Front end lift (wheelie)
Road Captain
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 619
Likes: 0
From: edinburgh , scotland
you have felt the weight of the bike im sure 
it would need some serious money chucked into the motor to get a lift out of the front end.
sports bikes are twitchy and agresive with there power hence why so many riders come of them. your decision to change is a wise one IMHO.
it would need some serious money chucked into the motor to get a lift out of the front end.
sports bikes are twitchy and agresive with there power hence why so many riders come of them. your decision to change is a wise one IMHO.
R.I.P. BROTHER
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 3,076
Likes: 6
From: Colorado Springs
Load the fork meaning ride off at an idle and let all the weight transfer to the front end compressing the fork into its stroke using a touch of front brake and your body weight, Now in one fluid motion grab a big greedy handfull of throttle and dump the clutch as you lean back hard in a smooth motion whilst pulling up on the bars...Pull the clutch back in if you feel you are going to loop the bike or tap the rear brake to bring it back down. Imagine you are on a rocking chair...Flow with the bike.
So imagine you are in that rocking chair and you are gonna use the driving power of the rear wheel in conjunction with your weight swinging back and the fork pogoing itself out of the down stroked position. Practice in a big empty parking lot. If you have 3" extended controls its harder to get it up. If you try it on a dyna or sporty with mid controls its easier yet.
Our softail design dosent lend itself well to wheelies though. Plus if you get it up and let off the gas abruptly, clutch or tap the brake the resulting front end impact can be ugly with the rake we have on a Night train.
Its not as hard as you think. I ride dirtbikes so I'm wheeling over obstacles in the trail, whoops across streams, patches of snow and sometimes my Brother in law if crashes in front of me, and wheelies are a must to navigate off road at higher speeds. So the whole load the front lean back and pull thing is almost second nature to me after 25 years of offroading. I used my Moto-X guy technique and pulled a wheelie on my Train the second or third try. I didnt like how it felt when it came back down and my 3" foward controls make it hard to load the front end without using the front brake.......I have a stage 3 build pushing 110 Lbs of TQ so it wasnt so hard. Its not much fun on a Night Train though!!
A stocker will wheelie as well. I'm certain of it.
So imagine you are in that rocking chair and you are gonna use the driving power of the rear wheel in conjunction with your weight swinging back and the fork pogoing itself out of the down stroked position. Practice in a big empty parking lot. If you have 3" extended controls its harder to get it up. If you try it on a dyna or sporty with mid controls its easier yet.
Our softail design dosent lend itself well to wheelies though. Plus if you get it up and let off the gas abruptly, clutch or tap the brake the resulting front end impact can be ugly with the rake we have on a Night train.
Its not as hard as you think. I ride dirtbikes so I'm wheeling over obstacles in the trail, whoops across streams, patches of snow and sometimes my Brother in law if crashes in front of me, and wheelies are a must to navigate off road at higher speeds. So the whole load the front lean back and pull thing is almost second nature to me after 25 years of offroading. I used my Moto-X guy technique and pulled a wheelie on my Train the second or third try. I didnt like how it felt when it came back down and my 3" foward controls make it hard to load the front end without using the front brake.......I have a stage 3 build pushing 110 Lbs of TQ so it wasnt so hard. Its not much fun on a Night Train though!!
A stocker will wheelie as well. I'm certain of it.
Last edited by Chazmanian; May 30, 2009 at 01:00 PM.
Cruiser
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 181
Likes: 0
From: Pearland, Texas
I wasn't trying to jump down anyones throat. It just seemed like he was wanting something or expecting something that never should have been assumed.
It's like saying: "I switched from a 1500hd pick-up to a saturn & I dont feel the torque off the line when pulling my boat, should I?"
I'd never plunk down that kind of jack without having a failrly good understanding of what I was getting.
If I offended someone that cetainly wasn't my intention.
It's like saying: "I switched from a 1500hd pick-up to a saturn & I dont feel the torque off the line when pulling my boat, should I?"
I'd never plunk down that kind of jack without having a failrly good understanding of what I was getting.
If I offended someone that cetainly wasn't my intention.
Road Captain
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 681
Likes: 1
From: Grand Rapids, mi.
Road Captain
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 681
Likes: 1
From: Grand Rapids, mi.
Road Captain
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 681
Likes: 1
From: Grand Rapids, mi.
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 10,232
Likes: 9,322
From: Georgia
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Club Member
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 145,895
Likes: 821
From: 40 miles Northeast of Indy..
your 96" pigs statement didn't win any friends..
the last time I had a wheelie machine was in 72 and it was a 70 XLCH, 6" over tubes on the front and when I had a chick on the rear I couldn't get on it in 1st or 2nd..
here's a pic of her..
the last time I had a wheelie machine was in 72 and it was a 70 XLCH, 6" over tubes on the front and when I had a chick on the rear I couldn't get on it in 1st or 2nd..
here's a pic of her..
Last edited by oct1949; Feb 14, 2018 at 03:55 AM.
Road Warrior
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 1,338
Likes: 92
From:
Just about any bike can wheelie with the right technique. People wheelie touring bikes. If I had a stronger clutch, my mostly stock NT would probably either wheelie a little or chirp tire with a full throttle shift into second. But, I can feel the stock clutch slipping any time I do something crazy like that.