Tried Doing a Wheelie, Didn't Go Well... [VIDEO]

[thisisbenji]

Link to original page on YouTube.

I figured I can do them on my bicycle so what the hell, why not give it a try on a motorcycle.

Once I got down too it, I was just too scared of dumping the bike and failed miserably.

[csmith12]

[subxero]

could have been worse... you didn't crash.

[ninjamunky85]

+1 You didn't crash, so that's the main thing. Learning to wheelie isn't easy. I only do wheelies on the dirt bikes, of course my 450 is street legal so...

[Hero Danny]

Oh please, you did fine. These bikes are anything but easy to wheelie.

[cuong-nutz]

steady throttle input and cover the rear brake. Keep at it and you'll nail it.

[Worldtraveller]

I'm guessing it would be hard to loop a ninjette, but I haven't tried to wheelie.


Not to say I haven't raised the front wheel 8 inches or so off the ground a few times (race starts), but I wasn't trying, and I generally just stayed on the gas and shifted, which was enough to bring the front end down.

Now, on my 600, it's a whole 'nother story.

[Rifleman]

All good, all excellent... that third one you technique was better and you got the bike to come up quicker... which is why you chopped the throttle and brought it back down quick.

so...

Practice, looks like you have a good spot that isn't going to get you into too much trouble, so don't wear that spot out, but a few quick ones on the way home from work and what have you.

keep working your technique, that's a clutch up, I don't think it's possible to do a "bump up" on the 250...

so, same thing, over and over, even if it's low... get to where you muscles and body know what's going to happen, what it feels like... do it until it's "normal"...

when it feels like it's coming up really fast and gonna loop... try, TRY to force yourself to just 'half' close, or just back off a tiny bit when the front is up. You see in the vid that it was no where near loop'n but it felt like it from the pilot's seat... so brain says "slam it shut' but try and over ride that brain and just cut back a bit...

second, try and "catch" on the way down. If you come up to quick, slam it shut, try and think to open it again before it comes all the way down...

not sure if this will work on the 250 but if you think of the above 2 suggestions... if done very quickly, you are basically "bouncing" the throttle. Lets say you bring it up quick, slam it shut, but as soon as it starts going down, you open it up again and catch it, but now it's going up again, so shut, but open, but shut...

Ok, not fully open or fully shut... but what is called "modulating" the throttle, little opens, and little shuts... This gives you the control, as well as the feeling of control... which is what you don't feel you have when your technique got better and that front started to jump up...

first two the torque produced by the engine was equal to the torque the weight of the bike was applying in the other direction... the 3 try, your technique got the torque above the weight of the bike... things felt very light, very fast... Proof that the bike can lift, and 2 that you just need to practice.

the guys that stunt get so much muscle memory that they "think" lift and everything just happens...

mind you, it can still get away from you, mom's hate it, insurance companies drool over it... but chicks totally dig it.

[EternalNewb]

Originally Posted by Worldtraveller

I'm guessing it would be hard to loop a ninjette, but I haven't tried to wheelie.

Link to original page on YouTube.

[thisisbenji]

Originally Posted by Rifleman

All good, all excellent... that third one you technique was better and you got the bike to come up quicker... which is why you chopped the throttle and brought it back down quick.

so...

Practice, looks like you have a good spot that isn't going to get you into too much trouble, so don't wear that spot out, but a few quick ones on the way home from work and what have you.

keep working your technique, that's a clutch up, I don't think it's possible to do a "bump up" on the 250...

so, same thing, over and over, even if it's low... get to where you muscles and body know what's going to happen, what it feels like... do it until it's "normal"...

when it feels like it's coming up really fast and gonna loop... try, TRY to force yourself to just 'half' close, or just back off a tiny bit when the front is up. You see in the vid that it was no where near loop'n but it felt like it from the pilot's seat... so brain says "slam it shut' but try and over ride that brain and just cut back a bit...

second, try and "catch" on the way down. If you come up to quick, slam it shut, try and think to open it again before it comes all the way down...

not sure if this will work on the 250 but if you think of the above 2 suggestions... if done very quickly, you are basically "bouncing" the throttle. Lets say you bring it up quick, slam it shut, but as soon as it starts going down, you open it up again and catch it, but now it's going up again, so shut, but open, but shut...

