backflip, instantly electrifying the crowd and the action sports community alike.
And now a trio of tricks from legendary Evel Knievel
The infamous Caesar’s Palace crash
In 1967 Knievel performed what is arguably his most famous stunt on record, when he attempted to jump over the fountains at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas. Unfortunately, he crashed upon landing, breaking over 40 bones and spending a month in a coma. In 2006 Mike Metzger successfully performed the famed leap, pulling out a backflip for good measure.
Landing a 19 car world record leap
In 1971 Knievel set a world record in Southern California that would stand for 27 years by successfully jumping 19 cars. The last several cars were covered by a section of ramp in case Knievel came up short, but it turned out he jumped the full distance.
The Snake River Canyon TV special
Okay, so this wasn't a motorcycle stunt, but when you're talking about a man as legendary as Knievel, you're allowed to bend the rules. Knievel attempted to launch over the Snake River Canyon in a steam powered craft he called the X-2 Skycycle in 197, on a live TV special. The vehicle's parachute deployed prematurely though, ruining the jump.