How long did it take you to get good? Wheelie gods pls help.

[notbike]

tl;dr Decided to stop being a pussy and start making a proper go of learning wheelies about a week or so ago. How long did it take you to become decent at them? Also do you prefer clutch or power wheelies & why?

I've always been scared of doing wheelies and only ever halfheartedly attempted them here and there, but after all my mates got pretty good at them in my absence (didn't ride with them properly for a good year or so) I've completely changed my mindset and I'm actively trying to learn these now. I'm fully addicted right now.

First day sucked, I could only lift it a couple inches very briefly doing powers in 1st gear, and I couldn't get it to come up every time (being a pussy with the throttle, sloppy, and not knowing at what speed to snap the throttle open or by how much).

I was told to try clutch ups instead as these were better/more controlled, but they were confusing and added extra complication to the technique/learning process. I could clutch it up quite easily in 1st, very briefly, but it was very jerky/scary the speed at which the front would lift, even with just a tiny blip of the throttle and I was not consistent with these. Sometimes barely any lift, other times WAY too much with only what seemed like less than 1k revs difference between attempts.

On the flip-side, clutching up in second felt SO smooth, but out of 20 attempts it maybe only lifted once or twice? Yes, I was that guy repeatedly making noises on the S1000RR while the forks did little bouncy extensions. Embarrassing. - This was purely down to shitty technique and being scared to give it more throttle (not knowing how high it's going to snap in the air if I give it a handful and dump the clutch) though I did try my best.

So for now I'm actually forgetting clutch ups as they add a complication to getting the front wheel up and it's too much to learn in one go. Instead I'm focusing solely on power wheelies to get used to the sensation of the front wheel lifting.

Powers feel way more smooth & come up way more gently (relatively speaking), and I'm making much better progress with these right now.

I think I will move onto clutch wheelies once I'm comfortable chasing out powers, as I'll have learned how this feels/what to expect and won't be so "surprised" when learning clutch ups. I think once I start hitting redline on powers that's when learning clutch is more beneficial. Does this sound like the usual/sensible progression that people use?

Fast forward to now and I'm getting them higher and longer each time I go out. Sometimes, not every time, I get a couple seconds in the air without shutting the throttle and I'm now focusing on giving it more throttle regardless how quick it comes up. I do this while covering the rear brake in case the front lifts too high too quickly.

Deliberately knocking them back down with the rear brake like this repeatedly has actually given me a massive confidence boost because it just drops right back down when things get too scary.

I can get them off the ground every single attempt now, running to a couple thousand revs short of red-line in first gear and can also power up in 2nd gear. At this current stage I'm just trying to figure out how to get them up to a certain height, get used to that, and then chase them out. I feel like at this stage it's just practice but I want to know if anyone has any tips that I could use. There's always something you learn from what someone else is doing that helps make it click.

I'm not looking for balance point wheelies because that shit looks very risky and probably feels mad scary, I just wanna be able to chase a high one out for a while and do not wanna risk looping my bike (I.e. I wanna do show off type wheelies, not I'm very skilled at these type wheelies).

[G]

Step 1: Buy an S1000RR.

Step 2: Turn throttle.

[notbike]

[G]

But yes; it's not a bad thing to take it slow.

The main thing holding you back is wimpyness survival instincts it seems.

Power will get it up more smoothly and slower, but tends to leave the rate of ascent increasing - while clutch gets it to the initial height much quicker, but then leaves you lower and more revs to more smoothly adjust the power when you are up.

If sticking to power, just keep going with what you're doing sounds reasonable.

You don't want to be up and down, but try to reduce the throttle smoothly as it comes up, then if it dips down again, power back on a bit. Initially it'll just smooth the descent, but you can keep putting a bit more power back on until it pops it back up slightly. As you get used to it, hopefully you can smooth it out so you end up keeping it at a level attitude.

[Skudd]

When learning to wheelie always use someone else's bike. When you bin it just shrug and walk away.
____________________
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Petty Anarchists look at "1984".............. The Visionary looks at "Animal Farm".

[B0ndy]

Disclaimer: Don't claim to be a wheelie god but can bring them up consistently just before balance point and without fear of coming off.

Don't care much for clutch up to be honest, if you're interested in doing power wheelies here's what you need:

- Litre bike
- Quiet road
- Time
- Perseverance

Litre bike isn't absolutely necessary but it makes them so much easier.

There's a trick to power wheelies and it isn't whacking your hand back as quick as humanely possible, which I tried countless times when starting out but it never worked.

Then stumbled on this video which illustrates it perfectly:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RF1t4vnMT1U

Also there's a video here WHICH ISN'T OF ME, pay special attention at 0:20 at the way his hand moves, forward roll on to move the weight to the front then snap right back and up she comes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mGqHdK7G2vE

Always done in 2nd gear mainly.

Also if you're starting out make sure you don't slam the bike down when bringing it back down, you'll blow the fork seals.

