Daring motorbike stunt rider first to break 200 km/h barrier during handlebar wheelie

This daredevil motorbike rider became the first person to break the 200 km/h barrier while performing a handlebar wheelie.

In this adrenaline-pumping footage, Magnus Carlsson (Sweden) is seen climbing to sit on the handlebars of his speeding motorcycle before lifting the front wheel up into the air.

Hitting a top speed of 202.67 km/h (125.93 mph), the 51-year-old stunt rider earned the record for fastest motorcycle handlebar wheelie on his KTM 1290 Super Duke.

It was in June 2023 when he broke the previous record of 175.785 km/h (109.228 mph) set in 2020.

Magnus said: “The handlebar wheelie is my absolute favourite stunt of all, and one of the stunts that took the most attention during my career as a stunt rider.

“The first time I did a handlebar wheelie was in 1992. Three years later I made a record attempt at Skövde Airport in Sweden. Since a few handlebar wheelie record runs over the years have been made and documented by Guinness World Records, I wanted to make a record attempt while I still have the bike and the knowledge and try to break the 200 km/h handlebar wheelie.”

It was at that same airport where Magnus officially broke the world record 28 years after he first attempted it.

A few months later, that September, Magnus broke a second record at an airfield in Bällefors outside Moholm, Sweden.

He straddled his bike backwards and rode 306 km (190.14 miles) to claim the record for greatest distance riding a motorcycle sitting backwards.

He smashed the previous record of 202 km (125.52 miles) set in 2014.

Riding backwards is another of Magnus’s favourite stunts to perform.

He said: “The decision to make this record attempt came from taking on a personal challenge in endurance and tenacity. Many questions and considerations arose during the long planning for the record attempt, such as the choice of motorcycle, fuel consumption, maintain water balance and, above all, how the attempt would be documented.”

“I had a stated goal of completing 250 km sitting backwards, but my personal goal was at least 300 km," he added.

“After the finish when I turned around, it felt completely wrong to be sitting facing forward. My legs could barely carry me when I got off the motorcycle.”