Great instructional, very well explained, helped me improve my wheelie technique on my XR600R. I also use your rebuild videos as a guide when working on my XR.
Very thankful that you would comment and inform us that we have been a part of your motorcycle adventures. So glad you feel the videos are helpful and easy. Enjoy the ride and take it easy!
Oh the 650R is dreamy! Nice ride. Please no hospital visits! Take your time learning, wear some good gear, and make learning wheelies fun instead of painful. Good luck to ya. Stay safe!
I second the opinions, that this is by far the best wheelie training video I've seen! Covers all the basic and arguably the most important stuff you need to know as a beginner.
Great video. Ive been riding dirt bikes for 35 years and never tried this method of wheelies. I have the xr650r which will wheelie from just a flick of throttle but I can only wheelie for a short distance. Time for me to learn how to long distance wheelie!
Thanks for commenting. You've sure seen a lot in your 35 years of dirt bike riding! I'm glad there are still things to be learned. Never ridden the R but always dreamed of it. Have fun and enjoy the wheelies. Cheers!
And remember to have a high quality chain and sprockets as this is very hard on them and will shorten the life! Preferably a full spline front sprocket so you won't eat the output shaft! Have fun!
Thank you Cole Johnson for adding this important information. I have read about counter-shaft splines getting worn down with the stock front sprocket. Great reminder! As an aside: I got my front sprocket on eBay. It has more contact area to the shaft (XR650L maximum spline contact) so for those interested you can check it out (I am not affiliated). Take care out there and thanks again for leaving a comment. Cheers!
Primary drive also makes a full contact sprocket. Rocky mountain ATV/MC $12.99 I will see how it holds up. Fritzcoin (ebay) is out of stock on the 15T right now. Have a great ride!
Great to know that they can be found on Rocky mountain. I was hoping you knew more sprocket options. Perfect addition of information. Have a great ride as well!
Hey Mohamad. Thanks a lot! That is quite the compliment. Really appreciate you for leaving your thoughts on this video. Have an amazing weekend. Peace and ride safe out there.
Very good job. I had a book that I bought from the back of dirt bike magazine about thirty years ago called how to wheelie a mile or more. It said start with a steep incline about 30 minutes a day for a week. Then go to a slightly less steep incline for 30 minutes a day for a week. Then keep reducing the incline until you are riding on level ground. Dirt will hurt less and break less bones when you loop because someone will. If you have short legs it's harder because you don't have the balance advantage of long legs out front. That's me, almost 5' 10" but I'm mostly torseau. It depends on how bad you want it. The guy who made this video is really good at getting it all said, great job.
My biggest dream is to have a dirt bike XR 600R, but what i have only here is the XLR 200R. Im so happy to see this video of XRLand, i love HONDA Dirt Bikes specially XR 600R its awesome and lovely bike..! "Island of Mindanao, Philippines here"
Hey Full Armor. I hope you're having fun on that XLR200. Your 600 days are coming I'm sure! I imagine riding on the Island there has many trials and fun places to explore. I share your enthusiasm about the 600. Simple, rugged, reliable, and extremely run to ride. Take care out there and ride safe. Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to leave a message. That is always appreciated. Best regards from USA.
@@XRLand You're very much welcome sir, yes i'm having lots of fun of my XLR200 and he is 19years old this year 2021 and still rockin' "n" rollin' but i really really love that XR600 so pretty and beautiful bike, my plan is to replace the engine of this 200 into 600 on the same chassis but can't afford it so i'm just enjoying it. Thank you sir XRLand for your reply on my comment on this great channel of yours, subscribed! "Island of Mindanao, Philippines Here"
Thanks for the great information and thorough step by step guide. If you ever need any help or information regarding surfing, I’d be glad to help. I started my professional surfing career at 15yrs old and retired at 26. Ride safe and thanks again 🤙🏍
back in the 80's i had a 600 xt with supertrapp on it it helped it out a bit but i would pull it up no clutch at all in 2nd then i would shift into 3rd pretty quickly then 4th yhe odd time 5th top gear on the 86 xt 600 i did some good ones pretty long ones to i had an 85 prier to the 86 the 85 seemd to be a better runner i did my best on that 1 the tdr and rz 350 2 strike twins now that was a another story wild as well
Such a generous comment. I just applied to be a biology teaching instructor; therefore, your encouragement means a lot to me. Wishing you all the best in your future endeavors. Peace and ride safe out there.
Excellent video! 2 of my neighbors have had 650s for a year or so. I just sold my cr500 and bought a 650. They can rip wheelies for ever on gravel roads,around corners ect. I have been practicing this vid will help! This 650 isn't anything like the cr was for wheelie riding.
Very good instructions.. Best iv seen on youtube.. Iv been doing wheelies for over a decade and you described it better thqn i have when trying to teach buddies
Really great video and teaching technique. Extremely well explained. Thank you for putting the effort into this. For those just learning, I would highly recommend doing this off-road if at all possible. If you should happen to fall off the back, grass and/or dirt is much more forgiving than concrete. Even once you get skilled at wheelies, please don't be a jacka** and do wheelies on public roads amongst other traffic. That is never safe and you are putting yourself and others at risk. I also don't think it's a good idea to ever do wheelies on a (dedicated) street bike. They are not meant for this, and have too much power. It would be too easy to make a slight mistake, ending in disaster. Be smart and safe.
