@@sgt.nickel The two that ended with crashing were on my OSSA Pioneer and no damage, but, so funny, at a stoplight on my Triumph Bonneville, the front wheel went straight up and the taillight lens got ground down on the pavement. I didn't let go and was able to land my stomach on the seat with both my feet dragging on the ground. So funny when I look back and remember..
Lol I was thinking about you when he started talking about wheelies going bad. And then there you were! To be fair, lots of us are bad at wheelie. I broke my rib just 2 weeks ago trying this.
I wish I had TH-cam when I was young, might have actually learned how to ride. I've learned so much now and I can't believe how much I've improved. Chris Birch is one of the best teachers on here; Rich Larson is also amazing and has a ton of content.
I've been to several riding schools including a trials riding school. And I always struggled to load the suspension before lifting the front wheel for obstacles. But Chris is the first guy to actually clearly tell and demonstrate that one must only use your legs and not your arms. No wonder I struggled to do it. I always pushed on the bars..And let me tell you it is tiring. Can't wait to try it again but only using my legs. Thanks Chris.👍
I ran into Chris in the forest in Squamish, BC. A guy on a special bike and red bull riding gear. We spoke for a few moments, real nice guy. Then his whole class of riders appeared and I figured out who he was. Great tutorial Chris!
I love how effortless it looks. Meanwhile me freaking out as soon as my front wheel leaves ground for a foot lol! Practice time is coming! Also, love the scenery! Sweet meadow over there!
I'm 58 and I do remember when the bike has plenty of power , I had an easier time with doing wheelies. Some bikes I rode over the years came up without me trying. I always liked those bikes and I remembered those bikes. I remember when I was in Highschool a friend of mine used to wheelie his sportster around the highschool and I was amazed on how he made it look easy.
Undoubtedly some of the best instructional videos on YT! Chris breaks each technique down to its component parts to make the whole less daunting. Looking forward to practicing and learning from all the episodes. At my age (65) I'll never do hard enduro or competitive riding but gaining confidence is worthwhile all the same.
I really like this video. Very good teacher. I love the “until it’s boring” of the drills. I agree. Boring cause you have it down to without thinking about it anymore. Plus using small steps to then add them together for the entire process. Beautiful my friend. I feel far more confident that I could do wheelies if I follow these drills.
I did schoolboy MX for several years in the 80s. I wish there had been a coach series like this around then. It would have saved a lot of bumps and bruises - and the odd broken bone!
I am a big guy (140 kilos). Bikes hook up very well for me. When I ride I feel like (very slow) Bob Hannah. Bikes almost naturally pop a wheelie when I encounter an obstacle but experience difficulty getting the bike to pop a wheelie for fun. When I was younger and lighter wheelies were fun and easy.
The explanation on this is so detailed about the timing. I've watched many wheelie videos to try and find the order of these operations and this explains it beautifully. Thank you.
Best tutorial I've seen on electric bike wheelies, people ask me all the time for advice so now I can just send them this video and they'll be ripping sick wheelies in no time. Rules are important for learning to wheelie , and the first rule is to always use someone else's bike!
Absolutely the best 'how to wheelie' video. As a "newbie" to wheelying I want to emphasize Chris' point about keeping you finger(s) on the clutch. If you are new, when the wheel pops up it's scary at first and you'll instictively squeeze the grips. But if your finger(s) are on the clutch, then you will also press the clutch in and cut the power to the motor and your front wheel will come down. Chris makes this point in the video but I want to emphasize it because it gave me confidence that I could lift the front wheel without looping the bike. Once I had this confidence, it became less scary and started to enjoy popping up the front tire at slow speeds in a controlled manner. This opened up a new level of enjoyment in riding trails. But it takes A LOT of practice. Thank you Chris!
Freakin awesome!!! Such excellent instruction from somebody that obviously, completely knows his $hit on a dirtbike, this instructional video is to me, a life long rider now 50 yrs of age, absolutely invaluable information!! While I certainly do have some well developed skills, wheelies have always been a weak point in my riding. It's not that I don't get my front wheel in the air on the reg for obstacles etc. but I have never been comfortable keeping that wheel high up in the air. Now I understand why!! And I know just what to do and how to work on overcoming my weakness in this particular skill. I'm so much looking forward to practicing and developing this new skill along with enhancing, maybe even fine polishing several other skills with the aid of this invaluable instruction... Thank you so very much Chris Burch for making this information, your skills, available to the rest of us!! It is SO very much appreciated!
Thanks Chris for the step by step tips. I just bought both your Say No to Slow videos. Will surely have many weekends of fun watching the videos and practicing my rides.
