Wheelies

[Sirissac]

I was driving home from work tonight on my Busa. I stopped at a stop light, where this guy in the car next to me rolls down the window and asks me if I will do a wheelie for him. I tell him that I am not wearing the appropriate gear for doing #### like that, not to mention it is rush hour on the freeway and I don't really feel like rearending someone. Two cars ahead of me is a guy on a 2005 R1. This guy who asked me to do a wheelie yells ahead to this guy, which was a friend of his and asks him to do another wheelie. The light turns green and I watch to see if he is going to do it or not. Sure enough he gets going, stands up on the motorcycle and cracks a wheelie, rides it for a car length and then puts it down. He then stands up again and rides another wheelie probably four times the length of the first one. My question is, Is it easier to wheelie standing up on the pegs, this is not the first time I have seen guys do this? Later on the way home I took a side street and decided to power one up, in first. I cracked the throttle and the front end raises just a little bit for a few feet. When the front tire came down, I let off the throttle and gunned it again. Yeeee Haaaa! I rode it only for about a cars length, if that and let off. For some reason, that is what I usually do. Get the front end off the ground about two feet or higher, then chicken out and let off. Any tips of getting over this. I suppose just practice practice and practice. I just don't really feel like crashing my ride. I should probably get some frame sliders also. I need to start wearing all my gear when I do this too. Let me know what you think.

 

[Tufbusa]

Learn Sit downs first before moving on to stand ups! Sit downs are the easiest to learn. The best thing to do is find someone who is a good wheelie guy already and get them to teach you. It's much easier if you have someone to teach you the basics without developing bad habits. Bad habits are very hard to break and if you learn on your own, you'll develop lots of bad habits. I have had every bad habit known to mankind and some were really difficult to break.

If you are serious about wheelies, pick up a dvd by Kyle Wood called "Wheelies by Dummies"! Kyle is among the best stunters in the world and he gives some great advice. If you want to do serious wheelies you need to set your bike up for them and Kyle tells you how to do that. You don't have to crash to learn to wheelie. Take little baby steps, don't push the envelope and you'll do fine. Get over confident to soon and you'll dump your bike and skin your knees!

 

[HeliBusa]

If you SERIOUSLY want tips.

1. Don't try to learn on a Busa.

2. Don't do them in first gear.

3. Don't try to learn on the street.

4. Either take a course using a bike that is rigged for beginners or be ready to spend money to fix the things that you WILL break trying to learn on your own....

 

[BigCorySBFMC707]

If you want to learn how to do wheelies, it isnt the best idea to learn on a busa anyway. If you know someone that has a thrashed bike that stunts already, see if you can practice on that bike before destroying your own. Now that I bought my 05 Busa, I dont stunt on that at all. But to answer your question, sit downs are the easiest to learn but you will enjoy doing stand ups a lot better. IMO

 

[BigCorySBFMC707]

If you SERIOUSLY want tips.

1.  Don't try to learn on a Busa.

2.  Don't do them in first gear.

3.  Don't try to learn on the street.

4.  Either take a course using a bike that is rigged for beginners or be ready to spend money to fix the things that you WILL break trying to learn on your own....

AGREE 100%

 

[PACIFICBUSA]

uhh...perhaps it would be best to learn on another bike besides the Busa. It's gonna be a little more challenging to keep her front wheel in the air than other bikes...


It's good that you're afraid.....keep that feeling. Be careful when twisting that throttle...remember: it's a big engine.

Big Engine = front rises higher faster


If you're not ready for it, it's gonna bite you in the a$$. And boy oh boy is she gonna bite hard.


Be careful....

 

[Sirissac]

I don't want to be a wheelie king or anything like that. I just think it would be cool to be able to ride one for a block or so every once in a while.
Why not do one in first gear? What gear should a guy be in and do you have to slip the clutch to get it started?

