Before we get into wheelies , it ’s important to understand what makes a shaft - driven motorcycle different from other motorcycles . There are three main type of bike drivetrains — chemical chain , belt and shaft — with quill being the least common . All drivetrains do the same basic job , deliver might to the wheels . Chains ( and belts ) resemble the chain on bicycles , looping from the gear to the rearward wheel . A irradiation drive transferral power through a rotating shaft .
To pop a wheelie , the passenger makes the rear wheel accelerate quicker than it can bear on the rest of the wheel , lifting the front wheel off the ground . There are a few different ways to do it ( basically , unlike combination of tilt and apply throttle to regulate fuel ) and as shortly as the bike lift , the passenger has to be ready to maintain firm throttle and shift his or her torso system of weights to keep proportionality .
Wheelies command a considerable amount of ability , and , by their nature , shaft - driven motorcycles are less powerful than their belt- or chain - outfit counterpart : They shift power less efficiently , intend less mightiness start out to the rear wheel . Experts say it ’s potential to lift the front wheel on less hefty wheel , but it ’s a lot more thought-provoking , especially for tyro .
Even if a shaft - motor bike is powerful enough to get that front - wheel lift , it ’s not necessarily a good estimate to keep doing it . execute wheelies on a shaft - aim bike probably wo n’t damage the cycle the first meter , but it probably will damage it finally . Shaft - drive bike usually require less criminal maintenance , but they ’re not resistant to ill - advised stunts and maneuvers . And when a motorcycle ’s drive shaft maintain damage , it ’s a mess more expensive to fix than replacing a belt or a range of mountains .
Wheelies are wild enough already , because they can have legal injury and personal injury when the equipment driver loses his or her balance or control of the bike . But a wheelie on a peter - driven motorcycle can make problems even if the driver fails to get the wheel off the dry land — by putting the vehicle under too much strain .