stunts on a street bike

[High_Side]

I'm just a bit tired of people on this forum jumping down everyone's throat when they disagree with something (especially when it comes to stunting). When I very first joined this forum, I was told off by a number of people because the website I run has pictures of people stunting - not one picture of me stunting, but of other people stunting, including a few of "Ghostrider" - and I got crapped on because of it...I didn't appreciate it then and so I felt for this guy a bit...

There will always be those who have never pulled a wheelie but can tell you all about it. There will always be those who want to be the first out of the gate to call someone an idiot before they understand the whole story. Water off a ducks back is the best approach......

[cruisinflatout]

You gotta remember, cruisin, this is TMW - Home of the Motorcycle Safety Police! Just watch as any unsuspecting new guy posts a pic of himself sitting on his bike wearing anything less than a full Bat Man costume and gets hammered with a barrage of "proper gear" comments!

haha...true enough

[Dichotomous]

I'm pretty sure that wheelies, jumps, stoppies, and burnouts were pretty much the most fun I have ever had on two wheels. This of course was on an enduro with dirt tires in my friends yard with jumps set up and a helmet and full MX armor and soft grass and loamy soil.... and it really didnt hurt THAT bike or me when I fell, which was often. Now, aside from possibly getting the front wheel a few inches off the ground on my next bike (my current has no possibility) coming out of a turn or a hard acceleration or something like that, I would really not prefer to do these same things on pavement with large moving cars around me, just doesnt seem sensible..... especially since it seems street bikes are designed to try to keep the front wheel down, what with it mouted so far forward and low and the rider positioned so far forward and down and the engine pulling its power way into its revs. Dirtbikes have their power down low, the engine further back, the rider further back and upright.... something designed to get the front wheel in the air in a hurry in case it needs to get over logs or ruts or ditches or whatnot. While this is probably commonknowledge, I think its important cause, well, those bikes are designed for it, do it on them, street bikes are designed NOT to do it, so dont try to make them. Heck, even use a supermoto in your parking lot or wherever to pull off the stunts, its GOTTA be more controllable and all you loose is the "bling" of a litreclass bike. I bet with the oil systems and 2strokes and such, you could run a wheely ALL DAY on one of those and it wouldnt care.
I'll tell ya that much for free, just imagine my 2cents

[scan]

Good points.

After all of this, the guy did ask what we thought. He got it full bore from both sides really.

But he did ask about doing something in a sensible way. He wanted to know if it would be good to train in the dirt. I think most of us agree this is the way to learn. Most of us just don't think it has a place on the street, unless it is part of some kind of show.

[earwig]

This dude didn't mention doing stunts on the street etc. so why is everyone still talking about it? Dichotomous... many street bikes with enough power have a hard time keeping the front wheel on the ground.

[flynrider]

Now, aside from possibly getting the front wheel a few inches off the ground on my next bike (my current has no possibility) ...

Your current bike would have no problem getting the front wheel off the ground. It has more to do with technique than brute power. The low end torque on that thumper would help a lot.

I used to ride with a buddy that worked at the local motorcycle shop. He used to ride mile long wheelies on every customer's bike after he fixed 'em. Everything from 250 street bikes to liter bikes. That practice ended after he was riding a wheelie on a customer's KZ550 and it ran out of gas. It wasn't a pretty sight.

[cruisinflatout]

haha...I could imagine!

[Meanie]

The issue is simple. Stunting is fine if it's what you want to do and willing to risk your life and bike. My only beef is to those who do so on "public" roads. If you want to practice on a lot, track or private property, go for it. But even if/when you become good (or think you are good), that still doesn't provide the right to do so on "public" roads. There is ALWAYS the ptoential to hit another person or person's property. Bottom line, if you stunt in any way on a public road, you're an idiot...period.

[skinnyjoint]

here is a video i found on another forum, that has a few people that do that sort of thing

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid ... motorcycle

[Kal]

Wow I go away and do some work for a half hour or so and it all breaks loose here!

That wheelie video was pretty cool, but I was distracted by trying to work out where they are. It looks like one of many abandoned airfields that stud the Southern part of this island.