Australian dirt-biker and surfer, Robbie Maddison, also known as Maddo has finally found a way to combine his love for motorcycles with his passion of surfing by inventing a new sport called, err, surfing on a dirt bike!
Put together in conjunction with DC Shoes, the video captures the fascinating moments when Maddison and his team modified a dirt bike to ride the waters of the Pacific Ocean around Tahiti in French Polynesia.
A KTM 250SX was used in this daring attempt, although the bike wasn’t left untouched for the stunt. Modified with custom skis attached to the front wheel with skegs beneath to act as rudders for maneuverability and a paddle tyre in the back – with some scoops into the thread to help it propel across the water, the bike had a serious mission to accomplish.
Furthermore, the engine was changed from a four stroke 450cc to a two stroke, in order to make the rig fixable on the spot without complications. Why? Because riding a bike on water is actually more difficult than what it really looks like real life. Before the whole stunt was completed with success, Madison frequently sunk the bike. And we all know engines don’t get along with salt water.
After two and half years of testing and fitting, he approached DC Shoes global brand leader Jeff Taylor to support the project and to accomplish his “pipe dream”.
Being a stunt rider himself, he did confessed that he was scared, “I’d become quite terrified, trembling in my boots. But I made my bed and it was time to lie in it.”
Needless to say, he was right to be scared, as he barely survived filming the video. While performing the stunt, he caught a massive wave that took him under, as he stated to Rolling Stone:
“I was picked up and thrown, and my bike landed on my back, knocking all the air out of me. It was the most violent ride I’ve ever been on, tumbling beneath the surface in full gear. Over the next four or five minutes, I only had two split-second moments when my head broke the surface and I could take in a fast breath, only to be yanked back down and tumbled with my bike. Everything was going white. I became completely limp and was prepared to take in a full breath of water, when I finally popped up. I could see the helicopter and Jet Skis, and had a quick moment to wave my arm so that they could locate me.”
Fortunately, things turned out fine and the rider actually caught a big Tahitian wave on his bike. Watch the video below because it is simply mind-blowing!
Source: Carscoop
