Product Review:

WHEELIE TEACH

Reviewed by Pro Freestye Rider Bill Dixon, published in Throttle Nation Magazine volume 2 issue 7

When I first saw the Wheelie Teach mechanism I was skeptical to say the least. At first look it seems simple; so simple that I wondered if it would even work as a tool to speed up the learning process of riding wheelies. I thought I would definitely be a different fell than doing a real wheelie. I thought this due to the fact that you’re pulling the Wheelie Teach behind you. But then the truth came out when I finally did a hands-on test of the Wheelie Teach.

When I got to my practice spot, I secured the wheelie teach to my 2009 R6 stuntbike. Even by myself I only took a few seconds to install and I was off. My first trip down the lot I was amazed; I couldn’t even tell the wheelie teach was behind my R6. I even looked back to be certain as I turned the bike around. I then clutched up my first sit down wheelie. I had the Wheelie Teach on the middle setting. I quickly figured out that I’m way advanced for this setting. However, when I thought about it like a beginner, I realized that as the wheelie comes back to the point where the wheelie teach takes over , its spring action brings the front tire back to the ground so perfectly it felt almost impossible to mess up. So I then tried to, well….mess up, even to break it. To do this test, I over-revved and side-stepped the clutch. Basically I clutched the R6 up way to hard. To my surprise it came up and the Wheelie Teach did its job and landed both tires back on the ground in a hurry. I stopped to check it for signs of it being bent or broken because I really tried to break it, but the Wheelie Teach hadn’t budged. The photographer said the whole bike was suspended by the Wheelie Teach but he didn’t get the shot, and I wasn’t trying it again.

After a few more bouts on that setting I raised it up to the advanced setting. This required a few adjustable wrenches and a in a flash I was on the advanced setting, which let me bring the R6 up just to the balance point before the wheelie teach did its job. On this setting you can learn how to ride a controlled wheelie with the confidence of not crashing.

My Wheelie Teach experience has really opened my eyes as to how easy it could have been to learn some hard tricks if I’d had it on my bikes at the time. Some tricks took me longer than it should have, and the biggest reason was that I didn’t have the confidence to go big all at once, because the consequences were so high. You will have the confidence of a pro when you have the Wheelie Teach trailing behind. By using the Wheelie Teach, the risk of learning serious tricks like the switchback wheelie just went down a considerable amount. The Wheelie Teach is not only for the beginners, but can be used as a tool for all stunt riders. I’m going to use it to try some new tricks I want up my sleeve for 2011.

I also figured out a way you can modify the wheelie teach to allow you to ride the wheelie back further, to help you better explore the balance point and rear brake control. The Wheelie Teach is a perfect tool, one that I know will make any rider more confident with their wheelies.

At the low price of $285, the Wheelie Teach is the most justified piece of equipment a stunt rider can have. Make a mistake without it and you may ruin your whole bike. It’s durable and can take a beating. The wheels do show a little wear after a few days of riding around, but the wheels will definitely last a rider through their learning process. As you ride, you will notice what the Wheelie Teach is going to save your buns. So when you do take the Wheelie Teach off, be very careful and be sure to use you rear brake.