Frequently Asked Questions

What equipment do I need to start stunting?

-Crash cages — The Stunt Factory's Crash Cages provide more protection from damage than frame sliders. There are many examples of cages in our online store today and a vast array of different designs and styles from Racing 905 , Sick Innovations , FreeStyle Ingenuity , and Powers Stuntworx . We carry cages for Honda's, Kawasaki's, Suzuki's, and Yamaha's. A cage should be one of the first things purchased when learning how to stunt due to the fact that most drops and falls will occur during this time.

-12 o'clock bar — 12 Bars as they are referred to are commonly used on stunt bikes. These bars attach to the subframe of the motorcycle and are used when 12ing the bike. These bars are meant to scrape the ground in place of the exhaust or tail section. Furthermore, with the introduction of the 12 bar came an array of bar tricks which all occur while the motorcycle is resting on the bar itself. These tricks include but are not limited to the ape hanger, watch tower, and various other acrobatics while the bike is on the bar. Only used by stunters. The Stunt Factory carries 12 bars from the most popular companies on the market - Racing 905 , Sick Innovations , FreeStyle Ingenuity , and Powers Stuntworx .

-Sprocket Kit - A sprocket kit is a must for any dedicated stunter. Our Street Stunt Drive Kits from Thrust Company are designed to be used by riders who are more interested in technical stunts and acceleration than top speed. Most of these kits will be an increase of about 12-14 teeth net and will reduce the top speed of most bikes by 25% or more. This is as low of a gearing change that can be made while still maintaining a very 'streetable' bike. We also carry individual front and rear sprockets from Vortex, in colors too.

-Hand Brake — A handbrake came onto the stunting scene much later and in actuality within recent years gained popularity. With the sport pushing its bounds into new territory came tricks that involved the rider in a position in which he cannot access the rear brake to control the balance point of the motorcycle. When tricks such as seat standers, highchairs, and spreaders came on the scene at first it was not necessary to use a handbrake, however these tricks quickly developed into scraping while in a highchair or spreader which involved the use of a hand mounted rear brake. The Stunt Factory carries Rear Hand Brake Kits from both GP Tech and Racing 905 .

-Subcages — Subcages are very similar to crash cages but for protection of a different sort. While crash cages are protection for the frame itself and motor mounts and cases subcages focus on protecting the subframe of the motorcycle. In certain subcage applications will also eliminate the stock passenger pegs and relocate them to a different spot which is more becoming for staggered stance wheelies among other tricks. These pegs will in some cases be solid mounted to eliminate the possibility of them folding up on the rider when doing wheelies on the passenger pegs. The Stunt Factory carries subcages from both Racing 905 and Sick Innovations .

-Stunt Stay — Meant to replace the upper stay on the motorcycle which usually holds the upper fairing and gauges in place. This is only necessary when running a full fairing bike and is meant in like fashion as both the subcage and crash cage to protect the front of the bike and provide increased stability for the front end of the motorcycle. This will not save the front fairing from damage. Please view our selection of Stunt Stays from Racing 905 .

-Round bar — A variation of the 12 bar round bars are becoming more and more popular now a days with riders straying away from bar tricks and increasing the technicality of Circle combinations. A round bar is the same principle of a 12 bar as far as scraping the bar instead of the tail section or exhaust with one difference. The round bar is just that, its a curved bar that hugs the contour of the motorcycle tail section with no flat sections. We offer rounds bars from top manufacturers Racing 905 and Sick Innovations .

Common Stunts

Basic Wheelie - Lifting the front of the motorcycle off the ground by means of either power or use of clutching the bike into a wheelie. There are many variations of the basic wheelie, some of which wil be listed below.

Circle — A wheelie performed traveling entirely within a circle. "The Circle wheelie is the epitome of control on a motorcycle" -Matt Gorka (can also be combined with all other wheelie variations).

12 O'clock — Very high wheelie, past the normal balance point of the motorcycle.

High Chair — Wheelie with the rider's legs over the handlebars.

Tank Wheelie — Wheelie with the rider sitting on the tank with legs spread.

