Good place to learn wheelies?

[Andy 0]

Anyone have a recommendation on a fairly protected (i.e., not on the street) place to practice wheelies? I don't need to learn how to ride one for miles at a time, I just need to get comfortable with the front wheel coming up.

[tntmo 910]

Anyone have a recommendation on a fairly protected (i.e., not on the street) place to practice wheelies? I don't need to learn how to ride one for miles at a time, I just need to get comfortable with the front wheel coming up.

Dry lake bed in the desert. ATGATT, extra gear when practicing wheelies.

[bikeslut 1]

parking lot of a closed store... cover the clutch and cover the rear brake. The problem with practicing on dirt is, you'll get wheel spin, and it MAY hook up unexpectantly. Wear your road racing suit with the back protector...

First; ride over the parking curbs... then just blip the throttle to get over them. Any little rise in the asphalt/concrete/dirt helps get the front wheel up... doing them uphill helps to; going downhill you are likely to flip.

I would normally suggest "Schwinn to the white courtesy phone" but i expect he is so good at them that he couldn't even explain it that well... to him they are now second nature; most of us still get a little wigged out about them.

cover the clutch and rear brake... they also have videos

[paulmbowers 236]

Andy- I'll meet you somewhere to do this. Not because I can help you, but because I need the practice as well. I'm thing a soft, grassy fiels somewhere...

[ozzy 0]

I'll bring the camera

[bikeslut 1]

I'll bring the camera

a friend in need, is a friend indeed

Gotta hand it to Andy... he is willing to lay it out there and take his lumps

[ozzy 0]

a friend in need, is a friend indeed

someone might need a tow

[paulmbowers 236]

I'll bring the camera

Ah, the support and encouragement of my peers.

Nothing like it.

[bikeslut 1]

thanks again... I owe you a ride somewhere

[RogerTOWM 0]

You can do what I did and just practice wheelies while riding to work. Of course I did end up at work with a broken toe!

[Jaynen 0]

Its very uncomfortable for me to cover the rear brake while not pushing down on it at all. I want to learn this too, especially because on a "little" bike I need more preparation for getting the front wheel light

[Andy 0]

Bikeslut - I've no shame in admitting that I need help. Gotta start somewhere. Thanks for the parking curb tip, that's a good idea.

FakeName - PM me if you wanna, we'll set up a practice day.

I've not been able to ride in a couple weeks, my recurrent neck problem (doctor thinks it's "cervical radiculitis", some kinda nerve pinch thing) has made it so I can't even go to the gym on any given day cuz I can't always rely on being able to turn my head all the way. Anxious to get out n ride again to work on more of the fundamentals.

[Erick 0]

Something to try...

Here's how I learned to get comfortable getting the front end up. It also comes in handy in whoops.

flat area, hard pack dirt

standing up, rear brake covered

lean over the front end a little, elbows out

2nd gear give it a little throttle then let off

as the bike decelerates push down of the front end to load the fork up

blip the throttle and pull up (not too much blip or pull up)

you'll get the feeling of the front end floating and you'll be in better control of the bike then you would sitting.

It's designed as a trail riding exercise, timed correctly you can float the front end over an obstacle.

I learned this with Gary LaPlante's instruction at MotoVentrures. I practiced by trying to pull the front end up over a 2x4. Make sure nobody is behind you, if you keep on the throttle too long, you can really shoot the 2x4 pretty far...

[Andy 0]

^ this is an excellent way to practice, thanks!! I went to the Qualcomm lot today, way back at the north east corner where the Race Legal events are held, and did some practicing. Got in a couple good ones, lots of almosts and a couple that went wild, one that I had to put a foot down to stabilize and the final wheelie of the day which introduced my nuts to the gas tank with great vigor when the nose came down too hard. At that point I figured I'd come back later. I'll keep at it, along with practicing out at McCain valley and other localities. Thanks for all the tips, as usual =)

[Crawdaddy 96]

Got in a couple good ones.......nose came down too hard.....

Be sure to apply some blue lock-tite to your handlebar clamp bolts if you're gonna to be banging that front end down a lot......you don't want to drop the front end only to find wobbly/tank slapping handlebars....

I rec'd the same instructions/drills as Erick from Gary LaPlante of Motoventures years ago.....but I still suck at it (though I also never practice the various drills as I should).......I need to get more comfortable blipping the throttle and lifting the front end as/when needed.......especially helpful in places like Big Bear, Moab, etc. where you need to lift the front end over obstacles.....

My kid wheelies the 620 with a full tank......then again, he's not a chicken sh*t like his old man

[Jaynen 0]

Got in a couple good ones.......nose came down too hard.....

Be sure to apply some blue lock-tite to your handlebar clamp bolts if you're gonna to be banging that front end down a lot......you don't want to drop the front end only to find wobbly/tank slapping handlebars....

I rec'd the same instructions/drills as Erick from Gary LaPlante of Motoventures years ago.....but I still suck at it (though I also never practice the various drills as I should).......I need to get more comfortable blipping the throttle and lifting the front end as/when needed.......especially helpful in places like Big Bear, Moab, etc. where you need to lift the front end over obstacles.....my kid wheelies the 620 with a full tank......then again, he's not a chicken sh*t like his old man

See thats my biggest issue I think. I used to be nuts on a mountain bike or anything with 2 wheels. I would try to jump anything and everything I possibly could as a kid now I am afraid to get too aggro on the bike as far as wheelies or jumps because of the risk of breaking either me or the bike

[Joliet 0]

Back in the late 70's, I could do good wheelies. One day on my street legal 250 2 stroke Honda Elsinore, I was riding a stand up wheelie around 30 mph (on pavement) when my left foot peg decided that was the opportune time to break off. Spectacular carnage! Since then, I have found that wheelies do not hold the same thrill for me that they once did. These days (most times) I am happy keeping both wheels on the ground.

