How to brake quickly and safely

[jonbuoy]

Valkerie 309kg's versus fireblade 170kg's for a start, I would belive it if it was done by pro riders not just "experienced" riders (and they ditched the apple mac on the pillion seat and training wheels). I think what they are trying to say is that for an average road rider it doesn't make much odds on the bike. Put a decent rider on them and I think there would be a marked difference in stopping ability between the bikes. But it doesn't give me any faith in their findings.

[jade]

I disagree with using 4 fingers for braking.. I feel you should use 2 (depending on the feel of your brakes I guess)
If it comes to the point where you find your escape and need to quickly power toward it, the split second it takes to go from fingers on brake to fingers on throttle could be deadly..

Just my opinion... what do I know ...ive got brembos and overshot the corner..

[Disco Dan]

I disagree with using 4 fingers for braking.. I feel you should use 2 (depending on the feel of your brakes I guess)
If it comes to the point where you find your escape and need to quickly power toward it, the split second it takes to go from fingers on brake to fingers on throttle could be deadly..

Just my opinion... what do I know ...ive got brembos and overshot the corner..

people have given me dif advice in the past on this one..

someone told me i should always ride along with two fingers on brake and clutch?

anther person said it's not a biggie, and just hold on!

...been "just holding on" recently

i doubt i would have as much control if i had my hand stretch open like that?

[Terminated]

This makes very interesting reading (found from the survival links thread)

I notice the difference in sequence:
[Page 15 of the study refers]
1. Throttle Off
2. Brake - I was taught front brake, but this study points to rear brake.

Two other things that surprised me:
Distance Versus Time
[Page 8 of the study refers]
I naturally would have thought if you came to a stop quicker you would cover less distance...but not the case and points out the importance of the initial application of the brake etc.

Braking Distance of the Sportsbike and Cruiser
[Page 8 of the study refers - under heading Justification for Standard A Procedure]
The comparison of 41.67 to 41.83 metres for the sportsbike and cruiser was very surprising giving the size of each bike and style.

A very good read.

Heads Up and Enjoy

[Motoracer]

1) was told by a friend of mine to imagine your "landing an aeroplane". Begin loading the back then just after load up the front, with your bike lowering onto suspension at an angle - hence the landing part!

Ha ha ha ha, funny stuff!

For your bike on sealed roads. Haul on the front brake first, then worry about shifting down fast and applying the rear brake.

Also, ask your self. Is stopping always the most effective answer. Or swerving around the obsticle?

Goodluck

[XP@]

people have given me dif advice in the past on this one..

someone told me i should always ride along with two fingers on brake and clutch?

anther person said it's not a biggie, and just hold on!

...been "just holding on" recently

i doubt i would have as much control if i had my hand stretch open like that?

Work it out for your self then!
Belive no-one, they will tell you what they have learned, and where did they learn it from?

Read all the techniques, go to a carpark and try them out.

[XP@]

I disagree with using 4 fingers for braking.. I feel you should use 2 (depending on the feel of your brakes I guess)
If it comes to the point where you find your escape and need to quickly power toward it, the split second it takes to go from fingers on brake to fingers on throttle could be deadly..

Just my opinion... what do I know ...ive got brembos and overshot the corner..

You use 2 fingers and you need a bit more room to stop. Therefore on the rare occasion you need the 0.1 second to get your fingers to the throttle, you will not have stopped 2m fast enough and are already implanted in the door of the 4x4 that pulled out in front of you.

[Shade]

You can also open a throttle without using your fingers.. eg blipping etc. Most bikes have heaps of power without needing to be fully open.

[Disco Dan]

Work it out for your self then!
Belive no-one, they will tell you what they have learned, and where did they learn it from?

Read all the techniques, go to a carpark and try them out.

yeah thats the one! hehe, just wanted to make sure it wasnt 'standard practice' for everyone type thing! i guess it would also depend on the bike a bit too, on larger bikes, 'blipping' the throttle requires less movement than the what seems like a 'half turn' on mine!!!

cheers for all the advice folks!!!

[DEATH_INC.]

if you've already been chucked off from using the rear brake, try getting used to using the front only.

Nope, this is not right. Learn why you got chucked off and then correct your technique, go out and learn how to use that rear brake properly, you will still stop faster with both most of the time..........(transalp already said this but I thought I'd say it again)
Using the rear slightly (we're talking milliseconds here) before the front will squat the rear, giving a lower centre of gravity and allowing harder braking, and remember (again) squeeze, dont grab. Don't worry about riding with ya fingers on the levers, it doesn't make much difference (I sometimes do and sometimes don't) and simply use as many fingers on the lever as you need to to get the job done (I use two, loosebruce uses four).
Now get out there and PRACTICE!

