Wheelie courses

[KungFooBob]

I've only looped a bike once.

That DR250 in the video, on the same stretch of back road... in front of two pensioners walking a dog. I was only wearing a t-shirt and jeans, I landed on my front and wore through the shoulders on my t-shirt. I had two large very obvious scars for several years.

[Screwdriver]

I want to learn how to wheelie, I don't know how to do it instinctively and fancy learning. Are any of the schools that advertise wheelie lessons worth going to?

Fun day out at best. If you want to learn, learn by doing.

Get a little dirt bike, take it off road and practice, practice, practice.

The key issue is being comfortable at the balance point and being able to control the rear brake without trying to change gear with it. A technique I have never mastered.

The balance point is a LOT higher than people imagine and most of the pictures on this page are power wheelies. Kill the power and the front will drop so they're all accelerating to keep the front up. That in itself is an admirable pursuit but unless you're going up hill, you'll soon find yourself going way too fast.

The balance point is a reasonably wide window of opportunity but when you get there, you get a distinct sensation in the pit of your stomach. Like the Jams Webb Telescope, you don't want to reach that point with any great velocity or you'll overshoot. Give the bike a burst of acceleration which "throws it up" and rely on momentum to carry you to the desired point, ideally (like JWST) just not quite enough to get there. Imagine throwing a ball in the air and you want to just touch the ceiling. You only accelerate for a small portion of the "flight" and you gave it just enough oompf at the very start.

Forget about pulling on the bars, in fact it's better is you push. Bit like water skiing, you don't pull the bars towards you. Instead, the further back you keep your own centre of mass, the less angle the bike needs to be to find the bp. Plus if you are already leaning back with straighter arms, you can only move the bp forwards (which is a little bit safer).

The actual balance point is when the centre of mass of the combined bike/rider is directly over the rear spindle. It resides somewhere just above the top of the fuel tank so if you see a pic of a wheelie and the filler cap is not directly above the wheel spindle, they are accelerating to maintain the wheelie. It does vary from bike to bike and rider to rider.

If on the other hand the tank top is behind the rear wheel spindle, they are using the back brake/decelerating or just about to flip.

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

I think I hit balance point once, it was unintentionally on a 1986 KTM250 MX in 2nd gear, caught a bump as I was accelerating and the bike went vertical, closed the throttle and it made no difference, I had to use the back brake to get it down, this was right past the pits on our local MX track, everyone thought I was showing off, I thought I was going to be falling off.

[Skub]

I remember on VD, Fishman from The Wheelie School saying if you want to learn to wheelie your bike, be prepared to crash it, cos you will!

Yeah.

That's why you do all that learning schitt on field bikes/trails bikes.

[The Spin Doctor]

Turn off any traction control, ride bike in 1st gear, crack the throttle open and lean back at the same time, shut the throttle when you shit yourself (the wheel will be about 6" off the ground first time you do it)

Turn round, go back, pick up pillion.

For some bizarre reason my brother (the evening's designated driver) popped a wheelie outside the pub and yours truly (the evening's designated drinker) fell off the back. I took him with me and the bike continued on down the road for 100 metres before it crashed into a lamp post.

I never saw him do a wheelie before or after, so what went through his mind in the moments before that, I have never understood.

[Skub]

I have the dubious honour of losing folk off the pillion on two separate occasions. Both were quite funny.

For me.

[The Spin Doctor]

My old AR80 that I used for city centre courier work in the early 80s was ace at wheelies, since the gearing was so low.

I remember pulling up next to a BMW covered in IAM stickers on the back wheel, then popping a little wheelie when the lights changed. At the next set of lights, he just looked at me and slowly shook his head. Then he looked a bit surprised when I flipped the visor up and grinned at him - I don't think he was expecting a 30-something rider to be on that bike

[The Spin Doctor]

I have the dubious honour of losing folk off the pillion on two separate occasions. Both were quite funny.

For me.

Ah. I thought you meant they were 'funny' funny and you were trying to shake them

[Mr. Dazzle]

I think the bike i unintentionally wheelied the most was a Domino's C90 with an iffy clutch.

The pizza box was way out behind the rear wheel and the automatic clutch would often "dump" all by itself.

[Trinity765]

I remember on VD, Fishman from The Wheelie School saying if you want to learn to wheelie your bike, be prepared to crash it, cos you will!

I was told the same - if you want to learn to wheelie, do it on someone else's bike.

Someone who taught at a wheelie school said the older and more experienced you are the harder it is to learn to wheelie. That's me out then.

