JamieDaugherty

Nope, adding ride height makes the bike easier to wheelie. Why do the drag guys lower their bikes? My bike also has stock gearing. I've tried multiple rpm's and throttle positions including WFO. I've gotten the front to pop up maybe 6", but that's it. Side note - I don't do stand ups nor do I jump up and down on the pegs to help it out. Just throttle, clutch and a good tug on the bars. A good friend of mine is the best wheelie guy I know and he can't do it either by the way.

As mentioned, this is my second VTR the other being a brand new one. I can say for sure that there is nothing wrong with this bike, with the mods it runs very strong. At 14k miles my original clutch might be feeling the hurt which could account for that part. This bike will get the front light (tank slapper kind) out of both 2nd and 3rd gear corners, but there is no way it will lift.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to say that anyone is lying. I'm just a skeptical kind of person, I need to see it to believe it.

mikstr

Thanks Bird...I knew I could count on you for back-up, lol

cheers
Mikstr

E.Marquez

With mine, it has to be at just the right RPM when I wack the throttle.... But when in the window,, the front comes up in 1st, very strong. In 2nd, the front will get light.. but not lift.

The Hawk Guy

Here's a few tips for a 2nd gear wheelie (I've done it in 2nd with my 03 stock superhawk): first of all, an empty tank and I mean empty....try to bring the RPM to around 7000-8000 in 2nd gear, then back off on the throttle for about a second, of course the speed will decrease and front forks will compress; now give it a quick hard twist and at the same time you need to shift your weight to the back and pull up on the handle bar. The front wheel will definitely come up but not as violent as in 1st. I am not a big fan of wheelies but I have to admit that it’s really fun to do when you know how and when you do it in a controlled environment, never in the middle of the road.

Now a 2nd gear wheelie was never an issue with some of the big boys like R1, CBR1000RR, or a GSX-R 1000 (140+ HP with 70+ ft-lb of torque). My friends do stand-ups in 2nd with their inline-four 1000’s all the time, sometimes in 3rd. You can tell a HUGE difference in power delivery when you ride a gixxer1000 after riding the super chicken. But again, I love my life and I also love the unique V-Twin grunts that other bikes don’t have.

SPEED SAFE!!

JamieDaugherty

7000rpm doesn't seem like very much room to ride it out. Mine will run to 10.5k before the limiter kicks in, but even so it seems like the experience would be short lived. I've noticed that leaving it in 1st makes for quick up-and-downs because the revs go by so fast. I usually end up shifting. I'll give your method a try just to see how it works.

996

My bike also has stock gearing but I can still get a 12' o clock clutch wheelie out of it in second (not on purpose normally !). I generally start at 5K and whack the throttle then pop the clutch and she comes right up. You can then feather the throttle to hold the bike up then switch to third when the front starts to come down. With first gear power wheelies I normally shift to second to try and ride it out as well. The amount in the gas tank doesn't seem to have a noticeable effect that I'm aware of either.

I forgot to mention that with second gear roll on wheelies it is definately harder to find that sweet balancing spot. Using the clutch has way more consistency.

killer5280

SlowHawk is correct. All other things being equal, raising the rear makes it more difficult to wheelie because it puts more weight on the front.
I don't know about the second gear wheelies stuff. Mine won't do it, but I don't try very hard.

JamieDaugherty

You should try an adjustable length shock sometime. You'd find out exactly how much easier the front lifts when you raise the rear. Also, if you measured the weight difference F/R you'd find an negligible difference. It's all about center of gravity, force vectors, etc.

killer5280

I have tried an adjustable length shock. You're right, it's about geometry and leverage and traction and all that physics stuff, but raising the rear or lowering the front make wheelies more difficult while lowering the rear or raising the front make wheelies easier.
The (relatively) small amount we alter the ride height of the Super Hawk probably doesn't make all that much difference, but raising the rear does make wheelies more difficult, as does strapping the front down and lengthening the swingarm and all those other tricks used by drag racers.
I could prove it if I slept in a Holiday Inn Express.