My friend and i disagree, when i pull a wheelie i think finding the balance point and riding it out is all about throttle control, he thinks you should ride the rear brake, I think if you do this you risk hitting it to hard and slamming the front tire down, thus causing the shake that you see happen to all those idiots on you tube and than wreck the bike.
In the seventies,I could do 1/8th and 1/4 mile wheelies on a 1969 Honda 450 scrambler with TT pipes on it.It is important to keep a excellent working clutch as a slipping one is very dangerous doing wheelies.I only used the back brake to keep from going over backwards while I shifted gears.I would get moveing about20 miles per hour,rev it up and feather slip the clutch until It was up and taching about 9000 RPMs then shift to second gear.At 60 and 70 the wind can scare the hell out of you by pitching the machine to the back or the side.Im 57 yrs old now and know I would have been killed or ruined for life if I ever fallen off.Always avoid bad road conditions.Be safe And good luck.
I'm with you as far as staying away from the rear brake. Granted it could save you in a pinch but I have never had to go there. When I ride a wheelie I get into the zone my concentration is all about balance and throttle control. I think riding the rear brake would be a sign of fear and a lack of confidence.
i can see, may be, using the rear brake carefully to bring you safely out of the wheelie but I would stay away from it all together. you would put your self at high risk to breaking traction and being on one wheel may likely cause a violent end to your wheelie, at least for that moment. Throttle control and clutch control are what you need to use, not the rear brake. The traction vs brake concept is similar when cornering. If you are cornering with a lean, then you're traction has been reduced considerably (the contact patch has less surface area) and if you brake in a lean then you're setting yourself up for some trouble.