Coaster — A wheelie that is balanced without the acting force of the motor i.e. with the clutch pulled in. The Wheelie is so far back beyond the balance point of the wheelie that the rider must constantly ride the rear brake to keep the wheelie from falling over backwards, effectively slowing down. A rider can pull in the clutch to create the effect of a wheelie with no engine noise. Conversely some riders will pull in the clutch and peg the engine on its rev-limiter, called a "rev-limiter coaster"

Frog — Wheelie standing on tank during wheelie

Seat Stander — Wheelie standing on the seat of the motorcycle.

Ralph Loui — Circle Wheelie with the rider's Right foot on Left Peg.

Watch Tower — Standing on the windshield riding with the bike at 12'oclock.

Man-dom — Riding Wheelies with two men, possibly more.

Bar tricks

Ape Hanger — Hanging from the bars with one's hands while doing a 12 O'clock, scraping the bike's 12 o'clock bar and allowing the riders feet to drag behind the bike.

Cliff Hanger — Hanging from the bars with one's feet while doing a 12 O'clock.

Stoppie — Lifting the rear wheel of the motorcycle using momentum and braking force. Also referred to as an Endo.

Biscuit Eater — Stoppie with the rider's legs over the handlebars. Also known as the "highchair endo"

Burnout — Using the power of the engine and braking force to cause the rear wheel to spin, heating the rear tire and producing smoke.

Suicide Burnout — Burnout with the rider dismounted and standing in front of the motorcycle.

Chainsaw — An extreme form of Burnout performed by the stunter standing beside a motorcycle laying on its side holding the motorcycle exclusively by the right handle bar. Then causing the bike to "orbit" around the rider while maintaining control during the burnout.

Merry -Go-Round Rider lays the bike on its side and climbs onto it. The rider then leans back on the bike while holding the throttle, causing the bike to spin round while doing a burnout.

Acrobatics - Kneeling On The Right Side Of The Bike, With The Bike Laying On The Ground And Feathering The Gas And Spinning Around On The Ground

Hyperspin

Switchback — Any stunt performed with the body facing the rear of the motorcycle, opposite the direction of travel.

Christ — A stunt performed with the rider standing straight up on the seat or tank of the motorcycle with both arms extended while the bike is in motion. Also called a "Jesus Christ" or a "Cross". Can be combined with a switchback.

De activator — Riding a wheelie on idle and jumping off the back of the motorcycle.



What is the 'Gearing Ratio' and how do I find out what mine is?

-The Gearing Ratio is the calculation between the front and rear sprocket sizes or your 'Final Drive Ratio'. This number is calculated by the rear sprocket tooth number divided by the front sprocket size. You can use a 'Gear Ratio Chart' to easily view what changes will be effective when changing the front and/or rear sprockets. For example: by looking at the gear ratio chart you will see that a 15/45 ratio (3.00) is the same as a 16/48 combo. By comparing the different ratios you can calculate for your model how many teeth to go up on the rear sprocket to equal what you've gone down in the front.

Do you lose top speed when you lower the gear ratio through a sprocket change?

You only start loosing top speed when you lower the final drive ratio so much that the rpm's are raised into the revlimiter or past peak horsepower in top gear. You can actually gain some top speed by lowering the ratio slightly.

Do you carry every sprocket for every bike?

-No. However, if we don't carry a particular size sprocket for a particular bike we will be happy to make it for you. What we do carry are the popular sizes for the modern sport bikes, conversion kits, and stunt drive kits for these bikes.

Can you custom make sprockets?

-Yes. Given some specific information we can make any sprocket in any size.

"I keep breaking teeth on sprockets" Or "Every aluminum alloy sprocket I put on doesn't last- Why?"

-Broken teeth or fast sprocket wear are a result of a worn chain. Other than high miles on a chain, common factors in premature chain wear are a lack of cleaning and lubricating and/or not enough slack in the chain...aka-maintenance. When a chain becomes so stretched that it doesn't fit in between each tooth of the sprocket you will have tooth breakage as the chain comes in contact with the teeth at the wrong place at very high speed.

