| Author | Message | ||
     Alstroker |
The last sport bike I owned was a 1990 Suzuki GSXR 750. The bike was fast but one thing that irritated me about the bike was its lack of low end power. In fact it was very noticeable the first day I rode it. Having ridden dirt bikes all of my life, I expected a mean low end hit but it wasn't there. I hit 140mph on it once and 120 on it twice in the 4yrs. that I owned it. It just simply isn't safe to do that kind of speed around my area. I had plenty of fun with it in the twisties though but if I just could have pulled a couple of power wheelies out of the corners it would have been perfect. The only way it would wheelie is with the clutch and revs. That is why the xb12r is catching my attention. With that short wheelbase and low end torque it seems as though you could just wack the throttle and pull the front end right up. Is it really that easy? | ||
| Barkandbite |
Not for me. But then again, I've got an XB9 and I'm a total p^ssy when it comes to having one of the only two tiny patches of rubber that bond me to Mother Earth go skyward. OK, OK....so it's even easy to do on a 9. Yes. Whack it and up it comes...we are talking about bikes, right?  Chris | ||
| Deerhunter17 |
i've got a 12R, and unless I'm doing something wrong, the only way I've been able to get the front up is by rev's and clutch, or pure twist and PULL like hell ( on the right bump in the road ). The bike has good torque, and I suppose under the right circumstances ( rpm, slight incline, whatever) the right rider can power it up off a corner. | ||
| Al_lighton |
1st gear, 9 or 12, XB or tuber, wack it at 4500 and it should come right up. Though my FI S3 is much less likely to do it than any others. It has plenty of power, but the throttle response is gentler than on my mikuni equipped S1W. The FI XB9 is a little sharper in it'•••••. 2nd gear, the S1W will do it if the technique is right (i.e., accelerate to 4500-5k, rapid cut, followed by hard crack as the forks rebound...love that mikuni!). The S3 or Xb9? No way. It'll come up only with the clutch. That's OK, suits me just fine, I don't want to be going all that fast when I've got only one wheel on the ground. But like Chris said, I too am pretty wimpy as far as big wheelies go. Balance point on my street bikes? No way, I'm too scared I'll pitch it. That's what my XR400, dirt, and dirt gear are for. If I I have to throw it away, it is no big deal, dirt bikes are meant to be pitched. On the street, it's a huge wheelie for me if I pick it up to 30 degrees, and even at that, I'm putting it right back down. I'm a wimp. Al | ||
| Black9 |
got a 12, and the shift from 1st to 2nd will get you a little air, shifting normally in the upper revs, 9 would too, 9 was an S and the 12 is an R. Go test ride at a dealer,you'll be hooked, BTW, I'm SURE a 12S can wheelie almost at will.... | ||
| Thepup |
I have a 9s and a wack of the throttle at 4599 rpm's will bring the front end up with no problem.Test rode a 12r and i brought the front end up easier than on my 9 | ||
| Thepup |
it should have been 4500 rpm's | ||
| M1combat |
I'm at 5000' elevation so I lose about 15% of my poer and it'll come up at about 4000 in a straight line. As far as coming out of a turn you are talking about a creeper wheelie. I don't think the XB's have it in them unless it's a second gear corner and you take steps to make it happen. If you take steps to make it happen in a corner good luck on staying on the road. Creeper wheelies take a lot of HP. Another one is going into second and third gear (~57 and ~75 mph). I can get the front up at will going into second if I use minimal clutch to dump it into gear and it'll do it on occasion going into third. I think at sea level It would happen just as easily in going into third as it does going into second up here. | ||
| Paulinoz |
"it seems as though you could just wack the throttle and pull the front end right up. Is it really that easy? YES | ||
| Deerhunter17 |
""it seems as though you could just wack the throttle and pull the front end right up. Is it really that easy? YES I guess I must be doing something wrong, I wack the throttle and I get great acceleration, maybe some lightening of the front end, but no air Okay, it's thr RRR's I have'nt tried much up in the 4's  edited by deerhunter17 on July 26, 2004 | ||
| Alstroker |
I did demo ride an xb12R and S this weekend. Throttle response and torque seemed enough to get the front end up but I tried to behave and didn't do it. I really liked the bikes. I just want to be able to gas the throttle, no clutch and ride a wheelie not necessarily coming out of a corner. A straight line would be fine. | ||
