Monday Funny - Trying to Wheelie

[bbbom]

Originally posted by E-Ticket
Suggestion: borrow/bum a *really* small bike, such as a Z50.

No, no, NO! Borrow a CR500 and you will get to pop wheelies all day! It would be nice if I could get it down to where I only do it when I want to - someday, someday.

Actually, I've found that it helps to be going up a decent incline. One of the logging roads back to the house is perfect. Nice wide dirt road at about a 15% grade with a perfect bump about halfway up. I've actually made it about 20 feet with the front tire about 2 feet off the ground.

I try all the time on my mountain bike but it's easier to let the CR pull the wheel up for me.

 

[bratt]

Hi just thought I would throw my two cents in. If you remember nothing else please remember to cover the back brake. I am nursing a broken collar bone from practicing wheelies about 2 weeks ago. Now I can't ride for another 3 or 4 weeks and I was just getting them down too!

 

[Ol'89r]

Originally posted by bratt
Hi just thought I would throw my two cents in. If you remember nothing else please remember to cover the back brake

bratt. Funny you should mention that.

I used to be fairly good at wheelies. (Key word, 'used to'). Back in the day when we rode the big Triumph twins on local tracks. The Triumphs were a pretty easy bike to wheelie on. They had lots of HP and were pretty easy to find the 'sweet spot' on.

Well, I had this habit of bringing my bike home after a race and washing it in the driveway and then doing a wheelie up the street to dry it off. My neighbors would come out to watch. They musta figured that someday I would do something worth watching.

Well, this particular day I didn't dissapoint them. I started up the street, pulling the big Triumph into a perfect wheelie. About 3/4 of the way up the street, the bike started to come over backwards. I tried to hit the rear brake, but it was too little too late.

As it came over backwards, I stepped off the back and started running behind the bike. The bike came back down on it's wheels and proceeded to continue down the street without me. I was running as fast as I could behind the bike and as it started to slow down, I thought, maybe I can catch it? Bad idea.

I started to catch up to the bike while it was slowing down and then it started to do a big wobble. Yeah, you guessed it, just as I was reaching out for the handlebars the bike did a big wobble to the left and then a big wobble to the right and back again and fell on its side right in front of me.

Seeing as how I was running too fast to stop, I tripped over the fallen Triumph and proceeded to tumble head over heels down the street.

The neighbors were very impressed. :)

 

[BunduBasher]

The neighbors were very impressed. :)

Now, I am really impressed ;) - I have gone over the back too many times in my youth to try this stuff again :(

 

[bbbom]

Too bad they didn't have a video camera - you could have been famous! :eek: :)

 

[GETMETOCA]

I remember reading bbbom's post about using an incline to wheelie effectively, but I had no intention of attempting a wheelie today out at Carnegie and WHAT DO YOU KNOW!!!

The guys had headed down to Hesperia this weekend, so me Jen and Julie decided it was time for a gals only outing. Much excitement today. We three ladies were having dinner at my house last night, drinking Caribbean Pushups (coconut rum, orange juice and fat free half and half), mulling over the fact that we haven't crashed lately, I certainly haven't crashed my new bike at all, but then again, I only have 62 miles on it...

We get to Carnegie and decide to go up the Los Osos trail, the same one we went up last weekend. The ground was kind of worn down from no rain, lots of riders, I guess, not sure, but it sure felt different. Jen and Julie got ahead of me and I was bogging. I ended up having to nose the bike back down the hill and try it again. I figured I wasn't going fast enough to begin with. Got a better start, tried to take the hill in 3rd and started bogging down again (whatever advice you have, believe me I am willing to listen. I do realize that its POSSIBLE I did not know what I was doing....however, I suffer from thinking I am more qualified than I really am syndrome.) Anyway, I tried to shift down and I must have put it in neutral or pulled in the clutch or something because the next thing I know, I'm doing a wheelie that seemed to be 4 feet in the air at least. It all seemed slo mo. I'm thinking "the F word" right before the the bike came back over me, I somehow kept it from falling on top of me. (side note for any psychologists out there - during the ordeal, I envisioned myself a princess on top of a rearing unicorn - any thoughts???? Am I weird???)