Getting the front end up enough to keep from bending the front wheel at speed in deep sand used to be quite a chore with the DRZ. First you had to spot the rock, compress the front end slightly while cracking the throttle open and pulling up on the bars as the power to the engine is getting to the rear wheel. With my Husky all I need to do is crack the throttle, way faster, easier and less work.

I just call this lightening up the front end. Unless you are crossing big logs on forest trails or riding trials type stuff, I don't see much need for bringing the front end clear off the ground. Just unloading the suspension and keeping the front end light when hitting an obstical works best for me.

Few things are cooler than a wheelie done well. On the other hand few things will prove your squidliness faster than a wheelie gone bad. Ken

[dirt dame 561]

I agree with Joliet. Wheelies are fun but not necessary for much other than good riding technique over obstacles and terrain.

[Strega 0]

...I don't see much need for bringing the front end clear off the ground...

BLASPHEMY!!!

You're totally missing the COOL FACTOR!!!

Doesn't this look fun!?!?!?

[tntmo 910]

Wheelies are fun.

Fixed.

Enough said!

[SCHWINN 0]

Pasta Pilot brought it to my attention that my front end is up alot when we are riding fast cuz I goose the throttle with a little clutch slip to overcome obstacles. As far as distance wheelies go,,,the learning curve is dangerous, the cops will get you wreckless riding, exhibition of power and a number of other things.

Bang the clutch, cover the back brake and forget about the clutch cuz you want the back pressure of the engine to pull the front end down if you are about to go over. I do wheelies for showing off and just the thrill, I do them alone even when nobody is around. Out at glamis me and my kids see who can ride the longest wheelies . Oldsmobile is too short and easy so we go sideways up the hill. :fool: Shock n Awe approached me and asked me how to do wheelies, I told to become a better rider first, he is improving very Quickly on his riding skills.

[bikeslut 1]

in my first response I said cover the clutch. I meant "pop the clutch and cover the rear brake"

I read schwinn's response and thought "of course you want the engine braking... What kind of idiot would cover the clutch?"

Apparently MY kind of idiot... But I don't actually do it; typing error...

I also agree with most here; getting the front wheel over obstacles is necessary, but riding around on the back tire is not!sure is fun though, until you biff

[darylhunter 1]

I'll add a few cents here,

First, I don't know what kind of bike you're going to be practicing on, or whether you have the option of a couple of choices . . .

I've found that a bike that has good torque down low and a smooth power band to be easier to control when the front end comes up. A bike with a power band that is not linear, i.e. has a peak that comes on strong in the mid or upper part of the powerband tends to cause the front end to climb higher than expected/desired at times. Also a bike with good engine braking is nice because shutting the throttle brings the front end back down if you've gone above the balance point.

Some forward speed is desirable as it tends to keep the bike more stable and going forward rather than falling off to one side.

As someone mentioned earlier, 2nd gear is preferred over 1st as it gives you better control over the throttle and little inputs don't cause so much fluctuation in the power input.

Use level pavement - I'd stay away from speed bumps and things like that as aids in raising the front wheel.

There are a number of ways of raising the front end.

First is weight transfer alone - not generally an option for most dual sport or street bikes, but used in trials all the time. Move body forward to cause a compression of the front forks then move back to cause them to extend and pull the front wheel up.

Second is engine assist alone. If your bike has enough power, simply opening the throttle may be enough to bring up the front end.

Next is a combination of weight transfer and using engine assist. An earlier poster covered this. Rolling along at a constant speed in a good spot in the power band ~4000 to 6,000 rpm on typical street bikes, roll the throttle towards off to cause the bike to start to slow and transfer weight onto the front tire, then quickly roll the throttle back on to transfer weight back towards the rear tire. The forks will unload and added engine assist will cause the front tire to rise up.

Another common method is the clutch feather. Rolling along at constant speed as above in a decent spot in the power band, simultaneously roll on the throttle while feathering the clutch just enough to allow a couple thousand rpm rise and then let the clutch back out. To be very clear, you're not trying to completly disengage the clutch, nor snapping it back out with the engine revs too the moon. It's just a little rpm bump. More than that can result in a lot more front end climb than you're expecting and possibly a loop.

Be careful to avoid "whiskey hand" or "whiskey throttle", whatever it's called. This is where the starting position of the rider's hand allows acceleration of the bike to cause the rider to actually turn on more throttle and even get locked into a spot where they can't turn off the throttle very easily - or at all. Use the clutch or rear brake to regain control. Don't worry, the rev limiter will probably save the motor

Start small. Work on little power wheelies at first where the front wheel is a few inches off the ground and held up by increasing HP. Roll off throttle as required to keep them below a foot or so high at first and ride them out through 2nd gear.

As height increases towards the balance point, you need to be more and more careful with throttle input and learn to feel when you've hit the point in the pit of your stomach or whereever you personally get "that feeling".

That takes a lot of practice.

Eventually you'll start being able to shift through the gears and work your way up towards those 130+ MPH smokey front tire airplane landings :fool:

Daryl

[Andy 0]

This is turning out to be a great thread, thanks for the continuous advice!! I'd certainly be a liar if I said I didn't wanna learn wheelies partly for the fun of it, but an equal part of it is the confidence and control aspects. The reason professional racers of any vehicle are professionals is because they're completely confident in their total mastery of their racing machine.

[paulmbowers 236]

I also understand it's helpful to have two guys hold the bike up at the balance point so you can get a feel for exactly where the bike should be. I gotta try that.