| Author | Message | ||
     New12r |
Those are some of my early works, now looking at them they are not all that impressive. Wish I had some of my newer stuff. | ||
| Froggy |
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| Ekass13 |
Slid ur butt back on the seat and pull on the bars. I also push the pegs with my feet. Stand ups are a little easyr. U don't need power to wheelie. Look on you tube, there are people that can wheelie anything at any speed with very little power. Weight shouldn't matter. if you weigh more, use that weight to help you bye shifting it back. The bikes weigh around 420lbs if your 200lbs and pulling back with ur weight behind the back wheel, that front is coming up. I don't use a clutch but i also don't try to wheelie going fast. My balls shrink with speed. Plus, going fast on one wheel can suck if you need to stop fast. Ever hit something with one wheel up??? Superman... | ||
| 916nimrod |
How to Ride a wheelie Before riding wheelies on a bike If you have access to a quad, a dirt bike, or a fiddy, learn wheelies on that first. What you learn about throttle control and the balance point will help you in learning to ride a wheelie on a bike. If you’re ready to learn on a bike then: 1. Make sure the rear brake works and adjust the lever to a comfortable height. 2. There should be 1in. of play in chain slack. A chain too tight or too loose will wear out the chain and sprockets faster than normal. 3. Make sure there are no cracks in the foot pegs, and make sure all of the bolts are tight. Speed and riding position for learning wheelies I recommend that beginners learn wheelies if first gear. It is easier to launch the wheelie in first gear, and there is more engine break in first gear. This means that you can ride a wheelie higher without the danger of looping it. It also hurts much less and breaks less stuff when you crash in first gear. For that reason i don't think it is a good idea to do high-speed wheelies until using the brake is second nature. It is also much easier to go from riding out first gear wheelies to second gear wheelies than vice versa. The only downfall to learning wheelies in first vs. seconds is that the wheelie won’t be as smooth. The throttle will feel much more sensitive. I think fifteen mph is a good speed to launch wheelies while learning; any slower and the wheelie may feel unstable to a beginner. I also recommend learning wheelies standing up with the left foot on the passenger peg, and the right foot on the front peg, covering the brake. While it may feel awkward at first to wheelie while standing, it will be easier after you get used to that part. Most people think it is easier to balance and control a wheelie standing up vs. sitting down. It is also easier to launch the wheelie from standing up. Why clutching wheelies is the best method for launching wheelies Clutching is by far the best way to get wheelies up, regardless of whether the bike has enough power to power it up. While it does wear out clutch plates a little faster than normal, the difference is not significant. I also have never read about any major problems as the result of the extra tension on the drive train. There are many advantages to clutching wheelies vs. powering wheelies. 1. It allows you to wheelie bikes that don’t have enough power to power it up. 2. You can wheelie at lower rpm’s, and therefore slower speeds. This allows beginners to keep a wheelie up longer, without being at the balance point. 3. The launch is more predictable. When powering a wheelie up, the front end comes up relatively slow. Then when the front end is about 3 feet off the ground, the front end jumps up very fast under full throttle, making for a scary and unpredictable launch. When clutching up wheelies right, the front jumps up close to the balance point. From there you just play with the throttle to fine adjust the height. After a little practice, clutching becomes very predictable and not frightening at all. 4. All of the pros that I know of clutch every wheelie. You want to be like them don’t you? How to clutch wheelies There are a couple different methods for clutching wheelies. I prefer the second method. Method 1: First accelerate with the clutch engaged. Then, with the throttle still opened, pull in the clutch with one finger, to the point where the clutch disengages. With the engine still under throttle, quickly let the clutch back out as the tach is rising. Method 2: Close the throttle, and then pull the clutch in all the way, with one finger. Then twist the throttle and dump the clutch. When learning to clutch, only rev up the engine a little bit at first before letting out the clutch. This will give you the feel for clutching. Then gradually increase the