Dangerous trend.............feedback please

[Pete]

Ok, I know it's winter, and the weather doesn't premitt motorcycle riding all around the country right now, but I'm looking for some feedback.

Wheelie Boy.................

A day doesn't go by that I don't see a kid on a sport bike riding the rear wheel................in traffic. They do other stunts, but this is by far the most common. It seems that with the younger riders, the pleasure of just riding isn't enough these days. It's all about showmenship, which is pushed by videos, stunt shows, and cycle mags. Showmenship is great in the right place and time, but these kids are showing off for people who only care about getting from point A to point B, and are often startled but this behavior.

The latest trend is to have aux lights mounted under the bike so when riding the rear wheel, they have lights pointing down the road being the actual head light(s) is pointed to the sky. :doh:

When I was younger, we road like madmen, but generally in isolated areas.

We all knew we were taking chances with our lives, but didn't risk other people outside of our group of riders.

My question is, is it a common sight to see Wheelie Boy on the busy roads in your area? If you live in a warmer area of the country, keep an eye open for a day or so while doing your normal driving, and let me know.

It's gotten out of hand in this area, and I wonder how wide spread it actually. If you in the colder states, I'll bring this thread back in the spring.......

[KingGibbs]

It's a shame these kids don't get it these days. I cringe everytime I see a kid doing the aforementioned "wheelie" or traveling at a high rate of speed. My cousin of a young 28 yrs was killed in '04 when he hit a tree at 105 MPH. The sad part is, his wife had a baby two weeks prior. It didn't have to happen, but I guess once you get on a crotch rocket, you think your invincible.

[Brave]

I've seen it a few times around here, but not often.

Nearly startled the doo-doo out of me when one came right by my door.

You go the right idea, Pete. Go find a nice deserted area for that stuff. Of course, you've got to import your audience ...

[Bugs']

I have seen a few of these "Wheelie Boys" on I97 which is a very busy road. At first I'm like, "wow, look at that, that's cool". Then I think more about it and I'm like, "that's just plain stupid, they could easily get killed or kill someone else".

[Pete]

We had a kid killed last week. A person driving a car didn't see him with the tail light low, and headlight high and clipped him trying to change lanes. Wound up causing a four car pile up with a bunch of injuries, and one dead 19 year old.

[Brave]

These kids are thinking like your sig, Pete. They just don't know they need to "skid in broadside" LATER rather than immediately.

[RonJeremy]

Yeah, I see a ton of these clowns in Ocean City, MD (where I work) during the summer months.

[Pete]

Yeah, I see a ton of these clowns in Ocean City, MD (where I work) during the summer months.

Great pic :laugh: We're building 4 new Police bikes for Coral Gables PD right now.

[Barney B]

Around DC, you see it all the time on Rt. 210 and Rt. 5, south of the city. Lots of crashes, of course, but what can you do? You can't run them over - you might dent your fender.

[AdamB]

Kids see the trick videos they sell at bike shows or watch "Biker Boyz" one too many times, get the keys for bikes they have neither the skill or maturity to handle, get around a group of like minded idiots and this is usually the result.

I love that bikes are getting more popular as it will lead (eventually) to a greater awarness of motorcycles on the road, etc. but at the same time the wrong people are starting to buy the wrong bikes for the wrong reasons. I had a co-worker buy a HD Night Train last year, his only experience being a few trips on a dirt bike when he was a kid. I and another co-worker (who also rides) tried to talk him into a Honda 600 or a Vtsar 650 to learn on. Nope...he had to have a harley "cause they are real bikes...." Well, his $24K "real bike" hit a "real tree" within the week and he was lucky his was not a "real corpse".

[DButz65]

Happens alot in my area, i hope each one of them kills themselves for being so stupid, go ahead flame me, its just the way i feel about them.

I've seen idiots do it on rout95 and the capital beltway around DC, also where i live like The Chief said, on 210. I almost hit one 1 day.... was behind him in heavy traffic, he pops a wheelie, and almost loses it less tha a car length in front of me. Idiot. Ive seen many bike accidents around here from sheer stupidness.

[Muskrat]

OK, this may be totally politically incorrect, and I always hate to see someone involved in a fatal accident, but at some point Darwinism is going to come into play. Many people these days are doing asinine, borderline suicidal stunts for fun or fame....basically playing russian roulette...and eventually they will 'get the bullet'. Hopefully, when this happens, they will only take out themselves and not an innocent bystander or two.

[riggins44]

Pete, in this area I really don't recall seeing any Wheelie Boys in this area. After hearing my brother talk (was a funeral director for 16 years) I'm going to stay with

4 wheels planted on the ground.

[China]

Don't see it often, but I did see one guy poppin' a wheelie on the Beltway during rush hour on my way home once. :doh:

[riggins44]

Great pic :laugh: We're building 4 new Police bikes for Coral Gables PD right now.

Pete, most departments around here buy the Harley's. Sometimes wonder if it isn't because of Harley resale value.

[LegionOfDoom]

OK, this may be totally politically incorrect, and I always hate to see someone involved in a fatal accident, but at some point Darwinism is going to come into play. Many people these days are doing asinine, borderline suicidal stunts for fun or fame....basically playing russian roulette...and eventually they will 'get the bullet'. Hopefully, when this happens, they will only take out themselves and not an innocent bystander or two.

