Wall of Death

The Wall of Death, motordrome, silodrome or Well of Death (aka "Maut ka Kuaa", India) is a carnival sideshow featuring a silo- or barrel-shaped wooden cylinder, typically ranging from 20 to 36 feet (6.1 to 11.0 m) in diameter and made of wooden planks, inside which motorcyclists, or the drivers of miniature automobiles, travel along the vertical wall and perform stunts, held in place by friction and centrifugal force.

Derived directly from United States motorcycle board track (motordrome) racing in the early 1900s, the very first carnival motordrome appeared at Coney Island amusement park (New York) in 1911. The following year portable tracks began to appear on traveling carnivals. By 1915 the first "silodromes" with vertical walls appeared and were soon dubbed the "Wall of Death," the very first mention being Bridson Greene's unit in Buffalo, New York. Although not a silo-drome, the large combination motordrome at the 1915 Panama Pacific International Exposition included a perfectly vertical section at the top that was used by both car and motorcycle riders.

The motorcycles most widely used were the first generation Indian Scout models (pre-1928) with 37 cu. in. displacement. This carnival attraction became a staple in the United States outdoor entertainment industry with the phenomenon reaching its zenith in the 1930s, with more than 100 motordromes on traveling shows and in amusement parks.

The audience views from the top of the drum, looking down. The riders start at the bottom of the drum, in the centre, and ascend an initial ramped section until they gain enough speed to drive horizontally to the floor, usually in a counter-clockwise direction (the physical explanation behind this act is found at Banked turn and The turning car.) In the United States the American Motor Drome Company uses several vintage Indian Scout Motorcycles from the 20s to give the audience a view of how these shows were done in their heyday. The American Motor Drome Company is the only Wall of Death to have two riders Inducted into the Sturgis Motorcycle Hall of Fame Jay Lightnin' (2014) and Samantha Morgan (2006). In 2015 the Indian Motorcycle company chose the American Motor Drome Company to preview the new 2015 Indian Scout to the world by putting it on their wall along with the 1926 and 1927 Indians that were regularly used in their show. The newest Wall of Death Show in the United States is the 'Wild Wheels Thrill Arena' which will be performing in the Traditional Style of the Carnival Midway Shows.

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