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Wheelie bad...

sparky

sparky

Joined Oct 2009
779 Posts | 0+
Sunny Suffolk
As some of you may know, I ain't one for big wheelies (they scare me a bit if I'm honest!) but I do like the front going light sometimes and even enjoy the odd gentle small power wheelie when gassing it out of a bend. If the front comes up 6 inches, that's fine 'coz it's fun.

I've been riding bikes since I was 16 (47 now) and 1000cc V twins for the last 6 or 7 years, so am pretty used to the way the power comes in. Hell, I even run 15/42 gearing and have never been spooked....until last weekend. :eek

So, on a B road last time I was out, I found myself stuck behind a few (million) of our non-combustion engine powered two wheeler friends (friggin cyclists!) and to get past a group of 3 or 4 of them I decided to make a bit of a noise about it. Although I didn't realise it at the time, I gave it a bit more of a handful than usual...and then dumped the clutch. I'm clever, me, aren't I? You know what's coming, don't you?


Well, fook me backwards, before I knew what was happening the tank was up at me chest, me feet were off the pegs flailing behind me like bits of string in the wind and I rather rapidly came to the conclusion that I was out of my comfort zone!
I instinctively snapped the throttle shut and the front came down slightly on the skew with a reet bang and I reshaped me wedding tackle on the tank :bawling

Thankfully I managed to stay on and regain a bit of composure!


Anyway, it got me thinking about a couple of things:

1) Looking back, it was actually quite good fun

and 2) Let's hear your 'what went wrong with wheelies' or similar bike related ****-ups!
 
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Was on a track day at Cadwell last year and a guy done a similar thing over the mountain, tank in chest, feet behind rear light...needless to say next lap was a bit more sedate.Ha Ha! Was over Wensleydale with the lads one Sunday and overtaking a car up a hill and got level with them just as the road had a big hump thing in it....wheeeeeeee! thankfully touchdown was a nice controlled affair.
 
Similar experience for me first time out on the T. Had an rsvr for a few years & mastered the throttle & balance control over time. Anyhows, pulling away from the lights with some youth egging me on, in the same fashion as the rsvr hoisted the front. Only to realise it's a lot fookin lighter on the front & your centre on gravity is different. Like you, feet off the pegs, legs trailing I dripped the front & styled it out by looking down at my feet as to appear an error on gear selection, doh!

Few years back when racing motocross bikes at a schoolboy national event on my kx100 had a good race coming from mid pack to second. Three laps to go passed the leader & started to gap him. Second to last corner, hit a big table top & went for a heel clicker macgrath style (he was the man at the time). Yep, you guessed it, didn't bring my feet back in time, landed with them still above the bars & binned it. Got up & finished 6th. Never lived that one down.
 
Here's another racing one;
After a couple of years schoolboy grasstracking,I moved up to the adult class at 16.After a few meetings,I qualified for my first 250cc final.On the start line all that was going thru my head was,"Get a good start,...get a good start,..."
I got the start alright,...dumping the clutch,the rear tyre found a bit of grip and the bike reared up,....and up,.....and up,....!
I ended up on me back with the bike on top of me.Luckily,the only thing damaged was my pride.
 
schoolboy error !!!!!


never take yer right foot away from rear brake...




not that its gonna make much diff on a T mind.
 
garry said:
schoolboy error !!!!!


never take yer right foot away from rear brake...
.
Click to expand...
Grass Track bike mate,....rear brake was on the l/h handlebar under the clutch lever.It was only there to satisfy the rule book.
 
garry said:
schoolboy error !!!!!


never take yer right foot away from rear brake...




not that its gonna make much diff on a T mind.
Click to expand...

Does if you upgrade the rear master cyl to the 12mm jobbie, my rear brake is sorted!!
 
Can-Am bombardier 500 2 stroke ex-army thing...being clever, I whacked it open in 2nd (was told not to) the front came up so quick, the bars smacked my helmet and sent me flying off the back.

Honda Cr125 field bike, 1st gear wheelie, thought everything was going ok, but the front came down quicker than I'd anticpated (much quicker)....I somehow had the front crossed up....as soon as it hit the dirt, I got spat off over the bars....

Both hurt like **** and I got bruised to fook...try to keep the front on hard ground these days.
 