Pulling the bike back to its normal position on a hill is another thing. Somehow I managed to stand it back up. I must have stood there recuperating for 6 or 7 minutes, draining my hydration system, before I got the bike in a position that I could restart it and get off the hill.

Julie and Jen finally came back for me when they figured something happened and all I could think about was that NO ONE SAW MY FIRST WHEELIE OR MY FIRST CRASH!!!!! DANG! DANG!! DANG!!

No worries, though, it was only the beginning of the day and we ALL three ended up with one or two more good crashes for the day, and all witnessed, of course. Looking back on the day, we realized that we forgot to begin our ride with the solemn oath of "no bruised cooters, girls!!" Shoulda known we'd crash good today!!

 

[bbbom]

Uh, Natalie, I didn't mean THAT steep of an incline!! :)

Been there, done that and will again.

I got some short wheelies up my favorite I-N-C-L-I-N-E hill last evening. Of course my coaches - Karl and Pat (my son) insist I twist the throttle much harder to get a bigger wheelie. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm workin on it!

I'm thinking I need a wheelie riding practice day. My driveway is actually a great place to practice especially since all the gravel has been snowplowed off of it and I haven't had it bladed back on - soft. I think I'll use some big old pillows and duct tape them to the back of my chestprotector and practice until I get it.
I'll show those two, just wait & see. :think: :scream: :)

 

[E-Ticket]

Great ride report, Michele!

Our typical post-ride toast over libations:

"No tickets, no crashes, no fatalities!"

We usually are happy to settle for 1 out of 3. <grin> - ET

 

[bratt]

GETMETOCA:
I noticed you are from Modesto. I live in Sacramento and I need some girl riding buddies in the worst way. Riding with the guys is ok but it would be nice to ride with the "girls" once. Would you girls be interested in hooking up and riding sometime? I have never ridden at Carnagie but thats only because none of the guys I ride with are interested in traveling that far, we stay mostly at Prairie City and Marysville. Send me a PM if you want.
~Gina

 

[Michelle]

Originally posted by E-Ticket
Great ride report, Michele!

Okay, so who wasn't paying attention??? lol
Just because someone else is doing long posts, doesn't automatically make it me - Bbbom is as bad, if not worse (anyone remember our competition of longest post lol) ;)

Sounds like a great ride, Nat. Looping out on hills - used to do that a lot on my 80, got pretty good at throwing the bike as far away from me as possible ;)

Never mind the crashes, so long as no one got hurt, that's what counts.
Michelle

 

[Grashopr]

Wheelies Made Easy

Okay, kids...I run a sportbike site and I get this all the time...a guy buys a new F4i (600 cc entry-level bike) and runs with the pack, then sees all the other guys wheelie-ing for blocks, and he pulls his back out trying to 'jerk' his bike up. I ride a YZ426 in the dirt, so I'm kind of biased about how easy dirt bikes wheelie...but the truth is..they DO wheelie easy. There is a professional stuntbike rider named Gary Rothwell who made a page dedicated to teaching people how to wheelie streetbikes. Most of his info can be transferred to you guys who are wheelie-deficient.

First, make sure that you're NOT trying to wheelie on a motorcycle that has NO chance of wheelie-ing. Although an 82 RM125 that hasn't had a top end put in it for 5 years probably COULD be wheelied by someone who's comfortable with it...it's not the best bike to learn on. Depending on your weight, most modern 250 dirtbikes will wheelie an average adult (or I haven't seen one that wont)...or if you have a Gas-Gas, or a trails bike, you just need a decent power-to-weight ratio bike.

