Daredevil Taka Higashino Rides Auckland's Sky Tower

Racer and stunt rider Taka Higashino got a little extra precision riding practice before this weekend's Monster Energy Aus-X Open race at an unusual location, more than 1,000 feet above the ground on top of Auckland, New Zealand's Sky Tower.

MORE WACKY STUNTS

Travis Pastrana is Looking For a Few Good Stunters

Brittany Young: Turning Baltimore's Stuntas into Scientists

Sky Tower is a major landmark of Auckland's skyline. Numerous activities are available inside, ranging from fine dining with a view to bungee jumping off the top. If jumping isn't your thing you can still take a walk on the wild side around the SkyWalk, a four-foot wide open platform encircling the tower. Higashino took the SkyWalk a step further by riding four laps around it on his Yamaha race bike.

Admittedly, Higashino wasn't in any significant danger. Regular visitors to the SkyWalk wear a special full body harness and safety wires to keep them from plummeting off the edge to their doom. Higashino didn't wear one of these suits, but both he and his motorcycle had several cables attached to prevent them from going for an unexpected dive off the side.

"The first time around, halfway I wanted to cry, stop and jump off," said Higashino. "The view was trippy. I was going, 'Oh my god, I can't watch.' Sometimes, watching the floor felt like a dream, not real."

Higashino is no stranger to motorcycle stunts. He has won three X-Games medals for his shenanigans, as well as other competitions from Salt Lake City to his native Osaka, Japan. He's never tried any stunts quite so high off the ground before, nor has anyone else in Sky Tower's history, but he pulled this one off without a hitch. 

Better him than me. You wouldn't even get me out on the regular SkyWalk.

Source: New Zealand Herald