What stunt god Gary Rothwell would spend £6k on right now

2015 Suzuki GSX-S1000

Gary Rothwell is the godfather of extreme stunt riding. Few can forget those wild shows in the 1990s that included skiing behind a lurid Suzuki GSX-R1100, impossibly overloaded wheelies (his record was 13 people on one bike), riding backwards, stoppies, burnouts and of course, monster wheelies. So what would the man who recently set an unofficial world record for the fastest wheelie when he clocked 218.697mph over a flying kilometre on his turbo Hayabusa buy in the used bike market? “A while ago I went through a phase of racing and riding supermotos, however while they are hysterical for pulling wheelies, they are totally impractical and so I wouldn’t own one again,” says Gary. “I’d go for a super-naked because that’s what I’d love to have been riding back in the day as they would have made my life so much easier.

“When I was doing my shows I rode a GSX-R1100, which was a big, heavy old beast but was the best tool for the job. It had lots of power and with a set of flat bars fitted you could muscle it around and force it to do stunts, which Suzuki must have noticed because the Bandit 1200 was launched a little later. While they were great for wheelies, trying to do a stoppie on a Bandit was tricky as they were so long. “I’d go for the GSX-S1000, mainly because I like Suzukis but also because it is the modern-day equivalent of my GSX-R1100, although I probably wouldn’t paint it with flames. The K5-derived motor has loads of smooth torque, which is what you want for a good wheelie, and the chassis is sharp enough for a decent stoppie – once you have turned off the safety assists. “Learning to pull wheelies takes practice, but remember to always cover the rear brake – that’s your only escape route!”