Wheelies & Stoppies

[WildKat]

Are they squidly? We've all seen sportbikes fly by us on 1 wheel, or a group of riders pull up to a stoplight in our town, and all them doing a stoppie as they approach a traffic light. Only to be greeted by the stares of cagers around them The little kids are like, ooooooo, that's cool !!! and the older folks just shake their heads in dissapointment.

What do you think, is it being squidly to do a wheelie or a stoppie out in public? or just riders having a good time?

Of course there's the safety issue which is the number 1 reason its questioned at all. But there is a responsible way to do it, and still have fun dont ya think?

[soccersteve]

theres a time and a place for everything. it gets my vote for not squidly if done while not putting anyone at danger (bystandards, etc). it takes a certain amount of skill to do wheelies, sometimes yes, all you have to do is hit the throttle, but nonetheless it takes some sort of skill do to these. thats MHO.

[md86]

theres a time and a place for everything.

Damn dude , that was the first thought that came to my head ! I personally have never done a wheelie , stoppie , or burnout . My bike gets abused enough by just ne riding it ! I DO think that stunts look cool , but I hate seeing the goobers around town who just seem to scream "look at me!" .

[duff daddy]

i got called a squid for laying back on my bike ..i dont see how that is squidly at all

[Reece]

I don't have a problem with it, personally.

To me, being a squid is more about "how", "when" and "why" you do something...not so much "what" you do.

For example; I like to ride fast and I like to drag my knee in the twisties...but I don't go weaving through cars in traffic or speeding through residential areas.
I do it because I enjoy the feeling of a powerful machine doing what it is designed to do. I enjoy developing my skills.
I don't do it to show off or feel like I'm some sort of daredevil risking my life for an adreniline rush.
But I have several friends who only ride on the track and race in WERA. They call people like me "street squids" because we ride fast and drag a knee in the mountains. They feel that is squidly and it's only safe to speed and knee-drag on the track.

Likewise, most of the true "stunnas" I meet practice off the beaten path in wharehouse parking lots or industrial areas. They perform at organized events. Very few ever get crazy in traffic or in public. They do it because to them it's a sport...and truthfully, the local stunters are more "succesfull" at stunting the the racers I know.
They may not have the prestige and legitimacy that comes with winning races, but they get free bikes, tires, parts and gear from their sponsors.
(they get waaay more chicks, too)

Anyway, I voted undecided, but it looks cool. "Live and let live" is my motto.

[tzortn]

I have no issues with stunting if it is done is a safe environment. What pisses me off is when you see some of these videos or jerks antagonizing cops and other drivers. That gives all bikers a bad name.

[thurockk]

Yep, time and place for everything.

[Meikol2]

Doing any of that in traffic gives all of us a bad name. Do what you want away from other drivers, but I get really annoyed when someone does something like that near me. If I am riding, everyone else thinks I am a squid too and shoot me looks. In the cage, I don't want to run over some idiot and cause everybody hardship.

I had a squid on a Ninja 250, no helmet, tennis shoes, and a windbreaker, and a good sized girl on the back in simiar clothes, riding at one bike length behind a truck at 50 mph, then he lane splits between two vechicles, then between my van and another vehicle, just to get passed by everyone 1/4 mile down the road as we all get up to freeway speed. If I had not been looking for him, I could have easily taken him and his unfortunate passenger out, while my kids watched.

[Katgirl]

Time and a place, and definately cool to watch. I would say that those really cool guys you see in the summer with their tank tops, shorts and runners on are more squidly.

Some of the stuff those stunters do takes serious skill that I am sure half of the people calling them squid don't have. Having said that, they need to be somewhere without other cars and wearing gear as well.

[WildKat]

I think its cool to see a kat do a wheelie !!! 8)

[woobie]

It's all about time and place.

I was on the highway Sunday and watch as a guy on a ninja wheelied up the righthand lane as accelerated up to speed catching up to his buddies. Traffic was fairly heavy and you just know cagerts were shaking thier head at this. I know my wife even commented on it.

Like Reece I take it easy in town and residential areas, but once on the back roads I'll step it up a bit. That's why I don't really have anything against stunters when they do it out of site or off the beaten path. Really I'm no better hitting that 50km/h corner at 80km/h . Popping a wheelie or railing the twisties can end up the same way very quickly, mess up and you'll be sliding down the road.

[JesterGfx]

Yep, I agree with the majority here. Time and a place. I love watching people stunting on their bikes, as long as the proper safety precautions are taken. There is skill there, no doubt, that I don't have yet, and a certain amount of control that is truely impressive. I would say the morons weaving in and out of traffic irratically and giving complete disreguard to the safety of their passengers and others sharing the road with them are the true squids.

[masrapido]

Well, I have friends that are knee dragers but like (and know) to do long wheelies and stoppies, usually in a area where they cant disturb anybody.
But then, there is the young squids... One of my co-workers, a mechanic, wrecked his nice CBR600RR after show off a wheelie and t-boned a car. He was riding with a passenger, BOTH without helmets, but thank god no one was hurt!
He owns the Honda for only a pair of months, and then, suddenly, he decided he was a stuntaz... LOL

[soccersteve]

thats a nice bike..i like it. that the one he wreckeD?

[HS2020]

There is a time and place for everything. I like to do wheelies everynow and then. When I do do them I am not in public view. I think it is stupid to do in and around town. You never know what is going to pull out in front of you. For those that like to stunt all the time need to do it in an empty lot where they can only be seen by those who are right there. Some people will tell you I was doing them at the rally last year. It was on NC28 where nobody was around but us and no cars. So it all depends on the time and place.