Many avid bikers enjoy showing off their motorcycles. One such performance bikers may do is a wheelie – the act of lifting one wheel of a bike off the road and balancing it while driving. Many people enjoy doing wheelies as much as others enjoy watching.
You may be wondering: are wheelies legal to do? What if no one is on the road? But first, you should know how safe it is to do a wheelie:
The dangers of wheelies
A wheelie can bring a biker closer to the ground as the road rushes past them at fifty, sixty or seventy miles an hour. If a biker suddenly loses their balance, they could topple over, injuring themselves under the weight of their vehicle traveling at incredible speeds.
Wheelies could put bikers at high risk of injuries: road burn, broken bones, whiplash, brain injuries, internal bleeding, etc. While bikers may perform tricks with padding and headgear, these may be no more than a suggestion – that doesn’t mean a biker should forgo wearing equipment, reducing even worse injuries.
Wheelies cause reckless driving
There may not be specific laws that prevent motorcyclists from doing wheelies in most states (including Texas), but that doesn’t mean there aren’t legal ramifications. Wheelies can be considered reckless driving and should be avoided, even if no one is on the road. Reckless driving in such a fashion could easily lead to a wreck — and that’s before you get into fines and any associated penalties.
Laws don’t stop everyone from doing wheelies or performing other tricks – and not everyone knows the law. A motorcyclist may have been showing off and caused your injuries while you rode nearby. You may need to seek legal assistance to recover from your bills and losses.