Wheelie Recovery Technique?

[RichDesmond]

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=10157052110195769

[Rob S.]

I was thinking "estimated time", but ET prob means elapsed time.

ET does indeed mean elapsed time. My '73 Z1 owner's manual called it "SS 1/4 mile" (SS='standing start'). It also claimed 12.0 sec, which was only off by as much as 3/4 of a second. Four years later, when it was increased from 903 to 1014cc and called the KZ1000, and became the quickest production motorcycle Cycle World had ever tested, it still 'only' did 12.2 sec.

And I'm old school. If your "drag strip" is only 1/8 mile long, well, that's not a drag strip. That's my opinion, and it should be yours.

[JMHJ]

I've not had any more surprises since that one. Been sort of thinking about the clutch-up technique and how that would work, but have not done it : )

I had to get out of the house the other night, and the night air was messing with my contacts. I pulled over on the side of the nearly empty turnpike to put in some eye drops (first of 3 or 4 times), and laid into it getting back on the road. I stayed with it a gear or two longer than a usual hard accel blend into traffic (run), and was surprised how the thing was still pulling hard up at a place I hadn't been. I mean 2nd gear will get you to and beyond a highway speed limit; I sometimes do third for a bit for good measure, then settle into the flow somewhere. Other than that, most of my maneuvering is in top gear and is well and good enough.

I'm bragging on my bike a bit, heh... It's the best one I've had, except maybe the GS450, only because that one was the first, and you can't replace those times. Still like the Suzukis though...

[JMHJ]

Got a little unexpected rise out of it the other day, and tried the shifting thing, but don't think I did it quite quick enough. Still felt it plop back down, but not too bad. If I knew it was coming and/or did it more, it might be more natural. Mighta been the cold air, or rolling on the throttle at just the right time, Idk.

I've seen a guy do a 45-degree-ish wheelie on a big V-twin Harley or some such. And I'm iffy on a bike it ought to be "easy" on. Pretty bad, lol.

[argonsagas]

Rear brake as Rijko says. The great thing about that is your brain is already trained to stab your right foot down when in danger. It's the one time on a bike that it's the right move. Otherwise it's been the death of many bikers when encountering danger.

You are right on all points.

I am no longer amazed, but continue to be puzzled by how many riders still avoid proper use of the front brake in normal riding, and especially in emergency cituations.
]
the rear brake is an excellent tool when you want down from a wheelie, and particularly when it is an unintentional one.

[JMHJ]

This bike's got the best front brakes of any I remember. I really only feel like I'm adding the rear in too because you're "supposed to". If I'm "thinking" about what I'm going to use, it's about the fronts (maybe because those controls are more in view, and operated by the hand).

I like to use two fingers on the lever and hang onto the throttle/bar with the rest. The instructor from the riding refresher class I was in summer before last wanted all four of them on there for max braking. Didn't feel as natural to me.

I also didn't want to ride the rear brake all the way to the stop, as I wanted to be ready to put either or both feet down, if I remember. Or if you do it just right, once in a while, you don't have to put either foot down for a second or two : ). Kinda fun to practice that too, in daily driving.

[argonsagas]

The reason instructors tell you to use four fingers is to get you into the habit of doing what is best for safety....NOT convenience or "feeling natural"
For almost every one, four givers a much more positive grip and enables the front brakes to work at their best.

There may be some exceptions, but riders looking for an exception to this or any other fundamental safety measure is the direction many of us take before we go down....and then cannot understand why it happened.

Learning what to do, how to do it, and when to do it are all critical. None of them are stand-alone. You need all of them.


Every one of us develops habits over time, and many of the habits we adopt often are considerably less than safe, no matter how much or how hard we want to argue about that point..

This is a main reason why so many schools suggest that "experienced " riders come back to be refreshed.........and to learn. You are never too old to learn.


As example, when going downhill on gravel or loose surface of any kind , if your preference is to remain upright, you NEVER apply the front brake.

[JMHJ]

The front brake thing's wandering a bit, but I'll share one experience I had on my 850. Actually I had three close calls in a fairly short amount of time. Don't know if I wasn't living right or what, but anyway...

For one of them, I was first in line at a signalized intersection. At the green I pulled away briskly, with the oncoming lanes on the other side of the intersection still stopped. As happens so often, some well-intentioned folks had left a gap so that those at (usually a corner) business can get out and go the other direction.

The people who pull out must, more often than not it seems, do it blind, yet they do it anyway. That's what happened - someone pulled out right in front of me (I was in the inside lane). It was so close I really thought I was going to hit them. It was the only time I remember locking the front brake on that bike - not on purpose, but it happened. Thankfully the braking worked and the bike stayed upright.

An ironical twist to that is, I did something very similar the other day in my truck - nearing a line of cars at a red light, and stopped short to let a car turn left in front of me (I was in the inside lane). I think I glanced in my mirror to check the RH lane, but too late, probably. The person turned, and narrowly missed a collision with a car coming up on the RH side from behind me. I held up my hand to stop them when I saw the car coming, but they probably thought I was just returning their wave. Very, very stupid.

On the brake lever thing quickly, right now I'm good, but as I age, I may not be at some point... should I live so long as to find out.

[argonsagas]

The front brake thing's wandering a bit, but I'll share one experience I had on my 850. Actually I had three close calls in a fairly short amount of time. Don't know if I wasn't living right or what, but anyway...

For one of them, I was first in line at a signalized intersection. At the green I pulled away briskly, with the oncoming lanes on the other side of the intersection still stopped. As happens so often, some well-intentioned folks had left a gap so that those at (usually a corner) business can get out and go the other direction.

The people who pull out must, more often than not it seems, do it blind, yet they do it anyway. That's what happened - someone pulled out right in front of me (I was in the inside lane). It was so close I really thought I was going to hit them. It was the only time I remember locking the front brake on that bike - not on purpose, but it happened. Thankfully the braking worked and the bike stayed upright.

An ironical twist to that is, I did something very similar the other day in my truck - nearing a line of cars at a red light, and stopped short to let a car turn left in front of me (I was in the inside lane). I think I glanced in my mirror to check the RH lane, but too late, probably. The person turned, and narrowly missed a collision with a car coming up on the RH side from behind me. I held up my hand to stop them when I saw the car coming, but they probably thought I was just returning their wave. Very, very stupid.

On the brake lever thing quickly, right now I'm good, but as I age, I may not be at some point... should I live so long as to find out.

That last line is SO important.

Regardless of your age, being constantly aware of what is happening ALL around you is the single most important thing you must learn and maintain through your riding career.