The Dance

[rastuscat]

The Roundabout That Taught the Bike to Dance

Once upon a quiet Sunday morning, a rider rolled up to a wide, empty roundabout—the kind so big you could almost get lost in it. He eased the bike into aU-turnn without leaning it at all. The bike wobbled,tiptoed,, and traced a slow, awkward circle.

“It works,” the rider thought, “but it feels like convincing a cow to pirouette.”

The bike stayed upright, sure—but only just. Balance alone could turn it, but the circle was huge, and the bike looked nervous doing it.

The rider wanted something smoother. Tighter. A turn that felt like control, not compromise.

So he leaned the bike. Immediately, the bike wanted to fall over.

“Ah,” said the rider, nodding wisely. “You need help.”

He gave the bike a little power—just enough—and suddenly the bike stood proud again, like it had remembered who it was. The engine’s hum held it upright, steadying it like a hand on a shoulder.
But the bike got excited. It wanted to go.

“Easy there,” the rider said, gently pressing the back brake. Not to stop the bike—just to keep its enthusiasm in check. Power to hold it up. Brake to keep it home. Two friends holding each other in balance.
Now things were getting interesting.

The rider turned his head. Not his eyes—his head. His shoulders followed. And as if by magic, the bike followed too. Because bikes, like people, go where they’re looking.

He didn’t stare at the ground. He didn’t glance nervously at the curb. He looked exactly where he wanted to end up. And the bike listened.

The engine sang louder now—not because thracing butracing, but because the rider understood something important: revs don’t mean speed. The clutch decides what actually reaches the back wheel.

He set the revs comfortably in the middle, let the motor breathe, and used the clutch like a volume knob—turning power up or down with precision. Smooth. Calm. Controlled.

The bike leaned. The power held it up. The brake kept it grounded. The clutch delivered just enough. And the rider looked where he wanted to go.

The circle shrank. The turn tightened. The wobble vanished. What had once been a clumsy stumble became a quiet little dance.

When the bike straightened and rolled away, the rider smiled inside his helmet.

Because he hadn’t just learned how to turn a bike tightly.

He had learned how balance, power, brake, clutch, and vision—working together—could make a motorcycle do something that felt a lot like magic.

And every time he rode past that roundabout again, the bike remembered the dance.

[sugilite:Me]

Great way to describe the process, cheers

[rastuscat]

Great way to describe the process, cheers

What gob smacks me is how intimidated some people are as they think leaning their bike will make it fall over.

I had a client who was aboyt 55 kg dripping wet, she bought a Ducati 659 when she split from her partner, it's a LAMS bike, after all.

But she was intimidated by it. Scared to ride it, as she constanly felt like it was going to fall over when she leaned it.

Amazing the transformation when you build the confidence to give a bike some power, and control it with the brake.

Lots of people have heard that the front brake is the only brake worth using. Just as many, of whom a lot ride cruisers, will only ever use the rear brake.

The front brake is the most powerful, but has to be used with knowledge of weight transfer, contact patch growth, coefficient of friction etc.

The rear brake is the control brake, and learning how to use it properly is the key to controlling a bike.

[BMWST?]

What gob smacks me is how intimidated some people are as they think leaning their bike will make it fall over.

I had a client who was aboyt 55 kg dripping wet, she bought a Ducati 659 when she split from her partner, it's a LAMS bike, after all.

But she was intimidated by it. Scared to ride it, as she constanly felt like it was going to fall over when she leaned it.

Amazing the transformation when you build the confidence to give a bike some power, and control it with the brake.

Lots of people have heard that the front brake is the only brake worth using. Just as many, of whom a lot ride cruisers, will only ever use the rear brake.

The front brake is the most powerful, but has to be used with knowledge of weight transfer, contact patch growth, coefficient of friction etc.

The rear brake is the control brake, and learning how to use it properly is the key to controlling a bike.

I would argue that clutch and throttle control are more important than the rear brake. The only time I am aware of using the rear brake at low speeds is if its so slippery that i dont want to use the front brake or maybe a slow race.

[rastuscat]

I would argue that clutch and throttle control are more important than the rear brake. The only time I am aware of using the rear brake at low speeds is if its so slippery that i dont want to use the front brake or maybe a slow race.

Touching the front brake with a decent amount of lean angle at low speed is a recipe for a lie down. I've seen many people drop bikes when they start to lose faith, and instinctively grab a handful of the front brake. I've even seen riders I consider to be skilled do that. One was on a Triumph Rocket 3 turning around a traffic island.

There are certainly different ways to achieve slow speed control, probably better referred to as tight turning control.