rpm’s before dumping the clutch, until the front end jumps up close to the balance point. Reduce the throttle as the front end comes up to the balance point. If it comes up too far, gently push the rear brake to bring the bike back forward. When clutching second and third gear wheelies, the bike may need extra help, depending on what bike it is. If clutching alone doesn’t get the wheelie up, then bounce at the same time. This is done by pushing down on the bike (with your arms and legs) at the same time you open the throttle, and then leaning back slightly when dropping the clutch. I is not a good idea to pull on the bars. Pulling up on the bars may cause the wheelie to come up funny and wobble. Shifting gears I don’t recommend shifting gears during a wheelie unless you are good at wheelies, and are able to use the clutch in the process. Otherwise, shifting during wheelies is hard on the transmission. It is also hard on the fork seals if you miss a shift. My advice is to learn to ride wheelies at a constant speed. Then there will be no need to shift. How to set a wheelie down When bringing down a wheelie, stay on the throttle until the front end is safely on the ground. If it is necessary to quickly bring down the front end, then close the throttle at first. Then as the front is coming down, open the throttle. In that way you will have a soft landing. Step by step procedure to launch a wheelie for a beginner 1. Drop the tire pressure to about 15-20psi 2. Put the bike into first gear 3. Go about 15mph 4. Pull in the clutch 5. Rev up the engine a little and drop the clutch 6. Repeat step 5, increasing the rpm’s, until the front end comes up close to the balance point. 7. Reduce the throttle as the front end comes up to the balance point. 8. Cover the rear brake. 9. Stay on the throttle as it comes back down. Balancing the wheelie from front to back Balancing front to back is controlled by using the throttle and rear brake. It is a good idea to learn this on a quad, fiddy, or dirt bike first. If the wheelie is in front of the balance point, you must increase your speed to remain at that position. To get the wheelie back to the balance point, you must compensate with more throttle. This is the same, only in reverse, when the wheelie is behind the balance point. When behind the balance point, you must use the engine breaking/ rear brake to bring it forward to the balance point. The balance point is the position of the bike in which it neither has to speed up or slow down to remain at the same position. The height of the balance point is affected mainly by the speed of the wheelie. The faster the wheelie is, the lower the balance point. The balance point is also slightly affected by the weight distribution of the bike and the position of the rider. The object of riding a balanced wheelie is to keep the bike as close as possible to the balance point. This is done by rolling on and off the throttle, and pushing the brake if needed. With practice comes the ability to ride a smooth wheelie without playing with the throttle/brake much. Balancing the wheelie from side to side Balancing sided to side is done by adjusting your body position. It is a good idea to learn this on a dirt bike, bicycle, or fiddy first. When riding wheelies over about 20mph, the bike will balance itself for the most part. It is the slow wheelies that you have to consciously balance side to side. The principle is pretty simple. Quickly lean the same direction as the bike is falling. For example, if the bike is starting to fall to the left, you would quickly lean to the left. This movement would twist the bike towards the left, thereby correcting it. Preventing / stopping wheelie wobbles From my experience, I think that high speed wheelie wobbles can be caused by having a squared off rear tire, not being smooth on the throttle, and/or making quick movements. Slow speed wobbles seems to be caused by high rear tire pressure, and/or not keeping the wheelie balanced from side to side. Steering wheelies To steer wheelies good, you need to either be at the balance point, or behind the balance point. To steer wheelies which are over about 20mph, you simply slowly lean in the direction you want to turn. However, to turn slow wheelies, you must first make the bike lean in the direction which you want to turn. For example, if you want to turn to the right, first, slowly lean to the right. Then quickly lean a little to the left / twist the handlebars a little to the left. This will cause the bike to start to fall to the right. Then, instead of completely correcting the lean, you keep the bike leaning at that angle. This will cause the bike to turn to the right. Using the rear brake: Slowing wheelies down Wheelies are slowed