When a tyre runs out of grip and starts to slide, you’re in a skid. It can happen under braking (‘lock up’), through excess power (‘wheelspin’) or carrying too much corner speed and bank angle (‘drift’). They’re all more likely when the road is wet or icy, the surface is poor or something has been spilt on it.
Avoiding a skid in the first place is clearly best. But if it does happen, how you react is crucial. Whatever you do, don’t grab the brakes. You’ve already run out of grip, so you’ll just make things worse.
Whatever kind of skid you encounter, one basic principle applies: don’t do anything suddenly or violently. Smoothness is the key. You need to counter whatever is causing the skid gradually and gently, so you keep the bike stable.
Recovering from a skid is easiest when upright, especially if it’s only the rear tyre skidding. If locked up, ease back gently on the brake - front or rear - until the tyre grips again. If the rear is spinning under power, ease back the throttle. Don’t shut the power off suddenly, or the sudden grip will shoot you forward.
When you’re cranked over, things get more complicated. But the same advice applies: don’t close the throttle suddenly, don’t grab the brakes. Stay as relaxed and smooth as you can (not easy, we know), and continue to follow the corner.
When the front starts to slide in a bend (‘losing the front’) you’re likely to drop the bike and slide across the road (a ‘lowside’). The front tyre load is overwhelming its grip. Easing off the front brake or even easing on a tiny amount of throttle can help correct things.
Your biggest danger here is a ‘highside’*. That’s when the bike slides then grips suddenly, catapulting you over the high side (outside) of the bike. A heavy landing usually spells painful injury.
Always counter the slide smoothly. If the rear is sliding because you’re braking, ease off the brake pedal.
If the back is sliding under power, do NOT close the throttle suddenly. Just stop opening the throttle further, or ease off gently until the rear stops going away from you and starts to come back.
When both tyres are sliding (‘drifting’) you’ve bought yourself two sets of problems - a potential lowside or highside. If the bike is drifting like this, you’re probably a long way over and carrying a lot of corner speed.
The trick is to get both wheels grip back nice and gently. So, ease off the throttle very gently, make no sudden changes to the bars or your body position, and keep following the corner.