Dirtbikers have their own language when it comes to engine noises. lmao REALLY GREAT VIDEO THOUGH. By far the most in depth wheelie tutorial video I've seen on TH-cam! Thank you for this!
As Birchy said, timing is the key to consistently popping a controlled wheelie. Something that helped me that I will share was to time my stomp on the pegs/max compression with the release of the clutch and throttle snap. In fact, try to release the clutch and snap the throttle on the way down on the peg stomp. This is because the release of clutch and throttle snap will come later because as a newbie you are thinking about all the steps instead of doing it instinctively. So, pre planning to be early on the clutch release and throttle will sync up the timing perfectly. Tell your yourself, be early… be early…, etc.
Superb work, Chris! I do like to play with the more technical side of riding, here in highly urbanised England (maybe not entirely true, but every piece of countryside has some sort of restrictions) there are few places to practice freely, although I do have a place where I have not been hassled so far. This adds to the nervousness I find, however, some days I have been able to find the balance point momentarily and yet other days I have felt afraid to commit and just wheel spinned across the field! This video really breaks down the nuances of each technique and provides insight into why that is happening, sometimes, I am more afraid of the bike than other days, it seems! And it is those days where I am feeling more afraid that I don't commit to the technique and thus don't generate the rebound from the suspension. It is the same with wheelies on my mtb, it's all about committing to the body movement to work with the bike rather than fight against it, but a fire breathing dirt bike is more intimidating than a 1 human powered bicycle! Great video!
Thank you Chris. Need to practice this. I just bought my first ever 2-stroke (2015 KTM 200XCW) a couple of days ago and went riding with the boyz today. I’m so used to only using the throttle on 4-strokes (because of the instant torque) and found out quickly that same technique just won’t work. I kept trying to fast-wheelie over obstacles on the trail but all I got was wheel spin. Now that I watch your video I think my timing was wrong. Instead of giving power at the bottom of the compression to maximize grip, I was giving power half way back up the rebound, which I’m guessing created the wheel spin from the lack of load on the rear tire. Will practice more.
I am by no means a wheelie official here, but whenever I pop a wheelie on my 125 4 stroke, I mainly use the compression and rebound of the front suspension do most of my work rather than clutch. Maybe that's why I don't have quick or good wheelies. Awesome tips though. What a dude
Chris places more emphasis on pulling the clutch in rather than stabbing the rear brake when you’re in trouble. Most other videos go the other way, more emphasis on the rear brake. Chris is a pro so he probably knows what he’s talking about. LOL
I love your videos man. Really educational and opens me up on skills that really needs practice. Also your vids are entertaining. I can say that you can create a montage of all the sound effects that you make when teaching skills.😅 Keep em coming mate. Thank you.
im still mid at wheelies but i first learned on a lil tiny suzuki that i had broken the clutch cable on so i always used the "compress the front throw all the weight back and floor it" technique
This is a great video, thank you. Been wheeling for some time now but love them so much I watch videos on them LOL this video Is awesome! Went from wheeling 110’s to big twin harleys
I dream some night that i can wheelie well. Once I'm out of my cast ill practice some of these techniques on my wr450. Thanks for sharing! Very well presented.
Great video. The sounds and everything worked out great. Any tips for not crushing my other fingers when I try to one finger clutch. Especially when bike gets hotter the clutch needs more pull, my other fingers are in the road 😬
@@ChrisBirchNZ, probably so. I'm better at doing actual wheelies than making the sounds. Many thanks for the video, certainly helped with my clutch-up BP.
Thank you for the great tutorial: how do you make sure that your body does not slide back on those almost vertical ones. With hands carrying all weight or knees to the tank?
braap, braap! awesome video. only thing i missed is what gear to be in (im guessing second rather than first) and more sound when seeing the bike footage would have been awesome.
Hi I'm 40 years old and I just did my first deliberate wheelie this evening as I left a dinner at a friends house. I'm addicted lol.
This I like!
I'm 70, been riding 63 years & did two great wheelies back in 1973. Unfortunately, both ended with crashing! Fortunately, I didn't get hurt!
I'm 40 too and I'm definitely going to try one this evening. Only ever did a tiny one once by accident.
@@savage22bolt32 hope the bike was ok..
@@sgt.nickel The two that ended with crashing were on my OSSA Pioneer and no damage, but, so funny, at a stoplight on my Triumph Bonneville, the front wheel went straight up and the taillight lens got ground down on the pavement. I didn't let go and was able to land my stomach on the seat with both my feet dragging on the ground. So funny when I look back and remember..
This is by far the best wheelie lesson I've ever found. Thanks, very much appreciated!
