How to do a Stoppie

Originally Posted by Davido

If you've got the money to fix your bike then try it, but if you start out slowly and just try inching it off the ground then you're not going to just magically fall off. Just start small, and gradually increase the height.

You may fall off, you may not, but everything can be achieved with practice.

Even the pros stack sometimes.

This is true, however the best one I have ever done, i did, as per normal. Just a small one, but obiously put more pressure on than normal (this was after arroun 6 - 7hrs of rideing). Thought I was doing what I normally doing but it come up way higher. Scared the bejesus out of me and thought I was going over the bars.

But it aparently looked quite good...(Didn't it, thor?)

Dan

Originally Posted by stu369

Thanks a lot.

And just for research purposes, when was the last time you did one? / How many have you done this year?

If you are trying to imply that I am giving advice on a topic that I know nothing about, please be assured that I am not. I don't do that.

However to answer your research question...

Last one I did was probably about a year ago, which basically answers the 2nd part of your question doesn't it.

I'm not confident enough in my own abilities and try to limit the possibility of one of the four things that could go possibly wrong happening. I'll stick with getting the front wheel airborne.

Oh yeah Ape, sorry to hijak, but how far can you take your wheelies by yourself?

I'm still fiddling about with the balancing point, but with 2 people it goes for a fair bit, it seems to just stay at the ideal point.

I'll keep trying, hopefully I can keep the plod off my back until I'm good enough to not need to practice everyday.

Originally Posted by Davido

Oh yeah Ape, sorry to hijak, but how far can you take your wheelies by yourself?

I'm still fiddling about with the balancing point, but with 2 people it goes for a fair bit, it seems to just stay at the ideal point.

I'll keep trying, hopefully I can keep the plod off my back until I'm good enough to not need to practice everyday.

I learnt to do wheelies on a road down at the old dockyard in London, out of the way of traffic, pedestrians and most importantly the police. I can carry a wheelie as far as I want to go, but again I don't tend to do long ones. They are the ones that can get you into trouble.

Once you have learnt to keep the bike on the balance point there isn't anything else to do. I control the height using the clutch. Slightly over revving and if it goes too high pull the clutch slightly, let it drop a bit and then let the clutch out again.

For short wheelies I clutch up and then balance it on the throttle until I have run out of revs. The higher and closer to the balance point you are, the further you will go as you are not using so many revs to control the height.

For the longer wheelies I will start in 2nd gear as the power surge is not as aggressive in that gear. I am still learning to shift whilst the wheel is off the ground. But I only try that once in a blue moon.

Or you could try spinning it up exiting a corner, that's really cool and not too hard Easiest if you still have the standard D220s on. Try it with the front brake on when going in a straight line, that's quite cool too: get it going and you have a rolling burnout *

*Terms and conditions apply - ride like an idiot and you'll hurt yourself

Yeah I learn on a quiet country lane, but one of the farmers stopped me to complain, so that option is gone.

I can now find the balancing point but its keeping it there that's doing me in. The rev limiter isn't helping me much if I want to try it on power. Oh and I'm at the point where the bike is balanced but I can't see over the clocks!

But where you use the clutch, I try to feather the throttle, so I might have to try your way to see if its more comfortable.

I guess its all down to practice, but how long did it take you to perfect them? I'm bankrupting myself with all the petrol I'm using.

Originally Posted by stu369

it may have been the back tyre skidding, but I'm fairly positive it was the front).

You arent sure which wheel is sliding and you want to do stoppies? I dunno. Fair enough I suppose. Like everyone says, they are hard. I am still scared to try them on a anything over 250cc. (See big Apes points three and four... ) But lately i am a pussy. For me, a good stoppie is easiest by getting your weight forward off the back wheel, and squeezing on the brake till you lift off. Its when the bike swings around though... yeah. Bad.

Originally Posted by stu369

And is a stoppie a fairly effective method of an emergency stop?

Yeah. But if both wheels are on the ground, that means more rubber, that means more stoping power. You get your weight back, pushing on the back tyre, you stop faster.
I still dont understand why so many bikers dont like using the back brake. My clutch hand and brake foot work together to keep the back wheel just about holding onto the road. I am comfortable with it even squirming about under me. <obligatory>fnar</obligatory>.
*Shrug*. Each to their own I suppose.

Originally Posted by jonboy

Q: Why do you want to trash your bike?

Someone less charitable than my good self might say "because it is an SV"*








*This post in made with tongue most definitely in cheek!!

Originally Posted by Scooby Drew

Or you could try spinning it up exiting a corner, that's really cool and not too hard Easiest if you still have the standard D220s on. Try it with the front brake on when going in a straight line, that's quite cool too: get it going and you have a rolling burnout *

*Terms and conditions apply - ride like an idiot and you'll hurt yourself

i have just got the hang of this and i LOVE ....( power sliding of corners )