RE: Wheelie Question in 5'th

[MountainMax]

Hey guys, since the mods I can wheelie fine in any gear except 5'th, can this be done with the stock gearing? I can wheelie in 4'th up to 117km/h (front wheel landing speed) but cant haul her up in 5'th. I also tried to shift gears wheile im up in the air, which i can do from 2'nd right till i go to 5'th and she drops every time, Am i doing something wroing? am i not keeping the bike up verticle enough? or is it just not a good thing to be trying? I done this on the road so not to spin or anything....... what's going on here? is it my lack of skill? or just trying to get more out of this bike then it has? I use to go from 1'st to 6'th in my old CR125 while wheeling no problem, i know it's a lighter bike which helps too.......

[lixno]

I can wheelie my '03 WR 450 with 5th gear only if i am standing up on the pegs. At about 80km i use the clutch, pull the bar and it just goes and goes... If i am seated i can change gears easily from 2nd to 5th without the front dropping.

[GCannon]

You must be hell on chains and sprocket's

[MountainMax]

Thanks, I have to be going almost 80 to get her up in 4'th, not using the clutch however, if you can wheelie into 5'th wheile changing gears, i guess I will just have to practise some more.......

[XRL650RIDER]

Why would you want to do a wheelie in 5th gear? Keep it in 3rd and learn to use your back break and throttle control and you can ride one as long as you want to

[cujet]

The WR is a bit front heavy with that lump of an engine up there. So, 5th gear wheelies are not as easy as they would be on a 2 stroke.

By the way, I had a blast doing 5th gear wheelies on my Yamaha IT490 (very modified engine) until one fateful day 20 years ago. The bike was geared with 16/42 sprockets and would top 100 quite easily.

What happened is the front tire was up in the air so long, it stopped spinning. And I carried the wheelie about as far as I could in 5th gear. When it dropped, the tire ripped right off the rim. I went right off the road instantly at a very high speed. The only good thing about that experience is that I lived.

Chris

[MountainMax]

WoW, i experienced similar, wheeling in 2'nd gear doing about 20km/h then going righ to 5'th when she drops the front wheel all of a sudden spins up to 120Plus km/y (shown on the speedo while landing the front) the tire scuffs and pulls slightly and I get a little wobble, scary feeling......

[Dan_Lorenze]

5th gear stand up wheelies, no problems with stock gearing.

[MountainMax]

Wow, you have any video clips of that Dan? would love to see how it's done since i can't do it......

[MerlinUK]

I would love to be able to wheelie a fair distance full stop. Any tips wheelie kings?

[Dan_Lorenze]

Wow, you have any video clips of that Dan? would love to see how it's done since i can't do it......

I've got some helmet cam stuff layin around with some long ones, if I get some spare time I'll cut something together.. Wheelies on the WR are all about 3rd and 4th, 4th being the easiest for standing and 3rd is best for sit down wheelies. I always look for an uphill whoop to get a standing wheelie started, you've got to get the front end up all the way as quick as you can, lean back with your legs and arms straight and stay on the gas, you'll get it..

[Majesticman]

Look for a very long, wide, and slightly uphill area. It will be the easiest to control the bike on and you can go to the side without hitting a tree. Start slow and build up learning to shift up during the wheelie instead of just pulling one in 5th. Before you know it you will be able to pull in any gear.

Beware of the high speed wheelies. I used to have my patented side saddle one hand wheelie. One day I went over on a friends 250R three wheeler running about 60 or 70. That was around 1989 and I haven't regained complete use of my right shoulder since. It cost me about $1500 to fix his wheeler also. I thought it would never happen.

I don't ride fast wheelies anymore. I can relive it now just thinking about it. Almost 20 years and I can still feel it when I raise my arm above my head. It wasn't worth it. Take care of the of the body because you can't trade it in for a new one.