I had been hooning around on a 100cc mx bike when i was younger and though it would be a good idea to get on a track, so of i went and got myself a proper crosser, a KTM 250.
My old man went and collected it from the shop without me knowing, i was down the pub sinking a few sherberts, its what you do when your 18.
Well when i got home and saw my new bike i thought i gotta have a quick blast up the lane.
So on i jumps, couple of kicks and it fires up, and there sits me, all beered up, no lid or nothing ,, looking down my drive onto a very queit lane. yep you guessed it, clutch in first gear hand full of beans and of we shot.
front wheel up in the air, me hanging on for dear life with what seems like the norm in these cases legs flailing eveywhere.
I couldnt shut the throttle cause the force of take off had thrust me at arms length to everything. it was only by shear luck i managed to let go with my right hand and the front wheel came down followed by some extraordinay ammount of luck, i stayed on. I was then followed by two crazed parents asking "what the Fxxk was i playing at. you could have killed someone". Little did they know that someone was nearly me.. i still to this day dont think they know just how out of control i was..
 
I'm just learning, after a scary incident "getting it up" accidentally when showing off racing away from some lights, second gear dont you know.
Anyway just managing some comtrolled, i.e planned; piddly little first gear efforts so far.

Trying on my old 600 hornet put me off, as it took a fortnight for my balls to drop out again!
 
I used to run a Kdx 175 as my everyday bike when I was 19 and stupid, temperamental bastard. One day oan the bing the fecker was running lumpy as fook until I came oot a 40mph corner and gave it a hand full, it chose this moment to clear its self which resulted in me looping the c**t. Shale and skin do not make a good combo
 
was commuting to work through London, new to the T, still finding its personality!! ok excuses over, filter to the front of a queue at lights after 'passing' a CBR600rr a while back, hey presto honda boy catches up sitting to my right, admiring the T, to the left black audi looking handy, clutch in predicting light change, Green light goes had no desire to blast from the lights, but the audi jumped forward, re-actively i let the clutch out a bit quick plus too much right hand, wheel straight up in the air, loose sight of the road surface, poop me pants, roll off, quickly approaching curb, roll off a little more, front wheel back down, avoid curb graciously with a hip wiggle, continue onto next lights, calmly wait, honda boy arrives, shakes head suggesting moronic tendencies, i agree, shrug shoulders take IAM advanced test and learn to ride the bike better, then found a private road and learnt the clutch control (removing shorty clutch level really helped) to wheelie properly.. job done.
 
Coming home from a weekend trip I got stuck in construction traffic right as an exit was coming up so that lane only had light traffic on it. Now, weekend trip so I`ve got a large backpack on, I`m tired so not thinking completely straight, I`m used to long, heavy sportbikes (FJ1200), waiting for a hole in the traffic,..wait, wait,..ok, now!! Gas it and dump clutch. Tank comes up so fast it`s up before I realize what`s happening. Brain says, " What the Faaaaaaaahhh!" Foot slips off the peg and I`m looking like the Wonky Wobbler trying to impress idling cagers. Subcontiously, I do know enough NOT to slam the throttle shut but roll it off and bring it down gently. Needless to say I`m awake now! My CBRXX will do nice long power wheelies but I`ve never ridden a bike that will come up this fast this easily.

Ray
 
rhubarbray said:
Coming home from a weekend trip I got stuck in construction traffic right as an exit was coming up so that lane only had light traffic on it. Now, weekend trip so I`ve got a large backpack on, I`m tired so not thinking completely straight, I`m used to long, heavy sportbikes (FJ1200), waiting for a hole in the traffic,..wait, wait,..ok, now!! Gas it and dump clutch. Tank comes up so fast it`s up before I realize what`s happening. Brain says, " What the Faaaaaaaahhh!" Foot slips off the peg and I`m looking like the Wonky Wobbler trying to impress idling cagers. Subcontiously, I do know enough NOT to slam the throttle shut but roll it off and bring it down gently. Needless to say I`m awake now! My CBRXX will do nice long power wheelies but I`ve never ridden a bike that will come up this fast this easily.


Ray
Click to expand...

.......me neither mate. These Tuonos are seriously barking mad !!
 
1984 or 5. I'm on my RD250DX (first "big" bike after passing my test) with girlfriend on the back. Had popped round with a mate to see some guys he knew, all into bikes. We were there an hour or so drinking tea, smoking, and talking bikes.

We get ready to leave, big group of guys watching us go. My mate gets a fast start on his GPZ305, I bogged the RD down out of the powerband. Not wanting to lose face in front of the crew I whipped the clutch in, held the throttle full open, and dumped the clutch. Whatdafuck........ bike rears up, my feet fly off the pegs, my girlfriend's feet fly up and wedge under my armpits (she's hanging off the back with her head a few inches off the deck), at the same time kicking my left hand off the bar.

So I'm trying to bring down an unplanned two-up wheelie with one hand on the bars. Some how get the front down, as soon as the front tyre hits tarmac the bikes goes into a weave and heads straight for a parked car. I manage to avoid the car by about an inch and roll to a stop. Girlfriend composes herself then starts laying the **** into me for nearly killing her.

I never went back to see those guys again. The laughter ringing in my ears still haunts me.
 
