Highsider

A highsider or highside is a type of motorcycle accident characterized by sudden & violent rotation of the bike around its long axis. This generally happens when the rear wheel loses traction, skids, and then suddenly regains traction, creating a large torque which flips the rider head first off the road. The initial traction loss may be caused by a rear locked wheel due to excessive braking or by applying too much throttle when exiting a corner or by oversteering the bike in the turn or by any loss of traction to the rear wheel. Examples are: attempting to turn too sharply and leaning the bike past the limit of tire adhesion; rolling off the edge of the tire sidewall; levering the rear tire off the ground by scraping the exhaust, peg, leg, foot, or knee; or overstressing the rear tire if it's too cold or worn-out or there is oil, water, sand, dirt, ice, paint marks, or other patches of reduced traction on the road. Highsides differ from lowsides as follows: during a lowside the rear wheel slips laterally and continuously until the bike falls onto its side -- the side that's inside the corner, while during a highside the rear wheel slips laterally only briefly before suddenly regaining traction and flipping the bike onto its other side -- the side that's outside the corner. As a result highsides happen very quickly with little if any warning and are very violent.