Alright so yesterday I finally tried power wheelies for real. Been wanting to do this forever but honestly? Kinda scared me. Kept seeing videos online and felt like, “How hard can it be?” Spoiler: Harder than it looks.
Getting Ready: The Smart Stuff (Sort Of)
First off, no way was I trying this on some busy street. Found this massive, totally empty parking lot behind an old warehouse nobody uses anymore. Felt a bit sketchy driving there, but worth it for the space. Then there was the gear:
- Real helmet – My full-face one, not that half-cap nonsense.
- Jacket with armor – Scratches and bruises suck, road rash sucks way more.
- Gloves – Nearly wore my summer ones, that would’ve been dumb.
- Boots – Actual riding boots, not sneakers. Almost rolled my ankle once standing still practicing, glad I had these.
The Mess-Up Part (Several Times)
Started on my old 650. Just rode normally first, getting used to the space. Deep breath. Okay, first try: Cruising in first gear, maybe 15 mph? Whacked the throttle open. Front tire just… hopped a tiny bit and slammed down. Felt like I got punched in the hands. Not encouraging.
Tried again. Same speed. Same hard throttle whack. Same stupid little hop. Starting to feel useless. What was I doing wrong? Sat on the side for a few minutes, feeling stupid.
Click Moment (Mostly)
Remembered some vague forum advice. Instead of trying to yank it up with pure force, maybe be a bit smoother? This time, cruising in first at maybe 12 mph, rolled into the throttle way quicker but didn’t just smash it instantly. Like… fast smooth? Almost immediately, the front felt way lighter. Didn’t come up high, but it came up! That tiny lift felt like winning a race.
Okay, confidence boost! Next step: get it higher. Still in first, same sorta speed. Rolled into the throttle fast and hard, but leaned back a bit this time. Whoa! Front end actually came up properly! Knee-jerk reaction: Chopped the throttle and it slammed down. Heart was pounding like crazy. Kinda scary, kinda awesome.
Keeping It Off The Ground (Kinda)
Key lesson learned the hard way: Throttle control is everything. Chopping it = front slams down. Holding it wide open too long = very bad things. Started practicing finding that weird middle ground. Bring it up, then just hold a little throttle open to keep it up, not more. Foot hovered over the back brake (safety cover!) but didn’t need to touch it yet. Focused on one thing: holding that steady throttle. Managed a few seconds of actual wheelie! Still tiny, maybe wheel 6 inches off the ground, but felt huge. Probably looked ridiculous, but didn’t care.
Massive takeaway: You don’t yank it up and hope. It’s not brute force. It’s about the speed (not too fast!), the smooth but quick throttle roll-on, leaning back, and then finding that sweet throttle spot to hold it. Easy to say, hard as heck to do consistently.
What I Wish I Knew Before Screwing Up
- It needs space. That empty lot saved me from hitting stuff after my bad landings.
- Perfect gear makes you feel less scared to mess up. Knees and elbows thank you later.
- IDLE is your friend. Practice finding that engine speed where it just holds the wheelie without climbing or dropping? Crucial.
- Start tiny. Forget getting it high. Just get the front light, then a little lift. Baby steps.
- Respect the back brake. Practice finding it instantly with your foot BEFORE you try bringing the bike up higher. Saved myself once instinctively.
Honestly? Still suck at it. Wheelies are cool in videos, scary on your own bike, and way, way harder than those guys make it look. Zero regrets trying though. Got the front off the ground under my own control. That alone feels like progress. Next weekend, same parking lot, same bike. Maybe get it a foot up this time.
