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Basic wheelie question

9K views 41 replies 13 participants last post by  harobikes167 
#1 ·
Okay y'all I've always wanted to learn how to wheelie. That's it a basic stand up wheelie, none of that other crazy stuff haha. I want to learn in a safe environment and not out on the highway. I have a 2008 zx10r.
I have two basic wheelie squid like questions about practicing wheelies

1) does anyone know where I can find some cages or better gear than frame sliders for an 08'?

2) I read its good to have the rear tire pressure a bit lower than normal...why is that? And also how will that affect my every day riding and on top of that if I have a passenger on back not stunting just riding around with a bit lower pressure on back tire.

Any suggestions would help I've been watching a ton of videos and reading a bunch I just wanna learn and be safe.


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#4 ·
Lowering the rear tire pressure makes it easier to lift the front end and balance it because you essentially have more rubber gripping the road than when the tire is inflated. If you keep the tire pressure significantly lower for everyday riding, the rear will feel sloppy when turning and bumps will be more abrupt, especially with a passenger. Not a great idea IMHO.
 
#10 ·
Are you referring to the yut ughh or the wheelie teach?

By sprockets I'm pretty sure he is referring to a smaller front and larger rear. If you look at most stunt bikes they have massive rear sprockets. By doing so you lose top end speed but the bike accelerates faster and wheelies easier. I personally wouldn't cruise around with my air pressure too low if you feel you want it low I'd lower it practice wheelies then pump it back up before riding around.
 
#11 ·
The majority of us ride with our tire pressures around 38-41psi and it works just fine for wheelies. The guys that air down for wheelies are typically stunters. You won't see/hear about many street/track guys airing down for wheelies; they just do them regardless. You can lower your pressure down to around 34 or so which is where a lot of track guys have theres set and that will help, but I would personally keep my pressures around 38-40.
Are you referring to the yut ughh or the wheelie teach?

By sprockets I'm pretty sure he is referring to a smaller front and larger rear. If you look at most stunt bikes they have massive rear sprockets. By doing so you lose top end speed but the bike accelerates faster and wheelies easier. I personally wouldn't cruise around with my air pressure too low if you feel you want it low I'd lower it practice wheelies then pump it back up before riding around.
Yeah, Cooter has it right. Putting a smaller sprocket in the front and larger in the back allows for quicker acceleration, but does take away from top end. The norm is to go -1 in the front or -1 in the front with +2 in the back. Either of those will help. Also, the rifleman 1/5 throttle insert will make a significant difference by reducing over grip.

The best thing to do to learn wheelies is to practice SLOWLY and CAREFULLY :thumbsup:
 
#13 ·
Your gearing... Change your tooth count... Most I have seen on here run -1 up front and +2 in the back I think.

I am un geared and the zx-10r will come up easy enough still...

Oh and p00hbear they don't make one for my year on the link you sent :/


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THey do make them... I have a set on mine in fact :)... might not be available on that site. Militant moto just search around online you will find em.
 
#15 · (Edited)
Man the whole reasons a lot of guys drop pressure in the back tired is to keep it more straight. I never drop pressure doing wheelies but when learning it will help keep you straight. When doing stand ups with a lot of pressure in the back tire it is harder to steer and just a slight weight adjustment makes a huge difference side to side. It is easier to stay straight with less pressure though.


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#20 ·
I've always found my sprockets on ebay, and as already mentioned, Vortex makes good ones. I wouldn't change your gearing solely for wheelies though. If you lime the power and acceleration delivery with stock gearing, leave it and learn as is; any 10r comes up easy enough without a sprocket change. I've found that -1 up front feels best to me, however, I've never tried -1/+2 on my own bikes, but that's probably the most popular setup.

Install the rifleman insert with stock gearing and see how that feels before changing anything. You'll be surprised how different it feels with that shorter throttle throw. I also recommend that if you do decide to change gearing, start off with -1 and increase from there. Take it slow because gearing changes the power delivery drastically.
 
#25 ·
Well....I finally did it haha....I finally got the balls to say screw it and just try some clutch wheelies in an open parking lot tonight. When I actually got the wheel off the ground about 2 feet I was laughing and had the biggest rush/smile on my face...
I did it for about 20 minutes maybe just going around and trying over and over...getting down the clutch let go time to ratio of throttle needed was a little difficult to get used to. I did sit downs because I tried doing the standup with right foot on brake rest and left foot on passenger peg and I felt like I kept wobbling just trying to stand up...:/ I over throttled it once and had the bike at about 1 o clock about crapped my pants but managed to put the wheel down and not drop it. Hopefully ill get better at it :/


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#29 ·
IMO stand ups are easier because you can see/control the bike better. Lowering your tire pressure will make your stand ups a lot easier as well. Staggered stand ups are the easiest stand up, left foot on passenger peg right foot on front peg. You have a 1000cc bike so you can also do power wheelies as well. 2nd gear and 3rd gear you can bounce the bike up easy in between 6k and 8k. I find it easier to do power wheelies but thats just me.
 
#31 ·
You'll get it down, bro. Just push it a little more each time; practice is the only way.

I practice twice a day typically; On a side street leaving my house and on the same side street returning :lol: the rest of the streets are congested with cages.
 
#36 ·
Here's something to consider: it sounds like you really want to learn to wheelie and wheelie a lot. Consider buying a cheap 600 to practice on and save your 10 for when you're comfortable. I don't believe the cages are all that practical for hard riding. I think you might be better off having 2 bikes; a cheap 600 you can scratch and layover along with your G3.

Just something to consider :thumbsup:
 
#35 ·
You might want to get in touch with Sick Innovations, Racing 905, or Freestyle Ingenuity and ask them if they are planning on making one for the bike. I know when I ordered from Racing 905 they were made to order so they might make you one but I'm not sure how much extra that would be. If you know anyone that's good with fabricating then have them build you one and you're good to go.
 
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