How to wheelie a Crf150f

[Oxinbox21]

I want to be able to wheelie, but I am having trouble getting the front wheel up high enough to balance  (using the clutch). How do I practice at this. What are some tips.

Thanks

[FishFreq]

I want to be able to wheelie, but I am having trouble getting the front wheel up high enough to balance  (using the clutch). How do I practice at this. What are some tips.

Thanks

 

Hey Ox! 

 

Saw your old question about doing wheelies on your CRF150f and I thought I'd answer since no one else did. Have you figured it out yet?

 

 

It's one of MY FAVORITE things to do on a little underpowered bike like that! I've attached a pic of me doing it on my '03 crf150f. 

 

Click on pic to enlarge, hit 'save' to download to your pc.

 

Two basic ways to get it up: 

 

1. Rev the motor with clutch in, dump the clutch and hang on! This can be done from stand-still, or you can be rolling. 

 

2. While rolling at a slow to moderate speed from a standing position, blip the throttle while transferring weight backwards and PULLING LIKE MAD at the bars! If your carb is jetted cleanly, the crf150f will do this easily. I weigh 160 lbs and don't have a problem gettin' it up ? ! I pull and lean back pretty hard though. 

 

This second option, IMHO, is the most controllable way. 

 

Speaking of balance, you said you were 'having trouble getting high enough to balance'? Lets talk about wheelie styles. 

 

Types of Wheelies: 

 

1. Speed wheelie: Get the front wheel up 'just about' to the balance point, then the front wheel comes down as the engine revs faster and faster.  This is what we see people do most often. Doesn't take the rider past the 'comfort zone', less fear of looping out. 

 

2. Control wheelie: the given speed is maintained, wheelie is longer, up to unlimited distances, but to do it, one has to control the bike PAST the balance point by dragging the back brake. 

 

That Control wheelie is what I would term the 'proper wheelie', it's most fun and very comfortable when you get the hang of it. You said you have trouble getting it high enough to balance, well, a proper wheelie feels like you're WAY PAST the balance point! Forward momentum wants to loop you out and dragging your brake allows you to hang past the balance point and completely control your speed! 

 

Lesson one: Getting it UP, Control-style: 

 

For the beginner: rolling bike slowly in 1st gear in a standing position. I usually throttle down slightly to transfer weight to front end then transfer it to the rear as HARD as you can while giving it a bunch of throttle. I DO NOT slip the clutch. I DO slam my ass onto the seat while I pull back on the bars. I'm 160 lbs and it's no problem to get the front end started upward like this and the motor does the rest! IMPORTANT: what keeps you from looping out is your BACK BRAKE! 

 

Your back brake is everything in Control wheelies!  You must train your right foot to AUTOMATICALLY apply the right brake pressure to keep from flipping, and to keep from slamming the front wheel to the ground! Practice this every time you ride by getting the front wheel up high, and hitting the brake to bring it to the ground, over and over again until it's a REFLEX! 

 

Then as you get comfortable, you can gradually lift that front wheel higher and higher PAST the balance point until it starts to feel like you're about to scrape your rear fender on the ground and your brake will bring you back down! It isn't anywhere near that far over but it feels like it! I really like the crf150f rear drum brake for this, because most disc brake rear wheels are so strong, so touchy that they can make it harder to smoothly apply 'just the right' amount of brake. 

 

When learning start in 1st gear and roll slowly. As you get comfortable and confident that you're not gonna flip, try 2nd gear, my favorite, and you'll find that speed is your friend - better balance and front wheel spinning-gyroscope effect helps balance. 

 

Wheelie Posture:

The beginner learning to Control wheelie, once the front end is up, is typically sitting down, arms extended to put your body mass as far back as possible. The next level would be a control wheelie while standing high on the pegs! Stand up wheelies are even more fun, and it's even easier to steer the bike like this, you just weight one or the other peg and move your bars side to side and the bike will turn!!  

 

Good Luck, BE SAFE and have fun! Let me know how you do! 