I have never been a clutch wheelie guy in my opinion it is to erratic vs power band, the down side is the bikes power level, on my hyabusa you’re doing a wheelie at 60-70 mph on my v-Strom it was 20mph, when I was kid my favorite book was wheelie king by Doug domokos, he would ride a wheelie around a complete motocross track.
I've had a 84 Nighthawk 650 for almost ten years and didn't know it could wheelie! Now you got me wondering if I should try it on her or learn on the xr650l first.
Awesome!! Super stoked for you. Really appreciate the nice comment about the video. Have a blast out there and enjoy your new iron horse. Did you come from sport-bikes? Cruiser? Do you still have a different style bike? Take it easy.
Yeah, thumpers are great bikes for having fun. Glad to see another positive comment from an XR fan. Ride safe and enjoy the thrill! Thanks for your comment.
This comment just made my day because I'm almost done with grad school and am applying for teaching positions. Thank you for your kind words, as they will help me get through this application process. Cheers to you. Have a great new year and beyond.
my klr 650 only pulls up first gear but i think its becuase im using a 16tooth sprocket for highway use, Im thinking of putting the 15 tooth back on to see if my 475 pound beast will come up in 2nd, with my 16 tooth when i redline and let out the clutch nothing happens lol, must feel good to wheelie on a bike with less weight! cheers ride on!
T he trick is to keep it as slow as possible if you start gaining to much speed you tend to drop the front end if you think your goin over tap the front break if its spinning or not I never need or use the clutch to pull the front wheel off of the ground ever it has loads of power clutch notr needed
@@XRLand Absolutely man!! Hope you drop some new videos soon. PS: Have you ever tried a wheelie with a Kawi KLE500? I just can't :( it's too heavy or my skill is not good enough xD
@@funkywheels8288 Videos stopped due to grad school, but will be back working on them again. I haven't wheelied a KLE500. I owned sport bikes most of my life so dual sporting is relatively new, and the XR600 and XR650L have been my experiences. For me, the big difference was having an aftermarket muffler with jetted carb. That extra oomph helped quite a bit. When I would replace with stock muffler I had difficulty getting on one wheel. My questions are: Are you running a stock bike? How long have you had the bike? Are you new to learning wheelies?
My 95 XR250R pulls up in second gear using the clutch wheelie method. My 01 XR650R, just scares me lol. My 00 XR400R is a good wheelie machine. Great video, I learned a lot from it, thankyou.
@@stevenbrooking5765 the xr650r and xr650l are very different,the xr650l produces for horsepower because its water cooled and is much lighter.sadly they dont make the xr650l anymore.
Thank you, sir. Always appreciate your feedback and useful additions in the comments for our other videos. Grateful for the time you spent helping out. Hope you and your Honda are running top-notch. :)
Just watched the benefit ride on your channel. Monster wheelies! Looks like a blast. Thanks for adding info to this page, and wow keep up those awesome skills.
That's also how it started for me. But then I was picking up so much speed during power wheelies, that I needed a way to slow the wheelies down and get the wheel up quicker. Clutch-ups made it easier to balance a wheelie and ride it a bit longer. Ride safe out there! Cheers!
Yes, but not for a while. The reason why this channel slowed down is that I started graduate school in 2014 and eventually had to sell my motorcycles to focus on education and a teaching career. I'm finishing in June and will obtain another XRL and R1 at some point to start making maintenance videos again. Sorry for the long delay, and thank you for your question. Have a great day.
I can't pull the lever and change gears fast enough. The front wheel comes down. But I can clutchless shift. Should I keep clutchless shifting until I am fast enough to use the clutch? Should I forget about shifting and work on slow balance point wheelies?? Give me some advice on this. Thank you.
Sorry about the delayed response. Darn priorities. Someone once advised me to start in second gear, and continue practicing until I learn balance point, and even how to go beyond balance point and bring the front end back using the rear brake. I liked to shift so I didn't listen, and almost went over backwards a couple of times. Those were some butt-puckering moments. So I guess the safest thing would be to learn balance point because the more comfortable you get with being up high on the rear wheel, the more time you'll have to shift eventually because you'll be able to float the bike. Also, when shifting with the clutch, sometimes you'll put more gas into it since there is some time between shifts (as opposed to clutch-less), so that can make things a bit more tricky. Are you pulling your clutch in all the way to shift? You should be pulling the clutch in just enough to change gears, which if adjusted correctly, should only be a fraction of the entire distance the lever can move. If you're pulling the clutch lever in all the way to shift, then that will certainly take more time. So that may be one way you can reduce shift time. However, if you ARE just pulling the lever in just enough, then I'm assuming that you're not getting the front wheel high enough and that's why the front wheel comes down. Now, when I started, I also couldn't shift fast enough because the front wheel wasn't high enough. I would say, just give yourself more practice before committing to shifting. Keep the bike in second gear so that you can safely bring the front end down using compression braking in addition to rear brake. Get a video of yourself, and learn from watching how your progress is going. So three questions: 1. Are you pulling the clutch lever in all the way? 2. Are you practicing on a slight incline. 3. Have you video'd yourself to self-examine your progress? Thanks man. Take it easy out there. Hope you've made some good progress since it took me a while to respond to the youtube comments.
