[mmoore]

Well, I did my wheelie school today, and I have to say it was a blast. One cool side bonus is I ran into another DMLer there, tallduc, and we chatted monsters a while.

The day started out well until one student did something none of us can figure out, but it resulted in him being face down with a probably concussion and the bike in bits against a wall. The paramedics were awesome and the guy got a helicopter ride to John Muir hospital. We were all feeling a bit rattled after that, and Jason the instructor offered to do a reschedule if we wanted. The group consensus was to continue with the class, so a spare Triumph speed triple was wheeled out and prepped. The departure of one student meant that there were only three of us taking the class, so there was LOTS of seat time. Instruction was great as far as I was concerned, and Jason told me just what I needed to know, just when I needed it.

Now, I had never voluntarily wheelied before this class, but by the end was doing some pretty credible runs, so from that standpoint it was a great success. Everyone in the class was able to get the wheel up for some period of time. They run a special bike that kills one cylinder once you get past a certain angle, and that inspires a lot of confidence. Plus the directions are very clear, and if you follow them exactly, you will wheelie.

By the end of the day I was beat, but feeling great (well everything was feeling great except a portion of the male anatomy that takes a beating when you drop the front wheel too fast). It was lots of fun.

 

[xjdave]

Sounds Great, sweet Pic, Where do I sign up?

 

[mmoore]

ononewheel.com is the website.

 

[DaffeDuc]

great photo Michael!! glad you had fun!

 

[Herb]

HOOLIGAN!!! ;D

 

[CETME]

question is..... have you tried any on your monster yet???

 

[Ryan_Akiyama]

Off Topic, but what helmet are you wearing there? I like the way it looks.

 

[zeus]

Michael
Just curious as to what wheelie method the pro's reccomend.

Did they teach you the "crack the throttle in 1st" method or did they go with the "clutch" method?

 

[test-reg]

glad you had fun. your wheelie pic looks great!

 

[900spg]

How did the guy crash? Was it during or after the wheelie?

 

[Herb]

I would have to say, it's a good idea to learn to ride, before learning to wheelie!

 

[Race_Day_Dennis]

I heard the taught the crack the throttle in first method. Take the bike to "X" miles per hour and bang it. I read it in an article.
I would love to take the class. I can do a wheelie. But would love some fine tips.

 

[Lee]

When you said you were gonna take a wheelie class I thought to myself "Why"? But after seeing that picture with the wheelie bar back there and the one cylinder kill feature, I say, "why not?" That had to be blast; especially on someone else's bike.

 

[AZMnstr]

Have no idea how to do a wheelie ??? Can I get some help here? Everybody tells me that it is so easy to do it on a Monster! Enlighten me, please!

 

[tallduc]

Michael is right on the money and as a bonus,he took some pics of me too ;>. Michael had the most consistent and longest runs of us all. The method was pretty clear- all throttle control. The instructors did a very good job of locking on your mistakes and giving feedback. The biggest problem was just relaxing into the doing the wheelie( despite the special bike, i still felt like i could flip). The 955 triumph made it easy(very smooth) , i am still too chicken to try on the S4. However, i plan to get racetech kitted on the front and plan to hammer the old shocks/springs in the weeks before it goes in the shop.

I'll post some basic instruction but be warned that doing it on a special bike with safety feautures is the right way to go. Not only are you safe but the precious monster stays in one piece while you learn. So go take the class.

in a nutshell;
relaxed arms,right hand in a slight forward grip to allow the wrist to be turned down sharply .
Keep the balls of your feet on the pegs and grip the tank with your knees( not your hands on the bars).
Keep the speed constant ( 20 to 22 mph on the triumph) and keeping your eyes looking ahead, snap the throttle and you just have wheelied. Next is rolling the right hand gently to keep the bike up ( this is actually the hardest part, only got it twice to last more than a second ) and then roll off the bring the bike down.
Again, this stuff is very dangerous and i highly recommend the class so that you get the safety bike and great instructors and clear space to practice.

i had so much fun that i plan to take it again!!

 

[Humbaba]

sweet!

 

[Skier]

Have no idea how to do a wheelie ???

 

[cyclepup]

Michael annd Tallduc,
Any opinions on that Speed Triple?

 

[DaffeDuc]

you planning on getting one to add to your bike collection? I was thinking of getting one in the future.

 

[Duc_N_Har]

I checked insurance for the Speed Four, and Speed Triple , it is outragous, companies gave me quotes from $1800- $ 3000 a year!! And thats for us old geezers!!!! with all the discounts and experience.

Thats high compared to the Monster at $ 365/yr and the Buell which would be $ 380/yr!