 

Don't be a dumb-ass like me and wear your helmet! BTW teaching your right foot to automatically brake when the front end comes up too high will save your bacon later on when you've moved up to a 150R or 250R; grab too much gas over a big triple and find yourself in the air, straight-up-and-down! Yea the landing won't be pretty, but braking in the air will drop the front end a little, and when the back tire touches down stopped it will slam that front end to the earth. You may have to change your shorts after that but you'll live! 

 

Here's the pic! Those are CR85 usd forks and front end on it btw, love them! CR85 front end is better '9 ways to Sunday', in total it's 5.5 lbs lighter than stock crf150 front end, so wheelies are even easier! 

Edited June 4, 2014 by FishFreq

[Oxinbox21]

Awesome thanks for all the help. Will keep working on it!

[FishFreq]

We should post some crf-f's 'Wheelie Wednesday' pics right here, any day...

[offroad circus]

i have a 2012 one and i hate doing clutch up wheelies i always feel like im bagging the bike lol. with mine i can do a pretty good power wheelie by preloading off a little bump in second and then gunning the crap out of it. trust me if i can power wheelie a lawnmower  you could power wheelie a dirtbike. that and at the end of the day you wont feel so bad for your clutch  ?

[YZF_MX_rider]

Well my YZF has 0 problems with wheeling, as for my TTR230 when it was stock in first gear id give it 3/4 throttle then pop the clutch. (Full throttle would flip it backwards) and doing this i can sit towards the front of the seat and don't have to pull at all. But in any other gear wheelies won't happen on bikes like those unless youre extremely good at them.

[FishFreq]

Yea that ttr230 needs a lot of 'English' to do 2nd and 3rd gear wheelies, so the key is how hard you can transfer weight back. So tell me, YZF_mx_rider, when you say 'full throttle would flip it...' are u able to save it with your back brake, and then keep it going with your brake and throttle? Yea the YZF is a wheelie machine, though sometimes a bit touchy to throttle AND brake.

[YZF_MX_rider]

Yea that ttr230 needs a lot of 'English' to do 2nd and 3rd gear wheelies, so the key is how hard you can transfer weight back. So tell me, YZF_mx_rider, when you say 'full throttle would flip it...' are u able to save it with your back brake, and then keep it going with your brake and throttle? Yea the YZF is a wheelie machine, though sometimes a bit touchy to throttle AND brake.

yes but I'm saying if you just sat there gunned it in first and popped the clutch, stock 1st gear has enough torque to flip you backwards

[FishFreq]

yes but I'm saying if you just sat there gunned it in first and popped the clutch, stock 1st gear has enough torque to flip you backwards

Oh yes, no question you can easily flip any of these bikes in 1st! I really like 2nd gear for wheelies, because the speed adds so much stability. Then when you do stand-up wheelies, you can also steer the bike better on one wheel too. Try that. The drum back brake makes it easy to keep speed in check and ride that wheelie up high all the way down my block (without revving out the rpms and dropping the front end). 

[YZF_MX_rider]

Oh yes, no question you can easily flip any of these bikes in 1st! I really like 2nd gear for wheelies, because the speed adds so much stability. Then when you do stand-up wheelies, you can also steer the bike better on one wheel too. Try that. The drum back brake makes it easy to keep speed in check and ride that wheelie up high all the way down my block (without revving out the rpms and dropping the front end).

how can you wheelie a 230 in 2nd? I mean the YZF just pop the clutch and gun it and it comes up but my 230 will not do that.

[FishFreq]

You've been spoiled by all that hp YZF_mx_rider! On a 230f, begin in standing position, rolling slowly, I'd guess about 10-12 mph. I put only my index finger on the clutch cuz you're gonna need ALL your grip on the bars to LIFT the front end up! Slightly decel to transfer a little weight to the front, let your upper body weight go fwd too, then hammer the gas while u LEAN BACK REAL HARD to a seated position (like a seat bounce)! I'm about 155 lbs and it takes all I got but it will come all the way up no prob. I started doing this on my lighter 150f first, and to help out I'd just slightly slip the clutch with that single index finger, then found it wasn't necessary on either bike, my 230f or 150f.

