WHEELIES

[alfredoenrique]

I am not he worlds best wheelie rider but I can hold my own. I just bough my baggy getting off a 2006 R1. I could wheelie that bike no problem 1st,2nd,3rd...I know its a 1000cc and lighter(at least it feels) than the baggy. I can only wheelie in first and by popping the clutch. Second gear even popping the cluthc maybe a few inches off the ground and this is whit me pulling the hell out of the handlebars. I read people change the front sprocket and this helps a lot. How will this affect my highway ridding? Will it help on the fun factor(wheelie)?

Thanks

[BlueRidgePanther]

If you want to ride on the highway AND be able to wheelie whenever you want, go to a 45 tooth rear sprocket. Don't bother going down one on the front. You might also want to just practice your technique. If you have to clutch it up to wheelie in first with stock gearing, maybe you just need more practice with throttle control and body position.

[alfredoenrique]

Any special brand for the 45 tooth rear sprocket and were I can get it?

[AtomicSpew]

As long as you understand you will NEVER pull wheelies on the Baggy like you could on an R1, you can get the technique. But it is a technique--not just an open-the-throttle technique like on a litre bike, but a real technique. 1st gear wheelies can be had by just whacking the throttle open (the standard, be rolling 15-20mph, chop off the gas, whack it open, watch the front go skyward), but it's not going to come up as smoothly as a sport bike. So, you're going to have to find the balance point really quickly. What will likely happen is you'll try this a few times, the front will come up a little bit the first couple times, you'll get impatient with how little the front comes up so you'll REALLY wonk it open on the 3rd or 4th try, your feet will go flying off the pegs and you'll be squeezing your sphincter tighter than during your annual medical exam (if you're over 40), hopefully you'll be able to get off the gas and the front end will come crashing down, but you'll be OK 'cause it's a freakin' supermoto! So then, take a breath and try it again now, somewhere between that little bit up and the way-the-f#$ck! too much point, and there's your balance point. I find that I sometimes hit the rev limiter in 1st when I'm wheelie-ing, but you can short shift this bike easily (no clutch on up-shifts), and maybe keep it up through 2nd gear, which is easier to control the balance point in.

The other technique is "clutching it up", and here is a fantastic video that was shot on how to do this. Sadly, the guy that did this video has since died (on a GSXR1000--car pulled out in front of him), but his wonderful instructional video lives on...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lNQC_amZRJg

[MSW]

That's a very cool video. And it's exactly the kind of thing internet video sharing was made for. Amazing the acceleration in the flow of knowledge in the last 10 years.

I'm sorry to hear that the guy isn't with us anymore.

[robbum]

its all about rider possition. you should be able to clutch it up fairly eazy in 2nd. pull that bitch up till your bairly looking over the finder or lookn off the side of the bike. from there its all throttle controll. i found useing the clutch to shift between gears on a wheelie is smoother, rather than power shifting.

[CasterTroy]

Finally figured out how to do it on mine....

I too come from an R1 and am use to power wheelies in 1st THRU 3rd at the drop of a hat.

Takes getting use too...but it can be done.