TRIALS TRAINING: HOW TO WHEELIE A TRIALS BIKE

These notes from our Youtube training video How to wheelie are subject to our disclaimer.

In other types of riding, it’s common to rely on acceleration to wheelie a motorbike. In trials, the emphasis is more on using the legs and suspension because you usually don’t want to pick up extra speed, and you want to stay in complete control of your trials bike.

Drop your knees to compress the suspension, then push against the bars to move your body weight to the rear. When timed properly, you will barely need any throttle to lift the front wheel.

It’s a good idea to learn covering the rear brake at the same time. When you are confident enough to go past the balance point, you can apply the rear brake to lower the front again. You should practice this until it becomes second nature, as the normal instinct is to jump off the bike when it goes past the balance point. Covering the rear brake is a critical skill for many of the advanced techniques in higher grades.

CHALLENGE YOURSELF

As you become comfortable with wheelies, try doing a small turn at the same time. This will come in handy when you start to learn floater turns and other advanced techniques.

While not used in competition, longer wheelies are fun, help to develop your sense of balance, and develop your ability to cover the rear brake effectively. Covering the rear brake will also be needed in some of the more difficult techniques as you progress.

Try to wheelie as slow as possible, and as long as possible.

See a visual demonstration with our Youtube training video How to wheelie a trials bike.