Since the beginning of time doing a wheelie on a motorcycle has been the coolest thing on earth to mankind. I suppose this explains why riders of all levels want to know how to wheelie. Of all the riding techniques that I teach, wheelies are always the most popular technique that riders want to master.
What does a wheelie consist of ?
A wheelies is a stunt performed on a motorcycle in which the front wheel is raised so that the vehicle is balanced for a moment on it’s rear wheel.
Any motorcycle can be wheelied and it is easier to wheelie a bike with less horsepower if the correct technique is applied. The correct way to wheelie is in first gear at balance point with your foot on the rear brake, while maintaining momentum with your throttle and clutch. The higher your front forks are lofted, the lighter the force of gravity becomes during a wheelie.
It is certainly easier to power wheelie a bike in 3rd or 4th gear but it is better to learn how to do slow balanced wheelies. I have learned from experience that the human body is not designed to fall of moving objects at high speed. If you wheelie at high speed it is not a matter of when you might flip but when you will flip. By learning first gear slow wheelies you will be better equipped to control a high speed wheelie when it gets out of control.
First steps to learning 1st gear balance wheelies.
Pull of in 1st gear sitting in a relaxed central position on your bike.
Get a feel for the rear brake while you are riding in 1st gear, then you need to push down on the front suspension, slip the clutch and accelerate, all in one motion.
As the front wheel starts to lift pull in the clutch, roll the throttle off and push the rear brake. The clutch, throttle and rear brake actions all need to be operated within split seconds of each other.
You need only to lift your front wheel 30 centimeters and then apply the rear brake to get a feel for the brake wheelie action.
The more you practice the higher you will be able to loft your front wheel. When your front forks are parallel with the ground during a wheelie you are at balance point. To continue a slow wheelie at balance point you can use your clutch, throttle and rear brake together with your body to maintain momentum and balance.
Just before balance point you must ensure that you are ready with the rear brake and clutch. Use your rear brake and clutch simultaneously followed by your throttle to maintain your balance wheelie.
Never take your foot off the rear brake during a wheelie. Most riders panic just before balance point and take their feet off the pegs. If your feet are dangling in the air you can’t apply the rear brake to stop you from flipping.
Andre Kriel Wild Will & Clown Wild Will Roof of Africa 2009
Andre Kriel is a wheelie expert. We were both in the Military’s motorcycle demo teams and we taught riders with limited wheelie experience how to execute perfect balance wheelies within four weeks of practice. If you practice how to wheelie safely in first gear regularly you may become a wheelie general.
Andre Kriel gives us a short explanation on balance wheelies.
“There are a few factors that determine how you approach your wheelie. Each bike has its own balance point. Your upper body controls the finer adjustments of your wheelie, your knees and your hips and bum control the sideways action of your balance. Your motorbike, engine and back brake controls the basic adjustments. If you start to wheelie you actually start at the most difficult part of the wheelie i.e. slow controlled wheelie, after you have mastered this then you go on to the easier faster wheelies. Your position on the motorbike has to be a neutral one as not to hang on to the handle bars as this is the third aspect of your wheelie, controlling the whole wheelie through the actions of your upper body, head , handlebars, knees , throttle and back brake. Combining these actions into one fluid pick up and control of your motorbike.”
Remember not to pull your front brake while wheeling because your front wheel needs to be spinning to create a gyro effect. When your front wheel stops spinning your balance is affected and your bike starts flopping from side to side.
Wild Will
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Front wheel wheelies
Executing a wheelie is cool , but being able to pull off a front wheel wheelie is even cooler. A normal wheelie on your back wheel is controlled with your foot on the rear brake pedal but when it comes to front wheel wheelies it allcomes down to , your right hand applying the correct amount off pressure to your front brake leaver. In 1995 I first saw the late Murray Smith going flat out down a grass field and pulling off the most incredible front wheel wheelies.
In January 2007 I saw Brian Capper and Andre Kriel hooking up mean front wheel wheelies at the Aquelle Enduro Cross, after seeing Andre and Brian’s front wheel wheelies I decided that is was time for me to learn how to do them properly. I spent half an hour a day practicing front wheel wheelies and after a week I was beginning to master the technique. It goes to show when you really want to do something and you approach it with a positive attitude you will achieve your goals.
Preparation before attempting front wheel wheelies.
Bleed your front brake system and make sure you use a high temperature quality spec. brake fluid.
Try and use original genuine spec. disk pads they seem to have more stopping power and a better feel.
Lube your front brake leaver at it’s pivot bolt.
I adjust my front brake leaver screw so that the leaver moves inwards towards the throttle grip, the brake may feel soft and spongy but there is more feel when you brake.
Wear a helmet and neck brace.
Make sure you wear as much EVS protective gear as possible ( I went over my bars a few times whilst learning)
Make sure your body is warmed up
Executing front wheel wheelies.
Picture 1
In the first picture I am going about 40km/h and I am sitting in the middle of my bike with my arms up and even. My two index fingers are on the front brake lever ready to gently squeeze the lever.
Picture 2.
I slowly bring the bike up onto it’s front wheel by pulling the front brake lever gently after I tap off the throttle. Imagine you have a peeled orange in your braking hand and that you have to squeeze it quite hard to compress the orange but not to hard that the juice gets sprayed out of the orange. Basically you have to apply pressure on the front brake lever, release and reapply to maintain your front wheel wheelie ( learn how to play with your front brake to keep your balance and momentum in the front wheel wheelie position
Picture 3
The bike is now at it’s highest position and again all you have to do , is to let the lever gently on and off to maintain your balance point on your front wheel.
It is best to first learn how to do a basic endo at low speed before going straight into the high speed front wheel wheelie proses. As you progress with many hours off practice you will be able to increase your speed and distance on your front wheel. When you are out trial riding try doing a small endo every time you stop. You don’t have to bring the rear wheel high up when you are learning to get a feel for your front brake. Your back wheel only has to lift up 5cm to start getting the feel.
Picture 4.
This clown skipped all the basic that I tried to teach him recently and he tried to pull off a front wheel wheelie at 60km/h on the tar, fortunately he was fully kitted with his EVS safety gear.
Front wheel wheelies are not just for show , the technique teaches you how to brake more effectively at high speed. When doing technical riding you will eventually be able to pivot your bike while on the front wheel to line yourself up for obstacles.
