Wheelies & shifting 04 WR 450

[A_2_N]

I got the third gear wheelie down pat, but am nervous to shift into fourth while in the zone.

Spent a rear tire learning how to keep it going for a couple hundred feet in third.

I need to get in fourth to keep the revs down...just can't build up the nerve ?

Another thing, i cannot get the standup wheelies going at all?....i seem to veer to the right or left every time

Any clues to my problems...so i can practice burning off my fresh tire tomorrow?

[wildo]

I dont know about the stand up whealies I just sit on the back of the seat almost on the fender and give it some gas. I like to pull it up in 3rd and power shift into 4th and 5th. What I do is get the bike to were it just about balances on the back tire then barly give it throtel just enof to keep the front weal up and shift without the clutch. I have walked it for a half mile before going from 2nd to last gear. I dont know bout yours but I can esaly pull it up in 4th or 5th by just throwing my weight back and stabing the gas 5th takes a littel work thou. I got all the yz mods done and a jd jet neidle on my 02 426. The great thing bout the wr is it will power shift so esaly. But you realy got to get that front weal in the air so you dont have to stay on the gas much to keep it up.

[ddialogue]

Just build up the nerve. =)

Actually, I think stand up wheelies are MUCH easier than sit downs. I can control the balance point a lot easier and I can steer it better. If you do a standup and you find yourself leaning to one side just shift your weight to the opposite side. You'll find that you can actually go around corners this way. ?

wheelie

fast wheelie (53mph)

wheelie madness

[rick2900]

Practice on a long up hill,start off in first or second gear and practice throttle control!and balance.Doing this on a hill requires less throttle. ?

[Gordingull]

Just build up the nerve. =)

Actually, I think stand up wheelies are MUCH easier than sit downs. I can control the balance point a lot easier and I can steer it better. If you do a standup and you find yourself leaning to one side just shift your weight to the opposite side. You'll find that you can actually go around corners this way. ?

wheelie

fast wheelie (53mph)

wheelie madness

Same here, but first when I was trying stand up wheelies it felt much harder then doing it sitting down, but one ride, I just got it and it felt MUCH easier

[Hamish]

i felt the same way when I learnt to shift on the rear wheel. Due to the massive torque of the 426/450 you can shift below the balance point, giving you that safety margin. Start off by putting it up in 2nd and shifting into 3rd. When you get that sussed go for 4th. I can pull 5th most of the time, providing the bike is going straight. I haven't mastered the art steering it on the rear wheel trick just yet, or the stand up wheelie (not even close!).

[MathProf]

If you want to ride a long wheelie you will have to master the use of the rear brake.

Acceleration wheelies are the first step, but the really long wheelies require that you be able to hold the bike at a steady speed by balancing the use of throttle and rear brake.

Basically, if the front wheel begins to drop, accelerate, if the front wheel gets too high, drag the rear brake to bring it down, repeat until sick.

Once you master that, start practicing riding around curves on dirt roads, then go to curvy single track trails, then bumpy,curvy, single track, Ad nuasem(which means until you are sick of it). ?

[Frostbite]

I roll along slowly in 1st and speed shift from 1st to second with the clutch, at low revs and with a little tug on the bars. Then I shift in the air without the clutch up to 5th. I'm not on the balance point but close. I short shift into 3rd and 4th so there's less revs and torque and it's not so herky jerky. I wind up near redline in 4th since the torque is smoother and then run it out in 5th . Shifting without the clutch in the air is the smoothest.

I don't use the rear brake at all but I'm trying to learn. A friend of mine can wheelie his CR 250 at near walking speed in 1st using the rear brake.

[R_Little]

If it makes you feel any better I can't wheelie standing up either. It's a real shortcoming in the woods when I have to wheelie over obstacles. I pop it up from a sitting position and quckly trasfer to standing. Doesn't work very well.

[gomopar440]

Practice. That is the only way to get it done. I usually leave work every day on the back tire and after a while I can now do 1st thru 5th wheelies no prob. Starting in 2nd or 3rd is easier though.

Standing up is just as easy if not easier. If you stand up the weight is lifted and therefore closer to the balance point. Just let the bike rotate under you until it gets balanced itself (cover the rear brake!).

I am working on steering now with some success (still practicing). The trick is to put your weight on the left or right peg to get it to go in that direction. Just leaning your body isn't as effective as weighting the pegs. hope this helps.