[Count Steer]

Turn off any traction control, ride bike in 1st gear, crack the throttle open and lean back at the same time, shut the throttle when you shit yourself (the wheel will be about 6" off the ground first time you do it)

Turn round, go back, pick up pillion.

For some bizarre reason my brother (the evening's designated driver) popped a wheelie outside the pub and yours truly (the evening's designated drinker) fell off the back. I took him with me and the bike continued on down the road for 100 metres before it crashed into a lamp post.

I never saw him do a wheelie before or after, so what went through his mind in the moments before that, I have never understood.

The following cannot possibly be true, the R1150GS being shaft drive after all, but, at a rather vigorous launch from a set of traffic lights, up comes the front wheel. Wife, sat on the back giving it the 'hello trees, hello birdies, hello fluffy clouds' suddenly grabs my waist pulling me backwards a bit....up goes the front wheel a bit more.....and starts to go sideways Shafties don't wheelie, but if they did, they don't like going in a straight line. Got it all back down again with a bit of a wiggle. Didn't try and wheelie a shaft drive bike - with pillion - after that.

[Yorick]

When BMW gave us instructors their bikes to test for the day, we were all getting big daylight under the front wheel under the Dunlop bridge at around 140

Normally on my bikes we were flat on the tank so wheel only lifts a bit, but we were messing about on the BMs

[Count Steer]

When BMW gave us instructors their bikes to test for the day, we were all getting big daylight under the front wheel under the Dunlop bridge at around 140

Must have been the Sports 'specials' with enclosed chain drive.

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

I remember on VD, Fishman from The Wheelie School saying if you want to learn to wheelie your bike, be prepared to crash it, cos you will!

I was told the same - if you want to learn to wheelie, do it on someone else's bike.

Someone who taught at a wheelie school said the older and more experienced you are the harder it is to learn to wheelie. That's me out then.

Probably because you have to be reckless to try it, but if you do try there's a good chance you won't be wreckless.

[Hairybiker84]

I'm no good at wheelies - only seen the balance point once, CR500, new rings so had been pootling it around for 1/2 hour bedding them in, thought it was time to give it some beans so gave it some and the front wheel hoisted itself so quick I nearly shat myself, I'd forgotton I'd put a new rear tyre on as well. Thankfully the miniscule engine braking was enough to stop it flipping.

[Supermofo]

I remember on VD, Fishman from The Wheelie School saying if you want to learn to wheelie your bike, be prepared to crash it, cos you will!

I went on a VD SM ride out and spent an afternoon watching people riding the yet to be opened new A10 between Hertford and Puckeridge on 1 wheel. Huge great mingers sometimes for miles. I decided I must learn to do this. Shortly after (with no real success) I bumped into Ell at the Ace Cafe. He'd just flipped his 4th wheelie whilst trying to learn. At that point my enthusiasm waned.

I remember at the Ace Veggie showing me what to do and....it not working for me at all. Lack of feel and not enough violence I think.

[Count Steer]

Funniest wheelie I saw was Paper Cup (aka Paperclip from VD) on a Surrey Scramble in the Ashdown Forest. I'm at the front and in my mirror all I can see is the underside of his bike. He goes past me and continues quite some distance down the road. Meanwhile, we all turned off left.

[Taipan]

I remember on VD, Fishman from The Wheelie School saying if you want to learn to wheelie your bike, be prepared to crash it, cos you will!

I went on a VD SM ride out and spent an afternoon watching people riding the yet to be opened new A10 between Hertford and Puckeridge on 1 wheel. Huge great mingers sometimes for miles. I decided I must learn to do this. Shortly after (with no real success) I bumped into Ell at the Ace Cafe. He'd just flipped his 4th wheelie whilst trying to learn. At that point my enthusiasm waned.

I remember at the Ace Veggie showing me what to do and....it not working for me at all. Lack of feel and not enough violence I think.

Mad Roy was the king of them I think? I saw him in Leigh-on-Sea some years back and he was into Mountain bikes and not motor bikes anymore.

[wull]

My favourite is when the front lifts going over crests at fun speeds, when you fart about with wheelies and get used to the feeling it doesn’t make the sense twitch like a rabbits nose.

[slowsider]

I remember on VD, Fishman from The Wheelie School saying if you want to learn to wheelie your bike, be prepared to crash it, cos you will!

I was told the same - if you want to learn to wheelie, do it on someone else's bike.

A ham-fisted non-biking mate of mine managed to get my CG125 vertical.