What would you do to avoid a skid?
Thread Starter
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6th Gear
Joined: May 2011
Posts: 10
Likes: 0
From: Seminole
What would you do to avoid a skid?
Last week had a bad experience with my "riding skills". I had to do an emergency stop on my softail deluxe and the bike's rear end skidded to my left. I ended up turning into the skid (right) and the bike stood up but what I want to know is...how do YOU brake during an emergency stop? I know I hit the rear brakes too heavy but what do you do? How do you control your skills when facing an emergency stop situation? I was so scared. Wish I had ABS but don't want to trade my bike in for a 2011. I really love the bike. Thought about taking a special course of some type but really...I know what I did wrong but I am so scared that when another emergency stop happens I won't be as lucky as I was last week. I would love to hear from you.
Road Master
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 754
Likes: 24
From: Southern Maine
If you haven't taken a rider safety course, sign up for one now. They will teach you the basics and the physics of how a bike works. They will also give you some time on the "range" to practice those skills. If you have taken the course, then you need to spend some time in a vacant parking lot getting used to the braking dynamics of your bike. This will help build your front/rear brake skills and develop your confidence.
Road Master
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 845
Likes: 0
From: Just south of Chicago, Illinois
Ride your bike in a parking lot and practice your braking skills. See where it is that the tire starts to skid. If you've got stock Dunlops you could switch to a different brand tire that doesn't skid as much. The best advice is to ride like your invisible, cuz to them, you are.
Road Warrior
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 1,337
Likes: 4
From: Sunny South Florida
You did what you could. You learned from the experience and your are questioning what you could have done better.
1. don't follow so close
2. be aware of your surroundings at all times
3. keep your sled in good repair, good brakes and tires first and foremost
Living in South Florida, I have had plenty of people drift into me and force me to move when I wasn't prepared to. I have come up on someone way too fast due to no brake lights on the vehicle in front. No excuse, I should have been further back but I don't ride so close now. I do however hit my front a lot heavier than I did in that stop now. I was always afraid of going over the handlebars but I find there is more risk to slide the rear with a heavy rear than to stab the front and rear at the same time.
That said, as I started in the beginning, the best method to avoid these situations is just that, avoid them. Other than that, just experience and knowing your ride.
1. don't follow so close
2. be aware of your surroundings at all times
3. keep your sled in good repair, good brakes and tires first and foremost
Living in South Florida, I have had plenty of people drift into me and force me to move when I wasn't prepared to. I have come up on someone way too fast due to no brake lights on the vehicle in front. No excuse, I should have been further back but I don't ride so close now. I do however hit my front a lot heavier than I did in that stop now. I was always afraid of going over the handlebars but I find there is more risk to slide the rear with a heavy rear than to stab the front and rear at the same time.
That said, as I started in the beginning, the best method to avoid these situations is just that, avoid them. Other than that, just experience and knowing your ride.
Intermediate
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 49
Likes: 0
by Jerry Palladino (MOTORMAN)
I was asked recently by a friend who just purchased his first bike what is the most important safety tip you can give me? I thought for a second and answered, learning how to use your brakes. He looked at me as if I were kidding him. "What's to it", he said, "ya just stomp and squeeze just like in your car".
That's the problem I said. Too many riders believe that, and coincidently, bikers crash way to often. You've all heard the story about the guy who had to "lay er down" because somebody pulled out in front of him. What that actually means, is he panicked, locked the rear tire and the bike slid on the ground and stopped when it hit the vehicle or just before it hit the vehicle. In either case, the rider crashed in an attempt to avoid a crash. Ninety percent of the time, if the rider had braked properly in that situation, he would never have struck the vehicle.