| Stealthxb |
plenty of power to wheelie http://www.illconduct.com/page9.html | ||
| Wyckedflesh |
I can "float" the front wheels out of corners if I time the throttle right. I too am not one to just try and lift the front wheel. The 12 does have the torque for those tpe of wheelies but its a practice game of where in the band you want to be when you grab that fist full. | ||
| Southernmarine |
I can bring mine,12R, up in 1st easy. Did it by accident several times. One time, hot as hell out, and my gel grips caught the throttle kinda funny, thought I was pulling out nice and slow and when I let the clutch out and went to ease on the throttle, she shot right up to about 9 or 10 o'clock. I eased her down and readjusted my grip, surprised the hell out of me. I was probably at 3500 go 4000 when it came up. | ||
| Firebolt020283 |
hey stealth that was a pretty cool video | ||
| Stealthxb |
Yea man those guys are dope! I got to see them live on Friday at the Georgia State HOG Rally. WOW! Words cannot expressive how impressive it was. They really beat the 5hit outta those Firebolts. And the only performance mods they run are D&D's and dampers. Must be nice to have sponsors!  | ||
| Firebolt020283 |
yea no sh** i waish some one would give me a $10,000 motorcycle to treat like sh** but i bet it was fun to watch and heck aperantly buell is the way to go for stunt riders since there are so many riding buells now (though i wouldnt do that crazy stuff on my bike) well ok maybe an occasional wheelie or stopie and burn out but not that crazy stuff | ||
| Trenchtractor |
Got into •••• at work 'cos someone saw me comming off a round-a-bout with the rear stepped out and the front up in the air... It happens pretty easy. Like everyone said, stock bike, take it easy to mid rev's, then nail it with the tiniest of tugs on the bars. Presto, the front is up, get near the top, snick second then let it ease down just before the soft limiter for a good length wheelie. I don't go in for long distance wheelies, that's how i wrote of my jap sports bike (R6). Trench XB12S/R Hybrid | ||
| Opto |
I think the front end is a lot harder to get up for the lightweight riders, but a 1st gear off the lights wheelie is a no-brainer for any rider. | ||
| Coldwthrrider |
Does weight really have something to do with it? Just wondering because my 9R with race kit does not get the front end up too easily and I'm barely pushing 150lbs. I've had the front tire lift up about a foot while shifting 1-2 accidentally. Otherwise with the 4500RPM then bounce off the forks method I can get it up a little bit sometimes but it seems to take quite a hefty pull. Part of it is I'm a wus because I don't want to dump a nice bike, but after what everyone says I thought it would be easier. That's fine because as long as it's in one piece I'm happy. Wouldn't more weight be more to lift, or is it a pulling up strength thing? I'd guess the R would be harder to pull up than the S due to riding position. Oh, but back to the original question, I have had it come up while accelerating out of corners like entrance ramps. Hold on tight, the front tire can get pretty squirrely! | ||
| Socoken |
ive got a question, how much would suspension settings affect how easily a bike wheelies? quicker front rebound help push it up? rear preload set low allow quicker weight transfer? or would stiffer compression and preload on the rear make the front come up faster? | ||
| Deerhunter17 |
Thats a good question. I mess with race cars and we play with shocks and springs all the time. I would think maybe easing up on compression on rear,and rebound on front would allow the bike to settle back quicker, helping to pop the front. Mine is currently set heavy cause I spend most of the time riding two up, could be my problem. I'm gonna soften up the rear and do the compression / rebound adjustments I mentioned and see if it is easier to pull.  | ||
| New12r |
I ride 12R and first gear does not need any clutch above 4500rpm, second, roll about 30mph tach it to 5000, 6000rpm and dump ye olde clutch to send the front to orbit and ride till you cant ride it no mo'. In the mountains this sunday I came out of hard right in 2nd and jerked the front end up with a little extra clutch help, rode up the hill a little and set it down. Practice makes perfect, but be carefull, you may find yourself without bike if your not. | ||
