Types of wheelie can be divided into two broad categories: :1. Wheelies in which the vehicle is
driven by the rear wheels, and power is sufficient by itself as described in the
Physics section below. These include: :*
Clutch wheelies: performed by revving the engine with the clutch disengaged, and then abruptly engaging (a.k.a. 'dumping') the
clutch. :*
Power wheelies or
roll-on wheelies: performed by simply opening the throttle. If the engine has sufficient
power, it will be able to lift the front wheel. :2. Wheelies performed with the aid of suspension dynamics or rider motion. These include: :*
Bounce wheelies or
slap wheelies: performed by opening and closing the throttle in time with
suspension rebounding, tire rebounding, rider motion, or any combination of the three. :*
Manuals: performed without applying torque to the rear wheel at all, but instead by moving the rider's body backwards relative to the bike, and then pulling back on the handlebars near the end of available travel.
Bicycles Wheelies are a common stunt in
freestyle fixed gear,
artistic cycling and
freestyle BMX. The bicycle is balanced by the rider's weight and sometimes use of the rear brake. A style of bicycle, the
wheelie bike, has a seating position, and thus
center of mass, nearly over the rear wheel that facilitates performing wheelies.
Motorcycle A wheelie is also a common
motorcycle stunt. The principles is the same as the bicycle wheelie, but the throttle and rear brakes are used to control the wheelie while a rider uses body weight and the steering to control the direction the inertia of the spinning front wheel acting as a balance. The world's fastest motorcycle wheelie record is by
Patrik Fürstenhoff. April 18, 1999. The world record for the fast wheelie over is , set by
Egbert van Popta at
Elvington airfield in
Yorkshire, England. In some countries, such as the United Kingdom and USA, motorcyclists performing a wheelie on a
public road may be prosecuted for
dangerous driving, an offense which can carry a large fine and a ban of a year or more. In Pakistan, India, and some other countries, it is illegal to perform these kinds of stunts. If someone is caught performing these acts, the rider can have their motorcycle impounded and potentially face jail time.
Automobiles Wheelies are common in
auto- or
motorcycle drag racing, where they represent
torque wasted lifting the front end, rather than moving the vehicle forward. They also usually result in raising the center of mass, which limits the maximum acceleration. In the absence of wheelie bars, this effect is quantified in the physics section below. If wheelie bars are present then a wheelie results in a reduction of load on the rear driving wheels, along with a corresponding reduction in
friction.
Monster trucks stuck on a set of crushed cars after performing a wheelie
Monster trucks often perform wheelies during shows. Monster trucks have performed power wheelies, slap wheelies, and sky wheelies. To perform a sky wheelie, a monster truck jumps in such a way that the truck is vertical in the air, with the front end of the truck pointing upwards.
Snowmobiles Wheelies are possible with some
snowmobiles, whereby it is the skis that are lifted off the ground.
Wheelchairs Some
wheelchair users can learn to balance their chair on its rear wheels and do a wheelie. This enables them to climb and descend curbs and maneuver over small obstacles. Occasionally
wheelchair dancers perform wheelies.
Aircraft In an airplane, a wheelie is performed by conducting a soft-field landing or take-off procedure. The pilot increases the elevator backpressure so the nose wheel of the landing gear has minimal contact with the ground. On 14 February 2020, the
Guinness World Record for the longest-distance wheelie in an airplane was set in a
Cessna 172 at
Southern California Logistics Airport in
Victorville, California on runway 17. The pilot kept the plane's nose wheel from touching the runway for a distance of 14,319 feet. ==Wheelie bar==