down by, riding the wheelie behind the balance point. This is one of the hardest parts of learning to wheelie, not because of skill, but because of the balls required. To learn how to use the rear brake, you basically need to grow some balls, bring the wheelie up behind the balance point, and tap the brake. Soon this process will become second nature. To slow a wheelie down, you must give the bike enough throttle to get the wheelie behind the balance point. Now if you get scared and push the rear break hard at this point, it will quickly bring the wheelie forward without slowing it down much. To slow it down, you must keep it behind the balance point by gently riding the brake. To 12, you just do the same thing, only you get off the rear break enough to allow the bike to lean back on the tail. Unless you plan on parking a 12, make sure you get back on the brake before the wheelie slows down enough to stall the engine. Riding slow wheelies After you get good at slowing down wheelies, then you should be able to ride slow wheelies out. First of all, turn up your idle. I do slow stuff with the idle at 3.5k rpm’s. The high idle allows you to ride slow wheelies much smoother. Be careful, however, when first turning up the idle, because you will have to use the rear brake, when going slow, to keep from looping. When riding slow wheelies with the idle high, with some practice, you should be able to ride the wheelie by using the brake, and only blipping the throttle if the wheelie starts to come down. Once you have learned all of this, all of the wheelie variations will pretty much be self explanatory. | ||
| Buelltroll |
I ALMOST read that..... Where is this "chain" you speak of..... You wanna do a wheelie? Grow a pair n add more right hand ya damn woman!!! | ||
| Redbuell1203 |
Thanks for the information will practice tonight. | ||
| Jerseyguy |
I agree, Buells are impossible to wheelie.  | ||
| Hogs |
JerseyGuy, yeah but yours has one of them funny looking Carbon Fiber Mufflers on there, Thats why yours can do that  Plus your one of them Old fellas that know more...!  | ||
| Xl1200r |
I don't know guys - I have tried and tried to wheelie and it just doesn't happen. Once, I did a really crappy hard shift into second and slipped the clutch a bit and the wheel came up - maybe 12 inches or so. I've tried to repeat it and I can't. When I hammer on the throttle, shifting hard into second will get the front wheel off the ground maybe 1-2", and then maybe 1/2" going into third, but that's about it. By comparison, my buddy used to have a 12S with a D&D, and in first gear around 3k you could just open the throttle and the thing would put you on your back if you didn't let off. So what am I doing wrong? Revving the engine and just dropping the clutch sounds like it's asking for trouble to me. | ||
| Jerseyguy |
Hogs - Us old guys can still get it up now and then. Xl1200r - Find a parking lot or straight section of road with no one around. You can do it either sitting or standing. Sitting may feel safer for a newbie although standing allows for more body english. Take it up to 10 or 15 MPH then slam the throttle shut let the weight rock forward with the deceleration - maybe 1 second - then quickly roll the throttle back on. It will come up guaranteed. XB9 or XB12 doesn't matter. My SS is a tad harder due to the longer wheelbase but it's still quite easy. If you get scared, roll off the throttle or tap the back brake. The more confidence you get from practice the higher you can bring it up and the longer you can ride it. You can clutch it up like the IL4s have to do but it really isn't necessary with these torquey motors. | ||
| Spacecapsule1 |
....but how high will it come up? It happens so fast you might not react soon enough..... genuine question.... i don't wheelie, don't wanna wreck my new bike. | ||
| Xl1200r |
I've tried exactly what you're talking about with no results. It just jerks forward, makes a lot of noise, makes me feel like I'm beating the shit out the driveline, and then it accellerates like mad. | ||
| Olinxb12r |
Either there is a problem with your bike Xl, or you are not doing it right. I've ridden 9s and 12s R and S models, and all of them will power wheelie in 1st and 2nd. I preferred to use the clutch regardless of what gear I was in because it is a lot more consistant than power wheelies. Try using the clutch. Practice by bringing the rpms up just a little before popping the clutch and slowing increase the rpms as you get more comfortable. | ||
| Jeffroj |