Hi Rich. Luckily, I never learned how it feels to crash during a wheelie. Hypothetical risks include breaking bones and other serious injuries if unlucky. Good boots will save your ankles, and full gear for the rest. I've had a few low-sides on sport bikes, but wearing full gear allowed me to walk away mostly unharmed. For wheelies, it's best to take small steps toward learning, and use a lightweight bike with linear power. I wanted to learned on an XR400, but needed a bike that could easily ride on the highway so ended up with the 650L. If you ride bicycle, try learning to wheelie on that first. It's not the same, but it will give you some experience with balance point. And since the brake is with your hand, it's easier to bring the front end down. If you don't have a bicycle, then play it safe with wheelies. Make sure you're not using your "garage queen trophy bike" to learn wheelies on. It's tough on fork seals, chains, clutches, and other parts at first, so you want a cheap bike to start with. Something easy to work on and that you're okay with if it gets wrecked. Good luck. Main rule is to learn without getting hurt or hurting anyone else. Cheers, and ride safe.
Thank you. I never installed a tachometer; therefore, I can't give you accurate RPM values. I think the redline is somewhere near 8000, so my guess is that I'm clutching the front wheel up using approximately 4000rpm+/-1000rpm. Sorry I cannot be more specific.
@@XRLand thanks for the reply. I’m trying to learn wheelies but all I get is the bike lurching forward. I typically dump the clutch at 4k-5k rpm (bike redlines at 14k). It seems I would have to get the rpms higher to probably 8k or 9k to get the front wheel up. Thank you.
@@godwinikape8888 Nice classic sportbike. I don't know much about the engine on that bike, but I assume the inline four on has majority of the power up top. The XRL is a bit more forgiving because of the linear power delivery. Also the weight distribution of the engine matters quite a bit too between these two bikes. I tried learning on sportbikes (TL1000R) before, but then transitioned to the 650cc dual sport to get the basics down. It was a lot easier.
Hey Cannabis Cove. Comparing clutching up to matching revs is an interesting connection. Never thought about that. For the power of the XR650L and with the clutch catching early, I did hit the gas and pull the clutch at the same time. Similar to matching revs, you want to bring the revs up quickly and then release the clutch. Except of course, in clutching up, you're staying in gear instead of up-shifting. Intriguing question. Ride safe out there.
Hey Mick. I believe these 650L's make about 60 horse and 65 ft/lb torque. With the smog components removed and the FMF pipe added it sure feels like a different bike, but never checked via a dyno. Definitely enough power to cruise around on the highway. I would HIGHLY recommend the Corbin seat if you plan to take any distance trips because the stock seat is not enough in my opinion. The Corbin makes this bike so comfortable for those all day rides. Hope you build a badass sumo for yourself! Enjoy and ride safe.
That requires attuning your body and mind to what the balance point feels like. When first learning wheelies, being at the balance point feels like a narrow range. It always feels as though you're going to go over backwards. However, as you practice, the range where balance feels comfortable will become greater. Your nervous system becomes desensitized to going over backwards, and adapts to the feeling of balance. Physiological and morphological changes in the nervous system do not happen overnight. It requires many sessions to improve and augment your dendritic spines (parts of neurons that physically grow in response to usage). So don't feel discouraged at first. What helped me was starting on a bicycle. You can get the same sensation on a much safer and cheaper transportation. Be safe out there. Good luck. Happy new year.
Hey Cody. That is a breather hose that can go anywhere as long as the hose isn't pinched and can breathe. Some people shove it down the opening in the middle of the fork triple tree. Others get shorter tubes with a one-way valve. That long tube can be nice because if it's routed the forks, then when you go to fill-up at the gas station, it will hold your cap for you. Hope this clearly answers your question.
With the gearing on this XR (shown in description) I use second gear. First gear is too wild, and third gear doesn't allow me to easily bring the wheel up. Second gear is just the right power and tameness.
@@XRLand ok ..thanks for the info. by the way do you have idea about the sprocket combination because i used 15t front and 39rear..is that ok for xr150
@@junjungebutan843 Hey. I'm not sure what the right combo would be for a 150. I looked a bit on the forums and someone said a 13/45 was a good combination for their XR80. You're probably best looking online to see the success of others. Also, my answer about wheelies in second gear may not apply to the xr150. I'll try to read around to see if I can find information and report back if I see something useful. That's awesome you have a 150 by the way. I've always wanted a street legal xr150 to rip around on and learn wheelies. Have fun!
Hi Fresh Culture. No. If the wheel is off the ground, the clutch lever is out. Only disengage the clutch to rev up prior to wheelie or shift gears. Take it easy.
@@dieselburner4461 well yeah, but it is dangerous shit, shouldn't be legal. I'm still gonna do wheelies, but I won't disagree that it should be illegal to do wheelies down the middle of the highway