How to Wheelie on a Motorcycle

Originally posted on youtube by cr85rbkid, this video tutorial focuses on stand up and sit down ‘catwalks’ and talks about compressing the front fork to use the rebound to help get the front end up off the ground. Also mentions not sitting too far back on the seat.

“First is standing up. What you want to do is just basically to try to pop it up and feel your balance point.  Just pop it up.  Set it down.  Then, you go as far as you want just for the first bit.  Like try to pop it up just only about ten feet.  Then by then, you’ll start getting the hang of it and you’ll be able to go forever once you get the balance and all the gears right.

What you want to do then is you want to catwalk.    So you want to catwalk in third gear and what you want to do is you’re sitting on your bike.  You compress your suspension.  You pull up and give it a bit of gas.  As you do that, it will come right off nice and easy for you.  That will happen here so I’ll demonstrate it to happen.

[Motorcyclist performs a stand-up catwalk or wheelie on a motocross bike]

So it’s just pretty much getting the hang of doing that and you’ll be able to go forever once you get the hang of that.

Well, I’m going to show you how to steer sitting down catwalk mount.  What you want to do is you’ve got to be sure you know your bike, you know the power band, and the balance points of it.  Once you get that or mastered it or whatnot, you can start sitting down and going to the gears catwalking.  You can get really good.  It’s pretty sweet.  You can go top out, fifth gear, top out, fifth gear, top out, whatever you want to do- first gear going [expletive] highway and do a catwalk, just whatever you want to do.

When you’re sitting down, you want to get on the first gear whenever you want to start it.  Use the clutch and give it gas.  As you give it gas, you all know just pop the clutch.  You get it up.  Once you get it up, find your balance point and sit down.  Don’t sit too far back or anything.  You break your fender off here, anyway.  But I’ll show you guys how to sit down and catwalk.

[Motorcyclist performs a sitting down catwalk or wheelie on a motocross bike]

Once you mastered the catwalk, you’ll be able get all the chicks in the world.”

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Chris Kelley has been riding and racing motorcycles his whole life. Currently, he works as a film and television actor/stuntman, and as a stuntman for Universal Studios and Six Flags theme parks. He gives a fairly detailed explanation of how to pop the clutch, then getting your center of gravity correct by using rear brake and throttle control. Originally posted on youtube by expertvillage.

“I am Chris Kelley and we are here with Expert Village.  Wheelies are an important aspect in these races where you can bring your front wheel up and also if you are going to get into stunt riding.  It’s an aspect that you need much clutch and throttle control.

With your feet out, a wheelie position you are going to want to stay in your attach neutral position.  But are you are going to want a little bit of weight back.  You are going to want to get back on the seat a little bit and what they say, “Pop the clutch.”

But you just don’t let it out.  You are going to let it out until it starts to grab.  Then, you’re going to get ready to apply the throttle.  As you let that clutch out, you are going to get on the throttle with a good amount of speed to pick the front wheel up.  This is where your balance comes into play.

Once you get that bike up, it’s a matter of your throttle and your rear brake.  If the bike starts tipping a little too far to the back, you are going to want to tap the rear brake, put a little foot on that, and that will bring your bike right down.

A good rider with a wheelie can ride a long distance because they can bring their front wheel up.  They will get it to the balancing point, and they’ll use the throttle to either bring the bike back or the rear brake to bring the bike forward if they feel like they’re starting to tip over a little bit too far to the back.

So that’s the main key on wheelies – it is just to be able to lift that front wheel up.  When you get it up, be in a position where you can send it over the bike.   Also, if you start feeling it go a little too far back, that rear brake will bring you forward.  When you start dropping the front wheel down, the throttle and clutch will be able to bring you back up.”

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