How to Wheelie like a Pro in 4 Easy Steps
Learning to wheelie like a pro may seem like a daunting task, but with the right guidance and practice, anyone can do it. In this blog post, we'll break down the process into four easy steps and provide drills to help you implement these techniques. Stick around, and soon you'll be wheelie-ing with confidence and style!
Step 1: Body Position and Seating
The first step in mastering the wheelie is understanding where to sit on the bike and maintaining the correct body position. Start by standing on the arches of your feet with your toes hovering over the back brake. This will be crucial later on, as you'll see. Next, draw a 90-degree angle between your lower and upper legs, and sit far back on the bike seat. Ideally, you should have a slight bend in your arms, allowing you to maneuver the bike with your hips and maintain control.
Step 2: Load and Pop
The second step involves loading the suspension and popping the clutch with a bit of throttle. This is best demonstrated visually, but the basic idea is to roll in slowly, brake, and then pop the clutch with a small amount of throttle. When you pop the clutch, you want to match the RPMs with a quick clutch release. A helpful drill for practicing this step is to load and pop, then see how far you can coast without using the clutch, throttle, or brake. This will help you understand the balance zone.
Step 3: Control Management
Step three focuses on working your controls while in the wheelie. This may take some time to master, but the goal is to use your clutch, throttle, and brake simultaneously while in the balance point. Use the throttle to lift the front tire, and if it starts to fall, use your clutch and brake to bring it back down. A useful drill to practice this skill is to set up two cones and go as slowly as possible between them, using your hips to balance left and right while controlling your clutch, throttle, and brake.
Step 4: Balancing and Adjustments
The final step is to learn how to balance and make adjustments while wheelie-ing. Many people struggle with falling out of balance, either to the left or right. The key is to think of steering the bike back underneath you, just as you would when riding in a straight line on the ground. If the bike starts to lean, shift your hips in the opposite direction to steer the bike back under you. These micro-movements are essential for maintaining balance during slow, first gear wheelies.
Conclusion:
With these four easy steps and the accompanying drills, you'll be well on your way to mastering the wheelie like a professional. Don't forget to like, subscribe, and comment to let us know what you'd like to see in our next video. Keep practicing, and soon you'll be wheelie-ing with confidence and style. Happy riding!