Wheelie Bike
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| “ | This motorbike only has one wheel! It always races along the surface, so its handling takes a bit of getting used to. | ” | — Kirby Air Ride North American instruction booklet, page 35 |
The Wheelie Bike is a rideable machine in Kirby Air Ride. This vehicle is the most basic design of the four different "bike" machines available in the game. It appears to be a Wheelie enemy, particularly the variety rode in the Wheelie Rider Ability of Kirby Super Star.
Appearance[edit]
This vehicle's basic body is that of a single large wheel with a rounded black tire. On each side where a hub would normally be, there is instead a massive, angry-looking eye with a gold eyelid. Positioned on the top half of the wheel is a red, matte covering with gray and silver accents, upon which the rider sits. On the front of this covering are are a pair of handlebars gripped by the rider.
Extending out from the rear of the covering are four silver exhaust pipes--two on each side--which pump out smoky gray exhaust while the vehicle is moving. The exhaust stops completely when the bike is stationary or charging, but spikes for a moment after boosting. Between the four exhaust pipes is a single red taillight, which lights up when the vehicle is charging.
Mechanics[edit]
The bike's most standout features are shared with all bikes (Rex Wheelie, Wheelie Scooter, and Wheelie Bike Dedede Custom). Since it relies on a wheel to propel itself, it does not float above the ground as stars do. This renders it more susceptible to ground hazards such as the magma in Magma Flows or the snow in Frozen Hillside, decelerating and messing with its handling more than it would stars. However, it also gains the aid of Dash Panels and activates switches without the need to touch the ground with a charge. As with all bikes, it does not glide in the typical sense, but instead jumps. That is, it gains a sudden increase of speed when going airborne, but cannot steer or alter its trajectory to the point almost all stars can.
Aside from its unique bike properties, the Wheelie Bike is fairly average, and balanced in its statistics, and is comparable in most applicable ways to the standard Warp Star. However, it doesn't handle quite as easily, but it does accelerate slightly faster and has a slightly higher top speed of 26.83 mph (43.18 km/h).
How to unlock[edit]
To unlock this machine for use in Air Ride, the player must race on all eight courses available from the beginning of the game, excluding the additional unlockable course.
In City Trial, the Wheelie Bike can occasionally be found randomly throughout the city and be mounted like most other air ride machines. It is always available in Free Run as well.
Gallery[edit]
Artwork of Kirby riding the vehicle
Promotional artwork of Kirby riding a Wheelie Bike
Ripped model from the game
The Wheelie Bike as seen in the City Trial ending.
Names in other languages[edit]
| Language | Name | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Japanese | ウィリーバイク Wirī Baiku |
Wheelie Bike |
