It might look risky to sit cross-legged, stand up, raise your hands, put them behind your head or lie down on a motorbike while driving at a relatively fast speed, but such techniques seem quite simple to Lon Ek, for whom this kind of driving is pure entertainment.

It takes a long time and a lot of practice in order for someone to ride a motorbike like this without hurting themselves, and LIFT certainly does not encourage any of our readers to pursue such things.

The talented, strongly built Lon Ek can put on quite a show with his motorbike.

When asked about his riding styles, Lon Ek said that he has rehearsed riding like this for around four years on more common types of motorbikes like a Kriss and a Honda Dream until he became skillful enough to change to a much larger A-X1.

Lon Ek explained that when doing tricks, he first tries to keep the speed of his bike constant; then he raises his hands up gradually until he feels comfortable with the balance and feel of the vehicle as it hurtles down the pavement at 40 kilometres to 50 kilometres per hour.

“I often watch the way of the western drivers who show their styles on television, and try to take some of their styles to combine with mine,” Lon Ek said.

Maon Sa Met, a 30-year-old police officer, said that he has known Lon Ek for more than 20 years, and he has never seen anyone who can drive a motorbike as well as he does.

But he added, “We should respect the other drivers and not drive like this in public or else everyone will consider us gangsters, whom society gives no value to.”

Sitting in a canteen and eating breakfast, Lon Ek’s friend, Chey Sopheun, 34, took a dim view of Lon Ek’s driving, saying it is very dangerous and sets a bad example.

“Driving motorbikes by performing dangerous styles like this is useless because it only brings accidents and property damage, and it is easily copied by teenagers and others in the next generation,” he said.

His friends aren’t the only people who don’t approve of Lon Ek’s moto trickery.

Lon Ek’s wife, Chanthy, said that when she saw her husband driving like this, she felt very concerned and is afraid that he might get in an accident one day.

“At first, I was very nervous whenever I rode motorbikes with my husband because I was afraid we might get hurt, but now I know he is skillful.” Chanthy said.

Lon Ek has successfully graduated from Build Bright University with a major in tourism.

Currently, he is working as an MC for a local TV station in Kandal province.

Despite the notoriety his motorbike stunts might bring him, Lon Ek cautions all Cambodian teenagers not to follow his example because this type of riding is very dangerous and it wastes money.