Ok, not fully open or fully shut... but what is called "modulating" the throttle, little opens, and little shuts... This gives you the control, as well as the feeling of control... which is what you don't feel you have when your technique got better and that front started to jump up...

first two the torque produced by the engine was equal to the torque the weight of the bike was applying in the other direction... the 3 try, your technique got the torque above the weight of the bike... things felt very light, very fast... Proof that the bike can lift, and 2 that you just need to practice.

the guys that stunt get so much muscle memory that they "think" lift and everything just happens...

mind you, it can still get away from you, mom's hate it, insurance companies drool over it... but chicks totally dig it.

Best advice I'v got yet! :thumb up: I'm on a 600 btw, not sure if you knew that.

[EsrTek]

That was the FZ6?? That should pwr wheelie in upper rpm range in 1st!
Either way, those are better than my first few attempts...

RPMs sound like 1st on that bike..I had better luck and control in 2nd on fz.

[thisisbenji]

Originally Posted by EsrTek

That was the FZ6?? That should pwr wheelie in upper rpm range in 1st!
Either way, those are better than my first few attempts...

RPMs sound like 1st on that bike..I had better luck and control in 2nd on fz.

It does, but power wheelies are lame. I want to be able to ride wheelies, not just chase them.

How fast were you going? I'm trying to keep my speed down while I'm learning, hence sticking to 1st.

[EsrTek]

Same speed as 1st.. just gives a bit less torque to learn on and (to me) made it less likely to loop.
Also allows for length of wheelies to get better as you have more gear to use. 1st maxes out too fast, and I didn't want to try shifting into it while wheel up.

[thisisbenji]

Originally Posted by EsrTek

Same speed as 1st.. just gives a bit less torque to learn on and (to me) made it less likely to loop.

I'll give it a try, I only tried to pop it once in second and the wheel didn't come up at all (wasn't very aggressive).

[EsrTek]

Takes a few k revs more but only 1-2k, and you can expand on that as you get comfy..

[thisisbenji]

Originally Posted by EsrTek

Takes a few k revs more but only 1-2k, and you can expand on that as you get comfy..

I'll try it next time I go out.

[BoBO]

Cool vid OP, it looks like your off to a great start. I tried it for the first time as well on my 250 a couple of days ago. I got the front wheel to come up a little bit, after popping the clutch @7-8k . It's a lot easier on a dirt bike due to gearing though. I gotta practice more, but it sucks it puts a lot of wear on the bike.

[subxero]

there is a thread several pages long about wheelies

lots of good advice all through it, and it even ends as expected

https://www.ninjette.org/forums/showthread.php?t=121337

[nickjpass]

You did well.

[Rifleman]

ok, didn't see that it was a 600, yeah, those are clutch up kings... I'm able to bump up my CBR600 but only about as high as you did in your vids and at huge RPM. Looks cool when going scoot'n across an intersection, 8 inch lift... but the clutch is the way to go.

if you are still starting out, sitting back a bit, just a bit on the seat also helps, don't want your arms fully stretched out and uncomfortable, but moving the mass back just a bit has a dramatic effect.

covering the rear brake has been talked about, just keep your toe over it, just a tap on it will bring things back down.

also a little higher starting RPM will have a dramatic effect as well, even just a few hundred RPM. Lets say you need 75 ft-lbm of torque to pull up the front. At 5000 RPM you are making 50 ft-lbm, at 5500 you are making 60... the initial torque you make at say 8000 is 90, as the clutch grabs and drags the engine down to 5000/5500... it's pulling the front up. This is why the starting RPM is significant and on the steep part of the power curve...

I over shot my start RPM by about 1000 on the TLR... holy smokes, I'm looking at the gas cap on the tank... I scared myself stupid... well stupid-er... I had the throttle rolled all the way shut and she was still standing up... with the engine at idle, rolled for maybe 30 feet before it came forward and was able to be landed...

your ears, your hands on the bars, your "feel" will tell you whats right... if it doesn't feel right, roll off and "go-around"