Wheelies and Stoppies

Did you do a stoppie?

It is called by different names - nose wheelie, stoppie or the endo. Whatever be the name, this bike maneuvering has got so much of a craze amongst the young bike riding enthusiasts.

What is a nose wheelie by the way?
Nose wheelie is a bike maneuver wherein a person rides the bike just on the front wheels of the bike while the rear wheel is raised off of the ground, sometimes even higher than the bike. This stunning feat performed by bikers catches every trespasser's attention.



If you are one who harbors the craze of hanging from the wheelie the following lines should inform you about stunt. We however, believe that you are 18+ years of age and own a valid driver's license. Bear in mind that these aren't legal tips and tricks and it could be fatal if you attempt without supervision or training.

The stunts also call for wearing all motorcycle safety gear including helmet, boots (that support and protect ankle and heel) and a jacket. It should also be noted that these tricks should be practiced off traffic zones. Learning wheelie and stoppie stunts call for large space so an empty playground will be ideal. Keep a mobile phone with you and take friends along with you, so just in case of an unforeseen accident.



The wheelie and the stoppie are the 2 tricks that we learn first. The stoppie is also called an endo, and is what when you balance the bike with the rear end off the ground; which happens when the front brakes are applied with just that right force so you can balance it on front wheel. So this is the basic bike stunt art and should you attain mastery of endo then you can push your boundary further to do a 180-degree endo. However, wheelie is familiar bike stunts and every biker would love to wheelie once in their lifetime.

Actually, it is the control that is the key to the success of wheelies and stoppies. The high-risk maneuver pushes you off so you teeter off with bike to sides; so balance is crucial. This comes with confidence coupled with acquaintance with your machine; the more familiar you are with the machine the sooner you are confident to handle it.

You should also remember that your bike is basically not designed for you to wheelie or stoppie it. So even if you are able to endo your bike, you are pushing your bike farther than it is actually designed for. Chances of your bike's forks, seals of the fork and the bearings and rotor are damaged along with irregular treading of tires.

First off, wheelie calls for complete understanding of your bike's clutch as well as throttling besides balance. If the bike is heavy, a blip of the throttle should be able to lift the front wheel. But in those mean machines rev the engine of the bike through the peak and suddenly use the clutch. However, you should know the point where the bike is making power when you want to use the clutch and do a wheelie.

How should I sit for doing a wheelie?
Keep your body centered over the motorbike, with the head straight this will help you to pull off that safe stoppie. Your sitting position will be with a small forward lean while gripping the fuel tank from sides with your legs, your shoulders square and then arms straight and stiff. During a wheelie when the front end of the bike lifts, slowly push the weight of your upper half of the body forward and a little back. This is to enable you to get a control on the angle of your wheelie as well as the height. Remember not to tilt your body from the center.

So, how do I do a stoppie?
Position your body and after the speed has been picked up, pull the clutch in and soon apply a strong brake with about 75% braking pressure and back off once bike comes up. Since weight transfer makes an impact, as you put braking pressure, lean forward and shift the body weight over the front wheel.

From the middle of seat, bring the shoulders up just slide along the fuel tank so you are a little off the seat. As you leap forward, your body must be pretty much straight and also the arms should be straight with the elbows locked. This is to see that the bike isn't steered sideways.

As the back comes up, slowly let off the brakes as soon as you realize the balance point, because as long as you keep applying the brakes the back is lifted up. But when you realize you have approached the balance point wherein the back wheel is up but not going any further higher or even just started dropping lower, then you got to let off the brakes. There you go you did a stoppie.



As for steering, its hassle free as long as you are doing a basic stoppie keep the arms straight and you will go rolling straight. But when you roll long then steering becomes worrisome; i.e., a 100-foot endo and rolling up to 500 feet has lot of difference. At long roll steering becomes countersteering. For instance if the rear end kicks on to right, just push on the right bar and also steer so as to pull the front tyre the same direction as back is going. But if the bike is higher it becomes a lot easier to steer.

As for the simple endos, ride to full stop then allow the back end fall and let out the clutch; go off. To help make your endo sound great press the rear brakes right before the rear end comes down. This actually will cease the tyre spin as well as tighten the chain to keep from blipping as it hits.

Bike stunting could be very dangerous, and perform after due practice and training under the guidance of good bike stunter. Just wear helmet and good boots and be careful. By all means you will have fun doing stoppies.

Picture Courtesy : MotoGeo