Praticing wheelies and not binning your bike!

[monomaster]

ok UPDATE....

But, and there had to be a but, the bike still seems to jerk forward in a lunging motion, is this because im not letting the clutch out correctly? Also im doing all of this in 2nd rolling along about 30, clutch in, revs up, clutch out? is this correct!

That's they way to go...it'll come stick with it. It will be all jerky & rough to begin with, but when you get used to the feel of the wheel in the air, & the revs required to get it there, you'll then be able to work on smoothing the whole process out.

Go Hard Son!

[Squiffythewombat]

cool, well weather permitting we are due to go out for some wheelie and kneedown pratice tommorow so i will let you know how i get on....

i know this sounds realyl stupid, but i cant do any serious damage to my bike screwing up a mono can i (aside from binning it)? i mean, every now and then when it lunches, it certianly does sound like mecanical equilibruim...

[monomaster]

Its just a motorcycle...motorcycles can be repaired!

Nah seriously look, there are a few blokes here in Oz that are stunting their 'storms, one guy in particular has about 65,000kms on the dial too. The bikes still going strong.
There has been much debate as to wether, powering up a mono is better for the bike than using the clutch.
Personally, I reckon its cheaper to replace clutch plates than a gearbox, & redlining the motor whilst on 1 wheel aint too good either.
My bike has about 20,000kms on it & the motor is fine. Never had any dramas with the clutch either & I learn't on this bike before moving to an R1 (sadly this was stolen so I went back to the 'storm).
The worst problems involve shitting yourself whilst up high & landing with a crunch on the forks. Even this has never been a problem.

In essence, don't be too concerned unless your bike has an existing underlying problem.

[sparky750]

Just keep an eye on your forks and yokes mate the crashing down puts a lot of pressure on them but apart from that if your using the clutch chain and sprockets get worn and obviously your clutch but nothing major just enjoy it and dont bin it or we'll laugh only joking mate.

[yellafella]

Well just been avin a go ! Almost crapped myself ! Got it up too far the first time and think i've knocked my forks out of line ! Going in a straight line and looking at the yolk it looks a few degrees out ! And doesnt handle too good on right hand bends !

[Ians98VTR]

getting up is the easy bit,putting it back down lightly is the tricky part,needs great throttle control,mate has been at it years,bent forks burst seels,fell off,flipped bike,cost him a fortune,but fantastic now,wheelie
all day long right through the gear box no problem,puts it down again so lightly, ,been an expensive hobby tho,dont sound good about ya forks
yellafella,hope its not to serious

[sparky750]

Be suprised if you've done any serious damge from one wheelie its normally over a period of time hope its not serious yella

[Squiffythewombat]

oooooo hope your bikes alright yella, doesnt sound like anything too serious, even to my dunce ears!

anyways a little update for you all....

ive only got out for a few hours since i last spoke to you (bin raining) but the front wheel hops are becoming easier now, the height is still very low but i can make the front actually lift now rather than lurch, atlhough this still happens every now and then....

Still having probs with the clutch and letting it out quick enough i think! Its weird as with a pillion i find it 10 times easier to get the front in the air, and sometimes i can hold it for a few meters. now i realise this is to do with the extra weight altering my balance point, should i sit further back when solo and really wedge my butt into the seat? will this help?

good news is i have completly destroyed my knee sliders and feel really comfortable getting it over, taken out the hero blobs too! THANKS LOADS to everyone who helped me, its imporved my riding no end!

off for some lunch before the afternoon ride i think :-)
toby

[JAY.B]

HI SQUIFFY. when learning to wheelie, the first and most important rule is USE SOMEONE ELSES BIKE i cant stress that enough ha ha. for power lifts, roll along in first gear, hold the throttle open at 3000rpm. when your ready, give the throttle a smooth burst (dont snap it open) if it doesn't lift, give it a bit more next time. it may come up fast so be warned

[Squiffythewombat]

YES YES YES YES YES YES!!!!


tonight i manged several decent wheelies, one was quite a distance too, the front wheel was coming up between a few inches and a foot! However this was all just rolling on the throttle really hard in first...? i couldnt do this before the art cans were fitted which is odd, not that im complaining!

so.....can i do this in 2nd? will it be more stable? a couple of times the front wheel seemed to turn sideways, not much and i corrected it fine but ccan i avoid this, it doesnt feel too "normal". What do you guys think i should do? pratice more on this method or keep trying the clutch bumping bouncing technique?

[monomaster]

What gearing are you running Squiffy???
Standard I presume! Practise the "up under power" method till you get used to the feel of having the front in the air.....Remember, 1st gear is very violent on the motor, as you'll hit redline in no time & then slam it back down...
Steps in the right direction though...I wanna see photo's ;)

[Squiffythewombat]

yeah stock gearing, 41tooth as i remmber ?

Yeah im definatly more confident getting the front up, although its not coming up very far it feels great and like im in control which makes a change!

i know this sounds daft, but i cant damage my bike wheeliing like this in 1st can i? and how would i know once i hit the limited, i dont think its happened yet...but would be nice to know what to look out for!

and should i be able to do this technique in second to keep its smoother as ive read on some threads?

Planning to go back out after lunch with a digi cam so i can see how appawling my monos really are, ill post some piccys/vids here tonight hopefully!

[Squiffythewombat]

http://ozfirestorm.proboards34.com/inde ... 1096950073

/\ nice little read for others reading this wanting to learn like me! and yes BIG respect to yellowvtwin and monomonster! fancy a trip to the uk mate?

[robin1000]

On the power: 2nd gear rolling.(you can do it in nearly any gear, but 2nd is safer.) Dip the throttle slightly and then yank it open and give a pull on the bars. A Storm WILL come up on the power, and pretty quickly.

Clutch: 2nd again, dip the throttle, pull the clutch in. Then almost as soon as you've pulled it in, let it out and accelerate hard. This is the easiest way, but the one to throw you off the back more easily inmo.

Best bet is to go to "wheelie school". They use Bandits that you can't flip cos they have mercury switches on them that cut the engine if you go too far back . It could cost you a lot less learning this way, and it builds confidence pretty quickly.

[Squiffythewombat]

cheers for the advice rob! i'll give that 2nd gear jobby a go next time its dry (its raining at the moment) and guys i did try and take some photos but the bloomin cam had run out of bats...next time!

Wheelie School, yeah i would love to go, but it would cost about £300 which is wayyyyy out of my range, remmber im a poor butt st0dent unlike you lot!