Wheelies

Wheelies

Ongoing Construction

Disclaimer: You absolutely must do them. They are unreal - an incredible buzz. They are completely safe and legal. Police especially appreciate them, as do old people, bus drivers and members of parliament. By reading these instructions, you undertake to implement or attempt to implement a wheelie upon every occasion an opportunity presents itself. eg. when departing traffic lights, uncontrolled intersections, school crossings, random breath test stations etc.

Wheelies? Why would you bother?

Motorcycles have two wheels, have you ever considered why? Sure, you need at least one wheel to transmit drive to the ground (that's why unicycles have 1 wheel), but what's the other one really for? Aside from being an aesthetically pleasing addition to motorcycles, a front wheel serves three purposes.

Steering input
Stopping the engine case colliding with the ground under brakes
Providing an additional avenue for tire companies to screw you

This begs the question What should you do with the front wheel when not decelerating or turning. Well, I think the answer is fairly obvious, don't you?

Even if you don't subscribe to the above, pulling a good wheelstand is a very satisfying experience. As with most everything, you yearn to go longer, higher and faster each time, but a good wheelie still provides that inner glow. Your first good one will live with you for a long time.

How to ... ?

Well gee, where to start? Firstly I must say that alot of this (if not all) has been covered in a fair amount of depth by Performance Bikes in an article called Know Lots About Wheelies. Unfortunately I can't quote the issue off hand - but I will endeavour to find out. In the interim - you can see if you agree with what "I reckon" below.

There are two types of wheelies that I can do (well, there's actually three if you count the front-wheel-comes-up-under-power type. (Which of course require no skill))

Using The Clutch (ugh!)

Warning: not recommended for Yamaha owners.

Firstly I really dislike using the clutch to wheelstand a bike. Believe it or not I do actually have a measure of mechanical sympathy for motorcycles. So I would suggest learning to clutch wheelie on either someone elses bikeŽ or a demonstrater. (Well they get sold for less - it's obviously expected that they have been thrashed)

First ensure that you are in first gear, and going quite slowly (the actual figures will vary from bike to bike - but I'll use a late model GSXR 750 as an example) - say around 3500rpm. Sit as far back in the seat as you can, and sit as upright as possible (this is to move as much weight as possible backwards) Roll the throttle on to maximum, as the tacho moves through 4000-4500 rpm, pull the clutch in. The engine revs will rise rapidly ( well, derr), let the clutch back out (quite quickly) around 4000rpm later.

Did the front wheel lift?

If not - you'll have to increase the RPM differential. Ideally, you should be feeding the clutch back in somewhere around peak torque (or slightly higher). The larger/more powerful the bike - the less critical it is. Pulling the clutch in at lower rpm is also another option. It's all a matter of experimentation. But beware - don't wind it up to the rev limitter at a stand still and just pop the clutch on the first attempt - it is better to fail 20 times, than flip it on the first. (Although if you survive - it'll make a great story for when you're older and wiser)

Are you now in hospital?

Gee bummer - looks like you stuffed up. And it's all my fault too. I feel so culpable. Still, after you heal you could give it another go.

Is the bike at the wreckers?

Was it a Yamaha? (Not that I have anything against Yams - it's just they are renowned for week clutches) Well, either way, at least you've learnt something. Only mechanically insensitive idiots do wheelies. (Oh yeh - and really cool dudesŽ)

Using The Throttle

Well, this technique requires a little more from the bike, and it is actually possible that your bike cannot be brought up on the throttle alone. But it can't hurt to try... (Well yeh, I spose it can - but don't let that stop you.) Firstly, what your bike really needs is throttle response, because you'll be relying on the bike to load and unload the suspension quickly to help hoist the bike up. Of course, if you own a 916 or a ZZR-11 or something of that ilk, you can stop reading now. (Just back off and nail it in first gear.)

As alluded to above, the idea is to use your suspension to help loft the front wheel. You do this by accelerating hard, shutting the throttle quickly (thus loading up the front) and as the forks reach their maximum compression, nailing the throttle again. (Pulling back, lurching back, standing up etc are all optional. They may be necessary for your bike)

Now of course it is easy to say as the forks reach their maximum compression - but when you're trying to concentrate on everything else, it's all a bit much. So try remembering this, what you are dealing with here is physics. Thus to a large degree everything is repeatable. If you open the throttle at a certain rpm, close it at a certain rpm, delay a certain amount of time and then open the throttle again, what happens will be pretty much the same from one occasion to the next. What you're really trying to do is learn what these variables are, with practice you'll develop a feel for when you've got it right.

