can it be done? or do you just pray and ease up on the inputs?
You can slide the front wheel in a controlled manner around corners yes... I've had it happen a few times on the track and you can feel it very distinctly... it's a sign you're pushing a bit too much, or that your tire is too cold... drop a couple of psi in the front tire at the end of the session and you should be fine
Read twist of the wrist II.
I'd say that you can recover from a front end slide but in order to do so you need to understand what usually causes a front end slide and how to react should you encounter one.
So, what are the main causes of sliding the front tire and what are some of the things you can do if you start to feel the front end slide?
Misti
Main cause? Overtaxing the traction available to the front tire. Doesn't really matter if that's a straight line skid, or skidding the tire while you're trying to turn.... you consume all the traction there is, and the tire will start to slide.
To regain traction, you must reduce the load on the tire. Slowing will generally decrease the forces acting on the tire, unless you are using that wheel for braking.... engine braking vs. applying the brakes.
Matching wheel speed to available traction makes that a lot less painful. Blipping the throttle on a downshift, whether you have a slipper clutch or not will reduce rear wheel skidding.
Widening the turn, to reduce the lateral load? Standing the bike up?
Sure the main cause is overtaxing the traction available on the front tire but how Many riders don't get what kinds of things can cause the front to lose traction, hence my question. Braking too hard or too forcefully (while straight up and down) or braking too long, too hard or too suddenly while leaned over will do that for sure. This is due to the fact that there is too much weight on the front tire and it therefore loses traction. In those cases getting off the brakes and back onto the throttle (to transfer the weight off the front and onto the back) will help as well as trying to stand the bike up (if you are leaned over). Also, learning how to NOT make those braking errors in the first place is a big help.
There are a few other things (rider error) that can cause the front tire to tuck or suddenly lose traction, thoughts on what those might be?
Cheers!
Misti
The biggest one I have personal experience with, is stabbing at the front brakes. Way too easy on any sort of modern bike to grab a fistful and lock the front before weight transfer occurs. I was shocked at how little braking that skidding front gave me. All the way into the ditch. :spank:
Since that time, I've passed through after winter sand patches leaned over at speed, and pushed the front through the sand.... just a momentary loss of traction, and one nod of the bars and no change in direction of travel. I've come to trust that response.
I'd think another way to upset the front is to set the wheel back down out of line with the direction of travel, setting up a tank slapper.
To get back to the operator error part of your question; I'd think having a death grip on the bars is a big part of 'pooching' the suspension/steering's natural self correcting tendencies?