Can you get chains in any size? -Just about. We stock all the popular sizes and finishes of chains and up to 150 link chains and can have cut any length in certain types.

Can I change the chain and/or sprockets on my bike myself?

-If you have automotive knowledge, or work on your car then you can change the sprockets on your bike provided you have the correct tools. Changing a chain is fairly simple but takes the use of a chai tool that is specifically designed to break the chain and then rivet the masterlink together safely and securely. If you need to have a shop change the parts for you they shouldn't charge more than a couple of hours labor to do so.

When should I change my chain and/or sprockets?

-If your bike has a 'wear indicator' label on the chain adjustments, it's pretty easy to figure out-Or if you have reached the back of the available adjustment then replace your chain. The noise a worn chain and sprocket will make is a sure tell-tale sign things are worn out and need replacing before a failure occurs. However, a worn chain may not make any strange or loud noises that you notice. There are a couple of other things you can do to determine whether it is time to change your chain. Your bike manual should provide you specifics on measuring a certain number of links and comparing that dimension to an allowable limit. If it doesn't, a very easy test it to pull on the chain on the very backside on the sprocket. If you can pull the chain away from the sprocket more than a 1/16" or so then you should consider changing the parts. What this test will show is how worn the sprocket teeth are from their original dimension. When new, there should hardly be a noticeable difference in the fit of the chain rollers in the sprocket teeth- meaning there shouldn't be any forward-to-back motion. The amount of stretch determines your sprocket wear, which will tell you whether they are worn significantly. Sprockets don't wear themselves out. Worn chains wear sprockets out. The dimension of the chain determines the dimension of the sprocket teeth and the parts wear together. So, although a new chain won't have a huge effect on the premature wear of a sprocket, a new sprocket put on a worn chain will wear extremely fast. The better, stronger chain you can use the longer all the parts will last because the stronger chain will resist elongation and thereby sprocket wear. For these reasons, it is definitely a good idea to replace all the parts at the same time for optimum longevity.

Why does my chain have a tight spot?

-As you rotate the rear wheel to lubricate your chain or to check the chain's slack, you should always check the tension at several spots along the chain. A chain can develop a tight spot if a link or links are bound. This usually occurs because a seal has failed and moisture has gotten into the chain and rusted it, thereby freezing it. If left this way- it will break as this is now the weakest link in the chain. Most often though, a chain will actually have a loose spot. This commonly occurs from not having enough slack in the chain and being stretched by the forces of the suspension pulling on it. On most bikes, and especially modern sportbikes, the geometry of the suspension and drivetrain cause the slack to be taken out of the chain as the suspension compresses. So, if you don't have enough slack so that you still have slack when the suspension is fully compressed, you will stretch the chain when the suspension bottoms out, either from two-up riding and hitting a bump or putting all the weight of the bike on the rear wheel- as in wheeling. The worst thing you can do in this case is just keep tightening the chain to take the slack out of it as it stretches.

Do I have to lubricate a sealed type ( O-ring, X-ring, W-ring ) chain?

-Absolutely! You should follow the manufacturers instructions in order to get the longest life from your chain and your sprockets. Lubricating your chain helps keep moisture off- preventing corrosion. This also helps to keep the seals pliable and working good, and aids in grabbing dirt and grime and flinging it off- preventing it from tearing up the seals. It is best to lube your chain after riding- when it is warm and the lube can penetrate better. It also makes it easier to wipe the excess off. The best lubricant to use on a sealed type chain is a non-aerosol type.

Will my speedometer misread if I change the gearing?

-Yes. Unless your bike's speedometer runs off the front wheel, changing things like the gear ratio or even the air pressure in your tire will effect your speedo readout. However, these changes can be compensated for and you can get a correct reading with the installation of a Speedometer Calibrator.

We cannot recommend or condone the use of any parts we sell for use in any illegal riding or behavior. That any stunts referenced are performed by professionals on closed courses under supervision of safety personnel and should not be attempted or recreated by you under any other conditions but the same. And in doing so you solely assume all responsibility for damage or destruction to yourself, your property, or the property of others. By purchasing any parts from us you agree to these terms and statements.