Mark, I've been trying here too, the best I can get is about 2 inches, barely enough to know if its even breaking contact with pavement. I tried the 15 mph, letting off, and snapping the throttle open, no lift. I tried 25, the tach at 3000, a little better, but still not enough to call it a wheelie. Am I just subconsciously not allowing my hand to roll back on the throttle quick enough, or do I need to be higher than 3000 on the tach? | ||
| Olinxb12r |
Use the clutch. Power wheelies are not as consistant or predictable. To answer your question though, yes you are not allowing yourself to wach the throttle hard enough, or you are keeping it wacked long enough. | ||
| Spacecapsule1 |
.........just saw a guy do a power wheelie. man it looked good! it just came up nice and easy, almost in slow motion then back down nice and easy. don't know what bike it was, he was at a light and i was walking nearby..... | ||
| Xl1200r |
I guess I'll play with the clutch more. I'm not even looking to get to the balance point - I just want it to look like I have too much power for my own good  I'll give it a shot this weekend once the weather breaks. | ||
| Jerseyguy |
I don't know what to add. I've wheelied every Buell - 9s, 12s, Rs, Ss, TTs, Ulys, 1125s too. Many of them were bone stock at demo rides. The 1125 demo at Pocono was amazing. I finally hit the "Bus stop" 180 correctly and punched it in second and carried an unexpected wheelie almost all the way into the next turn. There is a sort of graceful rhythm to it that you may be missing. Let the deceleration push you forward - go with it naturally and then lean back and accelerate at the same time. Its not a herky jerky motion but smooth. It's a bit hard to put into words. If I could watch you I'm sure we get it. I've taught a lot of guys how to do it. Olin - I'll have to disagree with you - at least for me on Buells. The massive torque at low speeds makes it effortless. An IL4 has to be revved and dumped to get it up at walking speeds. I could pull my 9 with a Drummer into a stand up from a dead stop. I can't horse my Ss up from a dead stop but if I get it above 1600-1800 rpm or so, I can pull it up. I've clutched the Ss up in 2nd & 3rd, but I've never felt the need to do it in first. | ||
| Jerseyguy |
The stand up I pulled up from maybe 1800 rpm. The sit down was probably rolled up around 15-20 mph.   | ||
| Sath |
You might try loading the suspension. Like squat hard with all your weight and collapse the suspension and when it starts to unload pull back on the bars and give some throttle. | ||
| Hogs |
My 12r can come straight up at 3500 Now since I put the 9 front sprocket and chain on it From a Dead stop with no effort at all, just give it gas and she will come straight up from a dead stop too easy... | ||
| Ulynut |
I can float the front tire all the way across an intersection from a dead stop with hardly any throttle. I'm somewhat of a fat*ss, so I sit way back on the seat, lean back a little, and roll the throttle nice and smooth. Must look goofy because my buddies keep laughing whenever I do it.  | ||
| Towjam |
TowJam's "How To Wheelie" Tips: First, ask to borrow your friend's bike.... | ||
| Ustorque |
+ 1 towjam  | ||
| Spacecapsule1 |
why the decrease in tire pressure? Get more traction that way? | ||
| Olinxb12r |
People lower the tire pressure so the tire doesn't have as much of a peak. It makes keeping the bike from wandering side to side easier. On the power vs. clutch, it is a personal preference thing. For short little hops power wheelies are fine, and fun at that, but a lot more people wreck trying to learn power wheelies than using the clutch. Watch any stunter, and you will almost never see them do a power wheelie. There is a reason for that. | ||
| No_rice |
i decided that the 1125 does awesome high speed wheelies. run through first. shift into second and grab a handfull of throttle. watch front end point towards sky, put pressure on shifter. blip throttle and slide into third. grab more throttle, put pressure on shifter, blip throttle and slide into fourth. decide to set the frontend down and listen for the screeching tire and watch for a puff of smoke as the front tire that is maybe doing 20mph tries to catch up with the back tire that says its doing 140... obligatory wheelie pick(although this one is slow speed from mile #2 on the 1125)  | ||
| Glitch |
Dang Tim, all all your roads like that? | ||
| Mr2shim |
How did I know that was Iowa... .  Dead & flat... Kinda miss the state... (Message edited by mr2shim on May 10, 2008) | ||
| No_rice |
Dang Tim, all all your roads like that? around central iowa where i'm at they are. i ride a ways to even find a set of 4 or 5 decent curves. otherwise there are always the on/off ramps! why do you think i do all these damn wheelies... its amazing i can ride those roads down in your area as hard as i can isnt it. you would think i dont know how to lean by looking at that pic! |
