MOTORCYCLE DRIFTING AND SLIDES
Not many motorcyclists know what is drifting. Many consider it as a stunt and choose to stay away from it. The Art of Drifting Around Corners is not easy, but this advanced move will help you carry more speed and control through corners. Drifting when done skilfully looks very attractive. Motorcycling has many beautiful variations and those who have mastered this method of Drifting make the rider look very cool with those moves.
The Art of Motorcycle Drifting: A special technique that enables a rider to slide through the track. The move happens when you enter a corner with speed, lean your bike over to turn, and your tires start to lose traction. Thus you can slide or drift as the momentum pulls you to the outside of the corner. Pro riders master this art and anticipate this while riding downhill which makes them faster. Drifts can be done in loose or wet terrain, where your tires have a hard time maintaining traction. This is different from skidding, which happens when you lock up your rear brake and drag your tires around the corner. Skids slow you down, but drifting helps maintain your speed and can have less impact on the trail. For each corner, motorcycle racers must slow down, turn, and accelerate. Sliding, with both wheels still spinning, makes it possible to slow down and turn at the same time, allowing the rider to aim the bike down the next straightaway and accelerate out of the corner. If you think these skills are just for racers, you ae wrong. This technique can help regular street riders avoid a crash. Years of practice can reflect in the precision of executing a DRIFT.
The Method
Instead hanging off the inside of the bike, like sports bike riders do, flat-track riders lean the bike way over as they go into the corner but remain upright, keep sitted on the outside corner of the seat. As the bike leans sharply and the rider above it, the tires can enter and exit a slide much more gradually, and the risk of a high side—when a sliding tire suddenly grips and flings the rider off the bike—is dramatically reduced.
With the bike leaning so far into the corner, the rider’s inside arm has to be nearly straight and the outside arm bent, with the elbow way up. Drift masters can corner with both tires sliding sideways and with the inside handlebar grips nearly on the ground.
Cornering method as four steps:
- Drive into the corner. Press the gas deeper when moving into the corner.
- Cut down the speed. Press the rear brake and push the bike down into the corner.
- Change direction: Take maximum lean angle, turn the front tyre around corner
- Start straightaway: Start rolling the throttle; roll the bike up to the center of the tyre.
The reference video shows how this technique is applied while riding and how a skilled rider can execute it gracefully.
