Answer: I had read about how easy a Monster is to wheelie in the first article about it that I had read in Cycle World sometime in 1993. When I first got my bike, I don't remember it being exceptionally easy to wheelie, but the bike has evolved a bit (more power, lower gearing), and I've now had plenty of practice.

My problem now is resisting the temptation to wheelie every time I'm accelerating in first gear.

Since I've never actually ridden any Monsters that weren't 900's, I can't tell you what works for the other sizes, but I've ridden several M900's and they are all pretty much the same. [Okay, the one with FCR's, high compression pistons, and 42-tooth rear wouldn't stay down in first gear at full throttle now matter what I did.]

On my bike and the other M900 I temporarily owned, both with 15/41 or 14/39 gearing, sudden application of full throttle in first gear results in the front wheel coming up. It happens anywhere from 3000 rpms to about 7000 rpms and generally doesn't require chopping the throttle or any weight shifts. But if I gently roll on the throttle, taking a second or more to get it fully open, the front end stays down. [Except on that FCR bike.]

I try to avoid using the clutch to help feed in more power, since I don't feel it gives as much control. There have been a few cases of "unintended wheelies", though, when I've been mad at some idiot in a cage for blocking my path or not giving right of way at a four way stop when I've fed in a little too much power while releasing the clutch. Fortunately, due to my "previous experience" in this area, I have always been able to set it down gently and continue on my way.

I try to avoid getting the front tire way up there, like at the balance point (see photo above), because it's harder to set it down gently, potentially damaging the forks or steering head bearings. I like to ride wheelies with the front tire up about 18 inches.

Lately, I've become interested in second gear wheelies. I've read notes from others on that subject and found that their methods just didn't work for me. I have to be at just the right place in the powerband, like around 5000 rpms, and need a few other conditions to be just right to get it up in second gear. On real cold mornings, like under 40 degrees, I have enough additional power to get up in second gear. Going up a hill helps somewhat as well.

Crossing an intersection with a slightly crowned road also works, if I'm at just the right engine speed as I cross the center of the road. The front wheel seems to want to continue at the angle it was following across the first part of the intersection and as the rear sort of drops down the front will come up just right at about a foot or foot and a half. I can ride one of these a longer distance AND longer time than when in first gear, but it's not as easy. I'm just afraid that as I keep practicing at the one perfect intersection on my way to work, the local police or CHP will be watching one of these days and I'll be busted. (I'm just glad I kept the front end down last time I got stopped by the CHP, so I could talk my way out of the ticket).

So anyway, if you want to learn to wheelie, find some place that is slightly uphill where nobody is watching who would disapprove of what you're doing. Accelerate gently to about the middle of your powerband, then crank the throttle full open suddenly. If that doesn't work, close if fully for about half a second, then whack it open as quickly as you can so that you get the additional lift from your fork springs. Try it at slightly lower and higher engine speeds until you find what is optimal. The colder the weather at the time, the better your chances for success.

Keep practicing until you can do it every time. This is a skill that all Monster owners need to have.

On Apr 16th, 2003, 8:23am, NJMonster wrote:
Question: I was doing some practice wheelies over a RR X-ing and I came down harsh one time...

Answer: Railroad crossings can be especially dangerous, as can crowned intersections in some circumstances.

I have a friend who used to love wheelying his Kawasaki 750 Turbo who tried one on a railroad crossing, looped it, and heavily damaged his bike. I almost looped a DR-350 once on a local railroad crossing as well.

The problem is that the far side of the crossing often drops away, so you get much more rotation of the bike as the rear wheel drops down to follow the road. If you're feeding it power when this happens, the bike can rotate so quickly that you loop it before you realize you're even in trouble. It's not a pleasant way to crash your bike.

Be extremely cautious whenever the road drops away, the front end is off the ground, and you're giving it power!

On Apr 16th, 2003, 2:11pm, Michael Moore wrote:
Question: OK, so for you all who regularly wheelie, if the front wheel isn't straight when you come down do you get a big 'ol tankslapper?

Answer: I just get a little wiggle at the bars, enough to remind me to land it straight next time, then all is fine. I guess I've ridden dirt bikes enough that a little wiggling of the bars don't cause me to panic. I don't ENJOY the feeling and try to avoid it, but I don't consider it a big deal when it happens.

More "questions":

Question: Where and when should I NOT wheelie?

Answer: Don't do it when law enforcement officers are watching. Don't do it when there is traffic in front of you. Especially don't do it in a group when you're not the front person. You don't know when that person in front of you might suddenly slow down for some reason and your front wheel is still in the air. I almost ran into Daffe once doing that. Don't wheelie towards a curve.

Question: What about with a passenger?

Answer: The added weight up high and at the rear of the bike certainly makes it easier to get the front end up, but it's also more dangerous. Don't try it unless your passenger "forces" you to and has a good grip so they can't fall off. Personally, I would never try it with a passenger.

Question: What can I do if I get the front end up too high?

Answer: This can happen accidentally, when showing off for a car that takes off rather quickly from an intersection and you want to show them where they stand in the pecking order. On a Monster, there is enough engine braking that suddenly chopping the throttle will usually bring it back down. If you have enough presence of mind to apply the rear brake, even better. It's generally bad for the forks and steering head bearings and should be avoided as much as possible.

Question: How do I ride a wheelie more than 100 feet?

Answer: I'm not big on hitting the balance point, so somebody else will have to answer that one. I prefer power wheelies where the acceleration keeps the front tire up. When the engine approaches 9000 rpms it comes down. Sometimes a quick power shift will bring it back up a little in second gear, but my M900 isn't quite powerful enough to do that well. If you want to shift while in a wheelie, you need to be near the balance point in first gear, shift quickly and regain control before the bike comes back down. Be aware that Ducati engines can become oil starved, or spew oil out the breather at the back if you keep the engine tilted back at an extreme angle for too long. If you really want to ride wheelies a long distance find a better expert to instruct you.

Question: What about stoppies?