wheelie help !!

Hi guys im sorry to disapoint you all but im the most biggest R1 freak exisiting. :) Well when i saw the R1 first a few years ago i decided to buy one. To start and to gain pracrtice i bought a YZF 750. (YAMAHA rulz) in the mean time i still havent buyd the R1 cuz im still not sure if i can handle it. Sure, can everyone ride.. but there is offcourse a difference between ride + ride. Im praccing the wheelie too.. but same as the other dude haveing the same problem as i have. I just cant get it up. When i lift off at the trafficlight i sometimes try it, but it seems like its starts to shake... and will het out of control.. i got it up once like 4 inches (and proud of it) but this weird feeling of not being in contol of the steering wheel is sooo weird. Any tips ? is powerwheelie easy-er then clutchwheelie ? thx allready guys !! YAMAHA 4-ever Rico

Hi there, You should be able to get that YZF up. Clutch it up in 1st. But be careful with clutching. If you get to much grab from the clutch you might just flip the bike. Then you'll come back here hunting my ass down kill me. :D Like have been said before. Some bikes just don't have enough power to powerwheelie so'll have to help it up. What you do is... 1.) Accelerate in 1st from say 3000rpm.. continue until you feel there's a extra pull (where hp meet torque peak) then let off on the gas and get right on. Reason: This will compress the forks and as the forks unload you'll get upforce and it will for sure make the bike wheelie when you get on the gas. What's necassary ones the front starts lifting is that you either keep a steady throttle (but I don't think you can do that on a 750) or give more throttle so that the front will keep going upwards. Don't practice at redlights. You'll just screw up. Instead go to a deserted backroad and go hard on the bike there. No reason to become famous in your town because of bad wheelie attempts ;) When you're king at wheelies go back in town and show them what you can.. and be proud. But I really don't promote that kind of behavior within city limits. I can sometimes loft the front in the middle of the city but I'm pretty stable at wheeling and often rarely wheelie long in 1st before i've shifted to 2nd.. people will mostly not even HEAR that I'm revving the bike to wheelie. they'll just see me coming one wheel in 2nd gear doing the speed limit.. so people won't really turn their heads until I'm actually past them. :D Okey.. enough with the bragging :finger Good luck with the practicising. Rubber side down eh!?

thx dude, Did you have in the beginning the same problem? I mean... that it feels scary and it feels like your not in control anymore. Human reaction is to feed the steer but nothing to steer when you are in the air. How did you pass this fase ? Do ayou also have orientation when you are in the air ? i have the feeling that i dont know how far im up. any tips for that ? ---------------------------------------------------------- anyway this forum really rox !! stupid of me that i found it so late.. really great !! YAMAHA 4-ever Rico :thumbup

thanks for the compliment on the site. :) I've always been stunting on all 2 wheeled inventions.. I've been using a bicycle (mtb) to school for as long as I remember and to make things a little funner travelling to school I wheelied to school. If there is no wind I can wheelie on the Mtb down to the middle of the city (5-6km). Only problem with the Mtb is that you'll have to be really strong in the arms. and on the Mtb I've already damaged several rear wheel bearings cuz there is too much pressure on them when I wheelie the bike for too long. Luckily the R1 is not the same. There I just travel along with the bike and control speed with my right hand. The R1 has a VERY high balance point. I have a tendency to sometimes go over this balance point when I balance out the wheelie. This makes the whole bike wobble.. to even out the wobble I have to let the bike down a bit and accelerate it back up to the balance point. When I'm at the balance point and sitting down I have a hard time watching over the windscreen. The bike is way high. It's all about coming up there.. but BE CAREFUL. YOU as a "newbie" (no offense but really. you are) will freak out and maybe loose the bike there and you'll crash down hard. Don't wanna see that. So my suggestion would be to find yourself a Mtb and learn how to balance that thing. Get to know what the balance point is like. So you can understand how I got rid of the fear. I've always loved the art of balancing a 2 wheeled machine. It's all about keeping a steady throttle once you're up. The bike will not go right of left if you just sit straight on the bike and follow the bike. When you land the wheelie you have to put down the wheel straight. Not with crossed arms .. you'll get a slapper if you're unlucky (yes, I've get several.. and also crashed ones due to a tankslapper, ouch going 180km/h in 5th gear standup). Orientation can only be found by looking forward. Don't look to your side. you'll loose it right away. Keep your eye at where you wanna go and you'll get there. Look at my avatar under my username. That's not the balance point. It's a about 40cm further up.

