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have to work a job for the rest of my life. It was phenomenal how quickly it all happened." In 1981, Honda hired Domo- kos. Engineers at Honda, headed by Dix Erickson, helped to set up the bikes to wheelie even better. They redesigned the bike's front wheel with a two-speed, DC electric motor to keep it spinning while he wheel- ied, and attached a mercury switch that shut off the power to the small motor when the front wheel was on the ground. Domokos traveled to Japan, England, Netherlands, France, and many other countries for Honda. In Japan, he performed before the Emperor. In the Neth- erlands, he performed at a race on the beach. He also performed his show in Aruba, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, Canada, Indonesia, Australia, New Zealand, Saudi Arabia, Italy and Puerto Rico. Domokos' success spawned a host of copycat performers, but one thing that set Domokos apart was his innovative stunts and flair for the dramatic. He constantly looked for bigger and more unique challenges. Not content to wheelie dirt bikes and ATVs, Domokos performed his tricks on all types of road bikes as well. One of the most famous maga- zine covers featured Domokos riding nearly vertically with the front wheel crossed up on Kawa- saki's new KZ1300 six-cylinder sport-touring bike. In 1983, he performed what was dubbed "The world's tallest wheelie" atop the Empire State Building. A year later, he won a $10,000 bet with Supercross promoter Mike Good- win by wheelying a complete lap of the Anaheim Stadium Super- cross track. Domokos even made it into the Guinness Book of World Re- cords by setting a wheelie speed record of 145 mph at Talladega Speedway in Alabama in 1984. He also held world records for wheelying with eight passengers on a three-wheeler and six pas- sengers on a four-wheel ATV. His 145-mile wheelie in 1984 set a Guinness record that would stand for nearly a decade. He once led a Labor Day parade in Durango, Colorado, which covered a downtown street course for three miles, all the while doing a wheelie on his 250cc ATK, holding an Ameri- can flag with one hand. Hollywood saw a great oppor- tunity in Domokos and his stunts were featured in movies such as Cannonball Run, On Any Sunday II and Megaforce. He also was featured on the popular television show "That's Incred- ible" for wheelying his bike up and down the famous Lombard Street in San Francisco. Domokos wrote a book, Wheelyin' with the King, and did numerous how-to articles in mo- torcycle magazines. A video was also produced about him and his stunts. While Domokos made a handsome living with his stunt rid- ing, he also tried to give back to society in any way he could. He often did special exhibition rides to raise money for charities such as the New Orleans Children's Hospital, the Retinitis Pigmentosa Foundation. He even once did a special ride to raise funds for the U.S. Olympic team. Domokos tragically died on November 26, 2000, in an ultra-light-aircraft accident in Murrieta, California. Domokos' flight instructor was also killed in the crash. His fiancée, Michelle Kennington, and Doug had a son, Nikolas. "Doug was unique in that he could appeal to different people in different ways," said renowned announcer Larry Huffman. "He was a genuinely nice person who always went out of his way to be with his fans. His appeal to little kids was amazing. I once went with him to a children's hospital, and it was absolutely beautiful. The kids went crazy. He went from bed to bed, talk- ing with the children and letting them try on his helmet. He was a very down-to-earth hero." CN This Archives edition is reprinted from the May 14, 2008, issue of Cycle News. CN has hundreds of past Archives editions in our files, too many destined to be archives themselves. So, to prevent that from happening, in the future, we will be revisiting past Archives articles while still planning to keep fresh ones coming down the road. -Editor CN III ARCHIVES P114 Subscribe to nearly 50 years of Cycle News Archive issues: www.CycleNews.com/Archives

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