a little wheelie help...

[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?

[weljo2001]

You Tube

You Tube

[AzItLies]

x

[stagehand38]

I always figured if the engineers that designed the "V" had intended them to travel on one wheel then they would have made the "V" a unicycle! LOLOL

So be careful....give me the hebby-jebbys

BTW.... to the bestest forum in all the land (Mars too I'm thinking)

[pdpleog]

Don't get me wrong, I've dropped plenty of bikes learning exactly how not to play with them, but a plastic fender or radiator guard on my MX bikes was a lot cheaper to replace than the tail piece or fairings on my V. Was that guy in the video just hitting the throttle hard in first gear, or was he popping the clutch in second? I've been riding pretty conservatively just because I'm kinda scared of the bike's potential, way different power band than the 2-strokes I'm used to. I guess I just want to get a little pop without having to learn the hard way...

[AzItLies]

x

[colodak]

if you read your owners manual, they actually make recommendations for speed/upshift points and for downshift/speed points

[Supermann81]

Just start from a standstill and accelerate kind of hard, and it will lift by it self. Thats the best way to get to know how it feels and how fast it rises. Ive done a couple of unintentional wheelies out of intersections and roundabouts this way.

[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.

[Supermann81]

Invader is probably right on this one. Its pretty easy to take a spill..

[MTS]

I only do wheelies on smaller bikes like klx 250 that I had. I would never try one on my V.

I think that guy was in first, but he never took his right foot off that brake peg. If you ever loose wrist control from body rotation your bike is gone! Sorry I couldn't be more help!

There was a dude somewhere on this forun that did an 8 mile wheelie and his son did an 11 mile wheelie or something like that.

[Baron650]

This is probably the worst place to ask for wheelie/stoppie advice. But the internet is vast... were you to paste that into a search engine I'm sure it would be more fruitful. Oh, and ATTGAT!

[chitownpete]

you can do it with a second gear "throttle chop". Start out in first, shift to second at medium throttle/rpm, abruptly shut the throttle all the way and as soon as your fork compresses down all the way open the throttle abruptly. This works because the compressed fork bounces the front end up at the same time you give it the gas. This way you are not messing with the clutch and if it freaks you out just shut the throttle and you come back down. This is probably not the best place for wheelie advice, many here (myself included) are boring older more conservative riders. The V is a great wheelie machine with it's short wheelbase and wide powerband. I wish they didn't scare me so much.

[weljo2001]

When i rode motocross in the 70's and earlier 80's i loved to wheelie those bikes. But i never wanted to do it on a street bike. Main reasons Concrete hurts more than dirt, Parts are easier to break and way more expensive to replace on a street bike. Had a YZ250F that you could stand almost straight up and keep it that way with just blipping the throttle.Man i miss that bike.

[craigercj]

There's some videos out there on how to clutch up on a sport bike. It helped me figure out how to clutch up on the DRZ. Once I figured it out on the DRZ, I can do it on the V now. Previously, I always power wheelied sitting or standing on the V. 1st/2nd sit down, 2nd/3rd stand up. Takes a good jerk on the bars/preloading front. But mostly I just wheelie on the DRZ anymore.

I don't like sit down wheelies much on the V. The balance point is weird and the RPMs to high for me to be real comfortable (compared to my comfort level on a thumper). It doesn't take much extra throttle to loop it. Clutching up can be a bit unpredictable. I don't know if it's the cush drive or clutch slippage, but if you are two high in the RPM range, the power delivery is delayed after dumping the clutch.

Stand ups, however, are really easy to control and balance.

ATGATT and cover the rear brake.

[fasteddiecopeman]

Try to remember, IF you decide to learn how to wheelie:

EITHER brake will bring the front down SO COVER ONE OR BOTH, but IF you use the front (which ain't the best one if it's 'looping over' on you) - GET OUT of it before the wheel contacts the road!

[RockyMoto]

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.

+1

[Motopsycho]

1st gear barely rolling forward, 3/4 throttle and lean back, shift into second without the clutch lever. ride that thing for miles if you play with the clutch and throttle in second gear

[scooter650]

low tank of fuel and a bit of a rise in the pavement, I've had my V lift without really expecting it....

[invader]

Yeah, it'll lift right up from a standstill if I try to launch hard, in a hurry to merge into traffic. It can also start wheelieing on its own while accelerating in 1st gear when I hit the powerband... I was trying to scare a moose off the road at night once, repeatedly pulling wheelies on its rear hind by whacking the throttle open and shut in 1st gear, bouncing off the forks.