Nothing screams “I’m an ass-kicking renegade” like a proper wheelie. Perfect the wheelie and you’re the next Evil Kinevil to all who witness. But did you know there are other great reasons to pop a wheelie? Yeah, like going over logs and other things you might find in your way.
There exists a YouTube channel called Crosstraining Enduro Skills run by Aussies and they’re sick and tired of hearing non-sense excuses as to why you just can’t get the front wheel off the ground. So they’ve created an excellent video to show you the proper technique to the small and practical wheelie.
“Good technique,” they explain, “means using your body weight and the bike’s suspension to provide the left.” That’s Aussie for “lift”.
Just like so many other things when it comes to motorcycling, a proper wheelie boils down to finesse over brute force. Get the motions down and that front wheel will be up in the air in no time. And you won’t be falling over like a goober or gaining excess speed.
The break down of proper wheelie technique is basically as follows:
1. Position your foot so it covers the rear brake. You’ve gotta be ready to apply it to limit speed.
2. Compress the suspension by jumping on the foot pegs.
3. Apply a quick dab of throttle just as the suspension rebounds, giving the handlebars a pull to assist.
4. With the front wheel no longer on the ground, tap the rear brake as needed to control speed and bring the wheel back down.
Crosstraining Enduro goes into more detail about covering the rear brake, which they really insist on mastering, in another video:
