[Special K]

Ok...here's the scoop...

I have never had a powerful bike like the R1 before...best I had was a Yamaha FZ600 ('86)

when it came to wheelie's...those of the power variety were out of the question...all I could really do was pop the clutch (when I was riding solo) and get it up for a bit, or have the girl on the back and crank it...sometimes lifting the front wheel for a couple of seconds. To tell you the truth...it scared me becuse I felt out of control so I never had the balls to go all out and try one full force :machinegu .

However...with my new R1 coming in March (can't wait !) I really want to be able to ... um...well...be a showman . My question...do you think it will, with a little knowhow and courage, be possible for me to graduate to R1 renegade status? Special K want to play with the big boys :crash !

Oh yeah...for some reason stoppies were no problem for me...I had a much easier time with those...rolling stoppies however were a little more difficult .

Forgive me for being such a wimp ...accept me into your homes!!!!

 

[Swedie]

I don't know if I can accept you.. man! You sound very.. umh.. WANNABEE!!!!
But that's okay.

The R1 will let you power wheelie 1st and 2nd.. no prob. But have in mind NEVER to flip the throttle like you could on the 600cc.

When you get the R1.. just gently give more and more throttle until you feel that the front is lifting. If you are not leaning or doing anything stupid on the bike you'll be safe as ever during the "wheelie".

I can imagine your stoppies aswell. I won't cover that.

But before you even attempt to do wheelies. You MUST learn the R1! Get to know it like you get to know a new girlfriend!
I would absolutely not recommend to get the R1 and during the first 100 miles attempt wheelies. I'd say cruise the bike. Take it out for some twisties. Learn its abilities. Test it.

THEN you can try lofting the front wheel out of corners and stuff. Those wheelies are for me much more adrenalin producive :yesnod

Well. I'll be happy to answer any more question that you might have.

 

[Twisted Logic]

I went up two teeth on the rear sprocket on mine and can do standups in fourth gear with no clutch just a small bounce,so power wheelies are no problem. In second gear sitting down get to about 6000rpm and let off the throttle then back on hard and it will come up,fast so be careful. On a side note,Sweedie I wheelied mine out of the dealership, Of course I have been riding for a hundred years. Wheelies out of the dealership is not recommended(tends to get warranty work done a bit of a hassle)

 

[Swedie]

I heard of this guy being able to pull 6th gear wheelies on the R1.. I'll attempt six gear wheelies too. I already can do them on the CBR900RR'93 (that i had)....

I can fully understand problems with the dealer hehe.

I actually attempted 2nd gear wheelies with my R1 during the few miles that I went before I had to store it for the winter. And .. you know I wasn't able to powerwheelie it in 2nd sitting down. Clutching it up on the other hand is much easier.

But I'm sure that the R1 can do it stock.

 

[Mattias1]

Swedie: Get to know it like you would a new girlfriend... Huh?
Sticking various extremities into various cavities?
Not farting near it for the first three months?
Be nice to it´s parents?

 

[Swedie]

HAHA

 

[Special K]

Is it hard to keep it up (the bike I mean )? Does it take a gentle touch...something that would be difficult for a ham-fisted rider like myself? I just have a fear of over-cranking the throttle...

:crash

 

[[email protected]@alltimes]

U'll get the hang of it. In the begining, just try 2 pop it up and land safely until u get ur balance. In first gear @ about 4-5000 rpm u can wack it and it comes right up. But as the rest of the members said, b careful cuz it will come up fast on U!:yesnod

 

[EarlThePearl]

I'll give you my 2 cents on wheelies, but first let me tell you a little about me (like you care):

-- I rode a '93 CBR 600 F2 all through college, from about 94 to 98. This was what I considered my learning bike. It was my first 'real' sportbike (Katanas don't count I don't think) Sold the F2 in '98 and laid off scooters until last week. Bought me a '00 R1 for nice little price. Again begins the learning process, now on a lighter bike with a crap load more hp...better get some frame sliders huh. --

Back to wheelies. The best way to learn a wheelie is to get yourself a used dirtbike (250cc) and learn what I like to call 'balance point.' Crashing on the dirt is way softer that crashing on pavement. I picked up a old CR 250 for about $300. This was my best learning tool, not to mention a boat load of fun.