| Evil_twin |
H3ll, the first time I pulled my 9 up was completely by accident. I came off of a county road on to a highway and when I shifted from 2nd to 3rd, she lifted on me. When I realized the bike was still leaned with the wheel about a foot off the ground, I let 'er back down. Kinda scared me. I was warned about it from a few people I talked to about the XB's before I bought mine. But, it still caught me off guard. Haven't done it since then, haven't tried. It can be done. I don't think weight of the rider is really an issue, (although it can be) seeing that I am one of the 200 plus pound riders. Keep the shiny side up. Rich | ||
| Opto |
I brought up the rider weight factor because I vividly remember seeing a very large fellow pull a power wheelie in proly 1st gear on a Z900 about 20 years ago, he did it with such ease and it looked like he wasn't even accelerating much. If you can imagine the bike trying to pull forward from under you, then a large person is a better "anchor", and a light person is just a flea on the bikes back. Imagine this "Hey I've never pulled wheelies before but will you just jump on the back of my bike so I can practice?!" | ||
| Bud |
I don’t want the front to come up, and lean as much forward as I can ( 220 lbs ) Every other motion than forward is a waist off time But in first @rolling speed it just needs a little and aggressive twist ( to half throttle ) to come up So I never use the full power in first, 2e gear almost the same story leaning forward and aggressive twist ( to full throttle ) it comes up @ 45oo rpm, not as aggressive as in first , but in a nice way shifting to 3e I will need the clutch to get it up gr, B | ||
| Glitch |
Last spring right after my break in was finished I couldn't wait to open 'er up. So I took off WFO and shifted like I used to with the Bandit, pull in the clutch, switch to second, not letting off the gas. Wow what a wheelie, the Bandit never did that! Don't do many wheelies, but when I do, it's usually just low speed 1st gear romps. | ||
| Mikeo |
I have a bone stock XB12S. I can power wheelie in first gear from as low as 2500rpm. I usually start at a steady 20mph in first. A quick off/on with the throttle and I'm on one wheel. When I chop the throttle the rpms drop to 2500-2800rpm before I quickly snap the throttle open. The quicker I get on the gas and the closer I get to full throttle the higher the front wheel comes off the ground. No need to pull up on the bars, all it takes is twisting the throttle. 2nd gear wheelies take a bit more work and I've only wheelied out of a corner once. Rider skill, which I lack, plays a much bigger role in wheelies than power. YWMV. MikeO | ||
| Fullpower |
yes rider weight makes a huge differance. the heavier the rider, the easier the bike will wheelie. to dmonstrate, just try keeping the front wheel down with a passenger on. it takes a VERY gentle throttle to keep both wheels planted with a 110 pounder on the back. | ||
| Firebolt020283 |
but thats not nessiceraly cuz of the weight of the riders but the location of the second rider thats why if u set further back it makes it easyer cuz of were the weight is | ||
| Opto |
Well maybe us light ones should try the standing up dirt bike style type wheelies, just every time I think about it, I'm afraid the bike will just shoot out from under me it's so short, I'm sure everything will happen pretty quick! | ||
| Darthane |
I'll stick to my 1st to 2nd gear little wimpie wheelies...and the exceptionally long tire life that accompanies my lack of hooliganism. | ||
| Trenchtractor |
Wind your rear preload right up. The back end won't compress at all and all the energy that is wasted (for wheelie action) will be saved for front end lift... Not really practical, though. Oposite end of the scale, no rear preload will allow the rear to bottom out at more speed, ie, the rear shock will compress faster, when the spring actually starts to work the front will start to come up. Thats why blokes of larger persuasion get the front up easier... Pilions help the front up for the same reason combined with the weight being further to the rear. If you wanna practice, start off on an incline, you are already a bit up at the front anyway and it's less freaky... | ||
| Daves |
I never wheelie!  Dave | ||
| Deerhunter17 |
Okay, still have'nt made the chassis adjustments, but tried the 4000 -4500 range, 1st gear, quick off then wrap the throttle, yes, we had lift off, nice little (maybe a foot off the ground )wheelie, comfortable, manageable, FUN |