That is true....my Mother-in-Laws street has atleast one death a year by a motorcyclist....the end of the street has a big hook and a tall tree that they all hit...they will go about 70 mph on a 30 mph street that hooks...teddy bears and ribbons are periodically placed on the tree. Each person that has died was not from the neighborhood and didn't know about the hook. I only see it getting worse.....

[Zguy28]

Unfortunately some folks these days have no common sense. It's getting worse by the minute. Sometimes heres the result.

[Air Force Cane]

I have seen some idiots doing this on the 270 spur and Montrose road.

to me, this is domestic malthus at its finest. the world has a way of getting rid of excess population usually amongst the stupidest or weakest.

If they want to act like they are on a movie set, I have no problem with them suffering the consequences.

[zoony]

I wonder if there is any pressure on the manufacturers to make it difficult or impossible to do a wheelie? Not sure how this could be done, but I'm sure theres a way.

as for the question in this thread, I don't see this often at all in my area.

.....

[DButz65]

I wonder if there is any pressure on the manufacturers to make it difficult or impossible to do a wheelie? Not sure how this could be done, but I'm sure theres a way.

as for the question in this thread, I don't see this often at all in my area.

.....

Rock Ridge Zoony? hehehe Blazzing Saddles fan are we?

[Stophovr6]

Motorcyle riders here in the Northwest are some of the most tame, respectful and well riden riders I've seen. I've lived In DC NY and NJ and riders up here in the NW are by for the most impressive in terms of safety and awareness. I've always wanted to ride a motorcycle and I'm taking this oppurtunity while here in the NW to learn. It seems to me that car drivers are also more aware of motorcylces here and the HOV lanes on I-5 are always HOV and always open to motorcyclists which is nice. I will be taking a course in late January and after that will be saving up for a tame 500cc cruiser/ standard japanese bike.

PS I would say the exception to the rule here in Seattle is West Seattle at Alki beach is where all the wannabe Ruff Riders go hang out at the beach. The whole area stinks of trying to be SoCal anyways.

[Stophovr6]

I Forgot My Ruff Riders story!

About four years ago I was with my friends headed down the FDR drive on the East side of Manhattan. We were on our way to Brooklyn, to get ther we were going to take the Brooklyn bridge(duh). About a mile away from the Brooklyn bridge a bunch of ruff riders start screamin by us on their crotch rockets. I'd say there were anywhere from 20 to 30 of them, most of them not wearing helmets. As we aproached the bridge traffic stopped. We were on a ramp that was above the bridge itself so we could see what was happening on the bridge. These clowns stopped all lanes of traffic and waited for the traffic in front to cross the bridge. at which point they had a race across the brooklyn bridge on a Friday afternoon during rush hour.:doh:

[AdamB]

I wonder if there is any pressure on the manufacturers to make it difficult or impossible to do a wheelie? Not sure how this could be done, but I'm sure theres a way.

as for the question in this thread, I don't see this often at all in my area.

.....

There is not really anyway to keep a bike from doing a wheelie if the person is determined to do it that I know of (Pete may know of one...I just ride them and tinker with 'em, don't work on them as a profession). All bikes have power going to the rear wheel in very large amounts, so unless you make the bike incrediably heavy towards the front, they will be able to to shift enough weight backwards to bring the front wheel up. Also, switching the power to the front would just encourage idiots to go riding around on their front wheel (as well as playing havoc with the physics of how bikes work).

Any body modifications they would make to decrease the ability to pop a wheelie could, and probably would, be easily changed and be ineffective. Increased weight in the frame/body would not help as I have seen Honda Goldwings pop wheelies with both a rider and passenger (probably 1100 pounds total). Limiting HP won't help since pretty much any bike can wheelie - as I found out by accident on mine, which has more weight and alot less h.p. than your average sportbike.

And pretty much anything the maufacturer may come up with can be circumvented. Bikes are not that hard to upgrade - people with little wrenching experience can do things like modifing carbs, changing out exhaust, etc.

Pretty much it comes down to strict enforcement and stiff penalties (like saying bye-bye to your ride) is pretty much the only thing I think will help for the time being.

[zoony]

Rock Ridge Zoony? hehehe Blazzing Saddles fan are we?

You're the first person to get the reference

.......

[Pete]

Pete, most departments around here buy the Harley's. Sometimes wonder if it isn't because of Harley resale value.

Harley gives better incentives so many depts stick with them, or have gone back to them from other brands. The RT-P BMW has far less down time for scheduled maint. Harley anti lock breaks are so substandard your better off with out them, and they don't handle or preform any where close to the BMr

I wonder if there is any pressure on the manufacturers to make it difficult or impossible to do a wheelie? Not sure how this could be done, but I'm sure theres a way.

as for the question in this thread, I don't see this often at all in my area.

.....

Adam, as always has my back and covered it fairly well. Triumph offers some restrictors for their bikes, but generally there's not much the factories will do. You could easily make an onboard system that would cut fuel or spark if the front wheel speed didn't match what the rear was doing. Of course, sales would drop off rapidly.

It's never the bikes fualt, and telling factories not to build powerful bikes would be like telling auto makers not to make cars like Vipers.....GT Fords, and so on. Most sport bikes don't need you to shift you body weight rearward. I've had the front end come up by accident on an 800 lb Triumph Rocket noot even hitting it that hard. Some of these bikes have as much HP and Torque as small car, with 1/8 the weight.

The cops can't be everywhere, so it will continue....................