One Wheeled Weekend Fun

[dss3]

Totally stoked!!

Did my first accidental stoppie a couple of weeks back and have been thinking about practising them since. So when a Whangamata ride fell through on saturday I decided to grab the camera and get practising!

At first I was trying to do them BMX styles; squeezing my legs together to 'lift' up the bike. Then I discovered that I just needed to brake harder.

From there it was just practise and confidence, now after a day I can comfortably do what I consider to be a "decent" stoppie.

I'm stoked cause when I started riding 3 years ago I thought i'd never be able to wheelie/stoppie like you see other guys doing, guess with time and practise you actually improve more than you'd think you could!

Can anyone tell me there experience in learning to change gear from 1st-2nd on one wheel? Or how to wheelie standing up?

Here's a pic, quality is shit as they are frames from my camera which I set up on a pole (don't want anyone filming you when your practising aye?!!)

BTW: I had leathers on under my clothes (they're very 'squidish' and need to hidden) and also practise runs were done in Uni carpark/quite Ruakura straights.

GOTTA LUV BIKING

[DarkNinja]

NICE ONE,
I have been riding for about 5 months and havent been able to do a stoppie, thats why im looking at the brakes in confusion, they are good, just not good for tricks :P
Unfortunatly my bike aint good for wheelies its too front heavy, ive done it a couple times before, but it just doesnt lift like other bikes.
Good work anyway, i spose theres hope for us all

[Slingshot]

I did my first wheelie yesterday. It was on a slight incline, I started by rolling at 5-10kmph, revved to 4K then dropped the clutch. Bike lurched a bit then just popped up.
It felt like I had the front wheel about 3 feet off the ground so in reality it was probably only about 1 foot. Then just rolled off the throttle and the front came down again, nice and gentle like.
I was buzzing all afternoon!

[duckman]

Thats a good effort there fella,

I must admit - I still haven't got the hang of wheelies yet. - Most embarressing (sp). Although I've never set aside time and gone out to practice either!! Very committed of you.

[Ghost Lemur]

That is a Damn fine stoppie there... mmmmm

You've been practicing on the Scottish site haven't you?

Now for the one handers.

[Hoon]

The TL is a wheelie machine but be careful as just like racing you will eventually crash...its not a matter of IF but WHEN!!

The TL being a v-twin has a low red line (10500 was it??) so you need to change gears if you want to keep it up. I wrote my TLS off when changing gear while in a wheelie. I'd give it a little blip to bring the front up a little higher before clutchless shifting into the next gear cept this time the front didn't come down. It kept going up and caught the right muffler which yawed the bike and it was all over rover. Yeah I could of saved it with the back brake but I didn't expect it and it happened so quick!!

I was shattered when I wrote my bike off so spare a thought and consider how you'd feel if your beloved TL is suddenly a crumpled mess on the side of the road.

However now I have mixed feelings as I spent the insurance money getting into racing which is where its all at as far as I'm concerned. I wish I had done it earlier!!!

[vifferman]

It kept going up and caught the right muffler which yawed the bike and it was all over rover. Yeah I could of saved it with the back brake but I didn't expect it and it happened so quick!!
I was shattered when I wrote my bike off so spare a thought and consider how you'd feel if your beloved TL is suddenly a crumpled mess on the side of the road.

Were you hurt, Mr Hoon (apart from emotionally)? Did you 'abandon ship' or stay on?

[dss3]

[QUOTE=Hoon]The TL is a wheelie machine but be careful as just like racing you will eventually crash...its not a matter of IF but WHEN!!

Yeah, cheers for the advice. I stopped doing the stoppies because I felt like I was getting too carried away for my skill level. I'll give it a week or two and then go and practise some more! I'd luv to get into 2nd though, I have tried to get it up in 2nd but can't 'bounce' it up consistantly and don't like the idea of 'clutching' it up.

-daryl

[Hoon]

Hell no I bailed big time!!! As I was tumbling down the road I could see my bike cartwheeling end over end. I had my 1pc suit on but no back protector so all I got was a bruised tailbone.

[Posh Tourer :P]

NICE ONE,
I have been riding for about 5 months and havent been able to do a stoppie, thats why im looking at the brakes in confusion, they are good, just not good for tricks :P
Unfortunatly my bike aint good for wheelies its too front heavy, ive done it a couple times before, but it just doesnt lift like other bikes.
Good work anyway, i spose theres hope for us all

Most bikes will wheelie well DN, some are just easier than others....
Stoppies are a matter of 1) having warm front tyre and 2) putting all your weight on your wrists. Brake very firmly, but gently too - dont jam them on, just apply more and more progressively until the back comes up.
Not that I'm very good at them at all (think a few cm up), I havent had much opportunity to practice...

[StoneChucker]

Not that I am wheelie mad, but I'd like to know how to do them. I think I'm just getting the hang of getting the front to come up slightly, like a few centimeters maybe. From what I've heard, there are two methods, power and clutch. From what I understand, not all bikes can do power wheelies, when you just open up the throttle, and the front comes up. Clutch seems to be the preferred method among most people who do them often (riding along at whatever speed, pulling in the clutch with 2 fingers and increasing the revvs followed by dropping the clutch back out). I've tried (briefly, when the mood takes me) clutch, to no avail, just lots of revving. Well, sometimes the clutch method starts to work, but it's unintentional from when I'm pulling away from traffic lights, while being a little overzealous. I find the power method much easier. Just rolling along at 50 ish in first, then open up and up she comes, but I get paranoid (of looping the bike and/or being caught) so I back off as fast as it comes up.

I don't think I'll ever try stoppies. I saw a vid on the net of someone who landed one, and their exhaust fell off! So I gather they are harder on the bike on landing. Burnouts? No way, tires cost too damn much.

[Sensei]

Check out Ghostrider DVD some great wheelies on there . Have been into wheelies only on dirtbike /trail bike mainly >My best one was for over 15k on my PE400 with RM 400 Head /barrel & pipe. Mate road along side me on his XT250 which I wheelied back to Town on for 10k till it broke the rocker in half lack of oil me think's .He was not to impressed . "ALL WAY's HAVE YOUR FOOT ON THE REAR BRAKE !!" or be ready for a flip over SENSEI

[MikeT]

How do we know it is really you. You are wearing a helmet...nice try though.

[Zed]

...I'd luv to get into 2nd though, I have tried to get it up in 2nd but can't 'bounce' it up consistantly and don't like the idea of 'clutching' it up.

One step at a time dss3. Get really comfortable with bringing it up in first, I take it you're not using any clutch to do this? Get good at holding it up in first until you are at the top of your rev range and then letting it down smoothly. Start practising on the gear change once you get confident in 1st. If you decide to start using the clutch at a later stage, go through the same routine in 1st gear (it will come up much quicker). When you get good at that just forget 1st gear and bring it straight up in 2nd using the clutch with a few more revs. Once you master that you'll be ready to move through the gears and pull some long, fast monos! You'll have to go to the track to practise though...

Wheelies are about getting a feel and a confidence for the bike. Knowing the revs and gearing (feel & sound) to be able to sense when the time is right to pull that front up to the sky - it's a rush! It's a skill.

[DEATH_INC.]

Zed,I think on the TL (or any other fairly powerful bike) you'd be better off to get the hang of pulling her up in second before trying to shift gears,the shift from first to second can be a little violent if done wrong .......second to third is much more mellow.
Having said that,you can go a long way in second without changing once you get your balance sorted.....