Tuesday 8 April 2014

How I Popped A Wheelie

Wheelies are part of popular culture as early as 1943, especially high speed wheelies. It is a common motorbike stunt yet it never fails to get the audience cheering on. As fun as it may seem, never do it spontaneously on the roads as here in Singapore, it would be considered dangerous driving/riding and you may get your license suspended -totally not worth it-



Fun fact: The world's fastest motorbike wheelie record is 307.86 km/h (191.30 mph) by Patrick Furstenhoff. That is called insanity.


That's me

I haven't really mastered it but just thought of sharing how I learnt to pop a little clutch wheelie on my Suzuki DR200 scrambler.

Step 1: In gear 1, go slow clutch in and throttle to get the rpm high

Step 2: Once the rpm is high, throttle and release the clutch at the same time

Step 3: Once the front wheel lifts up, use your arms and pull the handlebar towards you, lean back your body position and maintain throttle. Tap your rear brake if the wheelie is too high

Tada! Up I went :D Like just for a 0.01 second. Hahaha I definitely need more practice.

Two Most Common Wheelies

Clutch wheelies: This is performed by disengaging the clutch and opening the throttle to let the engine race and then engaging the clutch abruptly (what I did above).

Power wheelies: This is performed by simply opening the throttle. If the engine has sufficient power, it will be able to lift the front wheel. This is more easily done on more powerful or torque-y bikes like KTM300, KTM350, Ducati Hypermotard etc.

If you're practicing wheelies, please wear your guards to avoid injury! :) It's better practicing off road as the surface is slightly softer compared to road so in case of a fall, it will minimize hurting yourself and your bike. Have fun!