Controlled Wheelies

A wheelie in hard enduro is rarely a show. It is a way to stop the front wheel doing something stupid. The front tyre is the one that steers and the one that stops dead when it drops into a hole or hits a square edge. Take it off the ground for a moment and the obstacle only has the rear tyre to deal with, which is the tyre that is driving and has the suspension set up to take a hit.

Dirt Rider's Chris Denison puts the case simply: a good wheelie can help "from lofting the front end over a log, to setting the bike up to blitz through a whoop section". Chris Birch's Enduro21 tutorial is billed as three ways to wheelie a dirt bike, "how it helps in enduro and why it's not all about showing off!"

Where you'll use it:

• Holes and washouts. Lift the front just before the hole so the front wheel flies over and the rear rolls through under power.
• Roots and rock edges. A short lift stops the front deflecting sideways on a wet root or a sharp edge.
• Water and mud. A front wheel carried over a soft patch or a muddy hole doesn't dig in and stop the bike. The water crossings lesson covers what to do once you're in.
• Log faces and ledges. Every log crossing starts with the front wheel lifted onto or over the obstacle. The short, precise version of that is the front-end lift. The longer, held version is the wheelie.

The key word is controlled. A wheelie you can't hold at knee height and put down on command is no use on a trail.

There are two ways to lift the front. Learn the first, then use the second on the trail.

Three things lift the front: your body, the suspension and the rear tyre's drive.

Preload. Push your weight down through the bars and pegs so the fork compresses. As it springs back, the front wants to rise. Timed well, that rebound does a lot of the work. Sam King, a professional trials and off-road rider, describes the power wheelie in RidersWest: "Lightly preload the front end by pushing your upper body weight through the forks", then open the throttle as the suspension returns.

Drive. A burst of drive to the rear tyre pushes the bike forward under you. The front wheel lifts because the bike rotates around the rear axle. The throttle gives a smooth burst. The clutch gives a sharp one.

The balance point. As the front rises, there's a point where the bike stops wanting to come down or go further. King describes it as "the near vertical-position of your bike, which allows you to maintain the front end high up in the air with absolute minimal body effort." For hard enduro you'll rarely ride at that height. What you need is to recognise when you're approaching it, because the next step past it is a loop-out.

Coming down. Two things bring the front down: less drive and the rear brake. Rolling off the throttle lowers it gently. A tap on the rear brake lowers it quickly. That's why the rear brake is your safety net: it works immediately, whatever the engine is doing.

Learn seated. Standing wheelies are for later.

• Seat position. Sit roughly in the middle of the seat, a little back from where you'd sit to corner. Sources differ here. Cycle World says "Sit back on the bike". Australasian Dirt Bike (ADB) asks for a neutral position and warns that "too far forward will make the wheelie awkward and too far back will see you loop it." Start neutral. Move back a little only if the front won't rise.
• Arms. Straight but not locked. You hold the bars, you don't pull on them. Pulling on the bars lifts the front but it also pulls your weight back, which is a quick way to loop out.
• Core. Keep your body in line with the bike. King's tip for bikes that drift to one side: "I always lock my core and use more stomach muscles to keep my body solid, rigid and in line with the bike".
• Hands. One finger over the clutch and one over the front brake, the rest round the grips. ADB's drill says: "Keep your index fingers over the front brake and clutch and your right foot hovering over the brake pedal."
• Throttle hand. Chris Birch uses what he calls a pre-grip. Take the throttle with your hand rolled forward, ready to open it, not gripped flat. Grip it flat and give it a handful, and your elbow and shoulder drop. That puts you off balance on the back wheel.
• Right foot. On the peg with the toe over the rear brake pedal. Not near it. Over it. King calls hovering the pedal while the front is up "a necessity in becoming confident with your wheelies."
• Steering. Small changes of direction come from your hips and legs, not the bars. Shift weight on the pegs and knees and the bike follows. Turning the bars with the front in the air does very little.

Wheelies go wrong in two directions: backwards over the rear, or sideways into whatever is next to you. Set up so neither is a big deal.

• Ground. Flat, with plenty of grip and no ruts. ADB's wheelie drill says to make sure the ground is "flat and has heaps of traction". Short grass on firm soil or dry, hard dirt is ideal. Keep off loose gravel and mud until the basics are automatic.
• Space. A long straight with nothing either side and a clear run-off. Nobody standing in front, behind or beside your line.
• Private land only. Learn on land where you have permission to ride, never on a road or a shared trail.
• Protection. Full gear, every attempt. Cycle World's advice: "wear all of the protective gear that you possibly can." That means a properly fitting helmet, boots, knee protection, gloves and body armour, including a chest protector.
• Bike. Check the rear brake works well and has free play before you start: this session depends on it. Set the pedal so you can reach it without lifting your foot from the peg. The rear brake lesson covers pedal height.
• Clutch heat. Clutch wheelies slip the clutch hard. KTM's owner's manual for its 250 and 300 two-strokes warns that frequent and long slipping heats the gear oil, engine and cooling system. Rest two minutes every ten and let things cool.

Do these in order. Each step should feel boring before you add height, speed or gear. Before step 1, make sure you can already do the small, clutch-lifted "rise, tap, settle" from the rear brake lesson.

A loop-out is the bike rotating past the balance point and coming over backwards. It happens when drive keeps coming after the front is already high, usually because the rider pulled on the bars or grabbed more throttle in surprise.

Stopping it: clutch in, rear brake. Cycle World: "If the bike's starting to loop out, stab the rear brake and the front end will drop back down." Braking the rear wheel pitches the bike forward, so the front drops. Pulling the clutch in cuts the drive.

Chris Birch makes the clutch the other half of the save: "Motorbikes will not loop out backwards with the clutch in." That's why he keeps one or two fingers resting on the lever the whole time. In a panic, your brain tells you to grip the bars tighter, not to let go and find the clutch. A finger already there just pulls. His save is clutch in, then the slightest tap of the rear brake. Quick doesn't mean hard. Cross Training Enduro puts it plainly: "It only needs the lightest pressure to bring that front down again."

Habits that prevent loop-outs:

• Foot over the pedal before the front leaves the ground. Every time.
• Low first, high later. Don't jump from knee height to near vertical in one attempt.
• Hold the bars, don't pull them. Let drive and preload lift the bike.
• One change at a time. More revs, a higher gear or a new surface: pick one per session.

If the bike does go past what the brake can save, let go of the bars, step off the back onto your feet and let the bike go. A bike can be repaired.

Use a flat, grippy area with a long straight. Rest two minutes every ten.