So, the question is, how do I minimize my chances of crashing into something? The answer is simple. Practice emergency, maximum braking. But, first there's a couple of things you need to know. Number 1: The front brake is 70% of your braking force. Due to that fact, you must put more pressure on the front brake than the rear brake. If you happen to lock the front tire, you must release it immediately then reapply it. Squeeze the front brake, don't grab it. If you lock the rear tire, don't release it. If you do, there's a good chance you will high side. With a motorcycle, you can still steer when the rear tire is locked and sliding. You must also remember that the motorcycle must be straight up when performing maximum braking. This is not to say that you can't brake with the bike leaned over in a turn, you can lightly brake with both brakes in that situation, but maximum braking must be done with the bike straight up.
The point is, you must learn to modulate your brakes to keep from locking them and the only way to do that is to practice. Keep repeating to yourself, front brake, front brake. That will assist you in putting more pressure on the front brake than the rear brake.
You should practice maximum braking from whatever speed you normally ride. I guarantee your bike will react differently when braking hard at 80mph than at 30mph. If you practice, then in an emergency situation, you will revert to your training, rather than dumb luck. The only other alternative is to buy a bike with anti-lock brakes, just remember, even with anti-lock brakes, the bike still has to be straight up to perform maximum braking.
I was asked recently by a friend who just purchased his first bike what is the most important safety tip you can give me? I thought for a second and answered, learning how to use your brakes. He looked at me as if I were kidding him. "What's to it", he said, "ya just stomp and squeeze just like in your car".
That's the problem I said. Too many riders believe that, and coincidently, bikers crash way to often. You've all heard the story about the guy who had to "lay er down" because somebody pulled out in front of him. What that actually means, is he panicked, locked the rear tire and the bike slid on the ground and stopped when it hit the vehicle or just before it hit the vehicle. In either case, the rider crashed in an attempt to avoid a crash. Ninety percent of the time, if the rider had braked properly in that situation, he would never have struck the vehicle.
So, the question is, how do I minimize my chances of crashing into something? The answer is simple. Practice emergency, maximum braking. But, first there's a couple of things you need to know. Number 1: The front brake is 70% of your braking force. Due to that fact, you must put more pressure on the front brake than the rear brake. If you happen to lock the front tire, you must release it immediately then reapply it. Squeeze the front brake, don't grab it. If you lock the rear tire, don't release it. If you do, there's a good chance you will high side. With a motorcycle, you can still steer when the rear tire is locked and sliding. You must also remember that the motorcycle must be straight up when performing maximum braking. This is not to say that you can't brake with the bike leaned over in a turn, you can lightly brake with both brakes in that situation, but maximum braking must be done with the bike straight up.
The point is, you must learn to modulate your brakes to keep from locking them and the only way to do that is to practice. Keep repeating to yourself, front brake, front brake. That will assist you in putting more pressure on the front brake than the rear brake.
You should practice maximum braking from whatever speed you normally ride. I guarantee your bike will react differently when braking hard at 80mph than at 30mph. If you practice, then in an emergency situation, you will revert to your training, rather than dumb luck. The only other alternative is to buy a bike with anti-lock brakes, just remember, even with anti-lock brakes, the bike still has to be straight up to perform maximum braking.
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Elite HDF Member
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 4,109
Likes: 9
From: Connecticut
Two things here one take a course if you haven't it will help you a lot and second when you are skidding and you turn into the skid you take the chance that you will highside the bike cause it will snap up quickly and if it goes to far or too fast it can throw you right off.
Now practice practice practice. You did good as you stayed up and all the above is correct, the rear brake can be your friend and the enemy, use more front to stop. much easier to control
Now practice practice practice. You did good as you stayed up and all the above is correct, the rear brake can be your friend and the enemy, use more front to stop. much easier to control
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Thread Starter
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6th Gear
Joined: May 2011
Posts: 10
Likes: 0
From: Seminole
Thanks so much. I live in Florida as well ....Tampa Bay Area and you are so right about being forced to move when you don't expect to move. Your help is much appreciated. I think you have a great suggestion to use less rear brake and more front brake. I can't thank you enough.
