The Indian Army has set a new world record — with 58 men riding on a single motorbike.

The stunt was performed by Tornadoes, a motorcycle display team of the army's logistics arm, Army Service Corps.

Dressed in the colours of the Indian flag, they flanked either side of the moving 500 cc Royal Enfield, covering a distance of 1.2 km at Yelahanka Air Force Station in southern Bengaluru city.

The act was performed for the Guinness Book of World Records, Limca Book of Records and Unique World Records, according to local media.

"There are three riders who take charge," Major Bunny Sharma explained.

"First is the rider himself, who's controlling the mechanical parts of the bike such as gears and brakes and everything — the handle.

"Second is the balancer, who stays on the top and he ensures that all the people mounting the motorcycle while it's on the run are mounting at the same time because even a misbalance of a single kg [kilogram] would result in a catastrophe.

"So, and the third one is the navigator, who is immediately assisting the rider in where he is going."

The team pulled off the stunt successfully on the third attempt, after a rigorous training for six months, including a strict diet to maintain their weight. Research for the stunt began in 2013.

Setting a world record is not new for the Tornadoes, which was formed in 1982.

After Sunday's feat, their tally of records reached 20 and they broke their own record set in 2010 when 54 team members rode one moving motorbike.

The last world record, set in 2013, was held by a team of the army's military communication arm, Army Signals Corps, with 56 men on a motorbike.

Reuters