Hope that helps!
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CBF 125 -> CB400SF -> GSX600F -> ZX6R (G1) -> GSXR1000 K4 -> ZX6R (B1H Stunt bike) -> VFR800 -> R1 5PW -> Sprint 1050 -> Fireblade 929 -> ZX10R C2H -> GSXR1000 K3

[notbike]

[chickenstrip]

Also not a wheelie king, but I found that wheelies on power with a pillion were an easy way to begin learn. Frankly, I'm surprised I managed to find people sucker enough to go pillion though!

Otherwise, get yourself a YPVS350 with the upright bars - I'd like to see someone own one for any length of time and not wheelie it!
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Chickenystripgeezer's Biking Life (Latest update 19/10/18) Belgium, France, Italy, Austria tour 2016 Picos de Europa, Pyrenees and French Alps tour 2017 Scotland Trip 1, now with BONUS FEATURE edit, 5/10/19, on page 2 Scotland Trip 2 Luxembourg, Black Forest, Switzerland, Vosges Trip 2017
THERE'S MILLIONS OF CHICKENSTRIPS OUT THERE!

[Freddyfruitba...]

Never having pulled a wheelie in my life - and without any intention of ever doing so - I'm curious to know whether anyone has actually learned to do it without ever binning their bike?
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KC100->CB100N->CB250RS--------->DL650AL2->R1200RS->R1250RS

[chickenstrip]

[Holdawayt]

Not sure i could bring myself to practice on an S1000RR. I'd get something like an old bandit or something I wouldn't mind dropping and head to a big car park.

[stinkwheel]

Buy a C90. Wheelie. If you cock up, step off the back and start running.
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“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[MarJay]

[ThatDippyTwat]

[stevo as b4]

What your doing is pointless and is just going to wear out and fuck up a pretty expensive and nice 3yr old litre bike sooner or later. On this point alone that's fine if its your daily and you dont mind or care about it getting loose or baggy over time. Its not fine IMO if your using a nice expensive bike to learn on, and when it feels a bit fucked you'll punt it on as a used bike.

Also bikes like this need to be sharp and well maintained and set up without lots of slop and wear in the chassis to feel safe. You won't want a 200bhp bike with dodgy forks, worn head bearings, saggy shock or duff sloppy linkages IMO. That'll make it a scary bike.


Lastly you deliberately want to learn wheelies and get good at them for showboating?
If that's the case and of determined importance to you then buy something older and tatty like an old 600cc sports bike or whatever to learn these techniques on. You can and should expect to drop the bike many times, and you need to be able to feel you can give it 100% and not panic or worry about your pride and joy to ever learn properly and get good.

Not being scared to go to far and overdo it is the only way that you'll really learn to do consistently good or even effortless wheelies, and also to learn in a feedback loop when your sat on your arse, and think '' OK I did to much of this or not enough of that, or was too early/late with a response''.

It's a fools game trying to take a modern superbike and use it to be skilled stunt rider from ground zero, and not expect bad things to happen or, to lose control/get scared, and also to keep the bike pristine and running great.

[Feathers McGraw]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6eevEz_y7T0

[Ste]

[notbike]

Thanks for additional suggestions/helpful material on this guys.

[G]

I've crashed wheelies a few times, but only when playing pretty near the balance point - learning should be safe from that stand point if you're sensible.

Will put a bit of extra wear on the front end - but then so will riding the local roads to me with their potholes!

Wheelies I've flipped - zx6r - repeatedly knocked the bike into neutral as my body leaned back around the balance point, catching the gear lever, slamming it down.
Ignored this like a twat until one day it went into second not neutral. Didn't use rear brake.

RD350 - trying to keep at balance point, didn't use rear brake.

NSR125 - rear tyre actually slid sideways while up - was on a very greasy road and had used a big bounce and maybe a speed bump to get it up.

KTM350 enduro, off road - I mean, a non power valve 350cc 2 stroke making 50hp or so weighing not much more than 100kg across really bumpy terrain - what could possibly go wrong?

675 race bike - put it down really heavily when another rider pulled infront of me and slowed. They are very unstable anyway and slapped me off.

ZX6R was the only really 'bad' one.

[WD Forte]

I wheelied a Honda 50 two up on Plymouth Hoe
as a teenager and we both fell off the back and
the bike ran on into a wall.
Take it from an expert, DON'T DO IT
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bikers smell of wee

[notbike]

[ADSrox0r]

Had the Zed up playing Billy Bigbollocks off the lights, shat myself. 'Floated' the front on the VFR a fair few times but never actually what you would call a wheelie.

It's not the fear of lifting that gets me, it's the nagging voice in my head that tells me I ride big lardy bikes that would land heavy because I'm a spack and fuck the head bearings.
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Current bikes: '08 VFR 800 VTEC(yo) , '07 ZZR1400 Winter hack: '95 Aprilia 650 Pegaso Currently lusting after: RC30

[grr666]

[doggone]

Does anyone else sometimes have dreams featuring perfectly controlled wheelies, whether you do it real life or not.
Must be some underlying significance.

[recman]

The wheelie specialists here would probably argue that me not really wanting to lift my particular front end constitutes a bit of a waste.
It's been light a few times when I've been surprised by the crest of a few small rises in the road but then I think on those occasions, both wheels have disengaged.