Wheelies at the track? Banned!

VEGASRIDER

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I'm not a track guy (yet) nor do I watch very much Moto GP. But I thought that I would share you this thread from another forum. A rider got banned for doing power wheelies at the track. It's a very lengthy thread, so it may take several days to go through it if you are that interested.

Banned from The Ridge. - PNW Riders
 

nivag

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Deliberate wheelies will get you kicked off a trackday in the UK.
Power wheelies are okish, unless you're doing it every time then someone will have a word with you.
 

greg

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Pretty much all the pictures you see of the fast guys on track have one wheel in the air as they are exiting the corner (and changing gear). Never heard of anybody being kicked off. Doing wheelies and burnouts in the pits are a no-no however.
 

FZ09Bandit

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Might as well not show up in a 9 then, they promote tracks over street but you can't even pull a fundamental move to riding? I wouldn't darken their doorway, damn Shame.
 

2nd childhood

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The scenario that started the thread on this (for those who don't have a couple of hours to read the thread) was the rider was asked to not bring his front tire up and he claimed he couldn't help it as he had just changed his gearing. That escalated quickly when he was accused of not being able to control his bike, he allegedly copped an attitude and things went to hell in a handbasket. The track is also under new management (the old manager was fired but very well liked by the riding community) and the owners were there, so some feel the new manager put on a show for the owners.

My take on the whole thing is, it's their track and if they asked you to not pull power wheelies then you should have the skills to quit pulling them. If you don't have the skills, you are a risk to others on the track. As for the arguing and "banishment for life", that's just egos IMHO.

Oh, and I wouldn't bother to read the thread after the first few pages. It quickly degenerates into a testosterone-filled bitch slap and quite frankly I'm almost embarrassed to belong to their forum.
 

Erci

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One of the tracks I ride has a wheelie hill. Once you know the line you will very likely wheelie up it every time. The other track I really want to go to has a wheelie hill so steep that fast riders catch air at the peak. It's all good.
 

FZ09Bandit

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YAH take it to the track, err wait, don't take it to the track.

I would have to go around the track in B mode. I can do that and follow the speed limits on the street LOL I would save my money and not go there.
 

MG-242

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Thanks for the Cliff notes :thumbup:

I've been doing this for a long time. With us, if you pull an intentional wheelie, you'll be talked to. If it happens again and again, you'll be asked to load up your stuff. Power wheelies are different. I know the difference. If I see your drain plug, that's not a power wheelie. It's a dangerous enough sport to have someone collect you while showing off or trying to. I've seen it happen and it's not pretty.

Grattan has a hill where it is common to get both wheels off the ground at speeds approaching 100mph! Pretty cool! We run it both directions and both ways launch you.
 

OneCheekRider

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My very first trackday they opened the front straight at lunch for wheelies. I did my first 'official' wheelie there on a brand new bike and wet my pants.
View attachment 54821

Did it again for another photo op on a wheelie hill
View attachment 54822

Haven't gotten any good wheelie pics in the past 6 years or so but as long as you're not a dummy about it, I've seen it fly and gotten away with a few
 

Erci

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My very first trackday they opened the front straight at lunch for wheelies. I did my first 'official' wheelie there on a brand new bike and wet my pants.
View attachment 54821

Did it again for another photo op on a wheelie hill
View attachment 54822

Haven't gotten any good wheelie pics in the past 6 years or so but as long as you're not a dummy about it, I've seen it fly and gotten away with a few
Hey your bike is not found! Sorry.. I'm such a nerd.
 

MG-242

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My very first trackday they opened the front straight at lunch for wheelies. I did my first 'official' wheelie there on a brand new bike and wet my pants.
View attachment 54821

Did it again for another photo op on a wheelie hill
View attachment 54822

Haven't gotten any good wheelie pics in the past 6 years or so but as long as you're not a dummy about it, I've seen it fly and gotten away with a few

A few years ago I was an instructor for FASTTRAX at Nelson Ledges. This was when the Star Boyz were popular with their videos. One of them came out and did a track day with us. At the end of the day he put on a show on the front straight, wheelies and stoppies. Very impressive talent! Then afterwards he said, "I don't know how you guys go so fast on the track." I thought that was funny. The stunters are very impressive in what they can do with a motorcycle.
 

FZ09Bandit

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I know the difference. If I see your drain plug, that's not a power wheelie. .

Not all bikes are created equal.

Get you more than 1/16th throttle on my bike, and you will see the drain plug. Yes it's all power.
 
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Erci

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showing up on both my phone and computer here at work? is it really not working? maybe my IT department is trying to tell me to stop sitting on the forum and get stuff done! :confused:
Lol.. I said I was a nerd! Your bike number is 404. As in "not found".
 

Red Wazp

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So Cliff, what do you call it when you lift the front at a buck ten on the The Great Overland Stage route?
I know you know of what I speak.....
 

rankinx

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The guy is obviously not forcing wheelies.

I mean yes, he could probably not do them at all, but he is paying big bucks to go on a track and he can't even lift his front wheel of the ground few inches here and there? That's just plain silly, might as well race in the streets.

Ridiculous to pay for a track day to follow the speed limit, might as well have pedestrian crossing the track and give them priority to cross too.

That wouldn't be a problem for me as i'm really not comfortable with wheelies yet. not sure if i ever want to be comfy with them as i would probably wreck at some point, i'm only okay on my dirt bike, much less intimidating to lift.
 

2nd childhood

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The guy is obviously not forcing wheelies.

I mean yes, he could probably not do them at all, but he is paying big bucks to go on a track and he can't even lift his front wheel of the ground few inches here and there? That's just plain silly, might as well race in the streets.

Ridiculous to pay for a track day to follow the speed limit, might as well have pedestrian crossing the track and give them priority to cross too.

That wouldn't be a problem for me as i'm really not comfortable with wheelies yet. not sure if i ever want to be comfy with them as i would probably wreck at some point, i'm only okay on my dirt bike, much less intimidating to lift.

I was at this track on Father's Day and watched some Group 3 guys (perpetrator was in Group 2 on a different day) go through that same section of the track and did not see a single one lift his wheel. The instructor I was with (I was riding Group 1) said they were coming out of that area at over 125mph. Perhaps if the rider had more skill he would have carried more speed through the corner and not need to hammer the throttle upon exit? :confused:
 

rankinx

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Perhaps if the rider had more skill he would have carried more speed through the corner and not need to hammer the throttle upon exit? :confused:

i am not defending his wheelies. You are right, it is possible to go easy on the gas and the front end will not lift. Perhaps this was his first track day, most of normal riders including me won't excel at cornering right from the bat. Takes a while to build the confidence you need while cornering to really lean it enough to keep speeding in corners.

But i mean, getting kicked out of a track day because you lift less than 2 inch?
This might be his fun to go hard on the throttle. I personally like acceleration better than speed, a track day should be a pretty good place for that.
 
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