Harley wheelie

[npalen]

I had noticed on that first video (the fat guy) that the front wheel was not turning. That had struck me as odd after the authenticity of the clip was questioned. Now on this second clip with the young female, the wheel can be seen to continue rotating after it's suspended in the air.
Now of course in the first instance the front brake could've been applied to stop the rotation; but why would he?

Would the bike handle better if the gyroscopic effect of the front wheel spinning was stopped?

[A.K. Boomer]

Would the bike handle better if the gyroscopic effect of the front wheel spinning was stopped?

It might add a certain kind of stability but also impede corrections, it might also have some unwanted side effects,,,

Many moons ago I heard of an aircraft company putting fins on the side of their wheels to help the wheels rotate and catch up to speed when deployed so as to save "tire touch down" wear and tear,,,

but the practice produced some unwanted side effects with how the plane behaved... so take this with a grain of salt was a long time ago and can't remember the credibility of the claim....

[Michael Edwards]

Would the bike handle better if the gyroscopic effect of the front wheel spinning was stopped?

No. Much worse in fact.

[Joel]

In that last video, it looks like the rear tire has been aired down a bunch (it sinks more than the additional weight justifies). It hadn't occurred to me before, but I bet that helps quite a bit.

[Tundra Twin Track]

With dirt bikes and snowmobiles doing those big air tricks their on the throttle &brakes constantly to keep the machine in the desired position.

[I make chips]

In that last video, it looks like the rear tire has been aired down a bunch (it sinks more than the additional weight justifies). It hadn't occurred to me before, but I bet that helps quite a bit.

It does. If you air down to about 10 psi the contact patch gets really wide. This slows down the steering effect as compared to a tire that is rather peaked in the centre.

[boslab]

Was there not a motor driven front wheel for these long bike jumps to stabilise the bike in the air , I’m sure I saw it on some tv program.
mark

[RB211]

Didn't read the whole thread but what struck me was how he wasn't sliding off his seat that has no lower back support, looks like physics were put on pause, especially considering his physique.

[sid pileski]

See here:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doug_Domokos

Saw him wheelie around Unadulla MX track back in the late ‘70s. Up and down the hills. Didn’t matter.
At that time, he had a motor on the front wheel to keep it spinning.

Sid

[npalen]

Interesting! Had never heard of front wheel drive on a bike!

Someone is probably going to ask the loaded question here. Why do Harley riders have to blip their throttle just before stopping?

[A.K. Boomer]

I think it's to keep them from stalling, they can barely idle on their own and kinda need to be baby-sat that way or it's extra embarrassing to try and get one re-started...

[Michael Edwards]

See here:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doug_Domokos

Saw him wheelie around Unadulla MX track back in the late ‘70s. Up and down the hills. Didn’t matter.
At that time, he had a motor on the front wheel to keep it spinning.

Sid

Yeah, I saw him at the Seattle supercross in the 80's. I remember reading an article in a moto-mag about his front wheel motor crapping out before that world record attempt and they had a difficult time getting it to work correctly.

[Michael Edwards]

With dirt bikes and snowmobiles doing those big air tricks their on the throttle &brakes constantly to keep the machine in the desired position.

One of my favorite examples from supercross.

[psomero]

I had noticed on that first video (the fat guy) that the front wheel was not turning. That had struck me as odd after the authenticity of the clip was questioned. Now on this second clip with the young female, the wheel can be seen to continue rotating after it's suspended in the air.
Now of course in the first instance the front brake could've been applied to stop the rotation; but why would he?

Gyroscopic effect of the wheels influences rotation of the bike. Dirtbike guys will hit the brakes to manipulate attitude mid-air and you'll see them instantly shift angle.

Maybe it's intentional, maybe it's not, maybe it's just harley brakes are crap and drag?

[psomero]

Didn't read the whole thread but what struck me was how he wasn't sliding off his seat that has no lower back support, looks like physics were put on pause, especially considering his physique.

There's a big ass notch, literally.