front brake for wheelie control??? wtf?

xzx12r

Registered
Hi... want some opinions on wheelies. I am doing good with them,,, ran into a friend who was with a friend who of coarse no longer owns a busa or any bike at all give me advice on wheelie control... He sais when the bike is standing str8 up, it using the brake pedeal is not ideal because you are almost falling off the bike and need it to stand on... so he sais he hits the front brake to bring her back down when too far. I told him
I briing it up at only 15mph some times and get near 100 before putting her down... he said dont matter, hit the front brake and the wheel momentum change will bring you down... I said uhhhmmm,,, what if your doing a long ass wheelie and you need tobring it down more then once? He said just keep hiting it when ever you need it,,, it will work over and over... thats the way I was taughgt,,, try it. he said. Of coarse this was after he looked at me like im a dumbass after i told him I am right at the point when Im going to start shifting my busa in a wheelie as he said "you cant shift in a wheelie yet?" as if he does it all day long.
If I was stupid and tried this,,, I dont think there would be time for a plan B after the front tire going 15mph wasnt enuf to stop the 600+ lbs momentum of going past balance point to stop the momentum, and then bring me down back in front of the balance point... of coarse his friend believed him and I end up the one who dont know how to wheelie..., :laugh::laugh::laugh: is this insane???
 
You need some new friends :laugh:

In the early stages of the wheelie learning curve I'd suggest you forget about the brake (Front or rear). You need to be practicing getting it up knee high and work on carrying that wheelie as far as you can in 1st gear. If you do bite off more than you can chew and end up looping the beast, it will happen so fast you won't have time to fart much less think about saving yourself with the brake. The rear brake is a handy tool for sustaining slow wheelies. Fast balanced wheelies are done entirely with the throttle although the rear brake can be a safety feature just in case you let her get a tad to far past the BP. You are a long ways from being able to incorporate the brake as an intricate function of your wheelies.

If you decide to try the front brake to balance your wheelies, please let the rest of us know how that works out for you?
 
about the dumbest thing i ever heard. frt brake means and has nothing to do with anything in a wheelie. the only way that works is if you have an aftermarket break system that combines the frt and rear breaks with adjustible pressure. dont kill yourself man stop while your behind.
 
I think I know what the OP means, and it makes sense for BP wheelies when very little effort is required to push the bike off the balance. If the front left the ground at any decent speed, let's say at 30 mph, this means the front wheel is rotating at that speed when the bike is at BP. If you suddenly stop the front wheel from rotating by squeezing the front brake, the turning momentum is immediately transferred to the bike. This momentum effectively tries to rotate the bike around the front wheel (the opposite direction if a rider were looping the bike). While being a relatively small momentum, it is enough to push the bike off BP. So, it all makes sense.

What doesn't make sense is that you can re-use this technique during the same wheelie - because by pressing the front brake, the front slows down, rotates slower and slower, and may even stop altogether. So, with multiple applications of the front brake the effect of such technique will continue to diminish.

On the other hand, if it takes a very light touch so that just a bit of momentum transfer is enough, and the rotation of the front slows down very incrementally, then this could be used a few times.
 
I know some stunt guys who have an additional brake lever mounted on the clutch side that controls the rear brake. It's like a little shorty lever setup. This allows them 2 do superman wheelies or feet over the bar 100mph wheelies for extended period of time. Not my cup of tea but it allows them to do those 12oclock wheelies and hang all over the bike and still have absolute control
 
Idk? When I had my CBR 900rr wheelies just came with the territory :laugh: I was a lot younger back then too but nowadays it just doesn't seem worth it to me. Why tempt fate or increase the odds that are already stacked against me?? I knew guys who stayed on 1 wheel. They would go 2 a stunt shows and outperform the guys who were putting on the show!!! But @ the end of the day they went down just like all the rest..... Most of the time nothing serious scrape or ding here or there on the bike a little road rash maybe but I just got too much in2 this busa 2 mess it up goofing off or trying 2 impress a complete total stranger who gives me the "wheelie signal" as I ride past.
 
