Motorcycle Stunt Riding Facts and More

Motorcycle stunt riding is a growing sport in the United Kingdom and the United States. However, United States law prohibits "stunting" motorcycles on public roads and it can even get you in jail quickly.
If you're buying a second-hand motorcycle, check if the bike has been stunted. Check for flat spots on the front tire which shows you that the bike has done some wheelies and also check for scratches which could have resulted from a crash. Stunting can trash engines, transmissions and the suspension, so beware unless you intend to use your bikes in the same way, as a stunt bike.
Robert Craig Knievel, Jr. is probably the most famous American motorcycle daredevil. Now considered as both an icon and a legend, he started his career as an entertainer somewhere in the late 1960s. He performed numerous motorcycle jumps which are televised in the entire country. His attempt to jump the Snake River Canyon located at Twin Falls, Idaho back in 1974 was among the most watched (it ranks number 4) event in ABC's Wide World of Sports up until this date. He died last year, November 30 at age 69.
Some Motorcycle Stunts & Drill Teams in the US include the South Florida Bike Crew, D-Aces Stunt Riders Motorcycle Team (Wasau, Wisconsin), TenNinety6 (Kalamazoo, MI) and the Hardly Angels (a Women's Motorcycle Drill Team).
Bob Duffey, a professional Motorcycle Jumper was dubbed as "The Fastest Man on Two Wheels Backwards". He's got an ET of 11.71 seconds and a trap speed of 122 mph. The man is untouched on the dragstrip riding backwards. This record was done on a 1979 stock Kawasaki Z1R-TC, his favorite bike, at an IDBA (International Drag Bike Association) sanctioned event.
Debbie Evans - The Queen of Trials was the first woman to successfully ride in the US Trials during the late 1970s and is generally considered as the best female rider in the history of the sport.
Australian Robbie Maddison now holds the record for the "Longest Motorcycle Jump". He broke it earlier in January this year at an exhibition event sponsored by a big hotel. He leapt 322 feet, 7 inches (98.34 meters) totally and ended up smashing the Guinness World Record of 277 feet, 6 inches (84.58 meters) set in 2005 by Trigger Gumm.
Perhaps the most widely known sport bike motorcycle stunt is the "wheelie". It is a trick where 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 which lifts the motorcycle's rear tire off the ground while balancing the bike on the front wheel or wheels while still rolling), the Stoppie (stopping a moving motorcycle, so the rear wheel is raised in 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 that is straight up and the rider scratches the tail of the motorcycle on the street), Circle Wheelie (wheelie while driving 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 in a high powered motorcycle. Some popular brands include Alpinestars, Teknic, Icon, Sidi and Joe Rocket whilst Arai, Bell, AGV, KBC, Icon, Shoei and Suomy are some of the popular helmet brands.

By Nail Khazen

Overhead Fastening Without Ladders and Lifts

Overhead Fastening to Concrete Decks
Many times on the site, you are called on to suspend items from a concrete deck, bar joist or metal deck. This article will give you a few ideas to fasten to the deck from the floor in particular, hanging ceiling grid wire, jack chain and threaded rod. Just some applications include electricians suspending light fixtures and cable, low voltage contractors suspending cable runs or speakers, ceiling contractors suspending grid and many others.
To Concrete
If you do any amount of fastening at all to concrete, you likely have a Hilti or Ramset gun, but do you have an extension pole? Most of these tools can be mounted on an extension pole allowing the worker to reach the deck without a lift or ladder. The most common type of pole tool is a fixed length pole, usually 6' that you mount your tool in. The tool will have a actuator lever at the other end like a clutch lever on a motorcycle to actuate the tool. Some tools like the Ramset Viper tool are specifically made for use on a pole tool. There is a telescopic pole tool that will extend from 6'-12' in one foot increments allowing you to reach almost a 20' deck from the floor. You can shoot ceiling clips with grid wire, or jack chain or a threaded rod clip to suspend threaded rod.
To Bar Joist
Tall buildings with bar joist ceilings can be a real challenge when the deck is 20' in the air. While some electricians have a "trick" they use with piece of EMT to twist around the bar joist, this can be difficult to do all day. Flange clip tools can make this job easier. You can get a flange clip that you can fasten to grid wire or jack chain and then using a special install tool, you can raise the clip to the bar joist and engage the clip and your done. You can also get flange clips that will screw on to a piece of threaded rod, and you can reach up and install to the joist.
Wood Ceilings
Fastening to wood beams from the floor can be easy if you have the right tool. Look for a tool called the lagmaster that will telescope from 6'-12' and drive an eye lag and tie the grid wire to the lag all at once. There is a version of this tool that will allow you to install Sammy screws (rod hangers) from the floor with the threaded rod already installed.
Metal Decks
Metal decks can be handled much like the wood ceilings mentioned above, you would just use a self drilling eye lag for metal on the end of a lagmaster pole and you can zip right along.
Even Faster
Want to move along even faster? The above mentioned ceiling clips and flange clips can be purchased pre tied with grid wire, saving you the time of tying them your self. You may pay a little more but many of these costs can be passed to the end user. Also, I often figure it costs a buck a minute to run a guy, I would rather have him focus on his trade rather than assembly work

By Jeffrey Richard
Jeffrey Richard Level: Basic PLUS Power tool salesman with 15 plus years of experience in sales and service of power tools with an emphasis on powder actuated tools and gas ...