a little wheelie help...

[El Tig]

Nice craigercj! I like floating my front in second through intersections on hard takeoff but that's high enough for me. One time my gf and I were going up an on ramp and she actually came up in slightly in third gear as we pinned it to get up to speed.

pdpleog, here's how not to do it:

You Tube

You Tube

[naudan]

I wouldnt recommend power wheelies in first -- thats just me. Weljo's video is someone who is well trained to be doing just perfect wheelies in 1st gear -- but that is with the clutch.

The V wheelies with ease. I prefer 2nd gear clutch up. Find an empty parking lot or something -- please dont attempt on an actual road.

Move into second gear - get steady around 25mph - Pull clutch in - rev to 6k at first - pop clutch, watch bike raise a bit (keep your foot on the back break - and hit it if scared). Get comfortable then move to higher revs (7k -8k etc).

Dont try to be a champ -- start at lower revs then work your way up. You dont want to be the guy in the video above you looks to have clutched it in first gear or something ridiculous.

It should look something similiar to the video below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...&v=Ox6Q6Iys3IE

[craigercj]

I liked these 2 when I was trying to figure out clutch-ups.

You Tube

You Tube

You Tube

You Tube

[BLACK DOG]

A couple things I've noticed with the front wheel floating.
the bike doesn't steer for &&*$
the bike doesn't stop real smothly
I've somehow become too old to try this stuff

[MTS]

Warning! If you loose balance and your body rotates down you are done! You have two choices! Full throttle or let go! But if you want to be the wheelie MAN you have to work through it! Ha! Ha!

I really like my bike! Can I practice on somebody elses bike? LOL Joke!

[pdpleog]

Hey, thanks for the advice guys, it was more than what I expected from such a bone headed thread. I tried out the methods described, and got her up with ease. Didn't mess with first gear, too slow and snappy for my taste. Like I'd said, I've wheelied plenty of bikes, just never anything like the V, so it was awesome to have some reference points to start with, it gave me the confidence to hit it without the extreme fear of wrecking. BTW, fully geared up during attempts (I might be crazy but I'm not stupid)!!!

[craigercj]

[stagehand38]

Here's a link to a feature on wheelie-ing!...from Motorcycle News (MCN) in Great Britain.

http://www.motorcyclenews.com/MCN/Ne..._/R-EPI-128542

http://bcove.me/0pttrett

The first link even features a second-gen Versys!

Hope it helps....
Ride safe ATGATT
Peace.
Carl

[David RSparky3]

I will only do first gear front wheel "Loft".

Open the throttle fast in first at 3,000 rpm, 4,000 rpm and see what the bike does.

I lift the wheel, let the engine wind out backing off on the throttle so it sets down gently.

That is as far as I will go. Up then down. NO finding the balance point, just a loft and ride away.

COVER THE REAR BRAKE. If I eff it up, and need the rear brake (which I have not yet) it will slam down on your front forks giving the bike the hardest jar its ever had on the front end. I have slammed the front end down just by chopping the throttle. I could hear the clunk of it bottoming out.

I usually do not do it on a public road, because I could get a ticked for wreckless driving which is nasty here. Parking lots are fine for me. If I keep to first gear lofts, even if I do crash it will not be an 80 mph crash....


WEAR THE GEAR
USE YOUR HEAD
COVER THE REAR BRAKE!

David

[stlee29]

A write-up on bike tricks by Chris Pfeiffer. Seen him perform. Amazing on the bike. http://www.chrispfeiffer.com/

http://www.chrispfeiffer.com/Portals...es/e_donut.pdf

http://www.chrispfeiffer.com/Portals.../e_wheelie.pdf

http://www.chrispfeiffer.com/Portals.../e_stoppie.pdf

[alien71121]

Originally Posted by pdpleog

OK, I'm a newb, bought my V in March. First street bike, other than a klx 250s. I used to race motocross and trail ride a lot and I miss play riding, but I'm afraid to wreck my bike popping the clutch or over-revving. Any good gear/rpm/clutch recommendations I could use without the fear of just flipping over? And while we're at it (I know, I'm an idiot), any good advice for speed/brake stoppies? It's cool, I've got full coverage insurance and chicks dig scars, right?

