Wheelies are so passé!
Wheelies are so passé!
Many years ago I had a reputation for being able to wheeelie any two wheeled vehicle, the only one that defeated me was an old CB200 that even if you held the throttle open and dumped the clutch just would not come up. I even managed to wheelie a honda melody that had seen better days around Wandsworth roundabout (won £100 bet doing that!) and my fame was secured with a 1/2 mile wheelie on the Isle of Wight with a bloke with a broken leg on the back and being chased by the rozzers (they were riding 200cc Benleys, I was on a T140V - no chance!)
But bikes these days are so easy to wheelie that I dont see the point. Stoppies, Wheelies, everyone and his brother can do them, bet if you gave them an old Z650 or CB550 they would have trouble though, wheelies used to be an art form, an aquired skill that you had to work at, now even those shitty little moped things seem to have a button that hoists the front wheelie at any provocation.
When only a select few could wheelie, early 70's, it was a talking point, Dave Taylor was the king of wheelies and a courier for Mercury Despatch called Tony Dawkins was the 250cc champion of South London - well in our little crowd! (If you read this Tony giz a shout!) I got a bit of a reputation for doing wheelies, though more through luck than judgement and a tuned Bonnie that was so well balanced I could hold it up for ages, I even wheelied around the Tower bridge road roundabout with a fat git (sorry nick) on the back for a bet and got chased again… the strangest thing I ever manged to wheelie was a 400/4 lowrider with six bend pullbacks and really far out forward controls.
But bikes these days are so easy to wheelie that I dont see the point. Stoppies, Wheelies, everyone and his brother can do them, bet if you gave them an old Z650 or CB550 they would have trouble though, wheelies used to be an art form, an aquired skill that you had to work at, now even those shitty little moped things seem to have a button that hoists the front wheelie at any provocation.
When only a select few could wheelie, early 70's, it was a talking point, Dave Taylor was the king of wheelies and a courier for Mercury Despatch called Tony Dawkins was the 250cc champion of South London - well in our little crowd! (If you read this Tony giz a shout!) I got a bit of a reputation for doing wheelies, though more through luck than judgement and a tuned Bonnie that was so well balanced I could hold it up for ages, I even wheelied around the Tower bridge road roundabout with a fat git (sorry nick) on the back for a bet and got chased again… the strangest thing I ever manged to wheelie was a 400/4 lowrider with six bend pullbacks and really far out forward controls.
I think the point I'm making is that when anything becomes something that anyone can can do, it loses its value, I used to wheelie a lot and now can't be bothered, a few months ago coming home late at night I got stuck behind a real twat on a CBR600 who just kept getting in my way and then when we reached a straight bit of road he immediately pulled a wheelie, I just fecked off and left him to it, although I did feel like kicking him off as I went past, he couldn't ride it properly but had no problem pulling a wheelie!
I am getting on a bit and ride an old FJ1200, I was a courier on and off for 15 years, I have also done my advanced training which was well worth it blah blah blah, very few people can keep up with me if I go for it in town, outside town on motorways… well anyone can ride fast on a motorway, and I have surprised a lot of people, including (and I really really hope you are reading this) a young twat on a green 900 Ninja at Sheperds Bush last November (how long did it take you to find your keys? Twat!) Wheelies are now so easy that even my mate's dog can do them, but can they ride those bikes? Some can, but most don't seem to have been taught to ride properly, which is odd because I know a few instructors and know that they teach them pretty good, one told me he thought at the end of the test they now turned their brains off.
They seem to think that wheelies and street stunts are the be all and end all of riding a bike and make no effort to actually ride the damn thing, am I wrong? Have I not understood something, or has old age finally crept up and done me noodle? We have had a bit of flak for putting up a vid that showed two guys chasing each other up and down the road, they were moving rather quickly but as far as I could see were 'making progress' and didn't really upset any other road user, I don't see the condemnation of the wheelie merchants, type wheelie into youtube and see how many vids you get. One wheel antics are popular at the moment and appear to be a bit of a fad just because they are too easy. There is even a school for wheelies! www.thewheelieschool.co.uk although I am reliably informed that they are good teachers. Don't get me wrong, I have seen some guys do some great stunts on one wheel and like to watch people who know their stuff, it's just that I see so many idiots doing wheelies in the local high st and scooter bods outside schools showing off to the girls that it's now boring.
I wonder what the next fad will be?
This maybe… I can see Slob on something like this!
I am getting on a bit and ride an old FJ1200, I was a courier on and off for 15 years, I have also done my advanced training which was well worth it blah blah blah, very few people can keep up with me if I go for it in town, outside town on motorways… well anyone can ride fast on a motorway, and I have surprised a lot of people, including (and I really really hope you are reading this) a young twat on a green 900 Ninja at Sheperds Bush last November (how long did it take you to find your keys? Twat!) Wheelies are now so easy that even my mate's dog can do them, but can they ride those bikes? Some can, but most don't seem to have been taught to ride properly, which is odd because I know a few instructors and know that they teach them pretty good, one told me he thought at the end of the test they now turned their brains off.
They seem to think that wheelies and street stunts are the be all and end all of riding a bike and make no effort to actually ride the damn thing, am I wrong? Have I not understood something, or has old age finally crept up and done me noodle? We have had a bit of flak for putting up a vid that showed two guys chasing each other up and down the road, they were moving rather quickly but as far as I could see were 'making progress' and didn't really upset any other road user, I don't see the condemnation of the wheelie merchants, type wheelie into youtube and see how many vids you get. One wheel antics are popular at the moment and appear to be a bit of a fad just because they are too easy. There is even a school for wheelies! www.thewheelieschool.co.uk although I am reliably informed that they are good teachers. Don't get me wrong, I have seen some guys do some great stunts on one wheel and like to watch people who know their stuff, it's just that I see so many idiots doing wheelies in the local high st and scooter bods outside schools showing off to the girls that it's now boring.
I wonder what the next fad will be?
This maybe… I can see Slob on something like this!