The best way I found to maintain multiple gear wheelies is to manipulate the balance point. None of this on and off the throttle stuff, keep the throttle steady. Once you learn the balance point on your bike, and can maintain a steady throttle while the rpm's rise, then you're ready to shift. Whether you use the clutch or not is up to you. I prefer using the clutch. When I get ready for second gear, I'll bring the wheel up a little higher, pull the clutch and shift. In the short time I'm taking to shift, the wheel starts to come down. By the time I'm on the throttle again the wheel is coming back up to the balance point and I'm back to a steady throttle. Rinse and repeat for third gear.

These are some basic tips to get you started. I suppose everybody has his or her opinion on it, so I guess you can take it or leave it. I'm definitely no expert on wheelies let me tell you. Have you seen some of the videos here? Those guys are on another level. Don't expect to be doing any of that right away. I don't expect to be doing some of that, ever...except maybe the crashing part. I'll cross my fingers.

 

[R1RIDER]

ALL I HAVE TO SAY IS BE CAREFUL BECAUSE I HAD A BLUE 2001 R1 AND A FRIEND OF MINE TRIED TO DO A WHEELIE AND WRECKED IT AND ACTUALLY TOTALED IT AND HE WASN'T GOING THAT FAST SO I WENT AND BOUGHT ME A RED ONE. SO JUST DON'T PUSH IT AND ENSURE THAT IT FEELS WRIGHT.

 

[Solidus]

His story sounds so familiar............

You had an old 600 and moved into big nuts territory..... I just finished an MSF course because I scared the crap out of myself on my R1. I don't know how to wheelie but the act itself must be pretty easy because I got my front wheel up ( way up ) just by whacking the throttle open like I was on a friggin moped in first. I promptly parked it and enrolled in my refresher course. It was a good Idea. ( Even if I did feel like a big punk because the 5ft tall female instructor rode a BUSA).

MY NAME IS AL AND I"M AFRAID OF MY BIKE:cryin

 

[Twisted Logic]

The MSF course should be a requirement for getting your license, IMHO

 

[SmokeEater]

In Maine its required to get your permit.

 

[scud]

laughs...

Get it up, crank on it, WACK IT, pop it, gentle touch, comes right up....

DAMN, this is getting prety funny....

 

[Twisted Logic]

Not everyone is born with the wheelie gene,I was not. It took me a lnog time and alot of practice to learn the balance and throttle control. Like I said,baby steps,don't let anyone laugh at you or tell you you suck or whatever. I had people doing that to me long ago and now I will punk them out everytime I wheelie past them :rock

 

[jRaskell]

THEN you can try lofting the front wheel out of corners and stuff. Those wheelies are for me much more adrenalin producive

Take a lesson from my mistakes. I used to do this on my old 96 Ninja 600. In 98 I bought a ZX-9R (which I just recently traded for a 01 R1). First time I tried that with my 9R (with just over 200 miles on the bike) I got the wheel maybe a foot off the ground and my rear tire broke traction (I just kept rolling on the throttle, and I hadn't fully come out of the turn yet), down came the front tire, down went me and the bike. Trashed the upper, right mid, lower, exhaust, right engine cover,foot peg bracket, rear brake assembly, a 2 inch diameter patch of road rash on the tank.

 

[Swedie]

depends on who is doing it... if you're doing it un intentionally.. then you might wreck. But if you do it "somewhat controlled"..

anyhow, thanks for telling me.. should keep me away from it for some time. Could save my ass.

 

[crashfallon]

:rock hell yeah twisted!
wheelie virgin, do what your ability will allow you. no sense in getting hurt, impress yourself. i ride with a guy who's been at it for over 10 years. i had the R1 for a month or so (first street bike) and could wheelie longer than him but i never bragged or nothing. i guess i just had the "wheelie gene" he would ask me questions and stuff and i would try to help him out. a lot of people are scared of getting it too high and flipping it because it does feel scary at first but if you could actually see how high you are you realize you got a lot more to go. this guy jim is riding them really awesome now and it's great to see people get excited and improve. i was nervous at first but i just kept riding it out a little longer and higher until one day i did a stand up in first for 2 city blocks and set it down only because the light was red in front of me. i then went to second gears standups at the advice of peers from this forum. this summer i am determined to do one for at least a quarter mile:rock
just gotta work on steering it with the pegs:yesnod

 

[solo]

the thing about wheelies is $$$

sucks to wreck your R1 and insurance bites ... for beginners ... I say start w/a junk bike