Dave W | 10-12-2003 06:05 PM | Hey i'm pretty new to the art of poppin' wheelies myself but i can finally manage to do it pretty much on command. They could be bigger, and i hope to eventually ride them out for longer, but i can at least do it allright. Anyway, you asked the easiest way to do it...i ride a zx6R and can do it one of two ways....using the clutch or just commin on hard...real hard on the thorttle. That's how i first managed to get it up, and it's come up high enough for me to see the front wheel spinning while i'm sitting just from the throttle. I really think doin it off the throttle is the easiest way to learn it. For some reason even though i was tryin to wheelie i always had a natural reaction to lean FOWARD while attempting to lift the front end, this had a real negative impact on my ability to wheelie. Once i started shifting my weight back farther, getting the bike into it's powerband, and just opening the throttle it wheelied just fine. I just about sh** myself a couple times when it came up real high, the front end just kept climbing higher and higher as long as the RPM's were rising. But it's what worked for me. I can do it with the clutch now, in 1st and 2nd, and it's definatly more controlled. I just slip in the clutch around 25-30mph so that the RPM's soar and then let it out quickly and open it full throttle while giving the handle bars a little jerk. Works perfectly. I think the real thing that holds people (myself included) back from popping a good wheelie is the fear of getting hurt...once you manage to put that behind you and just concentrate on what your doin i think that helps out more than anything. I still get a little sketched but trying to not get scared helps out alot. Honestly the first time i pulled a wheelie that could be considered a real wheelie was goin up a hill, not really the safest thing to do...but it's easy haha. When you go up a hill there's allready weight shifted to the back of the bike and if you just crack open the throttle hard while going up a hill i promise you that your bike will pop a wheelie. There is a definate likleyhood that you could loop the bike if you dont put it down fast or learn to balance. But if you wanna see what it feels like to clearly be riding on one wheel, well, that's how i did it. I can do it on flat pavement no problem now but that's how i first did it. I cant say i recommend it too much though. Regardless of where you attempt it just dont forget the back break, and if it comes up too high chop the throttle. Good luck man. |