Once you've leveraged that front end into the sky, as it wants to flip over, just drag the back brake pedal to bring it down slightly...then add throttle to keep it up, a like little brake, gas, brake, gas, and u can ride wheelies until u run out of room!

Can I ask you, how much do you weigh, how tall are you, and how old are u?

[FishFreq]

....so that, above, was a 2nd gear wheelie, but it can be done in 3rd or even 4th gear if u wish. 2nd is nice cuz it's fast, but not too fast. Master it in 1st great to start - once you've got the brake part down, try 2nd for some really long wheelies!! Nuthin more fun on a lazy afternoon in my residential neighborhood ? !

[YZF_MX_rider]

You've been spoiled by all that hp YZF_mx_rider! On a 230f, begin in standing position, rolling slowly, I'd guess about 10-12 mph. I put only my index finger on the clutch cuz you're gonna need ALL your grip on the bars to LIFT the front end up! Slightly decel to transfer a little weight to the front, let your upper body weight go fwd too, then hammer the gas while u LEAN BACK REAL HARD to a seated position (like a seat bounce)! I'm about 155 lbs and it takes all I got but it will come all the way up no prob. I started doing this on my lighter 150f first, and to help out I'd just slightly slip the clutch with that single index finger, then found it wasn't necessary on either bike, my 230f or 150f.

Once you've leveraged that front end into the sky, as it wants to flip over, just drag the back brake pedal to bring it down slightly...then add throttle to keep it up, a like little brake, gas, brake, gas, and u can ride wheelies until u run out of room!

Can I ask you, how much do you weigh, how tall are you, and how old are u?

i weigh 145, im 5'8 and 16 years old

[FishFreq]

Ok, I've got an idea what's going on YZF mx rider. One of the neighbor kids is about your build and age. Mind you, he's a very very good bmx rider that can almost bunny hop as high as the crossbar of his bmx bars, so he's strong, power-to-weight, but he can't 'lift wheelie' either of my crf's. He has to rely on slipping the clutch to burst up the front end, and that's a little harder to control.

Now I'm only 155 lbs, but I'm a mid 40's dad that's ridden all my life and raced mx for almost 10. I think I ride like I'm 10-15 lbs heavier than I am. Not too sure how to describe this...when I preload the front of my bike rolling in 2nd gear, then lean back, hammer the gas and wheelie down the block, my neighbor says, "it looks like you're pulling up on the bars SO HARD!" Doesn't feel like that too me, but from the outside, it looks like I'm giving it EVERYTHING I got to lift the front of these heavy assed crf's to vertical.

So my point is, for a light guy like you, better first master this rolling in 1st gear where the bike makes the most torque. Standing tall, throttle back slightly to transfer weight to forks, then LEAN BACK AND LIFT as HARD as you can while u hammer the throttle! First gear wheelies are the easiest to get up, but the hardest to keep up cuz ur going too slow, but if u can get that front end up real high AND then drag the brake to bring it down, you'll be able to do the same thing, with practice, in the other gears.

[YZF_MX_rider]

Ok, I've got an idea what's going on YZF mx rider. One of the neighbor kids is about your build and age. Mind you, he's a very very good bmx rider that can almost bunny hop as high as the crossbar of his bmx bars, so he's strong, power-to-weight, but he can't 'lift wheelie' either of my crf's. He has to rely on slipping the clutch to burst up the front end, and that's a little harder to control.

Now I'm only 155 lbs, but I'm a mid 40's dad that's ridden all my life and raced mx for almost 10. I think I ride like I'm 10-15 lbs heavier than I am. Not too sure how to describe this...when I preload the front of my bike rolling in 2nd gear, then lean back, hammer the gas and wheelie down the block, my neighbor says, "it looks like you're pulling up on the bars SO HARD!" Doesn't feel like that too me, but from the outside, it looks like I'm giving it EVERYTHING I got to lift the front of these heavy assed crf's to vertical.

