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can a 250 ninja wheelie?

10K views 38 replies 12 participants last post by  Averitteg 
Anything on 2 wheels can wheelie, with or without an engine!

I've popped wheelies on a 1970s 50cc moped that had probably 1hp - it had 3 gears (hand-operated) and a clutch, you could pull it up if you dumped the clutch from a standstill... I actually almost looped it once :lol:

I've also popped wheelies on my current 50cc scooter with no gears. All you need to do is start riding at walking pace, then crack the throttle and bounce the front end.

One of our old forum members who I haven't seen around for a good bit (XE Ryder) posted a picture of 2 people riding 2-up on a HONDA GOLDWING popping a wheelie!!!

So again, any bike can handle a wheelie - the question is whether the rider can handle it! I, on my 636, cannot :cry: I'll pull it up in 1st under power, but I'll drop it instantly... that's as far as my courage will take me as of right now :cry:
 
Trust me...take it slow...a wheelie on my 05 636 ended up in some road rash on my jacket and needing new frame sliders...lol...but the bike (and myself) lived...and I have yet to try another wheelie...
Sheet! See that's what I'm afraid of... if it was just frame sliders I could live with that, but with my luck a wheelie gone wrong would probably end up with the bike flipping head over heels 4 or 5 times :lol:

What happened to you? Did you loop it! that is my biggest fear... I've seen guys (on tv) that pop wheelies like there's no tomorrow loop, so the fear is always round the corner, even for a seasoned wheelie veteran...

I would be much easier about it if I were riding some second-hand beater, but that is my baby we're talking about :cry:
 
No, I didn't loop it. I 12 o'clocked it and things went bad from there because I wasn't expecting it to pull up as fast as it did...my brother used to do it all the time before he extended his swingarm so he was showing me...I obviously didn't do it right. Oh yeah...to add to the list of what happened...cracked open the stater cover (no riding until that was fixed), small gash in the rear fairing, and somehow...the spring on my kickstand disappeared...
Mmm... damage sounds worse than you initially indicated :lol:

12 o'clocked it? What do you mean?
 
You know how 12 0'clock on a clock means the big and little hands are pointing straight up? Well...I went straight up until I pegged the muffler on the ground...which is where it went wrong. No, the damage wasn't all too bad...was just annoying because I had to wait for parts before I could ride again.

I suspected as much, even though that is what I refer to as "looping it". Perhaps 12 o'clock is the stage just before that? :biggrin:

Come on, this is a good story now... so what happened after you sat the bike on the pipe? :lol:
 
LoL, glad to entertain you! hehe, no worries. Well, I did it in second gear, because I was listening to my brother...who said it's easier to do it in that gear than first...but you're also moving a lot faster. Anyhow, I clutched it, popped it...and it went straight up...Not expecting it, the muffler hit which broke loose my right foot and then I panicked, my right hand came loose while adding more throttle so I let go and caught myself on my feet...then did a slide/roll on the ground while watching my bike drop back to two wheels and veer off to the left...hit the ground and slide...Sooo....yeah...not my best day on it...
I thought looping it was when people try and do a wheelie and do some circles, but do them to tightly and lose control and it 'loops' around.
Well since you can laugh about it, so can I :lol:

That's a great story man, I can totally see all that happening! Good thing the bike sustained only minor damage and you seem to have come away unharmed? Were you wearing full gear?

Yeah normally when you speak of "looping it" you mean "12 o'clocking" as you put it... you go past the balance point and the bike basically flips head over heels on you - exactly what happened to you :smile:

As for the extended swing-arm, I can understand your fright from your last experience and you may like the look... but just keep in mind that an extended swingarm will severely alter your handling in the twisties - you don't want to do that if you're into any serious canyon carving. Besides... all you need to do is not dump the clutch under full throttle and you'll be fine from here on out :biggrin:
 
I'm actually more of a cruiser with friends than I am with tearing up the twisties...I mean, I like to go through them, but not TEAR through them. My brother has his GSX-R 750 extended...14" I think...and I love riding his. I love the sport bike look more so I didn't even look at any cruisers. I just love to ride so I'm not worried too much about the handling. My brother said the only difference he's ever noticed is that you have to lean into turns more...but on turns you normally can slide your knee with, you can't make it at the same speed on an extended bike. But that's really about all. I'll post a pic of his bike when I find it. He does all the work himself.
Good deal in that case :cool:

Look forward to those shots of your bro's bike if you manage to dig them up. Would he be doing the extension on your bike as well?
 
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