Having a hard time trying to wheelie my 450

[Stryke]

Alright, i took my 450exc out this weekend and put about 13 hours on her, so i can say i am getting comfortable with it. Oh btw noone told me its that hard to ride in mud while its raining. Most of the weekend was like trying to ride on goose crap.


However i cant wheelie at all nor do i know where to start. Well thats not true i know the basics of what u have to do but just cant apply it.

If i sit in the middle of the seat on a flat hard pack. And punch it at 10kmph i break traction. If i do so while sitting a bit back i also break loose but kinda of power wheelie about 6 inches off the ground. If i rolll it not as fast as so i dont break loose, while sitting on the back of the seat, it also will not give me enough lift. If however i give my bike a little tug it does lift, maybe a foot. Then i scare the *$&%^%Ghd* out of myself and let off.


And so now ive come to the conclusion that its scary, i dont have a friggen clue how to lift it all the way up without looping it out. And what speed is the safest to learn on. What will happen to my if i go over lol.

[MONSTER450]

Originally Posted by Stryke

And so now ive come to the conclusion that its scary, i dont have a friggen clue how to lift it all the way up without looping it out. And what speed is the safest to learn on. What will happen to my if i go over lol.

I'm at the same point.... I got some advice from some people and what sticks in my head is this... Be at the bottom of your highest gear, just before the bog and just pin it. You will be moving pretty good as it is and when you pin it it will be very difficult to loop it. Have your foot on the brake, obviously and you'll be fine. Being in the highest gear will also give you the ability to learn how to hold it the longest without having to shift...

Thats just what sticks in my head. i attempted a wheelie when i had my cr250 and i looped it bad... first gear 2 stroke wheelie though, thats a huge no no for a beginner...

It sucks because when riding hard i can do a wheelie any time i want, whoop sections i will pull them off coming out no prob and even carry it a little aftwerward, up a hill, at the bottom of a downhill.... no prob. Put me on a lake bed and have me do one... nope.... It's all in your head... so just suck it up and give it a whirl. Gas and pull.... maybe someday i can do the same :-)

[the_privateer]

practice practice practice

the easiest way for me to do them, is to get going in 3rd with enough throttle that you can feel your just into the power, let off the gas, which will compress the forks a little, and spike the throttle-up it comes. work on throttle control so you can keep it up without looping it, and find the balance point so you can keep it going at a constant speed-without accelerating.

I sit pretty far forward on a 450, they have the power to still lift the front, and you are less likely to loop out and the bike is much more easy to control on one wheel sitting further forward than when you are sitting further back

[Stryke]

Thats what i think in my head but its so much different when ur actually on the bike and its no longer in your head.

I watch this guy on a crf450x pass me down a road i kept braking loose on, He just blipped it once, it was up and he carried it for atleast 100m. He must have been in 3 gear.

I dont like doing wheelies from really slow rolling speed as i got no control and the bike i feel would not stay balanced left and right. I do however blip it and pull up sometimes, but i only crack it about a 1/3 and it pops up then i let off. I feel im never gonna learn this wheelie thing. I tried for hours last week on my mountain bike, and i couldnt stay on the bike, and always lost my balance left to right or looped and caught it. My longest was like 5 feet lol.

Thanks for those tips though ill have to try it out. Would u say i should be travelling at about 10kmph and find the power in the revs and blip it up, or just be going 30kmph and bounce the seat and pull up at the same time while standin and just crack it.

Id like a little more practice power wheelieing i think first, just so i can get comfortable with the feeling of having the wheel come of the ground. And slowly apply that to learn how to balance a wheelie.

[the_privateer]

I would practice sit down wheelies first as they are much easier to control than when standing up.

sitting further up on the seat will help out a lot on the left right balance, the trick is learning to lean back while sitting forward, its hard to explain

as far as how fast you should be going, my best answer is to go at a speed you feel comfortable, get use to feeling how fast the front will come up relative to how hard you gas it and how fast you are going, and throttle control to keep it up without looping it---practice practice....

I've always found it much easier to wheelie in the grass/field than on dirt roads or the track so that is where i would practice

[crdude]

it takes.. ALOT of practice.

I'v had my cr250 for over a year now and I'm STILL trying to perfect the wheelie on it, at least I have it down pretty good now.

[pillar]

Here is a great vid that shows some good technique. He's on a drz 400, but the principle is the same.
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

Try standing when you in 2nd and compress the suspention with your legs and as the bike and you are unloading just pull up and give it gas. Use a finger on the clutch and foot over the rear brake. If your coming up to quick pull in the clutch. Or hit the rear brake if you really need it down fast. Doesn't take hardly any effert if you are using the proper technique. Practice in grass first. You wont spin out as bad. Find a log and practise lofting the front wheelie over it.

[cloleson]

This will probably sound unusual, but it's easier to learn on a slight uphill incline. If you can find a spot with hardpack, at a slight incline, they will come easier until you get the hang of it.

[YZ450Rider]

Heh, i do not have the this promblem on my YZ450F. Everytime i burp it the front end wants to come off the ground!

I know it tottally different that alot of people tell you to, but I have been burping it in 1st and 2nd and just getting my weight right and riding anywhere from 10ft wheelies to 50 footers. Its all feeling for me but i am also alittle heavier than most guys. I weight 245 and lean back and pull it towards my chest. It may be different when i lose more weight but right now its easy. I cannot say i havnt laid it down. First 2 rides 2 lay downs, feet dragging and scared sh*tless. I am not use to the power of the 450....biggest i ever rode was a 125. Then i bought my own and am enjoying every moment

[Freak]

Ah, heres a thread I know somethng about LOL. Actually, You should start out trying to do standups. As someone mentioned above, find a hill with a slight incline or a small rise in the dirt. As you approach the rise, compress with your feet and give a tug on the bars with a little throttle. Don't try to ride it out. Just try to get some air under the tire.