The good moto-khana guys don't use a brake at all, they have mastered using sideways friction grip to maintain control, without having to slow down. My technique allows me to turn tight slowly under control, the moto-khana technique allows turning tight fast. But that's why they have crash knobs and frames on their bikes, so they can train fast turn technique in the knowledge that if they get it wrong their bike won't get too badly damaged.

I quite admire moto-khana skills, but they don't have much use in the real world. Every day I use slow speed control, u-turning, tight corners, even turning in my driveway.

Lots of different techniques I'm not familiar with, but the professional training I have had taught me the technique I use, and pass on.

[BMWST?]

Touching the front brake with a decent amount of lean angle at low speed is a recipe for a lie down. I've seen many people drop bikes when they start to lose faith, and instinctively grab a handful of the front brake. I've even seen riders I consider to be skilled do that. One was on a Triumph Rocket 3 turning around a traffic island.

There are certainly different ways to achieve slow speed control, probably better referred to as tight turning control.

The good moto-khana guys don't use a brake at all, they have mastered using sideways friction grip to maintain control, without having to slow down. My technique allows me to turn tight slowly under control, the moto-khana technique allows turning tight fast. But that's why they have crash knobs and frames on their bikes, so they can train fast turn technique in the knowledge that if they get it wrong their bike won't get too badly damaged.

I quite admire moto-khana skills, but they don't have much use in the real world. Every day I use slow speed control, u-turning, tight corners, even turning in my driveway.

Lots of different techniques I'm not familiar with, but the professional training I have had taught me the technique I use, and pass on.

Ys I am aware of the danger of even moderate front brake application in tight turns,sorta a highside effect. I must brush up my low speed skills, i used to teach at motorbike schools. Quite happy to do low speed stuff on the big GS. Maybe the really tight stuff i will find the rear brake does come into play.
Actually does a 1250 gs have linked brakes??

[rastuscat]

Actually does a 1250 gs have linked brakes??

My understanding of BMW linked brakes is that the front is linked, but that the rear is independant.

Mind you, that's only my experience of RTs. I've had a couple of GS models, but haven't been an off road rider, so don't really know if they are linked differently.

I leanred on 1150RTs then 1200RTs. But the same technique works on virtually every bike I've ever ridden.

Ironically, it's the combination of brake and clucth control. Once mastered, it unlocks control confidence, and translates to any bike one rides.

[SaferRides]

I should try using the rear brake on the R1. It's not the easiest of bikes for low speed manoeuvres due to the quick steering.

Sent from my SM-S938B using Tapatalk

[rastuscat]

I should try using the rear brake on the R1. It's not the easiest of bikes for low speed manoeuvres due to the quick steering.

Sent from my SM-S938B using Tapatalk

The group least likely to use the rear brake is the sports bike clan. The group least likely to use the front brake is the cruiser clan.

Weight transfer under braking happens on all bikes. Im emergency stops, the front brake does most of the work due to weight transfer. The rear brake adds stability to an emergency stop.

At slow speed weight doesn't transfer as much (less momemtum) and the rear brake is plenty powerful enough.

With a lean angle at slow speed, the front brake can remove momentum instantly, leaving the bike little option other than to lie down.

Its why sports bike riders often drag their feet while maneuvering their bike at low speed. Due to the notion that that stops the bike from tipping over. Of course once their right foot is out, who is using their rear brake? And cruiser riders leave big long black stripes leading to their point of impact at crash scenes. Coz they have trained themselves to use the rear due to the perception that the centre of mass is mostly over the back wheel.

What matters is understanding the dynsmic function of each brake, and using them in the appropriate circumstance. In general riding I'd encourage any rider of any bike to use both brakes progressively in most situations. It reinforces the use of each.

[SaferRides]

I did the training at Western Springs when I started riding back in the day. We were taught to leave both feet on the pegs when slowing down, and put only the left foot down to stop.

Now that can go wrong at times and I've seen more thon one bike on its side because the rider didn't check the surface where he was stopping.


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[rastuscat]

I did the training at Western Springs when I started riding back in the day. We were taught to leave both feet on the pegs when slowing down, and put only the left foot down to stop.

Now that can go wrong at times and I've seen more thon one bike on its side because the rider didn't check the surface where he was stopping.


Sent from my SM-S938B using Tapatalk

Yes, everything is situational.

I recall a guy I joined the traffic department with stopping on Victoria Street, opposite where the Sky tower is now. This was well before the Sky tower was built. We both backed into the kerb to park, he put his left foot down and it was into a recessed drain cover. He wasn't a very tall guy, which didn't help. Victoria Street is slopng down to Queen Street at that point, so the bike just kept going over to the left and had a lie down.

It's also a thing on a road with a lot of camber, where the roadway on the left of the bike might be a long way down.

Everything is situational. It's a skill of it's own to have a broad skillset that can adapt to specific situations.