Through all of this though, remember the bike. You're not trying to kill it, so don't go and spend the next 3 weeks solid attempting wheelies. If you stuff up, stop for a while. Think about what you're doing, and other ways you may be able to attempt something.

Anatomy of a wheelie

Nail the throttle      Note the position of the throttle. Absolutely wide open, this is one of      the critical points of using the throttle alone - often you only use part      throttle without knowing it
Modulate the throttle      The bike is up now, so we are only using very light throttle to hold it      around balance point. It is always safer to err on the low side      of balance!
Wave! Once      everything is stabilized, it's pretty easy. You could read a book if it      wasn't so hard to turn the pages while wearing gloves!

My bike won't wheelie...

Well, before you race off the local bike shop, here's a list of things you may want to check. You'd be surprised how little things add up to make a large difference.

Shifting your weight back

Small shifts rearwards can make quite a difference when you're attempting to unweight the front wheel. If you're big enough (or if you're bike is small enough) you can try sitting on the pillion seat (keep your feet on the rider pegs though!), otherwise just move your butt as far rearwards as you can.

Low Fuel

Fuel tends to be carried high and forward, and with larger tanks we're talking an additional 10kg with a full tank. Try running your bike down to reserve - you may be surprised (My stock fireblade would not wheelie with a full tank, yet could be pursuaded to quite readily while on reserve (That was when it was before it had loosened up fully...))

Chain Adjustment

I discovered this one by accident. It is more critical with the throttle only technique, as you're relying on a surge from the engine. With a little extra slack, there is the opportunity for the engine to build a little more inertia before it starts driving the rear wheel. I know this sounds really marginal, but the difference between 20mm and 40mm of chain slack was very noticeable on the blade. Do not run your chain looser than recommended! (Especially not 'cause I told you to) A well lubricated chain also offers less resistance.

Adding weight rearwards

In its extreme form, this means get a pillion. However I do not for a moment recommend learning to wheelie with a pillion. Try carrying a gearsak or similar with a few kilos of weight in it

Well, if it still won't wheelie, I'm out of ideas. A great majority of bikes will wheelie if you demonstrate a sufficient lack of mechanical empathy. Older bikes (and some more recent Eurobikes) tend to rebel against this sort of treatment.

OK, I can wheelie. Now what?

Now what, indeed. Once you can wheelie through one gear, the obvious next step is to change gears. Soon after that you're going to want to steer (lest you run off the road) then maybe add a little florish(sp?). Like looking around, or waving, or using the horn, or standing up. Once you can wheelie controllably, you really have to share your gift with the world.

Sharing the Gift. Spreading the Word.

Kids. When I was little, and interested in bikes I would've killed to see a wheelie. Not necessarily a big wheelie, but any wheelie. Kids generally appreciate your effort (although be warned, they'll probably fry you if you fall off) Just think of it as a public relations exercise.

Road Workers. Ever since I learnt to wheelie reliably, I don't think I've gone past a single flagperson (of the Stop/Slow variety) on two wheels. I have always had a positive response. Waves or cheers are not uncommon. Put yourself in their situation, standing in the middle of the road all day, wouldn't you want someone to come by on the back wheel. Exercise some caution though - don't go wheelieing into a grader or a ditch - that'd look pretty dumb. Another example of a public relations exercise.

Police. Hey, just kidding. In fact I would strongly advise against it. While there is no specific charge for wheelstands (that I am aware of) there are enough general duty-type offences that you can get stung with. Sure, maybe you'll strike a rational officer who'll congratulate you on your exemplary bike control skills, but more likely than not you'll get pinged along the lines of "not being in control of vehicle". Also bear in mind that on the larger bikes, you can be well and truly speeding by the time the front returns to terra-firma, so don't be surprised if you get done for speeding too!

In private. The best places to practice are quiet and secluded. If you have a loud exhaust, try and do it well away from residential areas. Industrial estates on Sundays are a good time, little to no traffic, wide roads, no people to bother. Disused car parks are even better (because then you're breaking less rules).