How to wheelie (and other squidly activities)

[Bubbas_brother]

You guys are sure beating this "parking lot legality" to death and getting away from the main subject of "How to wheelie ".

I think the rest of the post is a lot more important than 'parking lots'.

[HYPERR]

The bike I have won't wheelie.

Sure it will. It probably won't do it just by power alone, but it'll do it. A friend of mine owned a bike shop years ago, before the days when bikes had so much excess hp. He wheelied every bike in the shop from the mopeds to the big Harleys. It's all in the technique.

+1 to this, I got my ninja 250 up on one wheel by accident. I had to change my underwear when I got back home and I think all the other drivers thought I was nuts because for the first time I got A LOT of space between me and the cagers

I see you sold the Ninja and got the Shiver. Being a naked Twin, that bikes gotta be a nice wheelie machine.
My Hypermotard which is also a naked twin is the easiest bike I have ever owned to wheelie. The bike is a torque monster.

[WillyP]

The best way to do a wheelie, for a beginner, is to get into the low end of the powerband in first gear, and chop the throttle, leaning forward, then, lean back and open it a bit... then roll it back down slowly. Increase the amount you open it on each try until you get it up, a little at first, get used to it a little at a time.

But, don't do like I did and get kicked out of your High School Graduation ceremony for doing wheelies in the parking lot. On a new Special, no less... Well, the owner of the bike said it wouldn't do wheelies, so I bet him I could.

[HYPERR]

The best way to do a wheelie, for a beginner, is to get into the low end of the powerband in first gear, and chop the throttle, leaning forward, then, lean back and open it a bit... then roll it back down slowly. Increase the amount you open it on each try until you get it up, a little at first, get used to it a little at a time.

Also makes sure you cover the rear brake pedal just in case as a tap will bring the front wheel back to terra firma if you get into trouble.

Also keep the handlebars centered and the front wheel straight. A lot of bikes don't like to come down with the wheel cocked. You can lose control or get a nasty tank slapper. On a dirtbike w/ 21" front wheel, you can be quite off center and not worry about it if you know what you are doing.

Keep in mind some bikes are just harder to keep the front wheel straight, like the BMW Boxer due to it's crankshaft and the offset piston design.

[Smokin Sam]

Here is a wheelie on a Harley for you! This was done at a drag strip. No cops, all speed! 7.55 @ 92 mph in the 1/8th mile.
Ya, I know, this is not a "stunt" wheelie, but it will pull a big one in first or second. The trick is to keep the front wheele down on the strip with this bike.
1460 S&S Sporty
[img][img]http://i824.photobucket.com/albums/zz16 ... heelie.jpg[/img][/img]

[StillTry'n]

We've all seen vids of bikes coming off a wheelie and immediately going into a violent wobble that results in a crash.

Is there anyway to stop this wobble once it starts?

I've never seen anyone recover from this: which I suspect is caused by the bike not coming down perfectly.

Dan

[BuzZz]

A good steering damper will help. Not doing such a long wheelie that the front wheel stops rotating is also good. Not lifting the front wheel works best.

[StillTry'n]

BuzZz

Three good ways to prevent a wobble (especially your third one) but I am curious as to what (if anything) a biker can do to survive the wobble (stop it) once it starts.

I just see them crash. Can you ride out the wobble?

Dan

[BuzZz]

There is a shitload of factors involved in any front end wobble, so it depends on the bike's geometry, power, rider position, tire condition..... and lotsa luck.

Generally, it is best to relax your grip on the bars (exactly the opposite of what your natural reaction will be) and let the bars slowly stop oscillating, but don't let go... tricky to pull off. Some factors will respond best to giving the bike more throttle to calm the front wheel. Others will be best corrected by backing off the go handle, or even brake application. Most wheelie-induced wobble won't be helped by less throttle or brake, but all those variables come into play again, so....

A high percentage of the wobble-type videos you see online are caused by dropping the front wheel too hard. If you land the tire gently, this usually means under throttle and fairly hard acceleration, chances of a wobble are greatly reduced. On most bikes, in most cases...

To learn how to do it, it is going to cost some time, bike repairs and skin..... maybe some bone. That's the point of this sticky..... there's no free ride.

[StillTry'n]

BuzZz

Thank you, Sir!

Question answered!

Dan