i ride an 04' gixxer 600, i learned wheelies in 2nd gear, i had no interest trying them in first b/c i'd heard too many loop out stories. i use a clutch in 2nd gear just because bouncing it up and all that is harder for me to control. i've only been riding since september, but i can walk 2nd gear wheelies to the rev limit, pulling them up at 35-45 mph..which is usually about 2 or 3 hundred yards, depends on the road and how far i feel comfortable pulling it back (some days i seem to have more balls than others)

but recently some buddies got me started on pulling it up in 3rd gear. i use the clutch of course, but i have to bounce it perty darn good and give it a bit of throttle, usually going 65 to 75 mph..

what iw as wondering was, anyone have any info on keeping it up better in 3rd? i always feel like i either dont get it up enough, or i just about loop out and set it down real fast. i never seem to find that perfect spot i can find in 2nd gear. anyone have any advice?

i see a lot of people putting their left foot back on the passenger peg, i tried that and just about sent myself into the median. any advice on that also? does it make it easier?

If your going to the rev limiter in 2nd, learn bp better before trying to ride wheelies in 3rd.

The higher you are, the less power and rpm's it takes to keep it up... which is what you want to ride a 3rd gear wheelie.

Its not the gear you are in.... its you.

you need to bring it ferther back.... you havnt gotten to BP yet. 3rd gear is lame unless you are geared.

I can get 3rd up on my 600, which is stock. Only thing that sucks, is that you are already going like 70+ on one wheel. Personaly, I have to give a couple bounces, and bring it up. Like stated, you just need to get to a spot that you feel comfortable at. I would also recomend that you try to find BP in second before trying to get 3rd. Like stated, you have to bring the bike up to BP in third, do to the loss of tourge in gears. There isn't enough power to rely on to stand the bike up like 2nd. Keep practicing.http://www.gixxer.com/forums/images/graemlins/burnout.gif

You shouldn't ever bee in 3rd gear on a stock bike. keep it in 2nd and learn to balance it.

I clutch up first gear wheelies directly to balance point while sitting on my 04 600.

I can do standers/staggered wheelies in first gear too and keep it balanced right at about 40....

2nd gear I do staggered stand ups only... stays balanced at 65 the whole time...

3rd gear sucks... don't use it... engine braking WILL NOT save you in third gear from looping... 2nd gear engine braking is still decent (although i still use the back brake religiously)

so staggered is the way to go in 2nd u thing vs just standing

I clutch up first gear wheelies directly to balance point while sitting on my 04 600.

I can do standers/staggered wheelies in first gear too and keep it balanced right at about 40....

2nd gear I do staggered stand ups only... stays balanced at 65 the whole time...

3rd gear sucks... don't use it... engine braking WILL NOT save you in third gear from looping... 2nd gear engine braking is still decent (although i still use the back brake
religiously)



actually I had a -1 02 600, and thats how I learned stand ups. I bounced 3rd gear up and sooner or later was doing them for about a mile or so at best. Oh and the engine brakeing was perfectly fine. Started them up at on an uncorrected speedo of 70, so probably 60, and rode it at 70 on the freeway -

now a days, I just think about those days instead of doing it any more though http://www.gixxer.com/forums/images/graemlins/thumb.gif

hm, thanks for all the advice. i do find the balance point in 2nd. im surei could bring it back farther to keep it at the same speed, i worked on it more today, i can keep 2nd up pretty much untill the straight road runs out, but what sucks is when you are riding with your highway buddies doing 65 and they all decide to pull it up, and you gotta slow all t he way down to the 50's in order to bring it up and they are already half a mile ahead of you on th eback wheel.. know why?

b/c they brought it up in 3rd. and i agree with gimpsta partially, but.. engine breaking on 3rd gear wheelies doesnt cut it near as well as 2nd gear. you get it on up in 3rd gear and let off its gonna coast for a while...

but i guess i'll just work on keeping my 2nd gear wheelies up a mile or so, i could get them half a mile today before i started speeding up, i guess i kept them at about 65 or so MPH for a good quarter mile. and then i'll work on 3rd gear when im better at finding that balance point, even though it is harder to find when ur already going 70.

yep back when I thought a wheelie was the only purpose for a bike, I hated the 6 not "wheeling" on the freeway when buddies on liter bikes were all over. The freeway meant I had to sit back and keep traffic back. Well forget that. I started bouncing them on a small uphill in 2nd. Then realized it was easy enough flat. Then did the same in 3rd and realized I could bring it up at almost the same speed as them with once bounce in 3rd, and the throttle was ever so smooth. One thing I think helped me, was I keep my body WAY back. It lowered the BP, so if I started getting to high and closed the throttle, she might hang but I can always shift my weight forward and she'd be fine. Then I moved to steering. That was a headache at first, but became quite useful. But again its easier to do slower. haha man I just wish I could consistantly hold a wheelie again haha

Bartona, how much of a difference did lowering the bike make in getting the front up ?
I've heard some people say it makes it impossible and others have said it makes no difference.

Opionions anyone ?

hm, thanks for all the advice. i do find the balance point in 2nd. im surei could bring it back farther to keep it at the same speed,



Um, your not at the balance point if you are still accelerating.

I can balance first gear wheelies but i don't... almost ever.. it's not worth it because of how twitchy the throttle is...

as far as 2nd gear wheelies... i prefer staggered now because i can go longer (3+ miles easily) and it's not as much pressure on my arms since i have a lot of my weight on that foot that's on the passenger peg... and i'm in a good position to cover the rear brake....

3rd gear is pointless to me... for wheelies at least... i've done it... don't like it... the engine braking isn't as good and you can be doing 80+ and not even realize it in third gear...

