More Stoppies

[theSteveCo]

After SuperTom fixed up the printer at the office this evening (you rule, Tom... thanks again!) I was warming up the bike looking at this big ol' empty parking lot thinking.... It's STOPPIE TIME!

So I rode around the lot a bit, warming up the front brake and tire. I started pulling progressively harder until I locked the brake. Thinking it's really not a bad thing to practice riding a locked wheel I did it a few more times.... soon it started grabbing a lot better.

I managed 4 of them before I was satisfied and began the COLD ride home. I think I got the back up better than before... on one of them I remember the light being only about 10 feet in front of me on the pavement. I know you can get a lot higher, but that's good enough for me right now. I can definitely feel the back end rising now, which I couldn't before. Guess it just comes with practice. I'm not "grabbing a fistfull" either... this is my standard 3-finger braking. I can only imagine what it'd be like on a lighter bike. :eek

Anyway, I'm grinnin' and I'm done for a while. Just had to share.

 

[ninja_rydr]

I've done a few half-hearted (read: teeny, tiny) ones before, theres something about that ker-chunk when they land from on high that I don't really like.

 

[KXP]

The sweet thing about doing rolling endo's vs stoppies is that with a rolling endo, you can still put the rear end down nice and smooth instead of the dreaded ker-chunk! of a rear end slam. However some people will go from a rolling endo into a stoppie, and hold that angle for as long as they can before comming down hard. Personally id rather put it down softly, but then again the other way makes it look so much nicer. Kind of like a gymnist holding that dismount pose before running off the platform. Maybe one day ill work up the nerve to start doing rolling endo's again..but right now im in the same boat as the rest of you guys...got to relearn it from scratch..

 

[theSteveCo]

That's exactly why I was thinking about trying them a little bit faster now but not riding them to a stop... sort of working my way into a good rolling endo. Ideally I'd like to get them higher, but not until someone is around A) to tell me I'm getting TOO high, and B) to help me if I hurt myself. :eek

 

[KXP]

A: you wont hear anyone tell you that you are too high
B: You wont get hurt that badly unless you're really reckless and come down from a rolling endo and gas it right away.

But count me in anytime you're ready to try some longer ones

 

[theSteveCo]

YOU might not tell me they're too high! :laughing

So if I slowly take the lift-off and touch-down speeds up to higher speeds I should gradually work my way from shitty stoppies to bad-ass rolling endos, right? :cool

 

[KXP]

Just remember this...the faster you go..the easier the rear end comes up , but remember that when youre going faster, you dont need to brake as much. There is already enough forward momentum. What you want to do is induce a forward weight transfter that lightens the rear end. It will then go up on its own accord. As soon as you feel the rear end going up, just maintain the same amount of brake pressure. this will result in the tail being balanced in the air while you're still rolling forward..

oh yea..ill make sure you dont go higher than 10 o'clock. But then again at this point im sure you're smart enough to feel it getting high and let go of the brake to bring it back down right??

 

[theSteveCo]

You mean you don't just hit the brake harder if you go to high? </sarcasm>

 

[JackTheTripper]

Just remember this...the faster you go..the easier the rear end comes up , but remember that when youre going faster, you dont need to brake as much. There is already enough forward momentum. What you want to do is induce a forward weight transfter that lightens the rear end. It will then go up on its own accord. As soon as you feel the rear end going up, just maintain the same amount of brake pressure. this will result in the tail being balanced in the air while you're still rolling forward..

oh yea..ill make sure you dont go higher than 10 o'clock. But then again at this point im sure you're smart enough to feel it getting high and let go of the brake to bring it back down right??

I guess I've been pretty close in the past then. I felt the rear get really light and I felt a little uncomfortable and squirly so I laid off but didn't feel any landing. Oh well. Something to try on the way home tonight!

 

[MackeyStingray]

the only thing i worry about if i try stoppies is that i'll ruin the rear suspension. any tricks to just make smooth rolling endos? up smooth, down smooth is the way i'd ideally want to pull em'. none of that *ka-CHUNK* sound when the rear wheel touches back down on the pavement.

haha so much for trying to ride fast in the twisties 1st.:rolleyes

 

[KXP]

the only thing i worry about if i try stoppies is that i'll ruin the rear suspension. any tricks to just make smooth rolling endos? up smooth, down smooth is the way i'd ideally want to pull em'. none of that *ka-CHUNK* sound when the rear wheel touches back down on the pavement.

haha so much for trying to ride fast in the twisties 1st.:rolleyes

if you dont want to slam the back end down, dont try rolling it untill you run out of momentum. Start comming down when you still have forward momentum. Ease off the brake, and when you feel the rear end getting lower...just before it hits the pavement, give it a gentle squeeze to put it down softly.. This takes lots of practice and you have to know your bike very well. One of these days ill show you guys. But then again 8 out of 10 times the rear end will still come down harsh untill you've mastered the soft landing. If you value your suspension components, i highly suggest you learn to wheelie and endo on dirt bikes as their suspension is more tuned to harsh landings. Most of the great stunters were motorX riders before they moved onto sports bikes.

 

[Port4mance]

What exactly is the the "*ka-CHUNK* " sound that we are hearing? It's something in the gears right? Because when I do a stoppie in gear it makes that nasty sound but if I put my bike in neutral it makes no nasty sound?

 

[theSteveCo]

Excellent question! I'm going to try a few in nuetral to see if I can notice that.

 

[Instance]

Steve, if we do 9 tomorrow and stop at the school, we should make some attempts at sad looking wheelie and stoppies.





Be Safe

 

[MackeyStingray]

soo...anyone have a beater dirt bike i can use or buy for a couple hundred?

 

[KXP]

the Kachunk that you are hearing is the chain and gear taking up tension. Remember that when you are doing a stoppie especially if you're doing it at over 20mph, when you come down your rear wheel is still spinning. Contact with good ol mother earth just stops the wheel really quickly and the chain slaps against the swing arm and takes up slack. Also rear suspension shocks takes a beating, not to meantion your tail lights, signal lights etc also take a jolt. Ive gone thru two sets of taillights due to this. The mounting points kept breaking. *shrug* the price of learning i suppose.

 

[Devin]

Im new to the boards as of today...i already posted on the newbie board so anyways.....that clunk sound is your transmission...try putting it in neutral...i leave my bike in first gear and then just up shift into neautral before doing my ghetto stoppies....

 

[KXP]

Im new to the boards as of today...i already posted on the newbie board so anyways.....that clunk sound is your transmission...try putting it in neutral...i leave my bike in first gear and then just up shift into neautral before doing my ghetto stoppies....

yea...what he said..

 

[Devin]

yea maybe it is your chain...all i know is that its not half as loud when your in neutral...

 

[KXP]

no, you are correct. When the chain takes up slack and what not, it does affect the tranny.