Front end slides

[chickenfunkstar]

Hi,

Had a bit of a moment about a week ago when the front tyre went for a bit of a slide. I was taking a left hand corner at about 80kph. The front wheel went over a tar snake then started to slide out from under me. Without having time to think about how I was going to react, I instinctivley held the throttle constant and kicked my right leg out (as if to try ond get the bike upright again).

I'm guessing that holding the thottle constant was a good thing to do but taking my foot off the peg was a bad thing to do. Correct?

What is the best thing to do if the front does start sliding?

Thanks,

CFS

[bugjuice]

if you think smacking your foot down on the ground at 80kph is gonna get you out of a pickle, then you did right..

Most of the time it'll be down to your instinct as it'll happen pretty quick for you to think it over. You've just gotta hope your instinct does the right thing and it's over quick.
Not changing the throttle is a good start. To snap it off/on will upset the bike further, I guess if the option is there, try to sit the bike up, or lean off the seat a little to sit the bike up, but shift the COG inwards so that you're still cornering, but on more surface of the tyre..

[Jantar]

A front wheel slide is almost impossible to control.

Having said that I experienced a very similar thing to you on saturday. Half way through a 65 kmh bend and the front wheel slid out on a tar snake. I just opened the throttle a bit more and stayed sitting on the bike, but by the time I realised what was happening the slide had already finished, grip was re-established and I was still powering through the bend. I did have time to think "shit." and everything was OK again.

The best thing is ... Do Nothing! Bloody hard though when instinct takes over.

[Toast]

Yeah, agreed....do nothing, or if you do, do something...get the gas on a little more, to bring the bike back in line. I've saved a few before by doing this...but my first big bin came when I was cruising along in top gear, got myself in to a 'pickle' in the corner, and had no grunt to get me out of it when the time came to save it. Hence, I now no longer cruise. Unless I'm truly knackered, it's power on the whole way through the corner, in a gear that keeps me at mid-revs or above.

[FROSTY:Me]

Um er --do wot??
front end slide is wot??
Repeating my advice to a newbee rider--Basicly by the time you have reacted its all over anyhow. If ya hit a tar snake at an angle-like as not ya ran off it and the tyre found grip again.
Far from an expert me but I know I was getting front end slides over the "hill" at pukie. I really dropped my shoulder in and push quite hard with my knee there to sort it--but then im kinda expecting the slide to happen

[Motu]

If it's just a momentary slip over those snake things (have yet to have a problem with them personaly) then doing nothing is a good plan,once you're over it things will return to normal and the grip should come back.If you've got a front slide going for longer than that you need to get it under control - easiest way is to punch the gas,but with a low powered bike this could just dump you.I've turned front wheel slides on a wet road into a rear wheel slide by doing that,I can control those at least a little better.Doing the same with the rear brake can do it too...then you can stop and pretend that's what you were doing all along.

On the dirt track I rode the front wheel slide all the time,and got pretty used to it.With a good tyre it's not much of an issue as you have good control the whole time.You need to load the tyre up again,as when it's sliding it unloads,so turning into the corner will start it bitting again,then feed in opposite lock as the back comes around....correcting the rear would push the front out again,and I'd do that several times into the turn,until I could get the gas back on.

[Two Smoker]

Just reiterating what has been said... Do nothing... You will get off the tar snake quick enough, otherwise change your line abit and give it a bit more gas...

At low speed, i have done the old foot stamp... Works a treat...

As for rolling off the front tyre, get back on the gas and push hard with you knee... If your front is pushing, you either have too much rebound dampening or your front tyre pressure is too low...

[aff-man]

Just reiterating what has been said... Do nothing... You will get off the tar snake quick enough, otherwise change your line abit and give it a bit more gas...

At low speed, i have done the old foot stamp... Works a treat...

As for rolling off the front tyre, get back on the gas and push hard with you knee... If your front is pushing, you either have too much rebound dampening or your front tyre pressure is too low...

Make sure you have knee sliders when you do though.. I didn't have when I had my zxr250 and paid the price..That being said I had done the leg out pop bike up thing before

It also depends if its just the front of both. A couple times I've had both go and just rode it out. Coming home from the coro loop though Going up a tight left hander at speed the front lost grip. Didn't close the throttle but I just let of very little and she sorted herself out....

[jonbuoy]

Yeah its wierd how everybodys instinct is to put their foot out - mine too! Those shiny strips of seal are lethal in the wet. It gets nasty if theres lots of them together or a big patch. Wonder if they could mix some sand with it to make it a bit more grippy?

[Mental Trousers]

Yeah its wierd how everybodys instinct is to put their foot out - mine too!

I must be different then, cos the 1st thing that happens when I've had front end slides is to get my head upright which makes me stand on the outside peg - both exactly what you need to do to regain grip and control. The other thing that happens is if you're riding properly your inside arm is doing most of the work steering while your outside arm is relaxed. What happens when the front suddenly loses grip is that you automatically push forward on the inside bar, effectively counter steering the front. It points the wheel in the same direction as the slide, letting the wheel get grip back.

[Motu]

I think the front gets turned into the turn - take a look at any photo of a racer losing the front and going down...the front wheel is nearly always turned in.When the rear breaks away you turn the wheel out because the bike is oversteering into the inside - when the front is pushing and then slides,the bike is going wide,you need to turn in.

[Mental Trousers]

Yep, the front wheel tries to turn in unless you're leaning on the inside bar. All the front slides I've had when the front let go it turn outwards, I'd then react by getting a fright and relaxing and the front wheel then flopped inwards. It happens that way for me because I'm leaning on the inside bar as well as leaning forward. The forces acting on the front wheel are holding my weight up, so when a sudden change in those forces occurs, ie the front slips, my weight goes forward pushing the bar away from me. I've got a rather unusual style though.

[Motu]

Most people lean on the inside bar to turn,it's natural if you ''lean into the turn'',particualy if you've ridden off road,often you use a straight inside arm,push with the shoulder.But invaribly the front turns in,this is because before it slips,the front pushes,you use more outside arm pressure to turn in...then it's gone.

[slob]

Most people lean on the inside bar to turn,it's natural if you ''lean into the turn'',particualy if you've ridden off road,often you use a straight inside arm,push with the shoulder.But invaribly the front turns in,this is because before it slips,the front pushes,you use more outside arm pressure to turn in...then it's gone.

Depends on how quickly the slide is happening, I think - I can quite happliy recover from front end slides on my mountain bike by "leaning into the turn" as slides on the dirt aren't as quick as slides on tarmac.

On tarmac, I've hit the deck when it happened at a reasonable lean angle, and straightened out to save it when it happened at moderate lean angles..

[DEATH_INC.]

I think the front gets turned into the turn - take a look at any photo of a racer losing the front and going down...the front wheel is nearly always turned in.When the rear breaks away you turn the wheel out because the bike is oversteering into the inside - when the front is pushing and then slides,the bike is going wide,you need to turn in.

On the dirt you turn in, on the tarmac you need to turn out. Dirt is VERY different, you load the end you want to grip, on tarmac you don't....
A quick flick countersteer (basically flick the steering out quickly then straighten up again) will normally do the trick without putting you off line too much....
though if it's a tarsnake (as long as it's not a tar boa) just let it go as already mentioned and adjust your lean angle to suit.