 

[moondog]

your 1st gear wheelies are apted to become rolling burnouts, front wheel about a foot off the ground. Fun if you're prepared, scare the p**out of you if not. Again, the busa is not a stunt bike, for the most part, tricks on her are going to require more skill. Balance point is too high, bike is too heavy. If you insist on learning on the busa, better go ahead and buy some fork seals now, you'll need them about the second time she comes crashing back down to earth from 12:00...not saying it can't be done, just a whole lot easier and cheaper to learn on a gsxr 750.

 

[BigCorySBFMC707]

I don't want to be a wheelie king or anything like that.  I just think it would be cool to be able to ride one for a block or so every once in a while.  
Why not do one in first gear?  What gear should a guy be in and do you have to slip the clutch to get it started?

way too much torgue in first gear, as a matter of fact, I broke my wrist doing a wheelie on a 04 busa in first gear, so just believe me on this one

 

[Sirissac]

I appreciate all of the concern. I realize there are risks learning to ride wheelies, but if it is so hard to ride wheelies on the busa, then why do I hear and see so many people doing it. I guess I will have to buy the DVD by Kyle Woods and learn that way. I have a friend who rides a ZX12, I guess I'll have to get some advice from him. He has already told me that I should drop a tooth from the front sprocket, which would give me more torque in 2nd gear. I don't want to ride wheelies for miles, so I don't have to get the Busa to 12 oclock. I should be able to power one up, keeping it a foot or so off the ground, ride it out or slowly let off the gas if she starts to rise on me. I watched my friend do it on his zx12, you can't tell me that the busa doesn't have that kind of power, I just want to know how to harness it.

 

[BigCorySBFMC707]

I appreciate all of the concern.  I realize there are risks learning to ride wheelies, but if it is so hard to ride wheelies on the busa, then why do I hear and see so many people doing it.  I guess I will have to buy the DVD by Kyle Woods and learn that way.  I have a friend who rides a ZX12, I guess I'll have to get some advice from him.  He has already told me that I should drop a tooth from the front sprocket, which would give me more torque in 2nd gear.  I don't want to ride wheelies for miles, so I don't have to get the Busa to 12 oclock.  I should be able to power one up, keeping it a foot or so off the ground, ride it out or slowly let off the gas if she starts to rise on me.  I watched my friend do it on his zx12, you can't tell me that the busa doesn't have that kind of power, I just want to know how to harness it.

believe me it has that kinda power and then some. It is very easy to do wheelies on a busa, but as mentioned earlier, the bike is not ideal for doing this. If you just want to pop them up every now and then, that isnt a problem, if you are talking about riding a wheelie for some distance, the busa is a very heavy bike to balance. Good luck either way. Any 600 honda or gixxer, a 929 or 954 honda, or r1 yamaha, you will have a lot more sucess riding on one wheel. just one mans opinion

 

[greeneinc]

I have to agree that wheelies on a Hayabusa are okay if they are short and sweet. Then again, you don't have to listen to anyone and or follow the norm and be the first to learn and easily walk your Hayabusa on one wheel for 10 minutes on the freeway.

 

[BigCorySBFMC707]

I have to agree that wheelies on a Hayabusa are okay if they are short and sweet.  Then again, you don't have to listen to anyone and or follow the norm and be the first to learn and easily walk your Hayabusa on one wheel for 10 minutes on the freeway.

sure, you trying to get this guy killed, lol. Of course there are exceptions to everything. And I have wheelied on a busa successfully before I twelved it at 60 mph. There are just better bikes to do it on. If you get out to cali, You can ride with my stunt club and practice on whatever you want whenever you want.

 

[Sirissac]

I live up in Minnesota and I don't know of any stunt clubs, but I sure wish I could get out to California and join one. Thanks for all your imput guys, I do appreciate it.

 

[HeliBusa]

The very thing that makes the Busa what it is (FAST) is also what makes it bad to LEARN wheelies on......It has plastic that is in essence a big eggshell which does not take kindly to being bounced along the ground sliders or not. On the other hand I am sure there are LOTS of dealers out there who will be happy to keep you supplied in plastic.

Most people who learn or perform stunts prefer the 600 or 750's because they are sooooooo much lighter. If you seriously think it would not be a big deal to learn on a Busa, seek out some of the stunter guys and ask how many have done stand-ups in first gear on a Busa?

