Wheelie Question

[NOMORE4s4ME]

I know there are multiple threads on here about wheelies. And I'm not looking to start any pissing contests about who can pull what in what gear or anything like that. But I've been playing around a little with wheelies lately. I am by no means a wheelie expert, but I want to be able to pop it up occasionally. 2nd gear wheelie is all i need. I've been using the clutch just a little to pull it up a little in 2nd gear. It seems a lot easier and controlled than twisting the throtle and yanking on the bars. Is this really bad for the belt? Or the clutch for that matter?

 

[ADAMLEE]

I wore my first clutch out doing 2nd gear wheelies. It seemed so easy to sit back on the seat and and give it a bit extra and ride it out. It seems eaiser to me than fulling out of first gear and switching in the air.

I kept on getting better until I was leaving the bar and tried to show off. needless to say I don't go bar hoping anymore, on 2 wheels or 4. I tend to ride like a little old granny until we get out of town then we have fun!

Dunno about the belt.

FYI- I'm all newbish when it comes to wheelies. No stunt master here.

 

[BuellPartsGuy]

I always did second gear wheelies without the clutch. 4200rpms in second, back off slightly to preload the front, then nail it and pull back and ride it out.........

 

[NOMORE4s4ME]

maybe i'm not pulling hard enough or not picking the right RPM range, but that never seemed to get it to rise like i wanted it to. I'm sure its possible, so I guess I'll have to practice. I just wish I had a bike to practice on so if i did loop it I wouldnt kill the buell.

 

[ADAMLEE]

I lop'd mine and I didn't kill it. Granted I was going really low when it finially crashed. I have a xb12ss and I managed to hag on while the bike used to license plate to stay upright.

make sure and practice away from other objects like cars and people.

 

[dave_xb12r]

Wheelies seem cool, but I like my bike too much to put that kind of wear on it, or to chance dropping it like that. Sorry Nomore4s, I'm tryin not to piss

 

[NOMORE4s4ME]

no worries. I dont want to trash mine either. Done in moderation i dont think its too bad though.

 

[jakexb12r]

I want to know how some of you do those damn balance wheelies! All i can do is ride one in first through third while accelerating. How do you keep sustained without accelerating?

 

[ADAMLEE]

balance is key, I can't do it but I've seen it so many times. Know how to balance the bike, know how to wheelie for a mile.

 

[dave_xb12r]

yeah jake, I'm assuming you're not leaning it back enough.

 

[jakexb12r]

i guess im just to freaked out to lean it back that far, im afraid of it goin over!

 

[Trill]

yeah wheelies are easy to start on a buell but not that easy to maintain... Well for me anyways. If you pop the bike up at 4000 rpm you only have 2-3k left and u bounce rev limiter and come down. On say my buddies zx9 I would get up to 7k and blip a 10k clutch up and when it was up the revs were back to 8k and could use up to 14k to sustain an acceleration wheelie. The 4's are also a little smoother so u can keep the front higher without fearing a hard blip of vtwin torque flipping you backwards.

I'm sure someone out there will argue that the buell is easy to sustain a balance point wheelie. I flirt with balance point but it feels too sketchy to try staying there. I will have a vid of my wheelie skills or lack there of, whatever the day brings me.

I want to get myself an older bike to mess around with.. maybe a gxr or f4i to stunt around just to gear down and learn balance point more. I like my buell too much to just go throw down.

 

[GatorBuell]

I stopped doing wheelies when I landed hard on a friends GSXR 1000 and blew the fork seals out. Then 3 days latter I landed a wheelie on my old FZR and went into a tank slapper doing 60mph and lost grip on one hand and nearly came off the bike. Ran it onto the grass shoulder of the road and laid it down.
Its addictive and its just a matter of time before you lose it.

 

[only1reds]

I learned I couldn't do a wheelie COMFORTABLY is when I felt I could never balance my old 35-50 lb BMX bicycle let along a 400-500 lb Motorcycle.

I guess I'm not wheelie inclined [smirk]

 

[93LS1rx7]

I have a little Honda CRF 50 that I practice wheelies on alot but I am to afraid of hurting the XB12Scg I just bought to try anything on it yet... Maybe one day

 

[leadfoot955]

i love 2nd gear! and the bounceoffthe ground in 3rd! i'm new to buells but no stranger to bikes and i'm not really comfortable with the balance point on my 06 xb12s, or the thought of my baby meeting the pavement with anything besides the tires or kickstand! i'm wondering about the clutch life too,i know you dont sit out a light with the clutch in on an older harley because it heats them up and ruins them. i dont find that old pull on this machine and sit out most lights in 1st. i dont worry about the belt at all.the only thing that will damage it will be foriegn matter between it and the sprockets or tensioner in my opinion.

 

[07Bolt]

From almost a dead stop, I can dump the clutch, rake out the front end and ride it about 40-50 ft; with my legs hangin off the sides. It's got a lot to do with balance and where your weight shifts above the rear wheel.

 

[stopie20]

I only cluutch wheelies, more predictable than throttle, and yes wheelies are hard on every part of your bike (espically if just learning).
On my 12s I clutch up second at a starting speed of 12-40 mph and hit the balance point very quickly... In third I clutch between 40- and 50mph but I need to put my right knee on the rear seat and I jus ride it like that.

The balance point wheelie is tough to do the first few times, you have to bring the bike up until you want to throw up then give it more gas, you know your there when you feel the bike start to wiggle slightly. keep in mind that I have had my share and then some of ER visits

 

[xbhooligan434]

one of the most important things to remember when riding a wheelie is to cover the rear brake, and the balance point
I think we should make a thread with members of the board posting wheelie vids of them selves