Wheelies

[DIGGER]

Crazy lids....taking wheelies to a whole new level. https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1FBhupJ3i1/?mibextid=rYkE1A

[sandy]

Next door neighbor bought a used Yamaha 1000 cc sport bike. Rode like a maniac (170 on freeway). He did a wheelie for a mile on the freeway. The oil pump pickup ran dry and the motor bought the farm. He owed $13,000 and insurance/warranty told him he was out of luck. Wheelies HUH!!

[Jess from VA]

That is a very funny story Sandy.   

(Stupid is as stupid does)

Sounds like he told the insurance co the wrong story. 

[cookiedough]

craziest thing I saw riding my VAlk coming at me was very local a  guy on crotch rocket had skid shoes on metal plates on bottom standing alongside his bike holding handlebars on straight road about 10  miles from my house on straight smooth road throwing sparks up from his steel bottom shoes doing 60 mph for at least what I saw 200 yards or so.   

[old2soon]

     Got fairly decent at wheelies when I motocrossed in Japan. Helps knowing How a wheelie works when coming off a jump. Also had my I/s up a time or three or more!  Those guys at a whole nuther level. RIDE SAFE.

[Rams]

Next door neighbor bought a used Yamaha 1000 cc sport bike. Rode like a maniac (170 on freeway). He did a wheelie for a mile on the freeway. The oil pump pickup ran dry and the motor bought the farm. He owed $13,000 and insurance/warranty told him he was out of luck. Wheelies HUH!!

I had a rider pass me in heavy traffic doing a wheelie followed by several of his friends last summer in Memphis.   I was driving with traffic maybe 5 over the posted limit, he blew past me and others like we were going the other way.  Folks can ride however they wish as long as they don't endanger others, this guy and his friends with him were/are, just stupid.  Just my opinion.

Rams

[Serk]

Back when I rode the Valk to commute to work it was somewhat common to see zip-splats on the toll road I took, whenever we came up to a toll booth (Where they'd take a pic of your license plate to debit your account or send you a bill) they'd pull a wheelie to put their license plates out of the field of view of the toll cameras.....

...no fireworks though...

[Duffy]

Personally, I love a good wheelie.

However, I have never had the guts or the talent to do one on a Valkyrie.

[GiG]

One time ,years ago on the Valk 97 STD, it suddenly was rolling very smoothly 
I looked down and noticed the front wheel 8” off the pavement 

[klb]

I have thought about attempting a small wheelie on my Valkyrie for years but always thought better of it. I can get my wheelie thrill on my other Honda.

[Jess from VA]

It can be done on a Valk, but you are just asking to twist up the drive train, clutch and forks when it slams back down.  

I kept my RT360 Yami enduro chained to a concrete deadman in front of my dormatory.  One day I went out and practiced wheelies in front of the dorm.  It would easily come up, but took practice to keep under control.  About the 10th one, it came straight up vertical, I slipped off the seat and hit the ground on my knees, the bike kept going, and the front came back down.  I jumped up and ran after it to try and catch it before it went over, but it went over before I got to it.  A bunch of guys up in the dorm windows started cheering.... and yelling do it again, that was funny as hell.



By then I was running an aggressiver knobby on the back, keeping the stock universal on the front.  It was slippery on pavement, but great in the dirt.

[Jersey mike]

It can be done on a Valk, but you are just asking to twist up the drive train, clutch and forks when it slams back down.  

I kept my RT360 Yami enduro chained to a concrete deadman in front of my dormatory.  One day I went out and practiced wheelies in front of the dorm.  It would easily come up, but took practice to keep under control.  About the 10th one, it came straight up vertical, I slipped off the seat and hit the ground on my knees, the bike kept going, and the front came back down.  I jumped up and ran after it to try and catch it before it went over, but it went over before I got to it.  A bunch of guys up in the dorm windows started cheering.... and yelling do it again, that was funny as hell.



By then I was running an aggressiver knobby on the back, keeping the stock universal on the front.  It was slippery on pavement, but great in the dirt.

