[skippyb]

So, I had my back tired spin out rather impressively. If I had done it on purpose in front of a bunch of ladies I would be impressed. Instead, it was as I was making a left hand turn.

A car came around the bend and to avoid T-boning me I throttled rather aggressively. Before I knew it, my back end was squealing and coming around. It did a quick shimmy and I was on my way.

My question:

-- Was I in danger at any point there from the bike doing that?

Did I narrowly avoid a fall or does the rider have more control than I think? To be honest, I don't think I would have the gonads to do that again...or maybe I'm not giving rider control enough credit.


Stay tuned for post called "My First Accidental Wheelie"
Haha

 

[Allworld]

Stay tuned for post called "My First Accidental Wheelie"
Haha

opcorn

 

[BigDanUK]

One of my friends intentionally does it every morning on the way to work on a particular bend, so yeah you do have more control.

You wouldn't catch me doing it though!

 

[Beach]

Also known as a powerslide, I have done this twice, unintentionally on my ST. Neither time was there anyone riding behind me, so I could act all cool and brag about it later.

Both times involved intersections, turning from a standing start, tipping the bike in quickly and lots of throttle.

The trick is to keep your wits, keep the bike loaded up by employing the correct posture and turning technique and stay on the throttle to let the bike ride out of it.

The danger point is if you panic and shut the throttle with the bike cranked over and the back wheel spinning and out of line. If the back tyre suddenly grips at this point, theres a good chance of a high side. If not there will probably be a substantial tank slapper.

Neither of these things rates very highly on the fun meter.

As a youngster I was drilled with the phrase "If in doubt, power out."

Fortunately for me, this stuck and came back to me right when I needed it.

 

[Mickea]

power slide or highside?

No there is never anyone to see WHEN YOU GET AWAY WITH IT otherwise..

 

[thap8riot]

Stay tuned for post called "My First Accidental Wheelie"
Haha

Been there, done that! Second one was on purpose though.

 

[naibaf]

Did this on my R6 a few times, then I did it intentionally and got scared at how much the rear stepped out. So I left off the throttle like a noob and was instantly looking at the ground while floating in the air... then the sky... then sliding across the pavement, haha.

Be careful, you can high side if you chop the throttle like was already mentioned.

 

[skippyb]

Beach

Fantastic!
"When in doubt, power out!"
Hopefully my brain can say that fast enough to my throttle hand when I need it. It rhymes so that should help.

 

[wfagan59]

I've done this a couple of times on my ST, and used to do it intentionally in a specific turn near my place back when I had my brand new Honda 929. Don't shut the throttle, but don't be afraid of letting up a little to keep it from just slipping out and lowsiding.

I had the opposite happen to me recently though. I hit a small patch of real fine gravel while leaned over pretty far in a right hander. The front end slid WAY to much for my liking and then caught violently. It ripped my left hand off the bar and I almost was thrown from the bike. Didn't go down, or wet myself which I was pretty proud of. Even though this isn't the rear stepping out, the same holds true, steady controlled inputs to let the bike handle it.

I remember reading several years ago in Sport Rider where they had a rig attached to a bike to keep it from actually laying down. They had riders go around a wet skidpad till the bike started to slip. In almost every instance with different riders if they just maintained the same inputs on throttle, no brake or changes in body position, the bike would recover and correct itself. Pretty interesting article. Of course, in real life you may not have the luxury of just "waiting" till the bike saves your ass.

 

[TxTrumpet]

several years ago in Sport Rider where they had a rig attached to a bike to keep it from actually laying down. They had riders go around a wet skidpad till the bike started to slip.

They had outrigger bikes at the MSF course I went through years ago in SoCal; it was the only time i've ever been able to intentionally slide the front and step the rear out on purpose... I can't say if it's helped when this happens on the street, but I can say you'd rather have your first experience losing traction be on someone else's bike designed expressly for that purpose! Yet another MSF plug; I'm a firm believer that you can't go through these courses enough times. I think I've done at least 6 of them in the last 20 years....

Side note; both Aprilias stepped out the rear far more frequently than the Sprint, but pondering why I'm guessing it has more to do with having way less twisty roads here in texas than i had in cali.

 

[Yak1050]

The answer is always More Throttle. It either solves the problem, or ends the suspense. It takes some getting used to but letting the backend walk around a bit is not usually a problem. If you have a dirt riding background it feels a little more natural. I had my Sprint on several miles of gravel road and the backend was wagging like like a happy dog. It doesn't look like a dirt bike but it does just fine.

 

[sprinta01]

Yep... what yak says. Remember your dirt bike days if thats in your past. Keep your centre of gravity forward and low as appropriate and let the tail wag a little. We should all learn on a speedway bike ... takes some kahunas but would be great lessons I recon.

 

[Mickea]

The answer is always More Throttle. It either solves the problem, or ends the suspense.

You can guarantee that there will be a whole lot more "suspense ending" for peeps that try the more throttle method without ahelluva lot of practise off road and on track.
How many riders have you come across that have the presence of mind to open the throttle the first time the back steps out by accident?
Most new riders I have come across need more coaxing on avoiding a death grip on the front brake and loosing the front than trying to drift.
All makes for good video though!

 

[TxTrumpet]

bad decisions frequently lead to amusing stories.

 

[Beach]

You can guarantee that there will be a whole lot more "suspense ending" for peeps that try the more throttle method without ahelluva lot of practise off road and on track.
How many riders have you come across that have the presence of mind to open the throttle the first time the back steps out by accident?
Most new riders I have come across need more coaxing on avoiding a death grip on the front brake and loosing the front than trying to drift.
All makes for good video though!

Very true. Its very unsettling for someone that has never experienced a bike, or any vehicle for that matter, stepping out of line or behaving in a way that doesn't feel "normal".

In the case of the topic at hand, I would say just keep the throttle and everything else as it is and stick with your original plan. That is - getting around the corner and continuing on your merry way.

To put it another way - Keep Calm & Carry On.

If the experience has shaken you up, stop at a safe and peaceful place, at the earliest convenience, park the bike, take your helmet and jacket off and engage in some breathing and calming exercises. Walk around a bit. Drink some water. Have a cup cake if it will make you feel better.

Get drunk when you get home, if that will make you feel better.
*Always consume alcohol responsibly.

 

[kubbie]

Trust me I ain't no Rossi, and it probably isn't noticeable from more than 10 feet away, but one of my favorite sensations is when the rear end is starting squirm around a little. It only moves at best the width of the tire but feels a lot further.

The guy behind me on my last ride saw it and was impressed. Another buddy who has seen it thinks I'm crazy. The thought of the bike moving around scares the crap him.

Coming from a dirt bike back ground does help. Plus in my younger days (OK last week) I would powerslide my car or truck around all the time.
Sliding is fun!!

 

[tubbyhubby]

I used to live 1 and a half miles down a crooked gravel road and would spin/slide 75% of the way most of the time on my Ninja 500. Was an absolute blast hanging the back end way out around the corners. Way too old for that now though.

 

[IRIDEA955]

Just like these guys are saying don't panic it leads to a bad day

I always do it leaving my road the more I do it the more comfortable I get

I had a guy pull out in front of me and the idiot yelled at me so I gassed it power slide to an awesome wheelie

I wish I had my cam on because I knew that looked cool as hell

Wait till you need a new tire get it hot and you can spin that thing down the road for a mile be careful though if you let it cool it can hook up and shoot for the sky

My road is all one wheel tire marks now lmao I think it's good I live on a country road practice makes perfect


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