Wheelies: a legitimate street techniquie, or stunt stupidity?

[Stitches]

Ok, I am a somewhat newbish rider, and have spent hours trying to glean wisdom from more experienced riders as I meet them. This being said I am in doubt. I’ve heard of more experienced riders using wheelies to get over obstacles presented before them on the road. I wonder: how does one do a “wheelie”? and more importantly, after I nearly kill my ass trying to attempt this, is a viable technique?

[Bueller]

Is this serious?

[txrc51fatboy]

wheelies are as stupid as this topic

:scream1:

[Bassil Duwaik]

best thing I can tell you about a wheelie is throttle control. I found myself become slightly smoother at the track after doing wheelies. I'm no where near good enough to shift gears while doing one but I think I learned what I wanted to out of them.

[txrc51fatboy]

your a newbish rider, learn to ride first, then once you learn to control your bike, you can start advanced things.
ive seen too many bike wadded up by newbies wanting to run before they walk

[kevplus2]

dont confuse unweighting the front and applying a little throttle (say to ride over a 2X4 laying in the road) with a wheelie

they used to teach about the unweighting thing for riding over obstacles in the msf course

[Devaclis]

NOT a street technique. Are you fucking kidding me?

[tripledigits]

I like watching a good wheelie, in that I appreciate the skill.

I don't intentionally practice them because:

- I don't want my engine to die of oil starvation

- I don't want to get a ticket

- I don't want to fall on my a** and look like a fool

- I'm old enough to be a role model for younger riders

[jermag24]

You could ask these two:

http://gixxer.com/photopost/data/500/CAUF4X2B.jpg

My wife and I were on our way home, in Highands Ranch, when these two came flying by. The one in shorts was in a wheelie, I was doing 75 so he was going at least 85-90. He was also too busy looking to see if people in their cars were impressed, and he didn't see that white truck in front of him. When he finally saw it, he slammed the front end down, and hit the brakes. I swore he was going down, his rear tire fishtailed a bit, but he managed to stay up somehow. The one on the right slowed up sooner, as he was looking ahead of him.

So NO, wheelies aren't a a legitimate street technique. Just a quick way to show people you need more riding time.

[~Barn~]

Legit street technique. Case closed.

And while I'm at it, I'd like to make a push for the "loud pipes save lives" sect. Keep on keepin' on.

[Filo]

Don't listen to the naysayers - wheelies are DEFINITELY an appropriate street technique. If there is an obstacle in your way, here is what you do:

1) Get the motor up to 70-80% of redline with the clutch in.
2) About .75 seconds in front of the obstacle (this depends on speed, of course) dump the clutch without letting off the trottle. You can also push down on the bars before hand so you get a little extra "oomph" from the front suspension too. The front wheel will begin to come up.
3) If you timed it correctly, right as you are about to go past 90 degrees, your rear wheel should hit the object in the road. Your front wheel will now be able to pass safely over it because of your momentum. It is critical at this point to chop the throttle or else you are going over backwards unless the object in front of you is a 1988 Buick (see last weeks news).
4) This step is where most people fail (like the guy in jermag24's post). As your front wheel is rotating towards the ground at the speed of light (since the rear wheel just stopped), you need to push down on the bike to preload the rear suspension while simultaneously getting a handful of front brake (but not TOO much).
5) As soon as the front wheel hits the ground, modulate the front brake so that the front wheel does not lock up. You need enough front brake so that the rear wheel now comes up off the ground and sail effortlessly over the obstacle. At this point, you will have gone over the obstacle without any wheel touching it too much. For extra style points, you can hold the rear wheel off the ground for a while in a nice rolling stoppie. The cops love that.


















On a serious note, only selfish, moronic, idiots hell bent on offending anyone with a working medulla oblongata try wheelies on the street in traffic. They think they will impress people. (Again, see last weeks 1988 Buick - that left quite an impression). Obviously these people are suffering from erectile dysfunction or vaginismus. I am not against stunting - I even practice it myself sometimes (I suck at it). If you want to learn it, find a deserted place that you have permission to use and bring friends. It can be a blast, but like sex, it is better not to do it on the highways.

[Stitches]

Thank you Filo, and everyone who replied. I can see now that this is a bit of a controversial topic. I acknowledge that the implications of falling off the back of my bike in front of oncoming traffic are neither fun, nor inspiring for long term health benefits. I have no intention of ever trying that shit on the highway. I am however more curious about this un-weighting. I took the MSF advanced class, and mostly the theory was to stand up on the pegs, and let your knees absorb most of the energy from the obstacle. I wonder then, how best to avoid something in the road if I can’t swerve around it?

