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4 Common Causes of Bike Skidding in Monsoon and Tips To Control It

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Two-wheelers are incredibly popular among Indians, primarily due to their convenience. You can zip past heavy traffic conditions and reach your destination earlier compared to a cab or a car. Not to mention a two-wheeler is more affordable to buy and maintain as compared to a car or to travel by cabs. To ensure that you have a hassle-free experience, it is recommended that you buy insurance for bike . at the earliest.

After you purchase a bike and insurance for bike, the next most important part is to ride it safely. And with monsoons around the corner, it becomes even more important that you ride your bike properly. Failing to do so might result in you losing control over the bike and, in the worst case, the bike skidding and resulting in an accident.

Bike Skidding in Monsoons

If you are someone who rides a bike, there will always be a slight fear of the bike skidding during the monsoons. If you are scared of accidents due to bike skidding or want to know some tips on how to control your bike during monsoon, here is all that you need to know.

The sheer pleasure of riding a bike out in the open is something that only bikers know. However, now and then, one might get bouts of worry if they have to brake suddenly or take a sharp turn. The simple reason is that during such emergency braking or taking sharp turns, the chances of the bike skidding are quite high.

Since you are riding only on two wheeler, it is almost natural for a bike to skid in some situations, irrespective of the speed that you might be doing. If you fail to control your bike in such situations, there is a high possibility of your bike skidding and resulting in an accident.

To avoid such situations and to instill more confidence when you ride, here is everything that you need to know about bike skidding and what you can do to avoid it.

Key Reasons Why Bikes Skid

There is a constant influx of vehicles on the road, which makes riding a little bit more difficult. Couple that with bad road conditions such as potholes and bumpy roads, and the chance of skidding increases several folds. Combined, these reasons can result in accidents on roads for bikes. Here are the key reasons why bikes usually skid.

1. Emergency Braking

A lot of bike riders might have come across a situation, where they were forced to use brakes suddenly due to someone riding or driving rashly. A lot of people do not follow traffic rules properly in the country, which leads to a lot of confusion and potential accidents on the road.

For instance, a bike or car might have its left turn indicator on, and they decide to take a right turn instead. If you are riding behind them, you are forced to brake suddenly, which might result in the bike skidding. When you brake in such a short span, the tyres might get locked and result in a skid. Someone running across to cross the roads is another such common occurrence.

2. Changing Direction Quickly

There might be times when you have to change direction on your bike suddenly. Such instances can cause your bike to skid. This can happen to avoid a collision or an animal on the road. If you change the direction too quickly or take a sudden turn, the momentum of the bike is unbalanced and forces the bike to skid.

3. Wet Roads

If you are riding during the monsoons, you must be particularly careful of riding. Since the roads are wet, the roads offer lower grip levels, thereby increasing the chances of a skid. And if you have to apply brakes on wet roads, the lower grip levels make it a bit more difficult to stop the bike, making a skid almost unavoidable.

Given the patchy roads and lack of proper water drainage, you will always find water on roads during monsoons. Thus, one must be extra careful while riding bikes during monsoons due to the lower grip on offer.

4. Excessive Leaning

Leaning on your bike while taking a turn aid with the centripetal force which makes it easier for you to turn. However, there is a very thin line, and if you overdo it, there are very high chances of the bike skidding. If you lean a bit too much to one of the sides to take a turn, there is a good chance that you might lose balance and skid in the process of taking the turn. Things can get worse if the roads are wet.

How To Control Your Bike?

We now know some of the common reasons for bike skidding. However, when you are out on the road and the bike skids, it can be scary. And if you get anxious while riding, you are prone to making more mistakes. One might even panic, and that also results in mistakes.

Here are some common ways by which you can improve your control over your bike.

1. Avoid Using Clutch

In case of an emergency, ensure that you downshift the gears so that you are on as low a gear as possible. And at the same time, try avoiding the clutch. You can use engine braking as much as possible to slow the bike down. However, using the clutch makes it easier for the bike to lose its grip and get into a skid.

2. Transfer Weight

The weight of the rider is one of the major factors that affect the tilt of the bike. Most of the bikers adjust the tilt on the bike by using their weight. Thus, you can try to put your weight on the rear wheels of the bike, which can improve the balance of the bike and thereby reduce the possibility of skidding.

3. Avoid Sharp Turns on Wet Roads

When you take a sharp turn, you would need to tilt the bike using your weight. And if the roads are wet, it might offer less grip. Thereby making it even more difficult to take the turn and even resulting in a skid. Thus, as a good practice, avoid taking sharp turns when the roads are wet.

Conclusion

From the onset, it might not look dangerous, but bike skidding can potentially lead to accidents. And should it lead to an accident, the repairs can easily put a dent in your finances. Thus, it is advisable to buy insurance for bike. When you have insurance for bike, such repairs or even replacement of parts will not cause a financial concern for you. Also, riding without a policy can lead you to pay hefty fines to the traffic police department.

Disclaimer: The above information is for illustrative purpose only. For more details, please refer to policy wordings and prospectus before concluding the sales.

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