thx alot again dude spending your time to me :) maybe its an idea to try on a dirtbike / mtb. I have no idea how this balancepoint feels like so i think it is a good suggestion. as kid i try doing wheelis on a bicycle / mountinbike but i even couldt do it on them. In the movies it all looks so easy to make wheelies.. i feel such a n00b. im just scared that i crash my bike. im not afraid to fall and scratch myselves but my bike is holy to me. i think i have no buget to buy a dirtbike, but ill try very slowly with my YZF. i heard that 2nd gear is more safe (cuz of the flipping-risk) your the first that will know about it if it worked. Tommorow i will go and try. Speeding and cornering is not a real problem, just this wheelie things scares me. I think yamaha is a great bike to take corners with !! i hope for wheelies too !! Rico

That's cool man. It is the movies that people, who do can stunt, send out that give us all the problems with insurance rates. Everyone want to stunt (wheelie, stoppie or whatever) and these stunts are beyond many bikers skills causing them to wreck. Bad spiral. Just be careful and make sure not to wreck that precious Yamaha :bash

Swedie can you explain how you shift to 2nd from first while wheeleing? Thanks Im having trouble, the front always drops.

I can't figuer that out either! Im debating on trying to speed shift into second while I have it up..

scooter and r1tadau. Bring the wheelie up early in the RPM's. if i'm decided to wheelie in 1st and shifting to 2nd I usually start out as low as 3500RPM and I'm at the balance point at around 4500RPM. Then shifting to 2nd. It's gonna go dead slow in the RPM's so you'll have to have a really steady throttle. Don't clutch it up in 1st at 3500RPM's.. I do it .. but like I said before.. I'm used to do a lot of wheeling. Don't wanna brag but I do have good balance. :bash All you have to do is convince yourself you're not gonna die. I can assure you that if you've never shifted while wheeling, you'll shit your pants the first times you try. But you'll get over it. :yesnod You have to be somewhat focused on the process (atleast when you're learning.. now I shift like it's second nature ;)). Prepare yourself by putting the foot under the shift lever.. then you roll on in 1st and when the front starts lifting.. say 2 feets then hit 2nd and give throttle. DON'T GO TOO HIGH AND DO THIS. If you're going too high. end it and try again. You'll flip it otherwise. Try to learn also to cover the rear brake. I'm not myself convering while wheeling... but I feel safe anyway (not dead safe.. but safe) I did have the foot on the rear brake while practicing ...but I had constant pressure on it so my brake started fading and eventually I had no brake power at all.. Oh.. and when you're about to shift. Don't girlie shift. Push that motha in 2nd. Otherwise you'll hit neatral. Same with the rest of the gears.. you'll hit false neatrals. Oh btw, I can wheelie from 1st to 6th gear.. and keeping it under 150km/h (95mph). It's quite a feeling.

As Mr. Burns would say..."EXCELLENT" 2 questions though: 1) when shifting you dont use the clutch right?? 2) if you dont use the clutch do you let off on the throttle or just keep a steady throttle and shift? Thanks man!

This might be a very dumb question, but do you use the clutch when you shift into second? Or do you give it a blip and quickshift?

AH sorry. left that out. I was gonna write it.. but forgot. I don't clutch. I think that's a bit dangerous because you can get too much power when releasing the clutch. When I shift... All I do is letting off on the throttle (and back a bit) and shifting.

Thanx for the help.. ill be giving it a try in about an hour... :thumbup

yeah thanks Swedie.

hey Swedie...I got a question for you.. Why do you cover rear break when you wheelie? I am just trying to understand. My friend said that there is no need and its impossible! WTF??? so what is the purpose of covering your rear break?

well, if you go over the balance point, using the rear brake will bring the front end back down again! stops you flipping it!

aaahahaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!!!! now I see! well thanks! Would you recommend to bring it down by using rear breake, or just to let off the throttle?

let off the throttle is enough. Maxxym, i don't recommed you to wheelie :D

lol Swedie... I can't even get 10 inches of the ground lol!!!! baby steps... baby steps...

i got mine up yesterday 10 inches !! whooooohoooooooo it scared the shit out of me.. damm... im such a wussie... maybe cuz im just scare to crash my bike. I bought a new suit + boots so im all packed now.... (if you would see me at the road, you would say that im a pro) now just learn the skillz. after a big maintenance i feel new life in my bike... maybe a powewheelie next week. its just the speed thats scares me when trying a powerwheelie. later Rico

