I bought a 2009 GS, it's just about to turn 4000 miles. 9 months later, I bought a wr250r and it's all I've ridden since I bought it. Lots of fun on the trails I have around here, so I got on it and had fun. It finally warmed up and dried out enough up here to get on the GS again. Went to work on it. I swear I wasn't trying but on quite a few stops when I started out the front end just had a mind of its own and popped up. I love that little wr250r off road, it's a lot easier to throw around than the GS. But you get on the big pig and it's a whole 'nother thing. I was grinning all the way to work, singing into my helmet, just loving the grunt that boxer has. What a great bike. The GS rocks.
I wouldn't abuse the bike in wheelies. When I had my 1100 GS, there were no wheelies done with it and neighter did I. The splines between the chaft and the FD were in perfect shape. On the RT... I have tryed some popping like 5 times or so, and upon checking the splines, I saw that they have more considerable wear on them. It might be the wheelies or the fact that the RT is much heavyer than the GS, more stress on the splines, I duuno. But I will try it no more. Dan.
I wheelie mine almost everytime I ride it. It is a good skill to be proficient at. One night I was riding my 1100gs down a dark street at about 30 mph. I saw about directly in front of me, an open manhole. I had no time to avoid it so I gassed the hell out of it and snapped the clutch. The front wheel made it over it. The back wheel hit hard and came up in the air as all my tools and the cover went past me. I was able to maintain enough control to not go down. I stopped to assess the damage. Aside from not being able to find half of my tools everything looked ok. I rode home and evything felt fine. In the daylight I noticed that the subframe had cracked where the engine mounts. It was an easy fix with a good welder and touratech hard parts. I think that if I did not know how to wheelie so well, the front wheel would have gone in and that bike would have been wrecked. So keep practicing and have fun doing it, it might save your ass one day.
I wasn't really doing serious wheelies, all I did was roll it on a little and the front end kept lifting up. And I swear I wasn't trying, I think I was tuned to the little wr250r where you really have to get on it or it hesitates. And if it causes some wear and tear on the BMW, well, so be it. I didn't buy the bike to baby it, I bought it to ride, if you know what I mean.
Wheelie on man! although i've heard these clutches don't take well to it... but throttle only wheelies aren't any big deal - no more stress on the drive train the giving it a little gas in a straight line. We have a bike up here at work with the same boxxer motor in it as my GS (an RT maybe?) and i tried to wheelie it... oh boy - shes a heavy pig and the geometry makes wheelies almost impossible... well, at least past my willingness to try on a company motorcycle that the company president rides... lol. The GS LOVES to wheelie out of corners... mid turn, just start rolling on the gas and tug a little and weight the outside peg. Careful! Because shes riding on the inside edge of the tire, which is smaller diameter than the center, she has a greater amount of leverage / torque, and she'll come up fast. If she comes up too fast she'll go past center and roll to the opposite direction. I've clutched up wheelies on the GS before at 55mph on the highway with a "helper" bump in the road. Lots of fun. Amazes my sportbike buddies, but what else would the expect? The ZX10 and the Supermotos got wheelied all the time too.
The Big Pig wheelies great. If you dont want to use clutch and want an even easier way to get the front end up in second gear....chop the throttle and then when the suspension loads up... open the throttle and the front should come up nice and easy without even putting much pressure on your drive train.
I say "ride'r like the slut she is" If the final drive explodes I'll buy a new one. The clutch is going to wear out someday no matter how I ride her. 24,000 miles and she's still bangin wheelies with the original clutch and FDRide on and stop pussy footin around Maybe this is why I only get 2000 miles out of a tkc rear:huh.
I can hardly ride my 1100GS without the overpowering urge to do a wheelie. I agree with the several previous posts. I bought it to have fun. If I wear anything out in the process, I'll replace it. The only thing that tempers it has been the addition of the Remus exhaust. No more urban stealth wheelies. Everybody within a mile knows I'm doing something illegal.
Wheelie, jump and slide. Every day whether you need to or not. Jump Can't find one of a slide. A load of fun.
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