General > Riding Tips & Tricks
What the best gear to learn to wheelstand on a KX500 ?
gowen:
Now Cam, he said learn.. :-) I start anywhere in the bunch, depends on who I'm racing and if I need some RPMS to get ahead then wheelie. ;-)
KXcam22:
Yeah I didn't notice the "learn" part until later. 2nd is definitely the right gear. Cam.
FuriouSly:
Learn in the sand with a paddle. If not available, find some soft (no/few rocks) dirt on a slight incline/uphill. Get into second mid-throttle (getting in the powerband), stay seated but up toward the tank, and begin a power wheelie (without pulling back on the bars). Try that to get the feel of your power band with the wheel off the ground about 2 feet. Run it up to just before WOT and then just gently let off the gas to drop the front wheel to the dirt and slow down. Keep in mind that when learning this way, if you are accustomed to keeping a finger or two on the front brake, try not to do that. It will prevent an unwanted stoppie. Also, try and learn to do this power wheelie with your foot ready on the rear brake. I suggest getting this (power wheelie) to a science, even shifting through the gears before going for the balance wheelie.
Sorry for the long reply, Sly
Danger4u2:
The sand is ok if you fall but the best place to learn to put the front wheel in the sky is on the street. Find a hill close to the house in case the cops get after you. On concrete your rear tire gets the same traction each time. On sand sometimes it bites and sometimes it does not. Your horsepower requirement will change with the amount of traction you get in the sand with each wheelie. I learned to do wheelies on the spill way at Lake Texhoma back in 1977 on a 1976 Yamaha XT 500 single cylinder enduro. It's much safer to learn with a 4 stroke, the power band is more stable. The spill way is shaped like an amphitheatre with a 40 degree grade. On a hill you need less power to get to the balance point. I could wheelie up the spill way at about 10 miles an hour with the wheel about 18 inches high. If you want to look cool 1st gear is best to start with and shift through the gears. Make sure you turn on the gas!!!
After saying all that keep in mind THE PENALTY FOR FAILURE IS MUCH GREATER ON THE STREET.
Danger
gowen:
Agreed, the street is definately the best route if you are confidant. When I was younger I flipped a wheelie on an old XR200 after doing about a 40mph wheelie. Hard lesson to learn, and I am still not sure if I learned it.
Be careful either way, I've always told people to leave wheelies alone. It will come naturally when the time is right. You will be out riding and all of a sudden you will realize that your wheel is off the ground and you shifted. It works that way, be careful. Even flipping a wheelie wrong in the sand hurts like hell, I flipped a 1st gear wheelie and I can swear my rear fender did not touch the ground and the handle bars acted like a 20,000 pound weight slamming me into the ground. I hurt for weeks after that. This was in the sand, not deep sand, but still sand none the less.
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