Yes!
There is so much to learn from this, the hand position, shifting body weight along with suspension compression.
Thank you
I love how my video has become a tutorial of what not to do when trying to wheelie 🤣
Nice little nod to your channel fella👍
Lol I was thinking about you when he started talking about wheelies going bad. And then there you were! To be fair, lots of us are bad at wheelie. I broke my rib just 2 weeks ago trying this.
Good on ya mate! Hahahaha btw, I'm a fan from Cambodia also a fellow enudro rider 👌🏽
I love how your still watching videos like this ha ha ha. Legend!
@@ringonotts TH-cam is my life
I wish I had TH-cam when I was young, might have actually learned how to ride. I've learned so much now and I can't believe how much I've improved. Chris Birch is one of the best teachers on here; Rich Larson is also amazing and has a ton of content.
Facts
I've been to several riding schools including a trials riding school. And I always struggled to load the suspension before lifting the front wheel for obstacles. But Chris is the first guy to actually clearly tell and demonstrate that one must only use your legs and not your arms. No wonder I struggled to do it. I always pushed on the bars..And let me tell you it is tiring. Can't wait to try it again but only using my legs. Thanks Chris.👍
It's been a year since you made this I just saw this video are you doing wheelies now
@@brianpriest7000He musta died..
I ran into Chris in the forest in Squamish, BC. A guy on a special bike and red bull riding gear. We spoke for a few moments, real nice guy. Then his whole class of riders appeared and I figured out who he was. Great tutorial Chris!
FINALLY a thorough and well put together wheelie instructional video!!!! Thank you Chris Birch!!! 🙏🙏🙏
This is the best wheelie tutorial I've ever landed on YT. I'll practice these steps on my next day off. Keep it coming Chris! Thanks a bunch!
By far the most detailed explanation I've seen on wheelies . practice practice and more practice.
Thats the key!
I've never seen wheeling so well explained and demonstrated. Thanks mate!
I love how effortless it looks. Meanwhile me freaking out as soon as my front wheel leaves ground for a foot lol! Practice time is coming! Also, love the scenery! Sweet meadow over there!
The sound effects are helpful - great tutorial
I'm 58 and I do remember when the bike has plenty of power , I had an easier time with doing wheelies. Some bikes I rode over the years came up without me trying. I always liked those bikes and I remembered those bikes. I remember when I was in Highschool a friend of mine used to wheelie his sportster around the highschool and I was amazed on how he made it look easy.
Undoubtedly some of the best instructional videos on YT! Chris breaks each technique down to its component parts to make the whole less daunting. Looking forward to practicing and learning from all the episodes. At my age (65) I'll never do hard enduro or competitive riding but gaining confidence is worthwhile all the same.
I really like this video. Very good teacher. I love the “until it’s boring” of the drills. I agree. Boring cause you have it down to without thinking about it anymore. Plus using small steps to then add them together for the entire process. Beautiful my friend. I feel far more confident that I could do wheelies if I follow these drills.
There is many great riders out there.Chris is by far the most analytical with great communication skills.
This is a very good video. Once I get over my sickness I'm getting on my bike and trying these tips
I did schoolboy MX for several years in the 80s. I wish there had been a coach series like this around then. It would have saved a lot of bumps and bruises - and the odd broken bone!
Thanks Chris - BEST Tutorial on HOW TO WHEELIE I have ever seen
The best hard enduro couch, it is very important to know how to explain and Chris knows how to do it very well.
I am a big guy (140 kilos). Bikes hook up very well for me. When I ride I feel like (very slow) Bob Hannah. Bikes almost naturally pop a wheelie when I encounter an obstacle but experience difficulty getting the bike to pop a wheelie for fun. When I was younger and lighter wheelies were fun and easy.
Best wheelie instruction video ever! Hoping not to be wheelie impaired after practicing these tips! Thank you.
The explanation on this is so detailed about the timing. I've watched many wheelie videos to try and find the order of these operations and this explains it beautifully. Thank you.
This helped a lot 🤘🏻 best wheelie video I’ve watched so far and I’ve watched a bunch man thank you 🙌🏻
Thank You!!! For removing the handguards and clearly showing the clutch & front brake movements. Great video!
Best tutorial I've seen on electric bike wheelies, people ask me all the time for advice so now I can just send them this video and they'll be ripping sick wheelies in no time.
Rules are important for learning to wheelie , and the first rule is to always use someone else's bike!
Thank you so much! Many bikers explained this technique, but I didn't understand well until I watched this video, so clear! You're the best teacher!
Really great explanation Chris! Clearly a great teacher!!!
