Niviuk Adventure pilot Jaume Bonet has achieved an unprecedented milestone in the world of aviation and motorsport: performing the first freestyle motocross in the air, taking off and flying with an enduro motorbike powered by a paramotor.
The project combines two highly demanding disciplines —paragliding and freestyle motocross— with a clear objective: to explore new forms of flight while always keeping safety as the top priority.
To make it possible, Jaume used the Niviuk R-Bus 2, size 40, a tandem paramotor wing certified to carry up to 600 kg in flight, a capacity that proved essential to the project’s development.
Before taking to the skies, there was an extensive period of experimentation. The first tests were carried out in his own workshop, using a crane, a tractor and a trial bike to simulate on the ground the manoeuvres he would later perform in the air.
Jaume Bonet personally designed a custom harness structure to connect pilot, motorbike and wing, precisely adjusting the length of the attachments, connection points, overall geometry and load balance in flight. His technical experience as a professional and commercial pilot was crucial in analysing every variable with an aeronautical mindset.
Much of the work was trial and error. He recorded the tests with 360° cameras from multiple angles to analyse every second of flight, make corrections and identify opportunities for improvement. “There are months of work that nobody will ever see. Many tests are discarded, but perseverance is what ultimately makes everything work,” Jaume explains.
The combined weight of pilot and motorbike is around 180 kg in flight, a significant load, especially considering that many manoeuvres are performed at low altitude.
Initially, Jaume tested with a Takoo, but it was close to the weight limit. He needed greater operational margin, improved control and a more moderate speed. That is where the R-Bus 2 became the ideal tool.
“My main objective is always safety. That’s why I chose the R-Bus 2. I was surprised by how it handles and how easy it is to take off. I don’t have to worry about the flight, the wing works perfectly and I can focus on the bike.” Take-off behaviour proved to be one of the decisive factors. “I can take off even in zero wind. It’s like flying a heavy paratrike. The wing rises cleanly, in control, and helps me enormously.”
This ease of use allows Jaume to concentrate on aerial riding and executing manoeuvres without constantly managing the wing. Thanks to its certification up to 600 kg, the wing provides an enormous safety margin, responsiveness and stability — even in unconventional configurations such as this one.
One of the project’s most significant aspects is that the R-Bus 2 has not been structurally modified. The wing is entirely standard production. Niviuk’s engineering and design team analysed the configuration to ensure safety, aerodynamic efficiency and proper load distribution. The only adaptation was made to the risers, adjusting them to the specific geometry: “The wing itself has not been altered. We have only slightly lengthened the risers and added an optimised attachment point to improve the flying position and allow the manoeuvres to be performed more efficiently and comfortably, while maintaining the safety margins and the wing’s original behaviour,” explain our engineers.
This demonstrates the robustness and versatility of the R-Bus 2 design and its ability to operate under high loads in non-conventional environments, a clear example of how design and engineering can push the boundaries of flight.
Far from being purely a spectacle, the initiative opens new possibilities in the fusion of disciplines, showing how a wing such as the R-Bus 2 can offer:
The project also required significant adaptations to the motorbike, while preserving as much of the original structure as possible:
This project follows other challenges previously undertaken by Jaume Bonet, in which he had already explored the combination of flight and vehicles, such as:
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