Every rider has their own route they ride every week. Every route has own sweet spot- 1/4 mile or so. I only full throttle during those, knowing no potential cross traffic, no potential chances of getting pull over by a cop. Find your route, find you sweet mile...then have fun. I would not do anything risk in an area unknown. We are street riding... Makes a big difference if you know where the pot holes is, right. Lastly, do forget your riding gears...

 

Wow, that really makes me want to take my time before trying to pop it up. Can that happen easily by just poppin it up a few inches in 1st? Do you really need to come down on a big angle for that to happen? Does that happen more to big popped up wheelies with crooked handlebars? Are there ways to ensure a straight handlebar on landing if the front does come up during acceleration?

 

I'm just trying to get you to understand what can happen when pulling a wheelie, especially if you don't have the experience and skills from basic riding. Generally the first reaction a new rider has in an "oh chit!" moment is to freeze and tense up. With a tank slapper, tensing up on the bars is the worst thing you can do.

Can it happen on a small wheelie? Look at the 2nd video. Professional racer and he didn't wheelie at all. I started the thread about tank slappers after my F3 began to enter one from giving it a bit too much gas and landing the front wrong (not even attempting to wheelie). If the front came up more than a foot, I'd demand video proof of it.

Is there anything to ensure a straight handlebar on landing? Steering dampers are designed to help prevent these situations. But experience and skill are a cheaper option.

Seriously, you sound too new to be trying wheelie already. Lean to ride first. Wheelie seccond

 

I'm not going to try for a while, if at all. Its more in case I do it accidentally, as you did. I guess my question is that if you do land on a slight angle or off perfect center, is it a guaranteed tank slapper / wobble? Or can you sometimes land crooked and be OK?

 

Also, if I pop it up accidentally and let go of the throttle completely, is that a guarantee as well? I guess I'm wondering how easy it is to go into a tank slapper from a 1st gear power wheelie; the likelihood of it. My younger brother and his friends stunt around in a parking lot and do little power wheelies and come down hard sometimes, but no tank slappers. This phenomenon is new to me, and I wouldn't want to pop it up accidentally and worry about this neither.

 

So ever since I found out about the dreaded "tank slapper", its got me thinking. I don't plan on doing wheelies any time soon, but I'm wondering when I do pop it up even a few inches (even on accident), how hard it is to tank slap? I've read lots of posts where people seem to come down crooked and are fine with a tiny wobble. How hard is it to land straight or straight enough? Seems to me if it was so easy to do (tank slap) not many people would be trying little power wheelies?

 

Really man learn the bike first before you ever attempt a wheelie, I'm not gonna lie I have cleaned the ditch lines out and few times, and I have had the dreaded tank slap happen to me. Luckily I was on a stunt bike and playing around in a big parking lot. It is not fun at all and first time it happens you will about crap yourself. Newbs when they first pull the front up tend to to freak and turn the handle bars one way or the other. My advice is if it does ever come up on you don't freak and turn the bars and let go of the gas, YOU WILL 100% CRASH. Stay in the power slowly letting off, relax and ride it out. DO NOT over ride you skill level. YOU WILL REGRET IT DEEPLY.



EDIT: Please do not take my instructions and go out and try to wheelie

there is a video I think every new rider should see. It is graphic so watch at your own risk, YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED. show's how fast you can go from having fun and all happy go lucky to dead

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iW5yOyy89i4

this is what can happen when you over ride your skill level

 

Thanks for the reply. I've watched a lot of crash videos so I'm def aware of how bad things can get. I have friends that said they turned the wheel slightly or even a bit and landed that way and were fine. I guess I'm asking what the margin of error is? Obviously you can't land with a completely crooked wheel, but my question more is does it have to be PERFECTLY straight or not?

 

You don't get it. There is no margin of error because what happens when things go to pot depend completely on the rider and how they react. A tank slapper is the result of the rider fighting the bike's attempt to naturally correct what has gone wrong.

It's really sounding like you want to know where the line is so you can try and not cross it. Problem is you're obviously a new rider and probably don't have the skill / experience to handle things when they do go wrong.

We've given the best advice we know to give: don't try it till you get better. Ignore what everyone has said at your own peril.

 

1+ what Kuro said

Remember your bike can get to almost 70mph in first gear. just remember it like this, would you wanna jump out of a moving car at 70mph?

Also with a 600 power ups are extremely dangerous. Not the correct way to do it at all.


PAVEMENT HURTS... Even with full gear, and all the pads you can buy