You’ve got to have a knack for achieving the extraordinary when you smash not one but two Guinness World Records that most people will not have even heard of. Swedish stunt rider Magnus Carlsson has done just that.
Carlsson has set one record for the fastest handlebar-mounted wheelie and another for the longest distance ridden sitting backwards on a motorcycle. Both were set on an airfield in Sweden in 2023.
So it’s not exactly breaking news, but as is customary with the Guinness World Records, the feat was only recently published on its website. “The handlebar wheelie is my absolute favorite stunt of all, and one of the stunts that took the most attention during my career as a stunt rider,” Carlsson told Guinness World Records.
Fastest Motorcycle Handlebar Wheelie – Guinness World Records
Carlsson became the first person to exceed 125 mph with the first record, achieving a top speed of 125.93 mph (202.67 km/h) while performing the handlebar wheelie on his KTM 1290 Super Duke. The previous record was set by Carlsson himself in 2020 – at 109.228 mph (175.785 km/h).
“The first time I did a handlebar wheelie was in 1992,” explained Carlsson. “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.”
A record of this stature can’t really be broken without commitment. After all, Carlsson has been at it for about 30 years now, following his first handlebar wheelie with a new record attempt three years later at Sweden’s Skövde Airport. He continued to hone his skills throughout the years, improving his accuracy, throttle control, and balance. Finally, in June 2023, he shattered his own record ride.
Carlsson picked the KTM 1290 Super Duke R as the bike for this feat – an apt choice indeed. It’s a bike that is widely considered to be among the most insane naked bikes ever built. Its 1,301cc V-twin engine produces an absurd amount of power and torque – enough to lift the front end with the simplest of throttle pulls.
Guinness World Records
A few months later, in September of that same year, Carlsson set a second record at the Bällefors airport west of Moholm, Sweden, breaking the Guinness World Record for the longest distance traveled while riding a motorcycle sitting backwards.
The previous record of 125.52 miles (202 km) has stood since 2014, and Carlsson smashed it by some margin – covering 190.14 miles (306 km). “The goal was 250 km, but I aimed for 300 km,” the rider recalled. “When I finally stopped and turned around, it felt completely wrong to sit facing forward.”
For this particular record, he chose another KTM – a 390 Duke for its ergonomics. It was fitted with a basket on the back seat that held a few water bottles to make sure Carlsson could stay hydrated throughout the course of the record attempt.
Guinness World Records
“The decision to make this record attempt came from taking on a personal challenge in endurance and tenacity,” he said. “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.”
Source: Guinness World Records