Rear wheel skip - why?

[Ocean1]

Since I took up adventure riding, I find myself provoking this situation and getting the arse out going into the corners in the gravel. (Everyone does; it just takes me longer than most)
Haven't had the balls to deliberately try it on the seal yet - probably never will

Bit of a play on the Buell would clear that right up, it's unavoidable, mandatory Buell behaviour. Anything beyond moderately sedate and the engine braking has the back drifting going into corners. Lots. Very predictabe though, in fact the back suspension is absolutely superb. Which is just as well 'cause blipping the throttle does nothing more than delay the effect half a second.

Worries the guy behind me more than me, but I'm learning things t'other way round from you, dirt first. If the effect is going to be a bit viscious I just ease the clutch out, behaves sorta like a back-to-front brake lever...

Yeah....

I haven't told the whole story - cos I'm still shaken by it.

I got hurt.

Like the man said, too much entry speed dude. Pull yer head in or else eh?

[dipshit]

Bit of a play on the Buell would clear that right up, it's unavoidable, mandatory Buell behaviour. Anything beyond moderately sedate and the engine braking has the back drifting going into corners. Lots.

Is your idle set to spec or did you turn it way down to sound cool..??

[Ocean1]

Is your idle set to spec or did you turn it way down to sound cool..??

A tad over 1000rpm, where it's supposed to be.

A downshift from anything over about 2500 and you've got drift, unless you feather the clutch. Turning the idle up less than that wouldn't make a blind bit of difference, more would be... contra-indicated.

[discotex]

Glad you're ok Winston. Sounds like you got lucky huh!

There's one thing I'm confused about. When you say you weren't slowing much were you using the front brake at all?

I've read your accounts and it really sounds like either you normally use the rear brake and engine braking or you just freaked when the rear locked up and let go of the front.

Does that sound right?

[Winston001]

Glad you're ok Winston. Sounds like you got lucky huh!

There's one thing I'm confused about. When you say you weren't slowing much were you using the front brake at all?

I've read your accounts and it really sounds like either you normally use the rear brake and engine braking or you just freaked when the rear locked up and let go of the front.

Does that sound right?

An interesting question. I think as others have said that relying on engine braking has become a habit and probably I'm not using a lot of front brake. I do like the snarl from the bike when shifting down.

Think I let go the front brake when the rear felt unstable so that the front wheel could pull it back into line. Should have pulled the clutch in and kept looking to the vanishing point. Slow down sounds like the best plan.

[Headbanger]

Blippy throttle prior to downshift is the way to go...but it doesn't work on some bikes (makes the slipper clutchy thingie on the 748 get all upset). Clutch out quick on upshifts, clutch out slooooow on downshifts.

Oh..if it's still hopping about as you're entering the corner then whip in the clutch before tipping it in to settle it all down a little. Coasting around the corner aint a great feeling but it's better than a locked up rear wheel suddenly gripping and spitting you off. Don't release the clutch whilst cranked over either

Depending on bike and situation, You can grab ya handful of clutch to bring her back under control, enter into the corner and click her back into the higher gear, then let out the clutch and your once again in a position to hold your intended line and accelerate out of the corner.

All of course done in less then a half a second.

[Brett]

Sounds exactly like swing arm chatter. rear wheel gets light as weight moves onto front tyre under breaking etc. or a down shift on the gears where the clutch is re-engaged in a sharp manor.

Basically, wheel slides due to engine breaking.

[imne1]

... WTF? not slowing and almost into corner -> whoa now the bike is skipping from side to side -> panic -> sit up to get control -> yep, good now -> WTF??!!! marker post coming at me very very fast ...

sounds like you grabbed a handfull of clutch and didn't let it go in time, possibly a bad old scooter habit? I've done that quite a bit but never at speed as I barely use the clutch. I've found myself hurtling towards an intersection going 'huh?' and needing alot more brakes than normal and then the penny drops 'oh yeah, let the clutch out, it's not a rear brake anymore dumbass'.
Often I double blip - once for the clutch in and shift, then again letting it out. seems to work for me.

[Brett]

An interesting question. I think as others have said that relying on engine braking has become a habit and probably I'm not using a lot of front brake. I do like the snarl from the bike when shifting down.

Think I let go the front brake when the rear felt unstable so that the front wheel could pull it back into line. Should have pulled the clutch in and kept looking to the vanishing point. Slow down sounds like the best plan.

The rear wheel moving around a bit is actually a fairly easily controlled thing, it is when the front starts moving around you get worried. have you done any trackdays or such? That is one way to get familiar with how the bike can squirm and move into, through and out of corners...

[Moki]

Sounds like unloaded rear combined with engine braking

[rocketman1]

Dude you were in too higher gear, and stopping to quickly, the engine braking could not keep up. Can Happen when in panic braking before a crash.
Change down gears quickly by blipping the throttle works for me.

[vtec]

Engine braking is a biproduct of being off the throttle. The two discs on your front wheel are for slowing you down.
Learn to use the front brakes properly, and to the maximum of their ability, see how hard you can press them before the lockup, just be ready to back off if it does.
Learn to blip the throttle on downshifts, this is vital for big vtwins.

I'm guessing you were using rear brakes but not front brakes, aswell as the loading from engine braking. You will lock up extremely easy. On the big vtwins when hard on the front brakes, engine braking alone is enough to cause the rear tyre to hop and chatter.

[Cr1MiNaL]

I try not to blip the rear and push the slipper clutch to its max... its so much funnn