How to Stop a Fishtail

[dragstaar]

I came off my bike yesterday, with the missus on the back. Ridiculously wet road, coming round a roundabout at 25mph, back wheel started fishtailing, tried to control it but couldnt. Went flying.

Now how could i have recovered from the fishtail. i'm sitting here with a cricked neck, thinking about what i could have done. Is it even possible to recover from a fishtail with a pillion? How would i do without a pillion?

[Paulington]

I'd hazard a guess at what I would do is keep on the throttle and steer into the slide, almost in the same way as a car.

That gives the bike time to recover and as you stay on the throttle the rear isn't going to lock up and spit you off.

The way I see it that gives you two outcomes, a relatively large drift and regained control or you just drop it to your side.

I may be TOTALLY wrong, but that's what I've done and it's worked so far. Everyone and every bike is different.
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[pepperami]

Was it due to diesel spillage? as there would possibly be nothing you could of done about that.

when i`ve had a fishtail (on grass admittedly) , if I had time to re-act then it would be let off the front brake a bit and apply a touch more back brake, then power back on.
I found that a lot of the time it was caused by hard braking causing the rear end trying get ahead of the front end.
That was if I had the time to do it, as usually it happened so quick that it was all over before I had a chance to even think about it let alone re-act.

Worked for me a few times
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[chris-red]

Pull in the clutch and let off of the rear brake. The only reason you would fish tail is when the rear wheel has lost traction because it is spinning too fast or not fast enough to keep up with the road.


The only time I have every dropped the bike because of a fishtail was going down hill on ice. Every other time they have been easily controllable.
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[Dazbo666]

From memory I've had 2 fairly major, and one minor rear wheel slide in the last couple of years, and thankfully managed to keep the bike upright, avoiding getting a faceful of tarmac.

They happened extremely quickly, and I firmly believe that my previous experience with offroad mountainbiking helped to some extent...

I remember managing to steer in to the slide (as Paulington mentioned), as well as lifting off the seat by pressing down on the pegs - essentially lowering the centre of gravity.

I can't say that this is the definitive or the correct way to deal with it, because it all happens so quickly it was purely an instinctive reaction... but it worked for me
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[SamJL]

Get a Motocross bike, you will soon learn how to control rear wheel slides in no time. In fact, you will start doing them for fun in the wet

I have a habit of doing slides out of roundabouts in the wet, great fun

Just don't let off the throttle to violently if you want to bring it back, gradually let off, until you have got it back in line. Steer in to it a little bit as well!

I'm rubbish at explaining things! Get on a Motocross bike, you will learn how to control slides.
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[Paxovasa]

[SamJL]

Powering through is more fun, and you can get a nice long slide down the road as well, although the people behind you will think your going to die
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[robbieguy2003]

I want a motocross bike! I think it'd be ace. I can control slides in a car without an issue (slow speed, my balls dont allow me to do high speed ones). But (again) due to balls, i've really not wanted to purposely slide the bike (certainly on corners).
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[Hetzer]

Keep the power on, or more power, and ride through it. You'll either low-side or make it.
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[robbieguy2003]

[chris-red]

Why are people talking about powering through it, the guy said fishtail, i.e. the back sliding left to right, powering through will only make it worse.
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Well, you know what they say. If you want to save the world, you have to push a few old ladies down the stairs.
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[Hetzer]

[robbieguy2003]

Yeah thats good advice, cheers, I agree with not chopping the power. For the last year or two i've been religiously training myself to never do that regardless of good/bad weather, it just keeps the bike more stable in corners.
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[swiftb]

[Paxovasa]

[robbieguy2003]

I think Chris is getting at the point of a fishtail is the back skidding when the bike is in a straight line, which is quite controllable.

What everyone else is going on about is the back coming out when cornering.

I think the confusion is because the original poster said he was coming round a roundabout at 25mph which would indicate he might not have been in a straight line at the time.

Still confusing though
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[G]

Yes; clarification if it was a 'fish tail' (going from one side to the other continually) or just a slide, possibly snapping back the other way once.

[chris-red]

[mistergixer]

Aye, i think we need clarification from the OP.

Until then, here's my 2p:

Giving it less gas on the exit would be the easiest way to control (avoid) the slide, although that's a tad boring. Another vote for trying to slide through it.



If it's a straightline snake of the rear end, i would be trying to gently ease off until the rear regained some semblance of grip. Snapping the throttle shut is not advisable.


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[chris-red]

[dragstaar]

I apologise for the confusion. Chis-red is right. thats what i meant by fishtail, a really quick side to side motion like a fish

[chris-red]

[dragstaar]

Hmmm, yeah, i suppose a reduction in power to the back wheen would have helped.

But would i have been more likely to recover from it if i didnt have my gf on the back? She's not exactly the most experienced pillion, and i thought that maybe her unbalance could have set me off. and would her inexperience mean that he imbalance would stop me pulling back the fishtail?