Don't Try This At Home..

Kevin Carmichael is one of the most innovative and stylish stunt riders in the world - and he has titles to prove it. Throughout the summer he's been performing in front of thousands of people around the globe.

Softly-spoken, friendly and always ready to chat with fans or sign autographs, the 36-year-old Scot's easy-going personality hides a steely determination to succeed that drives him to spend hours perfecting his routines and a quiet confidence in his own abilities that allows him to perform them in front of thousands of spectators.

But success in the stunt riding scene only arrived at a relatively late stage in Carmichael's career.  Having raced in moto cross events since the age of seven, and with a string of titles in both Junior and adult competition behind him, the turning point didn't come until 1997.

Having been 'wheelie mad' since he was a small boy, and realising he could carry out tricks better than his racing mates, he decided to enter the European Stunt Championships in 1997 and surprised himself by taking the crown at his very first attempt.

This instant success caused the unassuming Scot to make the break from his cleaning business and turn professional.  Since then he has gone on to be a champion many times both in the UK and abroad, no small feat considering the short time he has been practising his art form.

He was crowned European Champion again in 1999 and 2000, took the UK title in 2001 and won the World Championship, held in Texas, USA, the following season.  In fact, since the competition side of the sport has grown from an entertainment novelty into an officially recognised contest, no one rider has been as successful as Kevin Carmichael.

For those who have not witnessed a championship stunt event, the scene has come a long way from the Evel Kneivel days of throwing a big Harley over as many trucks as possible and hoping still to be seated on the bike at the end!  It is now a highly skilled and closely choreographed art demanding amazing levels of talent and finesse.

 

The move to Triumph, and the Speed Triple in particular, has seen Carmichael find several advantages over his rivals on different machines. "The Speed Triple develops its power in a very linear way and with its small and compact power plant situated almost bang on the centre of gravity, it's ideally suited to stunt riding," says Kevin.  Of course it was never intended for this purpose, but it is surely a testament of the bike's capabilities when faced with almost any environment, no matter how extreme or unusual.

The two Speed Triples used by Kevin are set up in very different ways.  One is completely standard and is the 'stoppie and general routine' bike.  The second has heavily modified cycle parts, enabling the quick removal of the fork and wheel for the 'No Front End Wheelie'.

This sees Kevin and his back-up team remove the complete front end from the Triumph, leaving just the triple clamps and bars in place before he sets off around the arena on the back wheel, in absolute control but obviously unable to stop until he returns to the starting point.  According to the man himself, this is the craziest thing Kevin performs, crazier even than pulling a circular wheelie while seated on the handlebars..

The second machine is also stripped of its front brake and all the lights have been removed, enabling super vertical wheelies to be perfomed, something Kevin has made a bit of a trademark of, along with his two-up monowheel exhibitions.

Alongside the two Speed Triples Kevin also uses a slightly modified, striking yellow and black Triumph Bonneville and a standard Daytona 600. 

Carmichael insists stunt riding is all down to practice, something he tries to do every day when the weather allows.  In particular practice is the key to any new routine and at present Kevin's working on a seated backwards, completely circular wheelie and a handstand on the tank..