The wheelie is a fun dirt bike stunt that experienced riders love to pull out to show off to onlookers or to newbies. If you’re interested in adding this move to your arsenal, here are the steps you will need to follow.

• Start in second or third gear: You’ll need to maintain a speed that keeps the RPM just before you reach your bike’s optimal power hit. Once you roll the throttle you’re going to need a bit of power. Ideally you’ll be a third of the way through your gear.
• Find the proper posture: Before popping the wheelie, you’ll need to stand up on your bike and slightly bend the knees. You shouldn’t be on the balls of your feet, however—the pegs should be in the middle of your feet to allow you to hit the back brake if you need to. This will also provide you with some better balance.
• Drop your hips and lean back: The process of performing a wheelie on a dirt bike is different than on a standard bicycle. You shouldn’t be jerking back on the bars and leaning back—this will result in you ending up on your back. Instead, you need to focus on dropping your hips first so you just lean slightly back. It should feel like you’re pushing out the bike with your feet.
• Let off the gas before accelerating: Beginners often expect that they need to really accelerate into the wheelie. The key, however, is actually letting of the gas a bit before popping the wheelie. Decelerate and lean a bit forward, which will preload the suspension and make it easier for you to get the front tire off the ground before accelerating into the wheelie.
• Maintaining the throttle: Getting the wheel up and off the ground is actually the easy part of the wheelie. The challenge is maintaining it in a consistent and safe manner. You’ll need to maintain your balance, and even more challenging is keeping the throttle controlled. You shouldn’t have to use the acceleration of the bike to keep up your tire—you should find a balancing point that allows you to maintain your speed instead of increasing it. You may need to feather the throttle a bit to find that ideal balance point.

It’s going to take some practice for you to be able to reliably pull off a wheelie—these things take time! The more you practice the better you will get—just don’t try to go too fast too quickly. Don’t get frustrated—nobody gets it right the first try.

Make sure you wear good gloves, boots, a helmet, knee pads and riding pants, because you can expect some falls.

So what are you waiting for? Get out there and master the art of the wheelie!