[MAZIN]

You could ask these two:

http://gixxer.com/photopost/data/500/CAUF4X2B.jpg

My wife and I were on our way home, in Highands Ranch, when these two came flying by. The one in shorts was in a wheelie, I was doing 75 so he was going at least 85-90. He was also too busy looking to see if people in their cars were impressed, and he didn't see that white truck in front of him. When he finally saw it, he slammed the front end down, and hit the brakes. I swore he was going down, his rear tire fishtailed a bit, but he managed to stay up somehow. The one on the right slowed up sooner, as he was looking ahead of him.

So NO, wheelies aren't a a legitimate street technique. Just a quick way to show people you need more riding time.


good pic of 36.

[Jayock]

good pic of 36.

Definately 25

[Suki]

sheplers is still around? dayum!

[salsashark]

Definately 25

Ding ding ding... Gutter, tell 'em what he's won!

extra point if you know what movie that's from...




I-25 & Orchard in the DTC (http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&ll=39.60828,-104.892156&spn=0.00205,0.00338&t=h&z=18&om=1&layer=c&cbll=39.607229,-104.892222&cbp=1,105.15000000000003,0.5,0)

[mclarke]

PCU!

[Sortarican]

dont confuse unweighting the front and applying a little throttle (say to ride over a 2X4 laying in the road) with a wheelie..
+1
Unloading the suspension, valid street technique.

Wheelie???????
Maybe as a last resort if something large falls off the back of a truck.
Then again, if you can't dodge it, you where probably following too close.


Don't listen to the naysayers - wheelies are DEFINITELY an appropriate street technique....

:pointlaugh:
Sarcasm!
Just one of the many pirks of your CSC membership.

[Crashdaddy]

Thank you Filo, and everyone who replied. I can see now that this is a bit of a controversial topic. I acknowledge that the implications of falling off the back of my bike in front of oncoming traffic are neither fun, nor inspiring for long term health benefits. I have no intention of ever­ trying that shit on the highway. I am however more curious about this un-weighting. I took the MSF advanced class, and mostly the theory was to stand up on the pegs, and let your knees absorb most of the energy from the obstacle. I wonder then, how best to avoid something in the road if I can’t swerve around it?

"How best to avoid something in the road if you can't swerve around it?" I don't even understand the question. First, and foremost, attempting to wheelie over anything should be the last thing on a novice riders mind. I don't know how much you have attempted to "wheelie" your bike, but it is generally not something that you do, or even plan for, in the 1/2 second or so you have when you realize something just popped out from under that semi you were tailgating.

If you have been practicing wheelies rather than the swerves, quick stops, head turns, scanning, proper body positioning and other vital riding skills a new rider needs to survive, I am afraid you may end up another statistic that causes my insurance to go up. I know, sounds callous and cold. Sorry. I am getting to be a grumpy old man. Wheelies are a blast, I have never been very good at them, but every once in a while I will accidentally nail a nice one...ON THE TRACK!

I guess my main point, other than please don't hurt or kill yourself, is it takes a hell of a lot longer to get a bike up into a wheelie than it takes to swerve around (or sometimes even stop) because of an obstacle in your path. A wheelie is more a "planned" event, and you are asking about an emergency maneuver. I don't give a rats ass what the "experts" on here say about how easy it is to wheelie, and that there is nothing to it. The thing they are not considering, either from lack of experience or lack of knowledge(or both), is in a true life or death situation, humans tend to lose control of their fine motor skills. And it takes fine motor skills to initiate and control a wheelie. And worse yet, a wheelie puts all of the bikes weight (and yours) onto the back tire. It also puts a lot of stored energy into the rear spring. That means that if, during this "Oh my GOD!!" moment you don't remember the wonderful advice you got on how to wheelie over an obstacle, and keep the throttle pinned (or nearly so), you are going to pile drive that real wheel into whatever the hell is in the road. And then really bad shit is going to happen. No question about it.

Buy a dirt bike, go play every day on it, riding wheelies and anything else you want to learn. Then take your street bike and practice braking and swerving and cornering and accelerating. All as smoothly as possible. And Ride safe.

[Mel]

:spit: I disappear of CSC for weeks due to being busy, and return to this. Filo, I love you! :lol:

[Ricky]

Thank you Filo, and everyone who replied. I can see now that this is a bit of a controversial topic. I acknowledge that the implications of falling off the back of my bike in front of oncoming traffic are neither fun, nor inspiring for long term health benefits. I have no intention of ever trying that shit on the highway. I am however more curious about this un-weighting. I took the MSF advanced class, and mostly the theory was to stand up on the pegs, and let your knees absorb most of the energy from the obstacle. I wonder then, how best to avoid something in the road if I can’t swerve around it?

You're forgetting one very important step in that MSF technique. Hit the throttle right before you hit the obstacle.

