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can anyone wheelie their DRZ400sm?

329K views 951 replies 263 participants last post by  D1708 
#1 ·
Clutching a DRZ400SM?

I'm new to the bike and I can gas it up about a foot if I'm lucky in first by preloading the front. I tried to clutch it once but I didn't feel comfortable without the good grip on the left side. How do you guys position your hand to clutch it but still be able to hold on. Does a three finger clutch help? If so where is a good place to get one? Any input would be great.
 
#512 ·
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#514 ·
My issue is, when I ride my buddies drz s's. (I dont have an SM yet) I can get it up easily in 1st and 2nd without the clutch, and if I clutch it and really pull up I can get 3rd, (Im 140lbs wet) my fear is that pretty much as soon as I get to the balance point, I get scared and put it down, I think that on these drz's the balance point is pretty high. I can wheelie a bicycle really well, and I can even ride a uni-cycle :D.

But I have this screwed up ankle, and its harder for me to feel confident covering the break with my right foot.



 
#516 ·
clutching was easy 1 and 2. once you get the exhaust you can clutch 3rd with ease. the balance point is scary and takes a long time to get used to since its a dirt bike and is way high. its even more scary on the passenger pegs with no brake control.
 
#520 ·
i just tryed to pull it up with out the clutch in second and to my surprise it came up no problem. i just sat back and pulled up and burried the throttle. it went up fast but i got a tad chicken so i let off the gas. my buddy is going to help me work on my wheelies so next time i'll stick a round a little longer.
 
#521 ·
I got them down in 1st and 2nd i just cant shift to 3rd.. do i just yank up on the gear with no clutch? And isnt that bad to do? Or is it just because this engine is like a dirt bike engine its like built super tough?
 
#524 ·
just give it one last braap of the throttle, you will go way up then let off and shift. get back on the throttle and hover the brake always because you will go over. just wait until you get mods then you can pull it up in 4th and wheelie for miles :)
 
#526 ·
full system rs3 ftw. dont waste your time or money on slip ons. its not that much exrta to save for the head pipe. plus if you do them all at once the bike will pull so much harder and you can actually notice the diff.
 
#527 ·
i can sit down mono in 1st, 2nd and 3rd using the clutch (almost in 4th, with mass compression on the front fork before clutching)

i find it easier if you sit back on the seat also - the way i started was in 2nd, just practice flicking the clutch motion, and feel how it bites and tries to jump up a little. once you can some confidence you start poppin it up, a little higher each time and you start getting used to the feelin of being on one wheel. you keep on working it up higher, with throttle control - just always remember to cover the rear brake, and lean back (i find people tend to lean foward when the wheel comes up - alot easier and stable if you just relax and lean back)

once youv'e built up your confidence, you start practicing in third, which sometimes require a little front compression on the fork before clutching.

the next stage when you find out you are running out of revs - is changing gears. as you pop it up say in second gear, and you are on and off the throttle trying to keep balance, get up at a decent height, as you decompress, flick up a gear without the clutch and get on the throttle again (all in one smooth motion). i found this difficult for atleast a month, but after a while it is pretty much second nature, and ur mono skillz improve dramatically, as you gain confidence holding them longer.

from being taught by a mate on a z1000 - i can now mono better than him :p, i can change into 5th gear and hold em around 120km/h, which is a mad adrenalin rush.

initially i started from first gear, clutchless monos for about 5m - within 2 month i was hold 40m monos in 2nd using the CLUTCH (which i highly recommend) - now 5 months on i can hold some 5th gear mono for almost a kilometer. (i never thought i would be able to do stuff like this 5months ago - i still remember watchin all those stunt and practice vids on youtube and dreaming to be able to do it :p)

now im moving on to stoppies and endo's - i gotta say - im having a real fun time practicing.

now i will leave you with this message PRACTICE, PRACTICE and yep, u guessed it MORE PRACTICE - its the only way ur gonna improve. (and cover that rear brake - its saved me a couple times :p)
 
#528 ·
I cannot wait to learn to wheelie this bike....my F2 would come up too fast because of the 5+ rear sprocket plus i was new to riding on it....my 600rr always felt like it wanted to tip over backwards when i'd try to stand it up because i wasn't accustomed to the power increase so now hopefully having a bike i can afford to drop will help me learn some of this...plus i can practice in the grass
 
#532 ·
Like any dirt bike, the balance point on the DRZ is up there a ways. But it's relatively big and easy to hit once you get used to it.

Wait til you ride a sport bike after getting used to the DRZ... it will feel like it's barely off the ground even approaching the balance point! :lol:
 
#534 ·
This is about a month ago before the jet kit and other mods which helped a ton. Video is all first gear learning where the balance point is and how to get there quickly by clutching it up FTW. Since then after the jet kit, second gears are for days now. Now I just gotta learn to shift into third and from there it's on like mf'ing donkey kong.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOMpFrRAU0Q
 
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