You need a wheelie bar & a thicker helmet

Actually, in my youth, I would do wheelies on my 73 H-2, until I once nearly stood it straight up. Better a Versys land on you than an H-2. Good luck. I always did my wheelies sitting down. I never thought of doing one standing up, sounds a lot safer/smarter. What I did on my H-2 was just pick a gear, 1 through 3, give the throttle a fair quick twist [NOT too much on the first try ], then on the second try a little more throttle, ect., ect..., until I got the front wheel off the ground. Good luck finding an H-2 with a useable 2nd gear

With the Versys, you really, really need a wheelie bar

With all the low end torque a Versys has, it wouldn't surprise me if a Versys would do a wheelie in 5th gear. Anyone know if this is true or ever done a wheelie in 5th gear? I've broken too many ribs to find out the hard way



Ride safe

Wear a helmet

[RockyMoto]

Originally Posted by alien71121

With all the low end torque a Versys has, it wouldn't surprise me if a Versys would do a wheelie in 5th gear. Anyone know if this is true or ever done a wheelie in 5th gear? I've broken too many ribs to find out the hard way

I seriously doubt you could ride a wheelie in 5th gear on a Versys. For that matter, I don't think you could do one in 4th gear... (we are talking about riding a wheelie, not just getting the wheel in the air an inch high, right?)

Then again, maybe...if you threw a 56, 58, or 60 tooth rear sprocket on there!

[fdale]

Get one of these. Roll on the throttle at 120 mph and up she comes !

[crow]

Here's a topic of interest. I'm not a wheelie expert but can stand up wheelie my WR450 through all the gears to 150km'h.. but I don't have a spot on balance point the whole way or I would just stay in first and try to go slower... it's the momentum and HP versus wind resistance and weight that keeps it up just shy of the balance point which makes the need to keep kicking a gear when I rev out each gear.
I pull it harder for the gear change so the next gear has enough to hold it up but its a bit touch and go and thats just practice. I've always found road bikes a little harder because they need a bit closer to 12 o clock to get close to balance point because they weigh twice as much and gather speed quicker and more wind resistance.

A mate of mine Jarrad is one of the original founders of Cunningstunts.com from before they went pro and during those days we'd all gather at the Cotter in Canberra and hang out, trying wheelies and racing each other up and down the mountain. He just went from being ok to great in no time and always said keep trying one day you'll just get it.....

For me I didn't try hard enough on the road bikes for long enough and I was riding much more dirt too but thats no excuse.

My advice is pop the clutch and try it, dragging the bike up without the clutch is too slow to get it up and you'll need to learn to use the clutch anyway if you want to wheel stand dirt or road bikes.. start in first you have more HP there and will do less clutch damage... and look ahead not at your wheel to where you want to end up. Don't worry the Versys is no 150HP machine and won't take off on you quicker than you can shut it down but first is still long enough to get some feel for the "holding the gear"

For the earlier Versys tape the rear brake light to the top plastic moulding above it, as that is a weak bit point that likes to flip up when you land that front wheel with a bit of a bounce.. after a few time of popping out it'll do it on its own with just a rough bit of road.. Damned cheap arse end fairing..

Go hard guys give it a crack, you'll be back for more!!

[crow]

Originally Posted by invader

The best advice you can get is: Don't even try, especially if you feel the need for instructions. You have to learn to ride properly to achieve maximum control, which comes mostly from experience.

Don't be soft experience come from experiences and they happen when you try new stuff. Maximum control is what trials riding is about and that is ten times harder than just lofting a front wheel. I totally suck at trials but if you want the tricks you gotta try to do it and then experience will let you get better.

[RockyMoto]

Originally Posted by fdale

Get one of these. Roll on the throttle at 120 mph and up she comes !

but

I've just got to ride something like one of those new ZX14's at least once before my days are up. Riding a 160 HP (are they 180?) motorcycle has got to be a lot of fun, right? On second thought...wait...... no wait......
arghhhhhhhhhhh

[fdale]

Originally Posted by RockyMoto

I've just got to ride something like one of those new ZX14's at least once before my days are up. Riding a 160 HP (are they 180?) motorcycle has got to be a lot of fun, right?

No such thing as too much horsepower.

[Frisco]

'Good thread! I especially liked the MCN video.

I've got a spot on my commute where I can pull pretty good 2nd gear power wheelies over an uphill rise. I sit back a bit, over grip the throttle, chop the throttle, then hit it. Front wheel comes right up! I'm getting better at riding it out, but I'm going pretty fast when the front comes down.

Clutching up seems to be the way to go, I'll have to start practicing!

CJ