Yesterday a couple of buddies and I went to a motorcycle get together that takes place the first Sunday morning of every month in Cassoday, Kansas(between Emporia and El Dorado by I-35 turnpike, 500 plus bikes, all kinds!) anyway, on the way there I thought I'd try to wheelie at 80 mph, dropped her into second, clutch, throttle, and I was up. Holy SHIT. First one scared me a little. Rode the second one out to 105 mph. I was totally impressed. The three guys with me watched with disbelief and envy. My head swelled so big I thought my helmet would be stuck. Before anyone goes hatin' on me:finger trust me, I've rode lots of wheelies, just never had a bike with the stones this ONE has!:thumbup

Today i tryed my wheelie over and over again. Im just to chicken to bring it up. most of the time not sure if im doing everything ok. Cant be that difficult... even the most n00bs can do it... and im so chicken.... dam i feel stupid. Anyway, maybe we all have our talents, mine is collecting panty s :) I will try again in the weekend. ill keep you posted !

brought mine up in 3rd today.. rode it .. shifhted to 4th.. landed at 210km/h taking highway curves. :rock

anyway my buddy has that bike and here is the easiest way to get it up. first gear crack it at about 6 or 7 grand and it will lift . if yer feelin cocky second gear at 5 grand squeeze clutch rev to10 grand and then let release and yer up. this 1 is tougher tho. oh and an R1 would be way easier to wheelie because of the power. on an R1 u can lift it in 3rd without clutching it up.

sweedie you said earlier that get good at wheelying mtb's and you can bring this knowledge over to your r1 ??? but i like you can wheelie an mtb for EVER and EVER but what i cant get my head round on my r1 is that there's a shit load more weight plus i'm doing some serious speed. the only way i can wheelie my r1 and i'm starting to give up is to nail it in 1st and soon as the front comes up snick second, but scares the shit out of me.. idont want to lose my baby. on an mtb if all goes wrong you can just step off the back, got a feeling that if i did that on my r1 i would be haunting all my mates(dead dude, i would be) top site sweedie keep dishing the knowledge:cool:

balance.. and getting the feeling of being on one wheel is very important. Like I said before.. I can control the Mtb pretty darn well on one wheel hence it being easier for to stunt on a motorcycle. it's just the flick of a throttle and some help getting the bike up. damn, I can't explain. would I be in the states adn you and I were close we'd hook up and I'd teach you the best I can.

but you know what i honestly think that doing it from 2nd with clutching is just way easier than in 1st when you are learning, it comes up slower and you can feel it better. with the 1st you can really screw it up. "go over board so to speak" what do you think swedie:crash :crash

Originally posted by need4speed but you know what i honestly think that doing it from 2nd with clutching is just way easier than in 1st when you are learning, it comes up slower and you can feel it better. with the 1st you can really screw it up. "go over board so to speak" what do you think swedie:crash :crash I think id agree there. Clutching it up in 2nd, or just using the throttle in 2nd is probably better as it does come up in 1st very quickly. I was messing about in 2nd on mine yesterday and got a mate to video it. Its scary how high you *think* you are when if you play the video back and watch, you arnt really that high at all! I find i have to be quite agressive with the throttle sometimes to get it up, although you have to be carefull not to be too aggresive! Saturday i was just "warming" the bike up and decided to clutch it up as i overtook 3 cars coming out of a bend. It came up in 2nd at about 60mph and came up to the balance point, i shifted into 3rd, got a bit of a wobble, i couldnt see where i was going, so shut the throttle off expecting the front to come down, but since i was at or just past the balance point i was litterally coasting along doing a wheelie with no power. It seemed ages before the front came down. I sh!t myself big time, as i didnt expect it to come up so far! Thought it was going to flip over.

When you clutch it up in 2nd.. don't go crazy on the revving and giving throttle. if you got the touch.. then you hardly have to rev anything when you use the clutch to bring the bike up in 2nd. all about finding that sweet spot. I'm trying not to clutch the bike up anymore. it's too hard on the gearbox. i DON'T want to find myself digging through the engine again to replace gears. I wheelied from 1st to 6th yesterday again. no problem at all.. really. I'm astonished over my own performance :D I did 1100km yesterday. Damn I'm tired. Went from home at 9am and came home 11pm. ALL TWISTIES :rock my rear tire is evenly rounded off. The bike did drink a bit of oil. I wonder why.. hehe

I simply hate you Swedie!!!! :p

good info swedie:D

so u can hit it if u r goin over backward.(in theory)