Glad you think so!
Hello Chris 65 yr old here been ridding loooong time it’s great to learn from the best.
Thank you
the quality of the video and the cinematics are appreciated
I love the sounds you make! 😂 Great tutorial
Absolutely the best 'how to wheelie' video. As a "newbie" to wheelying I want to emphasize Chris' point about keeping you finger(s) on the clutch. If you are new, when the wheel pops up it's scary at first and you'll instictively squeeze the grips. But if your finger(s) are on the clutch, then you will also press the clutch in and cut the power to the motor and your front wheel will come down. Chris makes this point in the video but I want to emphasize it because it gave me confidence that I could lift the front wheel without looping the bike. Once I had this confidence, it became less scary and started to enjoy popping up the front tire at slow speeds in a controlled manner. This opened up a new level of enjoyment in riding trails. But it takes A LOT of practice. Thank you Chris!
Nice one! Thanks for a great comment 👍
Thanks for making/taking the time Chris. Much appreciated.
Freakin awesome!!! Such excellent instruction from somebody that obviously, completely knows his $hit on a dirtbike, this instructional video is to me, a life long rider now 50 yrs of age, absolutely invaluable information!! While I certainly do have some well developed skills, wheelies have always been a weak point in my riding. It's not that I don't get my front wheel in the air on the reg for obstacles etc. but I have never been comfortable keeping that wheel high up in the air. Now I understand why!! And I know just what to do and how to work on overcoming my weakness in this particular skill. I'm so much looking forward to practicing and developing this new skill along with enhancing, maybe even fine polishing several other skills with the aid of this invaluable instruction... Thank you so very much Chris Burch for making this information, your skills, available to the rest of us!! It is SO very much appreciated!
@@jessbarkley9523 hi Jess! Thanks for taking the time to write such a nice comment! I’m stoked that this video helped you.
Great Chris
Thanks very much I am old with broken body but love watching yourself & others.
Great series we have learnt a lot.
Thanks very much Cheers
Most thorough explanation. Very good
Thanks Chris for the step by step tips.
I just bought both your Say No to Slow videos. Will surely have many weekends of fun watching the videos and practicing my rides.
Can old dog learn new tricks? I’m so old, I don’t panic anymore. You are one with your bike, really enjoyed this, thank you.
Nothing like a Birchy wheelie, TY . Watched CHRIS many times in the KTM rally's.
The best wheelie lesson ever!
Best wheelie video ever and I know this before even getting off the couch!
Dirtbikers have their own language when it comes to engine noises. lmao
REALLY GREAT VIDEO THOUGH. By far the most in depth wheelie tutorial video I've seen on TH-cam! Thank you for this!
you re the best. no discussion... clear, concise explanations....
As Birchy said, timing is the key to consistently popping a controlled wheelie. Something that helped me that I will share was to time my stomp on the pegs/max compression with the release of the clutch and throttle snap. In fact, try to release the clutch and snap the throttle on the way down on the peg stomp. This is because the release of clutch and throttle snap will come later because as a newbie you are thinking about all the steps instead of doing it instinctively. So, pre planning to be early on the clutch release and throttle will sync up the timing perfectly. Tell your yourself, be early… be early…, etc.
That’s really good advice! Thanks for this
Best wheelie instruction ever.
Great tutorial Chris, really appreciate the way you articulate the how part really well, so practical!!👌
Superb work, Chris!
I do like to play with the more technical side of riding, here in highly urbanised England (maybe not entirely true, but every piece of countryside has some sort of restrictions) there are few places to practice freely, although I do have a place where I have not been hassled so far.
This adds to the nervousness I find, however, some days I have been able to find the balance point momentarily and yet other days I have felt afraid to commit and just wheel spinned across the field!
This video really breaks down the nuances of each technique and provides insight into why that is happening, sometimes, I am more afraid of the bike than other days, it seems! And it is those days where I am feeling more afraid that I don't commit to the technique and thus don't generate the rebound from the suspension.
It is the same with wheelies on my mtb, it's all about committing to the body movement to work with the bike rather than fight against it, but a fire breathing dirt bike is more intimidating than a 1 human powered bicycle!
Great video!
I am trying to learn on my own and your videos are very well explained, thank you!!
Thank you Chris. Need to practice this.
I just bought my first ever 2-stroke (2015 KTM 200XCW) a couple of days ago and went riding with the boyz today. I’m so used to only using the throttle on 4-strokes (because of the instant torque) and found out quickly that same technique just won’t work. I kept trying to fast-wheelie over obstacles on the trail but all I got was wheel spin. Now that I watch your video I think my timing was wrong. Instead of giving power at the bottom of the compression to maximize grip, I was giving power half way back up the rebound, which I’m guessing created the wheel spin from the lack of load on the rear tire. Will practice more.
