Round and round they go. When they stop… well, that’s how the
attraction got its name Wall of Death. Imagine the circus
attraction where people are stuck to a wall using centrifugal
force, then add motorcycles to the equation.
Round and round they go. When they stop… well, that’s how the attraction got its name Wall of Death. Imagine the circus attraction where people are stuck to a wall using centrifugal force, then add motorcycles to the equation.
Each hour, the popular Motor Dome Wall of Death on Seventh Street drew many interested spectators during the rally. Those who forked over the $5 entrance fee were in for quite a show – a show that even the bravest of bikers would cower away from if asked to perform.
Essentially, Wall of Death riders zoom horizontally around a giant barrel, sometimes going as high as 16 feet off the ground, while people watched from a platform a few feet over head.
A wooden base ramp around the wall helps the riders get up, but it’s up to them to maintain enough speed to keep from tumbling down.
One of the bikes they use on the wall is a 1928 vintage Indian Scout. Having a bike that is more than 70-years-old flying on a wall sometimes poses difficulties.
“It is not designed to run on a wall, and sometimes it doesn’t hold oil well,” said rider Charlie Ransom. “So we have to wipe down the wall after we use it.”
For Ransom, the opportunity to try something different couldn’t have come at a better time. He was in a transition period in his life and needed something to pick him up.
“Some people are nervous at first,” said Ransom, who has been riding the motordome for three years. “Some people take it for excitement. It all comes from the same spot. It just depends on how you funnel it.”
Even though safety precautions are taken, accidents still do happen. Owner Jay Lightnin, who started riding the wall in 1969, has pins in both shoulders and has taken several falls during his career. He said he has broken about 30 to 40 bones in the wall.
“Usually most of us are at the stage where if anything goes wrong it is in the machinery,” Lightnin said. “Sometimes you will have a young hot shot in there who thinks he knows everything. That is when a lot of accidents happen.”
The riders do everything they can to maintain the bikes to keep them in top working order. They paint the bikes white, so it is easy to tell when oil seeps out and tires generally last about two years.
“They take a while to get broken in,” Lightnin said. “Just the time they start to stick real well, you have to change them.”
The worst injury Lightnin has witnessed in the ring was a broken back. But there have been people who have died in the motordome.
About 30 years ago, there was a head on collision inside between two bikers going the opposite direction around the dome.
Although they still run two bikes at the same time during one of the most challenging stunts, both are going the same direction. Sometimes one will be higher than the other, and sometimes one will speed up or slow down.
During the solo rides, the bikers go about 30-35 mph but can go up to 50 mph on some of the quick dives. Sometimes they can pull as much as four G’s. The solo riders will even go without hands while maintaining their speed around the wall.
Because the bikers on the wall aren’t able to find insurance coverage for their hair-brain stunts, they band together to form their own coverage with each rider contributing from his or her paycheck.
The major part of the insurance costs is covered by donations. During the show, the participants ask for dollar bills to be thrown to the floor. For those who are a little timid about throwing money, the riders even did pickups. People hold their bills out and the driver circles around the barrel and grabs each bill while he was riding.
Alex Reilly, an 8-year-old from Hollister, was one of the donators.
“I liked when they went by and took the money,” he said. “It was a little scary. But I thought it was pretty cool.”
The attraction hosted many full-house performances of spectators eager to see the stunts in person.
“It was amazing,” said Jim Hybarger from Antioch. “I’ve never seen anything like that in person, just on TV.”
“It was good entertainment,” added Chuck Walston, who came from San Jose to the rally. “It really brings back the classic tradition.”
Details: www.thrillarena.com
