Dude, Do a "pop a wheelie"

Ok Ok.. Bucket list time, Though i have been riding all my life. I have never mastered the wheelie. I mean I can lift the front tire easy enough and hold it up as long as I have throttle. But I cannot do a good or even bad, Balance wheelie. I'm sure it's a guts issue. but at 50+ years I have decided that it is time.
Too old for the school of hard knocks I was thinking of taking a lesson somewhere. ( don't laugh.. I am proud to be at a point in my life where I can respect someone else's knowledge)
So where do I find a great jedi wheelie master with the means to teach me his Art? I live in New England and would be willing to anywhere within a day or so's ride.
Keep in mind that once I learn.. I will probably do one long ride in front of my riding buddies house and then retire from all further competition.
Any info would be helpful .
Also, How and where did you learn?

Thanks, g

Here ya go mate.

WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

A lot of the balance is in your shoulders when doing the "pop a wheelie". Good throttle and clutch control also important...........and remember to cover the rear brake.... Ask me how I know???

i think there's some how to videos on you tube

good luck

Google 'Wheelie School'. It's safest to learn on someone else's bike, in a closed environment, under expert instruction.

NB: I am rubbish at wheelies. I taught myself (what little I can do) clutch-up wheelies, in a car park following reading a paragraph in Bike Magazine.

Buy a KX500.
Ok, seriously- there aint nothin to it but to do it.
Buy an XR100 or XR80 and just practice i nthe softest dirt you can find. There are 2 advantages to using a small bike, 1 you're closer to the ground when you fall, and 2 with less power you'll be forced to balance rather than power the wheelie.
I'm not the best at it mostly because I'm always sure there is a cop watching me (a little paranoia helps keep me alive)
My brother can ride wheelies for miles at 100 mph on his TL1000, he is fearless and a little crazy.

But definately do it in the dirt, it's way more forgiving.

Yep! What he said!

Not sure a KX 500 would be the bike to learn on. However a dirt bike would be the place to start. I started off road and can wheelie anything on two wheels. But never,ever for a camera. Bad JuJu.

Or you could buy a Tuono. The easiest to wheelie big bike I've ever ridden. And I get paid to ride other people's motorcycles so there isn't much I haven't ridden.

I'm sure this has been posted 205 times already, but be leery of who you ask to teach you.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dx4F94DnATY

I can't read the article because I can't close the ad, and I can't scroll down past it.

Just swing on by Grreatgarage and borrow my MXC200. The problem will solve itself. I had to learn how not to wheelie that thing to keep the APD happy.

"Hold my beer and watch this"

I learned the balance portion of it on a montain bike and it was fairly easy for me to transition over to my dirt bikes. At one point on the mtb I could ride them as far as I wanted especially if it was on a slight incline, come to a complete stop, circle wheelie, whatever. Just my $.02 plus I felt a lot better about dropping a mountain bike at extremely low speeds than dropping even my xr100

I haven't ridden out a wheelie on a pedal bike in years.

Weeeeeeeeeeee!! Thanks I'm there Englishtown in may. I'll be the old guy with a handfull of cash.

here is a good discussion on wheelies and power wheelie vs. clutching up
http://www.supermotojunkie.com/showthread.php?102303-wheelies-learning-clutch-vs-power

learn your powerband.

whack it open just before the peak.

time/rev it so that you reach the balance point, or just below, when the power is dropping off...or be sure to back out of the throttle as the bike approaches the bp.

anyone can lift off, but knowing when/how much to back out of the throttle to keep from looping is where ALL the technique/skill is.

KEEP YOUR EYES ON THE HORIZON/LOOKING STRAIGHT AHEAD!!!!!!! DO NOT LOOK DOWN AT THE BIKE..........EVER!!!!!!!!!! if the bike obscures the view forward...you should be backing out (neutral/steady) of the throttle. generally speaking, when the headlight is at chin height, you're where you need to be. anything less and it needs more power. things happen fast, so be ready to kill the gas.

are you getting the picture?

yut----uuhhhh!!!!!!!!!

Im rubbish at wheelies too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vfS91U9Pmgg

Thanks, I get it. Its just doing it... Great posts all thank you!!

You could check out this wheelie school. Wheelie's are something that you can't learn by being told how to do it, you have to have seat time on the bike.

http://starboyz.net/wheelieschool.php