Thank you! Good to learn not only the how but also the why. Can't wait to try.
Keep it up mate! Nice instructions... All the things I need to know in 18mins. Thank you!
Best video on the subject I’ve ever seen. Kudos!
Best explained on How to wheelie brilliant.
You just saved lot us from lot of bruises, time and wrecks 👍🏻
Thanks for the tips. I definitely need to spend more time practicing
Thank you Chris, this is the 1st of your videos I have seen.
Such a great video, excellent tips and experience shared.....I'll be watching alot more.
Best wheelie vid out there thanks mate, and love the clutch plate.
Right on, Chris!
I am by no means a wheelie official here, but whenever I pop a wheelie on my 125 4 stroke, I mainly use the compression and rebound of the front suspension do most of my work rather than clutch. Maybe that's why I don't have quick or good wheelies. Awesome tips though. What a dude
Chris places more emphasis on pulling the clutch in rather than stabbing the rear brake when you’re in trouble. Most other videos go the other way, more emphasis on the rear brake. Chris is a pro so he probably knows what he’s talking about. LOL
I love your videos man. Really educational and opens me up on skills that really needs practice. Also your vids are entertaining. I can say that you can create a montage of all the sound effects that you make when teaching skills.😅 Keep em coming mate. Thank you.
I love your little sound effects 😆
Awesome skills and excellent coaching - Well done 👍
im still mid at wheelies but i first learned on a lil tiny suzuki that i had broken the clutch cable on so i always used the "compress the front throw all the weight back and floor it" technique
Excellent tutorial for wheelies. Well done. 👍🤙
On my sons kx85 it's just throttle as well as the kx250. The new 85 has some good power 1st - 4th.
Great theory! We appreciate it.
I love how there’s a clip of MidWestMX here. I recognized it IMMEDIATELY!
This was very well done, did a course many years ago with Chris, nice to be able to keep on learning with him
All of my ( fondest ) memories of my dirt bike youth is of all the road rash from looping.
This is a great video, thank you. Been wheeling for some time now but love them so much I watch videos on them LOL this video Is awesome! Went from wheeling 110’s to big twin harleys
Love the sound effects.
Great video! These details are a huge help.
I just wish I had a kickstand I could trust as much as you trust yours!😂
You make it look wheelie easy!
Thanks
Good explanation.
I’ll be signing up for your course.
Really excellent, you clearly just get it like breathing 👍
Great vid! Just flipped my sherco trying to find the balance point haha. But will keep trying!
Very useful and hands on tips. Tks Chris!
I dream some night that i can wheelie well. Once I'm out of my cast ill practice some of these techniques on my wr450. Thanks for sharing! Very well presented.
Brilliant lesson - best Ive seen
Subscribed, liked, laughed, will get your training. Well done!
Ktm’s hydraulic clutch is so nice. Every time he was feathering the clutch was making me jealous. Lol
Thr best tutorial out from the best. Thanks
What a great video mate, thanks
Great video Chris, thanks!
Great tutorial! I'll keep trying the technique. Thanks for the awesome video and for sharing your knowledge.
It’s all in the Brrrrrrrrapp. 😉😂😂👍
Very well explained Chris 🥇
Thanks Chris. This is great. Will try (at least the first two techniques 😉)
Wow fantastic video. Thank you!
Whiskey throttle? 😂 Love the NZ flair. …Great video, thanks!
Great video. The sounds and everything worked out great.
Any tips for not crushing my other fingers when I try to one finger clutch. Especially when bike gets hotter the clutch needs more pull, my other fingers are in the road 😬
Awesome explanation Chris, thanks again for the video, your the boss👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Great tips, timing is everything. What I like best of this video is the sou effects. Burr.. up lol
Lesson One: Brraaaaapp!!!
You need to get it sounding just right!
@@ChrisBirchNZ, probably so. I'm better at doing actual wheelies than making the sounds. Many thanks for the video, certainly helped with my clutch-up BP.
Thank you for the great tutorial: how do you make sure that your body does not slide back on those almost vertical ones. With hands carrying all weight or knees to the tank?
Excellent teacher
🔥🔥🔥No words. Thank you very much sir. ❤ from India
Most welcome!
Making it look so easy !
braap, braap! awesome video. only thing i missed is what gear to be in (im guessing second rather than first) and more sound when seeing the bike footage would have been awesome.
Very good
Remind me of Nat Mountain
Scottsboro Alabama