Mass management is not an easy task. If you have scared yourself with the wheel a foot or two off the ground, wait til you get it up about four feet and the bike starts falling off left or right on you.......

In the beginning of your post you said you were looking for advice, you have been given it by many people. If you are looking for a vote of confidence to march onward on and learn on a Busa, you are not likely to get it here.

However, being that you are a free american, Party on Garth!


PS: Please provide video of the show...... And don't forget to wear clean underwear...

 

[Sirissac]

Mama always said, " that stupid is what stupid does" (Or something like that). I am going to be taking the advice from the members of Hayabusa.org. I wanted advice on how to do it, not if I should do it or not. There is only one person I listen to when it comes to whether I should do something or not, vote or no vote, thats me.
If I want to be serious about riding wheelies, I will buy a GXSR 750. Having a second bike to thrash around on would be pretty cool. I don't want to beat the bike I have waited years to purchase, The Mighty Hayabusa

As far as a video goes, well if I did send one in, it wouldn't be of me biting it, it would be of me succeeding in riding a bragging distant wheelie, at which time I hope you brought along clean underwear, Helibusa.
Thanks again for

 

[gaby]

You dont see people doing stunts or drifting a lamborgini or a ferrari, and they have the potential but they are not built for that.

busa=speed&handeling. and$$$$$$$ if you crash it+inssurance will go up again.

 

[Tufbusa]

Hey Man, I'm no professional stunter but I've been doing wheelies for 40 years, no crashes and you can learn to do wheelies just fine on your busa! If I've done one wheelie I'm sure I've done 25,000? Your busa works as good as any until you get her up towards the balance point. It is a little harder to balance but if you master your busa you can wheelie just bout anything.

The trick is to start small and work your way up SLOWLY! Don't, and I repeat DON'T try to learn in second gear! You will have way to much speed for a beginner. Second gear wheelies don't come up until you are up around 50+. By the time you get her up you are going 70-80! Before you get off the throttle you are doing a 100! It won't be pretty if you crash at that speed. Drop one tooth on the front or three up on the rear first. Makes your busa lift the tire much easier.

Start out with just giving the throttle a little blip off and a quick short blip throttle on. Just slightly and feel the front how it wants to lift the tire. Don't try to get the front tire off the pavement at first, just spend some time playing with the throttle and get the feel of the bike when it lifts enough to lighten up the front. On your busa, run it up to 3K turns and then blip the throttle. Don't run the rpm up to high to blip the throttle as the busa does have lots of torque and it can get squirrley if you are inexperienced. She will pick up the tire just fine at 3K turns and much more manageable. Then, and only then work on the throttle a little at the time until you feel the wheel loose contact with the pavement. All in low gear. Once you can break the pavement with the tire, it only takes time and practice to get to a decent wheelie.

I have taught a number of guys to wheelie and I take them out to a private stretch of pavement, set a marker up at the spot I want them to lift the front. Then I set another marker fifty feet away and have them practice until they can keep the wheel up a foot until they reach the second marker. Once they can do that consistently, I move the marker ten feet farther away and give them a new goal to reach. The further I move the second marker the higher the wheel has to be to reach their goal. Soon they are gaining confidence and maintaining a decent wheelie. You must master low gear wheelies first. The second step I teach is shifting while the wheel is up. That's not as difficult as it sounds but very intimidating the first time you try it.

The key is to practice! Practice every day if you can for an hour or more and after six weeks or so, you'll be doing decent wheelies. It's a whole different ball game to balance on one wheel and ride her for miles down the freeway! For that, you will be better off on a lighter more agile bike. However, you can do it on your busa!

If you have questions, feel free to PM me if you like?

Good Luck! Be careful! Take small baby steps! Practice! Practice! Practice!

 

[RamminBusa]

Whats a wheelie? Must have lost that with the sale of the R1... Busa is grounded to two wheels for me.

 

[Sirissac]

HeliBusa, You may be getting the video you inquired about. Give me a month and a half. Got myself a coach.