There's this glob of like, tar/asphault on I25 north right before the 120th exit. Been there for a couple of months now. In my daily habit, I've hit the thing at least 5 times because of how I approach the exit. The first time I got that wobbly steering effect because I wasn't expecting it with one hand on the handlebars. Every time since then, If I forget it's there, and I head right for it, I have just enough time to quick stand up and hit it so the bike doesn't go crazy. I'd say the bump is about the height of a 2x4, but when you're going 70-80mph, it has a bit more effect than going over them at 15mph in the msf class.

[pauliep]

:spit: I disappear of CSC for weeks due to being busy, and return to this. Filo, I love you! :lol:

I'm gone for twelve weeks and I see this. I guess This is what happens when I don't post enough on here :banghead:

[Filo]

You're forgetting one very important step in that MSF technique. Hit the throttle right before you hit the obstacle.


Just to split hairs, I would say it is a blip of the throttle. Either way, you use the engine to unweight the front so that you don't just plow the front wheel into the thing and wash it out.

[Dysco]

Best use for the throttle blip is before rain gutters, etc. Also useful for dropping off of curbs. Me likes the thumper, so your mileage may vary on an inline 4 or something.

[Bueller]

Definitely a legitimate dirt riding technique, and wheelies are fun, but the cops wont buy it as an excuse.

[BigE]

Definitely a legitimate dirt riding technique, and wheelies are fun, but the cops wont buy it as an excuse.


hmm, personal experience with the KTM??????? :lol:

[Bueller]

Not yet :oops:

[wulf]

Technique? No way, other than a very few scenarios it's pretty well for the cool factor.

However, sometimes you may wheelie when you don't intend to. Knowing how to control it, and how to set it back down without causing problems, is useful.

[DeeStylez]

I could only think of maybe a pothole or something if your reaction time is fast enough. Maybe try a "bunny hop" :hump:

[tarded400]

However, sometimes you may wheelie when you don't intend to. Knowing how to control it, and how to set it back down without causing problems, is useful.

I've been noticing the tard wants to come up pretty bad around tight corners. Maybe its just my heavy right wrist.

[James]

I'm glad I read this thread. I have held off joining this site because I thought it was full of teenage guys with something to prove. It's nice to know there are other sport bike riders who aren't always about stunts and driving wrecklesly.

[Xtremjeepn]

So I sat here thinking about this topic for awhile before answering and realized that the ability to wheelie has probably saved me twice in about 250,000K miles of riding.

(Bare with me for a second)

Both incedents were more than 10 years ago so I may be a bit foggy on the detail.


Let me fist say that the more things you can do on a bike the better and more skilled you will be for what ever may cross your path.

In the first situation I was riding down a concrete roadway at about 50ish mph and came upon a trench that had been cur across the entire roadway. It was about 1.5 foot across and about a foot deep Simply did not see it with enough time to stop. I was able to only lift the front end maybe 3-6" but it was enough to not drop the front tire in the trench. I would hope road work has evolved since then and those trenches are filled or marked these days. Of course if I had simply been looking farther down the road that day I may have seen the trench with time to do something else. Riding a heavily modified fzx700. FWIW


The second time I was sitting at a light all by my self on south College Ave in Ft. Collins at a traffic light on a barrowed 1990 ZX6. I glanced down at the rear view mirror at the car coming to the light behind me and realized that they had not seen the red light or me. In a massive panic I slipped the clutch at probably about 9k to try to get out of the way. I left the light in a massive burst of wheelspin and wheelie. The car behind me ran right through the light at 40+ like I was not even there. About half way past the intersection the 2 teen girls realized what they just did and slid to a stop. Had I not been fairly used to riding with the front end up I'm sure I would have crashed as I blasted away from the light or been run over. Obviously it was not the wheelie itself that saved me but rather not additional panic when if came up and having the and practice to keep going instead of totally letting off and being in the way of the car.

I would not say that being able to ride a wheelie in and of itself is a valid street technique. I do believe that the more things you can do with a bike and the more comfortable you are on it the better off you are.

I could not imagine trying to ride a big wheelie to get over something in the road. If you have time to plan one you have time to do other things.

There are plenty of very very safe riders out there that can't wheelie and do just fine.

[Devaclis]

Not to bring this up, again, but when, EVER, will you need to rock a 2 mile long wheelie to assist you on the street?

Fun? Hell yeah!! I wish I could do it. But Wheelies as "technique" for street riding? Well, I may as well jump the fountain at the Mirage in Las Vegas as a Street technique

[Xtremjeepn]

To be fair he asked if a "wheelie" would ever help NOT "rockin' a 2 mile long wheelie".

A "wheelie" could be as simple as being able to lift the front end 3" off the ground for 2 feet distance.

[Devaclis]

Yeah, no changing my opinion. It is not a street technique.