So my point is, for a light guy like you, better first master this rolling in 1st gear where the bike makes the most torque. Standing tall, throttle back slightly to transfer weight to forks, then LEAN BACK AND LIFT as HARD as you can while u hammer the throttle! First gear wheelies are the easiest to get up, but the hardest to keep up cuz ur going too slow, but if u can get that front end up real high AND then drag the brake to bring it down, you'll be able to do the same thing, with practice, in the other gears.

lol while crf150's are heavy my TTR weighs 250 lbs, more than any kind of race bike! And in first gear yamaha has it geared extremely low, top speed in first is MAYBE 10mph. So i just pop the clutch and im up no problem. The thing is in second i absolutely cannot do it. Today I tried but it just severely stormed so it had a lot of wheelspin, (mind i got stuck 5 times in knee deep MUD not water) haha so I might have to wait for a few days to retry!

But I see what you're saying as to preload it, etc. and ill try when its dry out and let you know what happens! Lol

[offroad circus]

lol while crf150's are heavy my TTR weighs 250 lbs, more than any kind of race bike! And in first gear yamaha has it geared extremely low, top speed in first is MAYBE 10mph. So i just pop the clutch and im up no problem. The thing is in second i absolutely cannot do it. Today I tried but it just severely stormed so it had a lot of wheelspin, (mind i got stuck 5 times in knee deep MUD not water) haha so I might have to wait for a few days to retry!

But I see what you're saying as to preload it, etc. and ill try when its dry out and let you know what happens! Lol

my crf230f will catwalk in second and third no problem. my 150f, on the other hand will hardly do it in first  ? go figure

[FishFreq]

Yes offroad circus, huge difference between the two bikes, and the 150f may be the easier one to learn wheelies on because if u grab too much throttle, it doesn't do anything suddenly. My RMZ250f was my 2nd least favorite bike to wheelie, 2nd to my hyper YZ125 2 stroke!

And YZF rider, I so wouldn't practice wheelieing in less than 100% perfect traction conditions; if it's muddy, and you get too far over, when you grab brakes it's just gonna slide and loop you over on your head out tailbone....be safe, and wear your helmet too ? !!

[YZF_MX_rider]

Yes offroad circus, huge difference between the two bikes, and the 150f may be the easier one to learn wheelies on because if u grab too much throttle, it doesn't do anything suddenly. My RMZ250f was my 2nd least favorite bike to wheelie, 2nd to my hyper YZ125 2 stroke!

And YZF rider, I so wouldn't practice wheelieing in less than 100% perfect traction conditions; if it's muddy, and you get too far over, when you grab brakes it's just gonna slide and loop you over on your head out tailbone....be safe, and wear your helmet too ? !!

yeah kind of figured that haha. Mud is 0 traction and i always wear a helmet no matter what.

[Oxinbox21]

Yep really hard to wheelie without great traction!!!

[teamrude]

personally I rarely use rear brake. I find that once you mastered balance point you can speed it up. Once you get to certain speed (40+) the wind will help to hold front up and with proper throttle you can go and go and go. I used to take a SL125 for a few miles at a time (NOTE: will eventually burn head up due to low oiling or NO oiling!!!!) got pretty good at it and won a bunch of money on bets. Longest was 7.8 miles and ran out of beach I was on. As you get better you can learn to do the slow speed stuff. I rode around a city block 8 times before a cop asked me what I was doing. XR185 shorts, tennis shoes and a helmet. He let me off but said next time was Wreckless Driving ticket. I could literally run my xr250 over backwards and scrape rear fender and pull it back with brake. Did that til I road rashed my ass.

   Truthfully you will find certain bikes are much better than others for distance wheelies. Lots of fun and expect a few mishaps along the way.