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Being one who has never been able to wheelie anything, I'm impressed by the skill of those who make it look easy.
Sad thing is these stunts often lead to tragedy when practiced on public roads. We were returning home one evening on US84, a busy 4 lane and were passed by three young fellows on GSX's. They were pulling some spectacular wheelies at 60+. Next morning we learned that one of them lost control doing a stunt and died from injuries. None of these fellows were wearing protective gear other than helmets and that may have been a factor.
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Maybe some of the more skilled riders could chime in on this, but wheelies seem to more about having courage than exceptional skill. Many other stunts amaze me in just how much balance and control the rider exhibits. Not so much with wheelies, I think. (I have neither the courage nor the skill to do any of this...nor the desire)
In any case, for the most part, at least in the edited video, they were alone on the road so not as irritating to me. However, the part with the pickup is a perfect example of why the "Start Seeing Motorcycles" campaign only addresses half the issue...the other half should be "Cars Don't See You" -- riding next to, or in the blind spot of, another vehicle is risky enough on 2 wheels. If the truck driver didn't notice him and switched lanes (perhaps unlikely, but not completely implausible), the last thing the rider, not being able to fully maneuver his bike, might say before passing from this world was "The damn cager cut me off".
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It's not uncommon to see youtube videos of hooligans on sports bikes on busy interstate highways pulling massive wheelies to impress each other. Not smart.
I've personally witnessed bikes passing me (in a car) on busy interstates doing well in excess of 120 mph.
Yes, I've done 120 on interstates, but only when the stretch of roads were virtually empty - and I didn't have to pass any other traffic.
Pick your spots appropriately when you play.
