In my opinion, correcting a rear wheel skid requires a large amount of input from the front brake. I’m going to take a further step forward and assume you are stopping simply to counter steer and keep your motorcycle upright not to slow it down.
Release the accelerator
If you’re a skid, it’s important to remember that the best way to correct it is by releasing the accelerator. The more throttle you apply, the more the rear wheels will spin, which will only make things worse. If you’re using a manual transmission, simply take your foot off the gas pedal.
If you have an automatic transmission, shift into neutral (if possible) and then back into drive again when you’re ready to go again. When you release the accelerator, your vehicle will decelerate and begin straightening out. Once this happens, you can begin applying gentle pressure to the accelerator again.
Let the clutch out
If your rear wheel is skidding, it’s time to correct the problem. If you don’t correct it, you might as well just get off and walk.
- The first thing to do when correcting a rear wheel skid is to let the clutch out. This releases the pressure on the rear tire and allows it to spin freely.
- If the bike is still spinning, but not moving forward or backward, try shifting into second gear or third gear.
- This should give you enough power to get through the corner and continue riding. If it doesn’t work, try shifting down again and applying light pressure on the front brake until you can regain control of your motorcycle.
- If none of these techniques work and you still can’t get control back, then it’s time for extreme measures. As soon as you realize that you’ve lost control, either pull in the clutch or pop out of first gear so that your rear tire stops spinning completely (or nearly completely).
- Then use both brakes as hard as possible while counter-steering with all your strength until your front wheel starts sliding sideways into a corner (this may take several seconds).
Press down on the accelerator
When your rear wheel skids, you need to look at whether the car is oversteering or understeering. This can be determined by watching the tires. If the car is sliding towards the outside of a turn, it’s an oversteer condition.
If the car is sliding towards the inside of a turn, it’s an understeer condition. To correct an oversteering condition, press down on the accelerator pedal and steer into the direction of skid. To correct an understeering condition, release pressure on the accelerator and steer in a direction opposite to that of skid
Maintain a firm grip on the steering wheel
If your car’s rear end suddenly starts sliding out from under you, try these steps to regain control. Maintain a firm grip on the steering wheel. If you let go, you could lose control of the vehicle completely. Press gently on the brake pedal to slow down and stop the rear skid. If your car has anti-lock brakes (ABS), turn off stability control by pressing the button on your dash or steering wheel.
If it doesn’t have ABS, pump your brakes three or four times. This will help slow down and stop the rear skid without locking up your tires. Steer toward where you want the car to go not where it is going now! Turn into any skid by turning in the direction of that wheel while keeping steady pressure on both pedals.
Avoid braking while skidding
The rear wheel skid is the most common form of skidding on a motorcycle. It occurs when you brake in a turn, or accelerate out of one. The rear wheel will start to slide when its contact patch (the area where it touches the road) is reduced. This happens when the angle of lean gets too high and the weight transfers too far to the outside edge of the tire.
When you’re riding on slippery surfaces such as wet roads or loose gravel, braking while leaned over can lead to skidding because there’s not enough friction between tires and road surface. More often than not, this type of skidding happens when you’re accelerating out of a corner rather than braking in one.
When accelerating out of a corner, weight transfers toward the front wheel which increases its angle relative to vertical (see diagram above). This causes less weight on your rear wheel which reduces its ability to generate grip on slippery surfaces like wet pavement or loose gravel.
Do not try to turn sharply while skidding
If you are skidding and you find that your rear wheels are not gripping the road, you need to straighten them so they can grip. Do not try to turn sharply while skidding. If your front wheels are skidding, the best thing to do is steer in the direction of the skid.
If your rear wheels are skidding, steer in the opposite direction of the skid. If your car is on a slippery surface (such as ice or snow), do not accelerate or brake suddenly. Accelerating or braking too quickly will make your car slide more because it will change its speed too quickly.
Conclusion
The best way to correct a rear wheel skid is to first let the clutch out as far as it will go and keep a firm grip on the steering wheel. This will prevent you from spinning out of control. If you find yourself in this situation at an intersection, let up on the brakes before turning the wheel to correct your skid. Letting out the clutch when the rear wheel starts to skid will prevent the wheel from rotating freely, which will slow it down and stop it from skidding. But make sure that you never skid intentionally since it could cause you to lose control of your bike.