In 2nd gear if I mess up and start speeding up I know i have to either slow it down (going past BP and dragging the rear brake) or put it down because if i keep speeding up i'll hit the rev limiter...

trust me... fast wheelies are not impressive... banging a 65mph wheelie next to your buddies for 3 miles while they watch in amazement is where it's at... fast wheelies are for the chumps who don't have the real nuts to bring it back far enough to stop accelerating

man it just feels so akward to try to bring it up standing

I can balance first gear wheelies but i don't... almost ever.. it's not worth it because of how twitchy the throttle is...

as far as 2nd gear wheelies... i prefer staggered now because i can go longer (3+ miles easily) and it's not as much pressure on my arms since i have a lot of my weight on that foot that's on the passenger peg... and i'm in a good position to cover the rear brake....

3rd gear is pointless to me... for wheelies at least... i've done it... don't like it... the engine braking isn't as good and you can be doing 80+ and not even realize it in third gear...

In 2nd gear if I mess up and start speeding up I know i have to either slow it down (going past BP and dragging the rear brake) or put it down because if i keep speeding up i'll hit the rev limiter...

trust me... fast wheelies are not impressive... banging a 65mph wheelie next to your buddies for 3 miles while they watch in amazement is where it's at... fast wheelies are for the chumps who don't have the real nuts to bring it back far enough to stop accelerating



while your more into wheeling then I care to ever be any more, when I say 3rd - the speeds I was refering to ARE those 60-70mph speeds and then just gradually bringing it higher to let engine braking (which there was plenty IMO) to slow you up. Why run near rev limiter in 2nd, when you can be down a few RPM's in 3rd. Sustained high rpm's near rev limiter at an upward angle = bad news on your motor. Its isn't much difference for 3rd, but hey its helps some.

rookie- yeah, lowering it made a slight difference. i put a smaller front sprocket on it (minus 1 tooth) and then lowered it a week later. i lowered it 1 3/4" in the front and two steps down with the rear bones. it makes it seem awkward for a day or so but a week later you completely forget it was ever any different than it is in its current state, if that makes sense. basically, it takes a little more throttle to get it up but you get used to it very quickly.

and yeah, standing up is awkward at first, i got used to it just standing up a lot. just riding around stnading up untill it felt normal...

and i guess from what the guys around here (who i ams ure are not as experienced as you, journeyman, have to say about the "balance point"..they make it seem a bit more broad than you do....

and when i do 2nd gear wheelies, i get it back as far as you have yours back in that water picture, maybe a little more. it still speeds up just a little. if i pull it up at 40, (this is earlier today) and ride the wheelie half a mile, when i set it down i was going 72. or so. but it seemed like it sped up at the first half of the wheelie then i held it at the same speed for the remainder. so i guess it is just going to take more time.

and yes riding 3rd gear wheelies are usefull when you are on a highway b/c i cant pull up 2nd gear wheelies going 65, and rather than losing al lmy friends b/c they can pull their liter bikes up at any speed any time, or my 600 friends b/c they can wheelie in 3rd gear...i'd rather just pull it up the same speed they do. i dont know if you can pull up a wheelie in 2nd gear going 65, but im not talking about bauling down the highway at 110 on th eback wheel. i am talking about a comfortable 75 mph in 3rd gear.

either way, i need tons of practice. i've only been riding since sept. like i said. so im just taking it slow. i think half a mile in 2nd gear is not too terrible for less than 3 months of riding.



oh, as for sit down wheelies. i cant do them. i am a WUSS when it comes to those. as soon as it gets to 10 o'clock i flip out and chop the throttle. feels like im gonna die.

so your -2 up front not -1?

and ya 2nd gear any speed would be cake with that much http://www.gixxer.com/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif I'll probably easily clutch sitting at 20mph on up. I was at -1+2 for a while at about that speed I think.... man its been so long.

man I can ride 1st gear out sitting for a ways, and thats powering it up. Ive clutched 1st gear up at about 20mph and am ok at that too, all sitting tho. Gonna try 2nd as soon as i get chance.

Ive only been riding since spetember as well. Well the last week of august actually

and gimp think hes down 1 toothin front and lowered 2 inches

Yeah, there is only one balance point. It is when you are not accelerating in any way. It sounds like you are close however. As far as the physical angle that the bike makes with the ground goes: it changes depending on speed and rider positioning. The faster you go the lower the front has to be to maintain speed.

And no, the wheelie in my avatar is not in the bp. I am accelerating to get my speed up in the puddle (better splash).

Oh yeah, and as far as the Jorneyman and whatever the other titles go: they dont mean a thing. There are a lot of people that have been on here forever and post advice on everything but they dont know their head from their ass so be careful to what advice you listen to. I am always skeptical unless I am positive that the person knows what they are talking about.

word. makes sense..

and yeah, thats why i try not to hand out too much advice, i havent been on a bike long enough to tell anyone anything...


oh, and i am -1 in the front, thats all... i didnt really need that, just figured i'd make it easier on myself...all that bouncin ya know. haha what can i say?

and gimp think hes down 1 toothin front and lowered 2 inches



no at the bottom of his pics it said 14t sprocket thats -2 on the front

i dont know if you can pull up a wheelie in 2nd gear going 65, but im not talking about bauling down the highway at 110 on th eback wheel. i am talking about a comfortable 75 mph in 3rd gear.



you can definately bring it up in 2nd gear at 65 to the balance point w/o using the clutch with a good bounce. on a stock height and sprocket 600

65 is up there though. whats that like 9k - 10k? thats boucing it at 65 being up near 75 or higher depending how quick you are. Mustangtheif is quick to BP but others slowly get her there.

I used to bounce up a bone stock 03 600. To hold ANY distance in a wheelie, you're going to need to find the bp. This is done by practice and feel. With time, it'll come.