Yep it has gone proper tits up for me few times too!

The rear brake didn't work on my x7 cos I fitted trick (read ****) rearsets too it , showing off in front of my mates dad and ended up in a neighbours garden.... Winded and hurting like hell ..... Tit!

Then I got spat off my rxv 550 a few months ago cos it's really good and I'm really rubbish!
It's a lot of bike no mistake!

Good thread lads! Makes me laugh!

Griff
 
I've only hid the T back a few wicks bit already hud nearly twa affs. The first wis 15mins after getting it back. Driving doon a country road and wanted to turn left. Noticed about 4-5 cars all waiting to come oot the juction I'm turning inti. Bonnie day, so theie windows were all open. I thought I'll give them a blast o the Akky's (minus baffles of course). So I turn in and give it a handful, still slightly lent over. Of course the front comes up and I'm at an angle head for car 2 in the queue. Somehow I manage to get it pointing up the road and off the power, the wheel comes bouncing back down crossed up and I wiggle up the road for a few yards before getting "in control". All this with the new girl friend following in her car.....cool!!! NOT!!!
Next time of on the latest Fudfest. We had been keeping up a steady enough speed through the rain until we came in to a wee town (can't remember which now) and bumbling through try ing to be as quiet as possible (in Rico's case, it was very trying with his baffle free Mivv's). I'm taking the time to do a few stretchs etc. So here I am sitting upright straight right arm holding the throttle open with only thumb and index finger. The other hand was adjusting the armour in my HG's. Bang! front wheel hit's pothole and causes me to tweak the throttle with my very relaxed right hand. The result was of course quite a quick burst of speed causing me the be thrown back. The wheel didn't leave the ground but my arm felt about 4 feet long as I tried to close the throttle on my now briskly moving T. Nae cool!!
 
Not to sure if it was a wheelie or not, but things went all crazy !!!!!
Was away on a trip round europe on me Busa.
A mate had offered me a "cramp buster" thing to releive strain on right hand, a sort o plastic clip thing from scotoiler that u clip onto throtle and rest ur wrist on so u can let go o throttle and wiggle fingers to get some life back into em.
never used it all way down and round europe but had a 460mile run back home on last day, so thought i would give it a go.
Everything went ok till..............
40 miles from home on dual carriage way there is a big removal van slowly passing another truck.
Am catching up quick so knock down a couple o gears to slow down and be ready to pass when truck pulls in.
Just at that point me right knee gets itchy.
So I make to scratch it.
As I'm slowin doon take right hand off throttle and head doon to scratch itchy knee
This is when it all goes crazy.
As I take me right hand doon I forget aboot the wee plastic sticky oot thing on throttle.
As hand goes doon to itch knee Catch the end o it, applying nearly full throttle in an instant, with one hand holding bike........!!!!!!
**** me , thrown back, one hand on bar, sure wheel came up advancing up behind truck like a mad thing a sort o demented wobble goin on.
Throttle now off which throws me down across tank.............right hand nowhere near brake
All I see is Pickfords in REALLY big letters.
And as a luck would have it me hand finds brake and avoids ramming back o truck............
layby handy so pull over.........chuck the bit o plastic into verge.
Then have to get off bike to retrieve it coz its not mine.
 
nobpb said:
Not to sure if it was a wheelie or not, but things went all crazy !!!!!
Was away on a trip round europe on me Busa.
A mate had offered me a "cramp buster" thing to releive strain on right hand, a sort o plastic clip thing from scotoiler that u clip onto throtle and rest ur wrist on so u can let go o throttle and wiggle fingers to get some life back into em.
never used it all way down and round europe but had a 460mile run back home on last day, so thought i would give it a go.
Everything went ok till..............
40 miles from home on dual carriage way there is a big removal van slowly passing another truck.
Am catching up quick so knock down a couple o gears to slow down and be ready to pass when truck pulls in.
Just at that point me right knee gets itchy.
So I make to scratch it.
As I'm slowin doon take right hand off throttle and head doon to scratch itchy knee
This is when it all goes crazy.
As I take me right hand doon I forget aboot the wee plastic sticky oot thing on throttle.
As hand goes doon to itch knee Catch the end o it, applying nearly full throttle in an instant, with one hand holding bike........!!!!!!
**** me , thrown back, one hand on bar, sure wheel came up advancing up behind truck like a mad thing a sort o demented wobble goin on.
Throttle now off which throws me down across tank.............right hand nowhere near brake
All I see is Pickfords in REALLY big letters.
And as a luck would have it me hand finds brake and avoids ramming back o truck............
layby handy so pull over.........chuck the bit o plastic into verge.
Then have to get off bike to retrieve it coz its not mine.
Click to expand...

LOL, nice one dude; made me chuckle reading that ! : )
 
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