There are different ways to wheelie a motorcycle but the most common are the power wheelie (just open the throttle) and the clutch wheelie (dip the clutch momentarily). We teach the clutch method because it’s a lot more versatile – you can use it at different speeds and revs. Accelerate fairly hard then do a very shallow and fast clutch dip, letting the clutch back out immediately. The front wheel will come up smoothly.
Different bikes have different sweet spots when performing Wheelie, but as a rough guide for a 1000cc four-cylinder bike you should dip the clutch at 4000-5000 RPM. If it’s a revvy 600 it’ll be more like 8000 RPM, and a big V-twin will be 3000 RPM. You want to make the time that the clutch is in as tiny as you possibly can – even after practicing with engines off, 80% of the riders we teach struggle with this because they’re so used to pulling the clutch all the way in. That’s when an anti-flip device is very useful...
Without experts on hand, practice a wheelie in second gear to start with because first will feel a bit twitchy. Anything higher and you’re going too fast. If your bike isn’t powerful enough to bring it up in second, it doesn’t matter – you’re better off practicing timing the clutch dip, rather than frightening yourself in first gear. As soon as you start practicing Wheelie a Motorcycle, you must cover the back brake. At first you hopefully won’t need it to control the wheelie, because the front wheel won’t be going high enough to worry you. But it’s good to get used to having your foot in the right position. One of the most common crashes is when the front comes up fast, you brick it and take your feet off the footrests, before jumping off the back. It’s important that you try to stay nice and relaxed.
If your upper body is tense then your movements on the controls start to get notchy – after a while your arms will stop working properly and technique will disappear, and that’s when people get hurt. Sit as far back as you can, to use your weight to help the wheelie, but keep a bend in your arms. Hold the bike with your legs rather than your arms. People try to yank the bike up with their arms like it’s a pushbike, but all that does is mess up throttle and clutch control.
To maintain the wheelie you’re going to have to accelerate because you’re probably not at the balance point. The way to do that is with pulses, so when the front wheel starts to drop a bit, you wind on the throttle a fraction so the front bobs up and then you can wind the throttle off slightly. It’s a small movement – you can’t treat the throttle like an on/off switch.
- Find Somewhere Quiet Wide and flat to practice How to Wheelie a Motorcycle. Ideally go to a reputable motorcycle wheelie school for your first attempts.
- Don't pull all the clutch all the way in, let the engine bounce off the limiter and then let the clutch out when performing Wheelie a Motorcycle You’ll end up sat on the road. To pop the front wheel up, dip the clutch for a fraction of a second as you accelerate.
- Cover the back brake whenever you try to wheelie a motorcycle and practice using it, even if your wheelies are low to start with. Your aim is to make using the back brake instinctive.
