Making the bike more wheelie-able
#21
07-04-2015, 02:47 PM
You need the book!
The guy is on a 90cc Hodaka Ace, the book was out back around 1970 or so... Fact is you can own your own copy in .pdf! On ebay for $10, apparently Super Hunky hisself is selling the digital copy of the book!
It's all technique to get a wheelie up and ride it, not just power. To borrow a line from Wikibooks, "On more powerful motorcycles (usually above 500 cc) the front wheel is lifted into the air by accelerating, but on smaller bikes the clutch may be used and/or "bouncing" the forks (using the rider's weight to compress the front suspension, so that the recoil will help lift the front wheel on accelerating)."
Off road whenever I need to loft the front wheel part of it is power, but the initiation is effectively bouncing it. Fact is when trials riding going up hill under power, if a rock or root needed to be cleared, a light bounce while staying on the throttle would carry the front over whatever was there, no additional throttle.
I never could ride a wheelie due to never mastering the balance point with throttle and brake, nor could I shift through gears on the back wheel. But I could do what I needed for the riding I did.
The guy is on a 90cc Hodaka Ace, the book was out back around 1970 or so... Fact is you can own your own copy in .pdf! On ebay for $10, apparently Super Hunky hisself is selling the digital copy of the book!
It's all technique to get a wheelie up and ride it, not just power. To borrow a line from Wikibooks, "On more powerful motorcycles (usually above 500 cc) the front wheel is lifted into the air by accelerating, but on smaller bikes the clutch may be used and/or "bouncing" the forks (using the rider's weight to compress the front suspension, so that the recoil will help lift the front wheel on accelerating)."
Off road whenever I need to loft the front wheel part of it is power, but the initiation is effectively bouncing it. Fact is when trials riding going up hill under power, if a rock or root needed to be cleared, a light bounce while staying on the throttle would carry the front over whatever was there, no additional throttle.
I never could ride a wheelie due to never mastering the balance point with throttle and brake, nor could I shift through gears on the back wheel. But I could do what I needed for the riding I did.
Last edited by klx678; 07-04-2015 at 02:54 PM.
#22
07-04-2015, 05:09 PM
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Phuket, Thailand
Posts: 516
+1 klx678, learn on a light weight low powered bike!
Don't get a bigger/faster/heavier bike
Try a 50 or a 125cc old barn bike & have some fun with very low speed wheelies. Get the bike closer & closer to the balance point with practicing gently touching the back brake to bring it down to earth. At 10mph on a 50cc you can bounce the forks, pull the handlebars, blip the throttle & dump the clutch on some flat dry grassy field wearing all the gear. You might scuff a elbow pad or bend a license plate but your mates will be very entertained watching the fun & more importantly learning your craft safely, before doing fast power wheelies on some big supermoto or crotch rocket.
Don't get a bigger/faster/heavier bike
Try a 50 or a 125cc old barn bike & have some fun with very low speed wheelies. Get the bike closer & closer to the balance point with practicing gently touching the back brake to bring it down to earth. At 10mph on a 50cc you can bounce the forks, pull the handlebars, blip the throttle & dump the clutch on some flat dry grassy field wearing all the gear. You might scuff a elbow pad or bend a license plate but your mates will be very entertained watching the fun & more importantly learning your craft safely, before doing fast power wheelies on some big supermoto or crotch rocket.
Last edited by JoelThailand; 07-04-2015 at 06:09 PM.
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