Elite HDF Member
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 4,109
Likes: 9
From: Connecticut
by Jerry Palladino (MOTORMAN)
I was asked recently by a friend who just purchased his first bike what is the most important safety tip you can give me? I thought for a second and answered, learning how to use your brakes. He looked at me as if I were kidding him. "What's to it", he said, "ya just stomp and squeeze just like in your car".
That's the problem I said. Too many riders believe that, and coincidently, bikers crash way to often. You've all heard the story about the guy who had to "lay er down" because somebody pulled out in front of him. What that actually means, is he panicked, locked the rear tire and the bike slid on the ground and stopped when it hit the vehicle or just before it hit the vehicle. In either case, the rider crashed in an attempt to avoid a crash. Ninety percent of the time, if the rider had braked properly in that situation, he would never have struck the vehicle.
So, the question is, how do I minimize my chances of crashing into something? The answer is simple. Practice emergency, maximum braking. But, first there's a couple of things you need to know. Number 1: The front brake is 70% of your braking force. Due to that fact, you must put more pressure on the front brake than the rear brake. If you happen to lock the front tire, you must release it immediately then reapply it. Squeeze the front brake, don't grab it. If you lock the rear tire, don't release it. If you do, there's a good chance you will high side. With a motorcycle, you can still steer when the rear tire is locked and sliding. You must also remember that the motorcycle must be straight up when performing maximum braking. This is not to say that you can't brake with the bike leaned over in a turn, you can lightly brake with both brakes in that situation, but maximum braking must be done with the bike straight up.
The point is, you must learn to modulate your brakes to keep from locking them and the only way to do that is to practice. Keep repeating to yourself, front brake, front brake. That will assist you in putting more pressure on the front brake than the rear brake.
You should practice maximum braking from whatever speed you normally ride. I guarantee your bike will react differently when braking hard at 80mph than at 30mph. If you practice, then in an emergency situation, you will revert to your training, rather than dumb luck. The only other alternative is to buy a bike with anti-lock brakes, just remember, even with anti-lock brakes, the bike still has to be straight up to perform maximum braking.
I was asked recently by a friend who just purchased his first bike what is the most important safety tip you can give me? I thought for a second and answered, learning how to use your brakes. He looked at me as if I were kidding him. "What's to it", he said, "ya just stomp and squeeze just like in your car".
That's the problem I said. Too many riders believe that, and coincidently, bikers crash way to often. You've all heard the story about the guy who had to "lay er down" because somebody pulled out in front of him. What that actually means, is he panicked, locked the rear tire and the bike slid on the ground and stopped when it hit the vehicle or just before it hit the vehicle. In either case, the rider crashed in an attempt to avoid a crash. Ninety percent of the time, if the rider had braked properly in that situation, he would never have struck the vehicle.
So, the question is, how do I minimize my chances of crashing into something? The answer is simple. Practice emergency, maximum braking. But, first there's a couple of things you need to know. Number 1: The front brake is 70% of your braking force. Due to that fact, you must put more pressure on the front brake than the rear brake. If you happen to lock the front tire, you must release it immediately then reapply it. Squeeze the front brake, don't grab it. If you lock the rear tire, don't release it. If you do, there's a good chance you will high side. With a motorcycle, you can still steer when the rear tire is locked and sliding. You must also remember that the motorcycle must be straight up when performing maximum braking. This is not to say that you can't brake with the bike leaned over in a turn, you can lightly brake with both brakes in that situation, but maximum braking must be done with the bike straight up.
The point is, you must learn to modulate your brakes to keep from locking them and the only way to do that is to practice. Keep repeating to yourself, front brake, front brake. That will assist you in putting more pressure on the front brake than the rear brake.
You should practice maximum braking from whatever speed you normally ride. I guarantee your bike will react differently when braking hard at 80mph than at 30mph. If you practice, then in an emergency situation, you will revert to your training, rather than dumb luck. The only other alternative is to buy a bike with anti-lock brakes, just remember, even with anti-lock brakes, the bike still has to be straight up to perform maximum braking.