 

 “A bunch of guys up in the dorm windows started cheering.... and yelling do it again, that was funny as hell.”

Yup, that’s when it was ok to just be a guy and do stupid fun things. No rhyme or reason behind it just plain old nothing better to do.


That’s funny stuff

[Avanti]

Maybe where the California fires came from.

[Rams]

While I used to do wheelies on different bikes when I was younger, I don't even attempt it any longer.

On my first Valk, my fat lady surprised me when she got traction and brought that front tire up.   I wasn't intending to pop her up but was intent in getting some stupid jerk wad off my ass.  Will admit she (the fat lady) brought a big grin to my face but, based on my own experiences, that back tire rarely catches enough traction to keep it from spinning.   I don't intentionally abuse any of my girls.  Wheelies are hard on both ends of our big girls and drive train parts in the middle.   Not knocking it for those who chose to do it, just not something I want to have to fix or pay for.  

Rams

[3fan4life]

Gordon is the only person that I've ever seen truly "Ride" a wheelie on a Valk.

It's easy to pop a wheelie on a Valk doing a hard shift from 1st to 2nd gear.

My ST1300 will do a wheelie without notice if you aren't careful.

I had it wheelie once shifting from 3rd to 4th while getting on the interstate.


Years ago one of my cousins had a Honda XR200R it was a wheelie monster.

It would ride a wheelie from 1st gear through 4th gear.

I could wheelie it all the way down main street in our hometown.

[hubcapsc]

Here's a Gordon wheelie... he could do better, but this is what I've got...



In high school me and Phil Waters were wheelie kings. I remember a
particular uphill corkscrew dirt road, I could do a wheelie on my TM-125
while standing on the seat. The wheelie only ended when I ran out
of road. I never flipped it, except once, in front of everyone at school.

-Mike

[Jess from VA]

In all my years riding Interstates, I've had 2-3 wheelies around the same height as Gordon in that picture, and they were all unintentional.   Whoops.  

Been a long time but as I recall they were high rev rolling downshifts.  The couple half-hearted attempts from stopped just spun the rear wheel and launched.   

[f6john]

All my wheelies were performed on bicycles. I’m sure those who wheelie on their motorcycles find it exciting and satisfying and I enjoy watching people perform all types of crazy maneuvers who have the skills. I always enjoyed wringing out  every ounce of power the Valkyrie could deliver as I went through the gears but I never tried to induce a wheelie. The only time I ever really lifted the front tire off the ground was early in my Valk ownership when I needed my first new rear tire.  I bought a new Avon 200-60-16 bias ply tire affectionately known as the Fat Freddie. Not only did it look sexy but it had a much bigger footprint compared to the stock Dunlop and it had excellent traction.

We all know that the best and smoothest 1-2 shift happens when you preload the shifter before going into second. I practiced this all the time. But I also found out that if you are really getting after it and you preload that shifter too much you can produce a “power shift” into second and, at least with the Fat Freddie, the front tire will come up! I only did that once and it was fun for the moment but that tire only lasted 7000 miles and the cords were showing through down the center. I think it was then I switched Metzelers and it was never an issue again.

[3fan4life]

In all my years riding Interstates, I've had 2-3 wheelies around the same height as Gordon in that picture, and they were all unintentional.   Whoops.  

Been a long time but as I recall they were high rev rolling downshifts.  The couple half-hearted attempts from stopped just spun the rear wheel and launched.   

I've found that winding it up tight in first gear and then slapping second gear hard, will pull the front wheel up every time.

[hubcapsc]

I've found that winding it up tight in first gear and then slapping second gear hard, will pull the front wheel up every time.

I've found that speed shifting a Valkyrie the way I used to speed shift my CR500 is useless and terrifying. I only did it once.

-Mike

[HayHauler]

I've found that winding it up tight in first gear and then slapping second gear hard, will pull the front wheel up every time.

I've found that speed shifting a Valkyrie the way I used to speed shift my CR500 is useless and terrifying. I only did it once.

-Mike

I have never speed shifted a tractor. 

Hay 
Jimmyt