Some guys wheelie using the clutch. It's unnecessary for 1st gear wheelies, and it's damaging to your clutch hub and plates. All motorcycles have a 'powerband'. Even 4 stroke streetbikes have an RPM where they have a decent rise in power. 2-strokes OBVIOUSLY have a pronounced powerband...right at the base of your bikes powerband is where you need to start the wheelie. What you want is to be going fast enough in first gear to be right at the brink of where the bike makes it's peak power, but not so fast that you're going to over-rev the bike before the front end gets high enough to ride.

Move your center of gravity over the back wheel. Don't move back so far that you cannot adjust your body position during the wheelie (don't just stick your butt back as far as you can...just sit back on the seat a bit...your knees should still have a slight bend, your arms should be straightened, but comfortable...possibly a slight bend).

In 1st gear, bring the bike up to speed at an RPM that is just below or right where the bike makes it's transition into the powerband. On 4 strokes, this is about 3/4 through the RPM range.

Be prepared to close the throttle if the front end gets too high...this will bring the front end down as fast as hitting the rear brake, and it's the easiest way to maintain and control front end height.

To bring the front end up, Chop the throttle. By chop, I mean from whereever you have the throttle positioned now, in one, quick motion, go to full closed, then to full open throttle. What should have happened is that you were riding in first gear, with the front suspension settled (not rebounding or compressing more than just for normal small bumps...you aren't jerking up and down on the front end). Then you closed the throttle, which will throw the motorcycles weight forward, compressing the forks. Then you opened the throttle, using the fork's rebound and the rear wheel's spin to bring the front end up in the air. If your center of gravity was back far enough, your bodyweight would have helped keep the wheel from spinning, and kept unnecessary weight off of the front end.

Don't try to shut the throttle off for a second to let the forks compress, then try to jam the throttle back on when you think they would be rebounding...trust me, just chop it. OFF-ON from whereever you are holding the throttle. If you are still having problems, or the bike just doesn't seem to be coming up far enough, when you are chopping the throttle back ON...jerk on the bars, just pull them back towards you. Hopefully this will get you started...

Once you get the front end up, remember that the easiest way to shut a wheelie down is to shut down the throttle, the engine braking will cause the rear wheel to slow, which will force the front end down...it's rough, but it's easier than trying to find your rear brake or clutch during a 'clincher'. After you get the front end up in the air, maintain it using the throttle. Obviously if the front end just barely comes up, try starting the throttle chop at a higher RPM and going to the full ON throttle stop instead of just giving it half throttle.

If it starts to come up real quick, then suddenly revs out, but the front end drops, your rear wheel is spinning...try starting the OFF-ON chop at a lower RPM, or move your center of gravity back furthur.

I read that someone was trying to use a small dip in the yard as a primer to get the front end up...you don't need it. Just chop the throttle. If all else fails, break down and spend $20 on a minus-one-tooth front sprocket. Hopefully this helps...good luck, and wear a helmet when you try this.


The Grasshopper

 

[DirtFamily]

Kewl beans Grasshopper! I'll try anything! :aj:

Katie

 

[Milquetoast]

Originally posted by GETMETOCA
"no bruised cooters, girls!!"

Oh my! :o :)

 

[Racinante]

It's too bad they don't make training wheels for dirt bikes that would help us children learn how to ride a wheelie. Kind'uv like the wheelie bars on a dragster, but set up high enough that you could ride it that way, or even stop with it still in the wheelie position. This would definitely help you get used to keeping your feet on the pegs and using the brake. If I could weld, I'm sure I could come up with something.

The last time I tried a wheelie, I went too far back on my KX and broke off the rear fender. :whiner: I think I might wait till I can do a wheelie before I fix it. Or, atleast take it off the next time I try. ;)

 

[CC_RIDER]

Originally posted by GETMETOCA
(side note.... - during the ordeal, I envisioned myself a princess on top of a rearing unicorn - any thoughts???? Am I weird???)

I've been pondering this for a few days now........... and yes,
I would say that you are definitely weird.



Got any plans for Friday night? :debil:



;) ;) ;)

 

[JuliusPleaser]

. . . .or Saturday night?