Can a 83 GS550ES pull a wheelie??

[reem98]

I have an 83 GS550ES and I was wondering should I be able to pull a wheelie with stock gears. It also has a stage 1 jet kit K&N and 4into1.
Do these bikes begin to pull alot harder above 7k cause mine does.
thanks

[reddirtrider]

Wheelies are more technique than brute power. Of course, a GSXR1000 can power wheelie at speed, but almost any bike can do it.

THey are hard on the front seals, so be prepared to rebuild your forks.

[twiggy2cents]

my 85 gs550L will pop the wheel in a 1-2 shift at just the right time, i havent ever tried popping the clutch to wheelie

[Agemax]

Wheelies are more technique than brute power. Of course, a GSXR1000 can power wheelie at speed, but almost any bike can do it.

THey are hard on the front seals, so be prepared to rebuild your forks.

as you say, almost any bike will wheelie with the right technique. but landing is a technique as well. bring it down gently, under control and you wont do any harm to your forks

[reddirtrider]

as you say, almost any bike will wheelie with the right technique. but landing is a technique as well. bring it down gently, under control and you wont do any harm to your forks

Whatever ya' say. Hey, I'm not against wheelies just that you will be replacing fork seals much more frequently. Personally, I don't wheelie much on the street. Too many LEO's to worry about. I've got dirt bikes for that and they are much better equiped for it.

[chef1366]

Duct tape a fifty pound weight to the rear fender.

[GQROD]

With stock gears yes, blip the throttle lean back and enjoy the air!

[reem98]

I tried blipping the throttle in 1st gear and I just can't seem to get anything even at like 7k. It actually feels like there is a slight hesitation when I blip the throttle, but then it pulls hard after like 1 sec. I have a 4 into 1 exhaust. K&N filter with open box and an old K&N stage 1 jet kit. What might cause that initial hesitation.

[Agemax]

Whatever ya' say. Hey, I'm not against wheelies just that you will be replacing fork seals much more frequently. Personally, I don't wheelie much on the street. Too many LEO's to worry about. I've got dirt bikes for that and they are much better equiped for it.

practice on your dirt bikes then and learrn how to drop it down gently, then you wont damage your fork seals. its an art, as is bringing it up to start with.
practice, practice,practice. is the only answer

[reddirtrider]

practice on your dirt bikes then and learrn how to drop it down gently, then you wont damage your fork seals. its an art, as is bringing it up to start with.
practice, practice,practice. is the only answer

Good to know. I guess if I haven't gotten that smooth landing down each and every time after 35 years I never will. It's always nice to be lectured by someone whose bike apparently hasn't left the living room. lol

[barsnake]

Can a 83 GS550ES pop a wheelie?

With Viagra anything is possible!

[reddirtrider]

I tried blipping the throttle in 1st gear and I just can't seem to get anything even at like 7k. It actually feels like there is a slight hesitation when I blip the throttle, but then it pulls hard after like 1 sec. I have a 4 into 1 exhaust. K&N filter with open box and an old K&N stage 1 jet kit. What might cause that initial hesitation.

Getting the carbs sorted out will help. You may want to create another post for that so that you get the experts in on it. Once you do that, get a hill to work on your wheelies. It's a lot easier going up than on a flat surface.

[tkent02]

I bet what ruins the seals is when you go too high and so have to close the throttle completely to keep from going over backwards, the front comes down VERY hard when you do that. They don't hit that hard with power on.

[reddirtrider]

I bet what ruins the seals is when you go too high and so have to close the throttle completely to keep from going over backwards, the front comes down VERY hard when you do that. They don't hit that hard with power on.

Actually, that's not the scenario I'm talking about.

Wheelies are hard on the front seals. I've replaced mine on the 1200 once and my brothers twice just in the last year.

I know all of you here are much better at it than me, but from my experience (and I'll say it again) wheelies are hard on the front seals. You guys obviously have diferent data, or are much better at it. Either way, it's my experience with them that I'm talking about.

[tkent02]

Actually, that's not the scenario I'm talking about.

Wheelies are hard on the front seals. I've replaced mine on the 1200 once and my brothers twice just in the last year.

The only seals I've replaced were shot when I bought the bike, I don't go around wheelying all the time but if the front comes up I usually go with it...

Just lucky I guess.