LEVEL UP

Back at the wheelie school, we kick it up a notch this time around

- Keshav Teiva Poumai

Possessing the skill to flirt with physics and gravity on a motorcycle is something to take pride in; a skill perfected by Hrishikesh Mandke. One of India's best stunters, he is also one heck of an instructor, the proof being that he has enabled the likes of me to pop one wheel in the air on command. Sure, it started out on a wheelie rig, but with constant practice, I have managed to get pretty decent at it. But taking all that into account, it was high time to level up and learn how to carry a controlled wheelie.

Having been inducted into the Annual Wheelie School around this time last year, Kartik, Yogi Chhabria and I had managed to get our basics right on the wheelie rig. This time around Yogi and I headed to a spot near Lavasa where Hrishi practises his art, for follow-up lessons. Our steeds for the occasion were the Bajaj Pulsar N250 and the Suzuki Gixxer 250, both of which are pretty capable motorcycles in the quarter-liter segment. While we do know how well both motorcycles handle in general, this time we also got to test which one is more manageable on one wheel.

To start off with, we lowered the air pressure on the rear tyres of both motorcycles, hence increasing the contact patch and rendering the bikes more stable during the wheelie. This step was essential since this time we didn't have the luxury of the wheelie rig to keep us from tipping over. Yes, this time the syllabus consisted of popping a wheelie and carrying it without any external support. I started out with the Pulsar N250, and Yogi, the Gixxer 250, while Hrishi decided to observe us clown around first to decide our individual lesson structures.