Wheelies For All

Just pull one here and there. It feels great. Do it.

Wheelies are for all.

Counter: 99

The Wait Is Over

I cannot speak of how many years I've waited and wanted to pull motorcycle wheelies as well as I can now. It's been a long, long, long road. And it keeps getting better.

Today in ---

1992: "Oh man, I'm totally going to pull some power wheelies on my Honda sportbike in a few years, when I can afford to get one."

2002: "Gettin' that front end off the ground is a no-brainer and holding it till the revs run out is easy enough. How do those Star Boys ride for miles though? Is it the jackets?"

2012: "I've become "that guy" who is always terrorizing the neighborhood by riding his motorcycle everywhere like it's a unicycle."

Counter: 94

The Allure

Part of the attraction to pulling motorcycle wheelies is that punk skateboard attitude of doing something that the "authorities" mandate not to do. I know that The Man is well intentioned, but when he's not looking I'll have that front tire In The Air. Thank you.

Counter: 86

Small Space

Some moments take my breath away when I realize how far I've come. I've learned more about wheelie control in the last two months than I have in the last two years. Picture this: a small flat parking lot in the middle of the night during the pouring rain with... Big. Slow. Over-the-b.p. motorcycle wheelies. Sometimes I don't even recognize myself. That's no bicycle! That's a 450lb motorbike!!!

Counter: 85

They're Free

Why not loft the front?

Wheelies are free.

Pull some now.

Counter: 75

Long Arm

23:00. Torrential rains all day, now wet. 53 degrees Fahrenheit. Secluded top-secret sub-urban spot. And I am shocked and amazing. Maybe it was the headlight pointing into the sky like a searchlight (during really excellent wheelies is near total darkness -- I've come a long way and it keeps getting better). Maybe it was the odd muffled sound of the motorbike's engine wavering about the balance point. Whatever it was, it was very odd that PoPo just happened to roll in with a cruiser during session time. That place is remote! You have to want to go there to get there. And there he was. Right where I was. With a bit of spotlight shone on ADVstunt1 and no harm done to anyone or anything, we slid right past each other slowly. I'm sure the circle-about and follow was to check the plate for property rights issues. But I'm always clean. Nevertheless, be wary of the Long Arm of The Law.

Counter: 72

Success Preparation

Being comfortable is key. When the environment isn't comfortable, big nice wheelies are hard to get right. That's not to say that the environment has to be perfect. It's okay if the surface is not ideal or if you think popo/security will show up at any moment. Being a bit outside the comfort zone is a good thing. What matters is being comfortable. Is there enough light? Are the hands warm enough? Prepare to have success in thy wheelies.

Counter: 60

Getting There

I'm just now getting to the space in my life where I've wanted to be for a long time. At least now I can say it. I've arrived. And it keeps getting better.

Counter: 50

Doing What You Love

It's funny that when you're doing what you love, what used to be hard becomes easy.

Counter: 47

Just Play

Sometimes one just needs some pure play time. No goals. No counting. Just pure fun.

Tonight's session was done in near total darkness. Well, a few big ones were pulled in lighted areas just to compare with how hard it is to wheelie in pitch black. It's tricky.

Counter: 45

Illegal and Inappropriate

It just had to be tried. Oh, it feels good to perform the illegal and inappropriate -- good fat motorcycle wheelies on the public street. The NYC guys doing "blockz" must feel this way all the time. What a life!

One key note to take away from this ride is this: if you can't slow down your wheelie, you're not going to wheelie very far or be in full control. Keep practicing the over-b.p. slow downs.

Counter: 25

Set of 10

It was late and dark last night. Another 10 whoolies got pulled on that trusty ADVstunt1. And now, while possible, it still takes balls to throw such a heavy bike over the b.p. It does feel amazing though.

Counter: 23

A Couple

It's amazing how quickly the skills have come up. Now, it seems 50 feet is enough to get a KLR up and over the b.p., rock one for a second, and get back down to earth in time before crashing. Also, The old smooth and perfect inclined plane "cheater" lot seemed like child's play to rock a big one just above idle. It seemed so easy, it was almost scary to my psyche. Still working on smoothness though.

Counter: 13

Another 1000 Wheelies

Yesterday, my 1000 Wheelies Project ended. It was a task that spanned two years to help me transition my bicycle wheelie skills to motorcycle wheelie skills. It worked, at least as far as being able to control a motorcycle better while riding a wheel stand at low speed.

Why stop documenting motorcycle wheelies once a thousand are counted? Sure, I've pulled many more. But the point is to make a record of progress... and to chase that ultimate life goal.

The quest for the Ultra Wheelie continues.

The first wheelie session of Another 1000 Wheelies occurred.

Counter: 12 wheelies

MotoBum on ADVstunt1