about the dumbest thing i ever heard. frt brake means and has nothing to do with anything in a wheelie. dont kill yourself man stop while your behind.
<------ thats the answer I was looking for... I made up my mind over a year ago that I was going to learn to wheelie even though there is a chance of looping, it can happen to anyone. However, its been about a year and Im just now getting into bp. I acceleerate very very slow, for some moments i keep a constant speed, I get behind the bp and have had to de accelerate,,, this is often when it comes down but not in a panic state,, ,just an over correction state that some times I can get it back, other times softly down. I dont feel like i am pushing myself... I have been confident and have not set her down hard in perhaps 6 months. I put raising link that raised the back an inch up and also brings the swing arm closer. Im also on a 55 series tire vs oem 50. down on up 4 15 - 44 gearing. I can power wheelie up in second to balance point without any help as long as I crack it open as fast as I can and only at mid range. This helped me get used to bringing it up there without having to dump my clutch all the time near red line. I didnt think id ever cluctch up as I was more confident with power up but now for me clutch up is by far the best way to go but only because I know what to expect I rev it too hard some times but I compensate with throttle before b.p. I am backed off to 3/4 throttle near half way up and quarter throttle as Im in it. I have been learning so slow I might get laughed at... but the past few weeks I feel its all starting to click. Wheelies are always cool but there is just something dramatic and devine seeing or being on a busa doing 100+ at balance point, with complete control and confidence. A lot of guys say its dumb, for kids... I am happy for you for thinking that way,,, it has probly saved lives to many who hate wheelies. Same to all of those that never take her up to top speed. For me its the best feeling in the world and just thinking about it gets my heart racing... It has also been the most effective thing with out competition when it comes to help with cravings during the battle of substance abuse. Going fast and wheelies etc is also how I have self medicated untreated adult adhd,,, but Im drifting way off subject now oops.
 
Idk? When I had my CBR 900rr wheelies just came with the territory :laugh: I was a lot younger back then too but nowadays it just doesn't seem worth it to me. Why tempt fate or increase the odds that are already stacked against me?? I knew guys who stayed on 1 wheel. They would go 2 a stunt shows and outperform the guys who were putting on the show!!! But @ the end of the day they went down just like all the rest..... Most of the time nothing serious scrape or ding here or there on the bike a little road rash maybe but I just got too much in2 this busa 2 mess it up goofing off or trying 2 impress a complete total stranger who gives me the "wheelie signal" as I ride past.


To each there own.
I'm an old has been now anyway.
I can't say I never got a kick out of riding a wheelie when someone wanted to see one.
Less and less the older I get. There is the occasional time any more where I pass some kids jumping and pointing for one, I could never resist.
I appreciated the bad influence when guys rode one for me growing up:laugh:
All in all, I just like to be out in the cut by myself or with a friend or 2 riding wheelies and simple stunts.
I've never been a show off at anything, and the helmet keeps me anonymous.
It's always just been fun, nothing more.:beerchug:
 
thanks you all who replied... unlike anything else I can think of I enjoy fast bike talk even if nobody agreed to a word I said and vise versa lol
 
...the front wheel is in the air, therefore using the brakes are just about as useful as honking the horn? Unless I'm nuts...

-D
 
I have never been a real talented wheelie rider. I might go 50 to 70 yards but that is about it. These days I make it a point to really consider everything that could be miscalculated.

This is why... about a year ago I just got off the freeway and made a couple turns to a point where the road straightened out. I decided to do a wheelie and almost went over backwards.

When I landed the fork seals were toast. What happened? It never came up that fast before... I concluded it was a number of factors. 1. It was cool out and I had a bit more power on tap than normal.

2. I was going uphill and the CG was a little bit aft of where it would normally be. 3. I probably jerked on the bars a bit thinking that is what it would take to get it up. All I can say is it scared the crap out of me!

I never hit the brake but the engine braking saved me just in time. A few more milliseconds and I would have ate it.

Back in the early 70s ( CB 750 Honda ) I changed the gearing from 18 / 48 to 16 /52. Oh man! Wheelies from a dead stop now! Kinda fun... I tried shifting to 2nd on the fly but bent the shift fork... so... enough of that !
 
Linky!

Here is a little video I put together a few years back that makes illusive wheelie thing look easy. But then, most anything is easy if you know how!
 
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