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Wheelie Physics

Street Riders uses a continuous force-based wheelie system unlike scripted animation wheelies found in other mods. Every wheelie is physically simulated in real-time; the bike lifts, balances, and settles based on forces, speeds, and angles.


How It Works

A smooth upward force is applied to the bike's front end every frame. The force is dampened by angular velocity, preventing the bike from overshooting and oscillating. Gravity provides natural resistance, and the system continuously adjusts to maintain the target angle.


Pitch Control Phases

The wheelie is divided into four phases based on the current pitch angle relative to TargetPitch:

0° ──────────────────────────────────── MaxPitch
[Full Lift] [Fade Out] [Coast] [Correction]
0%─50% 50%─100% Target Above Max
PhaseRangeBehaviour
Full Lift0% to 50% of TargetPitchFull lift force applied, dampened by rise speed
Fade Out50% to TargetPitchForce progressively fades out with velocity damping: smooths into the target
CoastTargetPitch to MaxPitchNo force applied: gravity settles naturally at the target
CorrectionAbove MaxPitchGentle reverse force pushes the front wheel back down to prevent flipping

Per-Bike Tuning

Each bike model can have its own wheelie profile using [Bike_XXX] sections. The bike must be listed in BikeOverrides in [General].

Example: Sanchez (aggressive dirt bike)

[Bike_SANCHEZ2]
LiftForce = 0.32
TargetPitch = 50.0
MaxPitch = 55.0

Example: BF400 (moderate sport/dirt)

[Bike_BF400]
LiftForce = 0.15
TargetPitch = 45.0
MaxPitch = 50.0

Only the settings you include are overridden; everything else falls back to [DefaultWheelie].


Tuning Guide

IssueFix
Bike lifts too hardLower LiftForce
Bike doesn't liftRaise LiftForce
Wheelie angle too highLower TargetPitch
Bike flips overLower MaxPitch
Wheelie still bouncyLower LiftForce and raise TorqueOffset

WheelieExcludedModels

Certain two-wheeled vehicles never attempt wheelies:

WheelieExcludedModels = BMX, CRUISER, TRIBIKE, TRIBIKE2, TRIBIKE3, SCORCHER, POLICEB

Add any bike model to this comma-separated list to exclude it.


Natural Rider Support

When ApplyToNaturalRiders = true, the wheelie AI also applies to NPC bikers already spawned in traffic. The mod scans for nearby bikers within NaturalRiderScanRadius and gives them wheelie behaviour.

ApplyToNaturalRiders = false
NaturalRiderScanRadius = 200.0

Remount System

When a rider falls off their bike (from a crash or failed wheelie), the remount system kicks in:

  1. Rider detects they are off the bike and not in a vehicle.
  2. A cooldown (RemountTaskCooldown) prevents rapid re-triggering.
  3. The rider walks to the bike if within RemountEnterDistance and RemountMaxDistance.
  4. If the rider cannot reach the bike within RemountTimeout, they stop trying.
  5. After RemountForceTimeout milliseconds, the rider is force-warped onto the bike (0 = disabled).

Police Interaction

Police can chase riders who are doing wheelies through traffic:

SettingDefaultDescription
AllowPoliceArrestfalseEnable police pursuit of riders
PolicePursuitRadius100.0Police lock-on range (meters)
PolicePursuitMinDuration15000Minimum pursuit duration before giving up (ms)

Configuration Reference

SettingDefaultPhase
LiftForce0.18Core: upward force per frame
TorqueOffset1.2Core: lever arm (higher = more rotation)
PulseIntervalMs0Core: 0 = continuous, >0 = pulsed
MinSpeed12.0Core: minimum speed to attempt (m/s)
TargetPitch40.0Pitch: target angle (degrees)
MaxPitch43.0Pitch: emergency correction (degrees)
AttemptDurationMin3000Timing: minimum attempt (ms)
AttemptDurationMax5000Timing: maximum attempt (ms)
SustainDurationMin5000Timing: minimum sustain (ms)
SustainDurationMax20000Timing: maximum sustain (ms)
AttemptDelayMin1000Timing: delay between attempts (ms)
AttemptDelayMax5000Timing: delay between attempts (ms)
AttemptsMin1Timing: attempts per ride cycle
AttemptsMax4Timing: attempts per ride cycle
RaycastDistance10.0Safety: obstacle detection range (m)
MaxSteeringAngle12.0Safety: max steering during wheelie (°)
BrakeThreshold0.5Safety: brake cancels wheelie
DriveSpeed20.0Driving: cruise speed (m/s)
MaxEntitySpeed25.0Driving: hard speed cap (m/s)
DriveAbility1.0Driving: AI skill (0.0–1.0)
DriveAggressiveness1.0Driving: AI aggressiveness
DrivingFlags802877Driving: AI behaviour bitfield
BlockNonTempEventstruePed: block interrupting events