locked rear brake

lonesoldier84

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so when it is said by anyone that the "rear brake has locked" the rear tire is also not moving.....correct? that is to say, when someone says the rear brake is locked the rear tire must also be locked right?

Some people have argued that if you can release the rear brake quickly enough after it locks you can avoid a highside and regain control of your bike. This is TRUE! However, you should understand what that really means. There is a difference between a SKID and a SLIDE. During a skid your tire is not rotating at the same speed as the bike is moving and so you scrub off some rubber but you are still fundamentally in control of your bike - that is, the tire is still pointing in the direction of bike movement during a skid. During a slide, however, the bike is FALLING OVER and the rear wheel is moving laterally - to the side - and you are no longer in control of your bike. If you release the rear brake during a skid you will feel a modest 'jerk' as the rear wheel regains traction and you continue on - UNDER CONTROL. If you release the rear brake while in a slide regaining control is far from assured as the 'jerk' becomes a very severe 'jolt', or worse, a high-side.

So, the advice to not release the rear brake when it is locked refers to the situation where a SLIDE HAS BEGUN. For almost everybody this means NEVER RELEASE A LOCKED REAR BRAKE because a slide begins VERY QUICKLY in the real world and most people cannot react quickly enough or even recognize that the rear tire is sliding - it is foolish in the extreme to pretend that you are the exception and can catch it before that slide has begun.

so a skid and slide are the exact same thing except in a slide your bike is not facing the right direction and the wheel is moving in a direction different than that direction which it is facing.....meaning to say the wheel is moving sideways?
 

Avalon786

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When they say slide i think its like a Drift, as in you ride over oil on the road or something and the rear end slides out of line to the side, a Skid is when the rear is locked the wheel is not moving, you leave a rubber trail behind you...
 
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