Posted by JA
on November 12, 2008, 6:54 pm
4.226.234.36
Somebody posted a message below entitled, "How do I do endos", and I thought it might get overlooked, being so far down the page. Actually, it's on page 4. Therefore, I posted it up here. Here is his question, followed by my answer:
Q: Hey! ive got a yz 125 and ive been trying to do endos i can pop the back wheel up when im drivin slow but i cant do it in any gear higher than 2nd what gear should i do it in and how do i hold it for longer
A: Well, first, let's define an endo. An endo is when you go over the bars and crash. That's easy. Just find a curb, attack it in 3rd gear tapped sitting on the seat, wheelie over the curb and before the rear tire hits it, stomp the rear brake and lean forward as the rear tire hits the curb. You'll be bucked over the bars and faceplant in front of the bike. Nobody in their right mind would want to endo, so I assume you mean that you want to do a nose wheelie.
A couple of things will help you. First, it works best at low speed, like 1st or 2nd gear. Any faster and you'll hate life when you blow it. I remember my old friend Butch Laswell, who came into the shop with both forearms bleeding from hands to elbows. He was doing higher speed nose wheelies on the street, and he was good at it, but then he endoed. That was one of those times when you wish you had a two wheel drive motorcycle.
In order to do it at higher speed, two things will help, although I highly recommend that you just forget doing it at higher speed.
For one thing, it would be very smart to invest in a Braking kit, consisting of a larger diameter front rotor and an offset front caliper mount, and some good brake pads. Along with that, a stainless braided front brake line will give you more authoritative braking power, because the conventional ones flex too much and are more spongy, since they blow up like a balloon instead of retaining their volume. This paragraph will help immensely, and will help you in racing as well.
Another thing is this: work on a surface that has good traction. On the dirt, that means tacky dirt with decent moisture content, and with tires that aren't rounded off and thrashed. You want a new or near-new front tire with sharp edges on the braking side, and when the braking edge of the knobs gets rounded a little, flip the tire around so you have a new sharp edge to work with. This is another important thing.
If you're trying to do nose wheelies in dusty, rocky hardpack, you're only playing yourself. Sand isn't very good either, especially when it's dry. Wet sand might be decent, comparatively speaking. Ideally, moist clay or tacky dark loam work best. Moisture content is important. Make sure the surface is on one plane, not bumpy, not rocky or covered with marbles. It's also good to do it on a downhill slope, because it takes less effort to initiate the nose wheelie.
Another critical thing is to use the front brake with two fingers (your pointing finger and your middle finger). Grip the throttle with your thumb, 3rd finger and pinky. You've got plenty of power in those two fingers.
Don't try nose wheelies with all four fingers on the front brake, because when you start to lose control, you'll just death grip the bars and apply too much front brake, since all your fingers are wrapped around it. Then you'll endo for sure.
You might practice at low speed and try to come to a complete stop with the bike at the balance point, then bring the rear wheel down. That will be safer than going fast. Remember my old saying: learn it at low speed before you try it at higher speed. I mean, dial it in to where you are the master at it at low speed, and learn all your lessons at low speed, and learn them thoroughly with a lot of repetition. Work your way up slowly and cautiously. There's nothing heroic about eating it and having to heal up for 6 months. Value your body. Cherish life. Stay healthy and have fun.
By reading this, you agree that Johnny Airtime, his successors, associates, sponsors and all humans on Earth, in perpetuity, have no responsibility for what happens when you jump anything, and that jumping is a dangerous and deadly sport. Anyone attempting to jump will most likely be killed, maimed or crippled jumping and agree to hold all humans associated with Johnny Airtime harmless, in perpetuity.
JA
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