Photo: Red Bull
A Japanese rider has smashed his country’s wheelie record using a scooter.
Masaru Abe took his Yamaha Jog scooter on a 500-km wheelie at the Kawaguchi Auto Race track earlier this week (500.5322 km, to be precise). It took Abe 13 hours to set the record; the previous mark was 331.0195 km, set by a trials rider in 1991.
Not only did Abe set the new record without the benefit of a gearbox, his step-through was powered by a 125 cc four-stroke—a pretty weedy powerplant at best.
Abe was actually aiming for a 600-km run at the oval-shaped track, but pain in his lower back and arms caught up to him, along with dehydration and blurred vision. That’s kind of important when you’re running wheelies, so we can’t blame him for stopping short of the goal. We’re just wondering, could he have set an better record if he took CMG’s pick for the ultimate mini hooligan bike, a Honda Grom?
