Speedbumps are the bane of many motorists’ existence in the city, perhaps motorcycles have it easier having a small wheelbase and virtually no overhang to scrape on. In fact, with the right technique, speedbumps can serve as makeshift ramps for you to do little bunny hops. Though, it’s definitely not a recommendable activity.
A common fixture in small towns and cities, speedbumps help slow down the flow of traffic and “punish” riders and drivers who aren’t paying attention. Heck, there is plenty of content on YouTube and social media showing just how bad cars or even motorcycles have it if not go over the right way (and that right way is slow, okay).
Among other ways to regulate traffic, France has a lot of these bumps on the ground, and they vary in height and as well as length. Some bumps will only take a second to go over while others can be a few feet long enough for a car to sit on top of it. Perhaps the worst metric of all when talking about speedbumps is the height. While some are tiny and diminutive, others are absolutely monumental in size which could spell trouble for supercar owners or low cruisers with bellies that are almost always ready to scrape some asphalt.
In the small town of Longueil-Sainte-Marie in Yvelines, France, there sits a speedbump that is quite tall, tall enough that Riding Zone sent over some of its guys to do a backflip off of it. With the speedbump measuring in at 70 cm tall, or 27 inches to you and me, the over two-foot hump looks more like a ramp at a skatepark than a means to slow down traffic.
So the stuntmen checked things out and proceeded to film their little trip and post it on YouTube. Now, I wasn’t lying when I wrote “scooter” in the subtitle, but that’s half the truth, I swear. Riding Zone brought a BMX and a kick scooter to do tricks off the ramp—I mean speed bump. Sadly, the BMX couldn’t do a backflip in the interest of safety, but the kick scooter did with a little help from a sheet of plywood on the grass and a bit of practice leading up to the trick. So, yes, you can do a backflip off a speed hump, provided it’s the largest one in France I guess.
