Two fingers draped over the front brake - or not?

[IdunBrokdItAgin]

First of all look at your gloves. Most racier (?) gloves have a grip pad on the top of the index and middle fingers. This is to grip the brake/ clutch.
They also usually have a grip pad across the top of the palm. This is to grip throttle.

These type of gloves are designed for two fingers to cover the brake/ clutch. If your gloves aren't right for you preferred style then change your gloves.

Me, I'm a relative noob and still end up covering the brake with four fingers. Trying very hard to break this habit. I am trying to teach myself to cover with two fingers on the brake.

[Thaeos]

I'm not exactly an experienced rider but I would say whatever you are most comfortable with. It would be worse to be distracted because you aren't comfortable with how you are operating the bike than to not follow someone else's opinion of the safest or best way.

[The Stranger:Me]

Four fingers on the brake or four fingers on the throttle.

3 common problems with covering the brake with 2 fingers.
1) On many bikes the lever can be pulled back until it hits the other fingers, this limits braking.
2) Dexterity
3) People in emergency brake situations reasonably frequently just grab the brake if they have 2 fingers on it. This is good of course, what is bad that they frequently forget or omit to drop the throttle, this is bad and usually more that doubles stopping distance.

Wait for it - any minute now I will hear how no one does this.
Yet we see it frequently, invariably from people who just informed us they would never forget to drop the throttle, go figure.

[The Stranger:Me]

I'm not exactly an experienced rider but I would say whatever you are most comfortable with. It would be worse to be distracted because you aren't comfortable with how you are operating the bike than to not follow someone else's opinion of the safest or best way.

I know a guy who spent many months recovering in hospital and has been off work for 12 months now because he did what was comfortable instead of what was right. Had he only used the front brake he would be fine now, still at least he's alive. I know of another guy who went under a truck on the rear brake and it didn't end as well for him.

Sometimes what's comfortable isn't necessarily the best thing to be doing.
In an emergency you will do what you are used to doing. Maybe it is worth learning the right way to do a thing?

[trailblazer]

around town i cover the brake with 2 fingers and on the open road i have a full grip on the throttle.

[jonbuoy]

Two on brake, two on clutch on the Z' adjusted properly the lever is never in danger of coming close to pinching my fingers for normal road riding, might be different on the track. On the CB I have to do three on the brake as the lever (un-adjustable) comes back a fair way and can pinch one of my fingers under heavy braking. I guess it depends on the bike/condition of the brakes and lever setup.

[waitup]

When I started doing Trials I learn to use 2 fingers on clutch and one finger on the brake. This has carried through to my road riding. The only time I take those fingers off and grip the bars with all fingers is on long stretches of road where the there is no need to brake or operate the clutch for a while.

[gatch]

Around town and in amongst traffic it is a good idea to have a couple of fingers covering the brake lever.

I agree ... and if alarm bells are ringing in your head about the traffic/area you are in.... Then too ....

around town i cover the brake with 2 fingers and on the open road i have a full grip on the throttle.

I agree with the above, in town, cover the brake for emergency maneuvers, open road, hold your bar with everything...

[Oakie]

I seem to have a couple of fingers resting on top if the brake in traffic and when approaching intersections but it's not a thing I do consciously. It just happens at the appropriate times without thinking about it. Also happens when the old spidey-sense starts tingling. Left hand also seems to the same for clutch but thats also an unconscious thing.

[crazyhorse]

I agree with the above, in town, cover the brake for emergency maneuvers, open road, hold your bar with everything...

It all depends on whether the open road is full of corners or straights...... its obvious what to do really

[junkmanjoe]

im a fingers on the clutch.
as i do a fair bit of off road riding.. its the way ive been taught as a young fella..
some times i got to clutch, brake and power on in a mater of seconds..
it works for me..

JMJ

[BMWST?]

not aware of having fingers over clutch,dont ussually cover brake either,but do so when approaching intersections etc.
Its a bad habit in someways,i would think most bikes require more than two fingers to get max braking effect.If you cant lock the front wheel with two fingers(progresive application) you arent getting max braking effect from two fingers.

[Oakie]

I seem to have a couple of fingers resting on top if the brake in traffic and when approaching intersections but it's not a thing I do consciously. It just happens at the appropriate times without thinking about it.

Wow. Won't go into the details but if I didn't have two fingers resting on the lever this morning I would have been taken out by a guy who suddenly veered into my lane without indicating approaching an intersection.

[molmolmol]

After reading all of the comments here, I take it that the "right" thing to do is to cover 2 fingers over clutch and brake at all times?

When I first started riding, about 7 months ago, I used to cover both clutch and brake at all times but had noticed that it has impacted on my balance/ steering somehow... then later on I somehow felt more natural to not cover them both at all times, and only at specific places and time, e.g. busy roads, traffic lights, intersections.

I have not come across any incidents like a van pulling out from nowhere etc, so I can't really comment on the usefulness of the extra reaction that you can get from the 2 finger cover.

So all I'm asking I guess, is the 2 finger cover at all times - the "right" thing to do? Also, I'm a newbie rider (started out about 7 months ago, and not alot of K's under the belt) , so I'd really like to learn the correct thing to do, as mentioned previously in one of the posts.

Thanks in advance, all you experienced bikers!

[gammaguy]

I've been riding for 16 mths now - done a lot of reading and a lot of talking.

One issue which confuses me is whether or not it is more effective to ride with two fingers of the right hand draped over the brake lever - or to hold the accelerator with all the fingers and move the fingers when its time to brake. Both feel pretty OK to me but I haven't experienced a hard out emergency situation yet - so I wonder about it.

I have consulted two sources, both of whom I respect - and their views are the opposite.

Anyone got a view?

unless cruising out on the open road,i always have a finger over the front brake lever.

It has saved my life before now,and also i make sure my brakes are sharp and "one fingerable"(if there is such a thing)