The whole idea here is to get use to the front end coming up. Don't try to 12oclock the thing right away or you will loop it. Oh and you willl loop it, it's only a matter of time Once you get use to the front end coming up, it's going to feel like your really getting mass air under the front tire, but your really not. Keep doing that and you will get higher and higher and then one day you will find that sweet spot, and it will click. The sit down wheelie is a bit different. I don't clutch my standups at all, but I clutch my sit downs all the time, all the way thru 5th.
Don't get on the back fender on a sit down. Sit in the middle like your just riding normal. If your on hard pack, you can pretty much hammer on the throttle and she will come right up. I usally just feather the clutch and shes up. Check out my darth vadar video on here. Kinda hard to see with that mask on LOL Once you get good at it, you can just feel where you need to be. Just take it slow and work on getting some air under the tire. [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

Me Steve and Alex playing at the pit. [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

My bros at the coast. I could not make this trip [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

Me and Alex messing around. [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

Yea, we like to wheelie LOL

[crowmoto]

Wheelies are my thing. I read some good info above. Here is my advise.

Find a hardpacked smooth and moderately steep hill - the longer the better - I would start with 2nd gear, sit down just slightly back from your normal position, tug on the bars and blip the throttle to raise the front end, immediatly chop the throttle to keep from flipping, (you can get a lot steeper without flipping than you might think) when the front end lowers, before it hits the ground blip it again raising it again (youve seen the guys wheelying brap,brap,brap, and so on.) the better you get, the longer between the braps can be. Uphill is the whole key to learning - you do not have to have the front wheel as high off the ground, and the bike will not over rev as easy because there is a load on the engine.
And never, never take your feet off the pegs!!! Do this and you will shift weight back and flip for sure!

When I was a kid, we used to do this for hours but we needed to bounce the front wheel off a rock because our bikes were so gutless. You are riding the best wheelie machine on the planet!!! 450F!

By the way I have been doing long wheelies for close to 40 years and have only flipped out a few times.
If you flip, you will break your back fender off and hear a man in the distance yelling at his son "DID YOU SEE THAT!!!"

[Freak]

Originally Posted by crowmoto

Wheelies are my thing. I read some good info above. Here is my advise.

Find a hardpacked smooth and moderately steep hill - the longer the better - I would start with 2nd gear, sit down just slightly back from your normal position, tug on the bars and blip the throttle to raise the front end, immediatly chop the throttle to keep from flipping, (you can get a lot steeper without flipping than you might think) when the front end lowers, before it hits the ground blip it again raising it again (youve seen the guys wheelying brap,brap,brap, and so on.) the better you get, the longer between the braps can be. Uphill is the whole key to learning - you do not have to have the front wheel as high off the ground, and the bike will not over rev as easy because there is a load on the engine.
And never, never take your feet off the pegs!!! Do this and you will shift weight back and flip for sure!

When I was a kid, we used to do this for hours but we needed to bounce the front wheel off a rock because our bikes were so gutless. You are riding the best wheelie machine on the planet!!! 450F!

By the way I have been doing long wheelies for close to 40 years and have only flipped out a few times.
If you flip, you will break your back fender off and hear a man in the distance yelling at his son "DID YOU SEE THAT!!!"

Sorry, but brapping the throttle like that is wrong. Throttle control and cover the rear brake. You start bliping the throttle on and off like that and your toast. Smooth throttle control and cover the brake.

[crowmoto]

I will have a wheelie contest and out wheelie you any day freek!

[Freak]

LOL I really have no clue how to wheelie, I just read it somewhere My best wheelie is like 25 feet, but I will try to beat you. How much money do we bet?

[jc6711]

I'd suggest trying power wheelies on the cement first. Then once you are used to them try clutching them up. But start off small, things can get out of hand fast. Once you get used to clutching them up high enough to where you are in the balance point you want to start using the back brake.

[Oklahomarider]

Do you guys realize that this guy has not been online since 9-8-07.

[Ride.221]

What are you talking about?? What guy??

[Freak]

Originally Posted by jc6711

I'd suggest trying power wheelies on the cement first.

This is a great idea. My gear and my bike won't get dirty and I can just do it out in front of my house.

I can't wait to see crowmoto's reply to the cement wheelie

[crowmoto]

Originally Posted by Freak

This is a great idea. My gear and my bike won't get dirty and I can just do it out in front of my house.

I can't wait to see crowmoto's reply to the cement wheelie

If you have to "clutch" a 450f to wheelie something is wrong. I actually like to wheelie on paved roads. Go thru the gears!! I highly recommend it. Just watch for cops. I got a ticket for wheelying once. And I was on a street legal bike!!!

[Freak]

Originally Posted by crowmoto

If you have to "clutch" a 450f to wheelie something is wrong. I actually like to wheelie on paved roads. Go thru the gears!! I highly recommend it. Just watch for cops. I got a ticket for wheelying once. And I was on a street legal bike!!!

Nothing wrong with getting up on one on the pavement. I'll do it any chance I get but I would never recommend it to a newbie! Keep in mind, the original poster is learning how to wheelie. Starting on the pavement is a bad idea. If you want smooth pavement like road, go down to the beach right next to the water. The sand is perfect for long wheelies. Almost better than pavement. Not a bad place to learn either. I always clutch my sit downs, I don't have to, I just do. Infact, I'll use my clutch on every shift on a sit down. Never use it on stand ups.