[R6_kid:Me]

http://www.rrrs.org.nz/index.html

Head along to that, its at Whenuapai, in a controlled environment, with expereienced people watching over you giving pointers and advice etc. Best $50 you'll spend towards your riding.

[Goblin]

Nope, this is not right. Learn why you got chucked off and then correct your technique, go out and learn how to use that rear brake properly, you will still stop faster with both most of the time..........(transalp already said this but I thought I'd say it again)
Using the rear slightly (we're talking milliseconds here) before the front will squat the rear, giving a lower centre of gravity and allowing harder braking, and remember (again) squeeze, dont grab. Don't worry about riding with ya fingers on the levers, it doesn't make much difference (I sometimes do and sometimes don't) and simply use as many fingers on the lever as you need to to get the job done (I use two, loosebruce uses four).
Now get out there and PRACTICE!

Ok. I stand corrected! Rear brakes are useful...in small doses. Do what he says. He'd know. It is handy to know just how well you can stop with the front only though. PRACTICE! Practice all combinations so you'll know what will happen when you use front, front/rear, rear.

But me, I'm a front braker. Might be because my rear on my rat wont work anymore.....new pads might help!

[scracha]

I did a motorcycle training weekend a month ago with Roadsafe, & that is their emergency braking procedure. I did another course

<--snip-->

way, should any trouble be coming up behind you.. like another vehicle. IF you have stalled.. you are not ready to MOVE out of harms way.. FAST.. if required!!

Was an instructor back in blighty. We HAD to teach people to use the front brake momentarily before rear. If you don't the back of the bike sags (making it more likely to lock up the rear) and the front brake has less weight over it which makes it slightly less effective. I'm sure Performance Berks or one of the mags did tests once and reached the same conclusion. There is a common myth that a low COG helps braking when in fact it's more to do with the friction co-efficient which is greatly enhanced when the suspension is pushing the front wheel DOWN into the ground. Most important factor of all is to apply front progressively and ease up the squeeze if it locks up (you'll hear it howling).

After the emergency stop, 1st thing to do is look behind you. Even if the engine is running you'll likely be in a high gear [*1]. If there's a fast approaching vehicle the prescribed action is to basically say to hell with the bike and just RUN. If there's nothing coming up behind fast then get breath back and knock it down to 1st.

Cruisers need more back brake. Most sportsbikes are about 90%/10% dry and around 75%/25% wet. Tip for normal braking is to just use the rear brake for < 15Kmph to stop the front end pogo-ing. Other tip is to roll off the throttle "gently" before braking [*2] and use a lot more rear brake when carrying a pillion....stops them headbutting you.

[1] Believe me, when people do a pukka emergency $hit staining stop they normally ain't dropping down gears.
[2] Also helps prevent the the 1st gear - headbut - nd gear - headbut - etc etc thing when going up the box. Dunno why anyone thinks clutchless upshifting stops headbuts.

[The Stranger:Me]

I disagree with using 4 fingers for braking.. I feel you should use 2 (depending on the feel of your brakes I guess)
If it comes to the point where you find your escape and need to quickly power toward it, the split second it takes to go from fingers on brake to fingers on throttle could be deadly..

Just my opinion... what do I know ...ive got brembos and overshot the corner..

4 fingers or nothing is the correct way.
2 issues arise with the various other combinations.
Firstly, when braking hard you could (obviously bike dependent) get 2 the point where the other 2 fingers get in the way, at which point either a) you crush you fingers, b) the effectiveness of the brake is reduced c) you have to release and reapply the brake.
Secondly, and more importantly on a modern bike, you will at some stage either grab the throttle, or forget to release it with your other 2 fingers. At this point the throttle is fighting the brake - Not good.

Have seen the second issue time and again on the emergency braking session at RRRS, and that is just practice. People know what to do, they know where and when the "emergency" is happening. You usually can pick the problem at a glance by the unusually long stopping distance.

Good habits are important, in an emergency you will instinctively do what you normally do. If you are a car driver you are likely to jump on the foot brake - Not good at all. If you cover the brake with 2 fingers that is what you will use in an emergency. So don't go thinking you will just use 4 in an emergency and 2 the rest of the time - it won't work that way.

[loosebruce]

Fuck theres some weird shit in this thread each to their own i say!

I use four fingers when i brake well i prolly only using 3 and my lil finger is just hanging around doing fuck all, i dont have a problem blipping the throttle while braking hard and i dont see why you need your fingers on the throttle to turn it, just use your thumb to start the throttle moving until you can grip again with your hand, i use 1 finger on the brakes if i'm decked out in a corner and need to scrub some speed off, i dont need to use my whole hand as i dont need full power on the brakes.
I never ever use the back brake in any heavy braking situation, i only use it if i'm two up as it's easier on the pillion without the massive weight transfer to the front, but some fast guys do use the back brake.
Really take all the advice in (not all coz some of it's shit) and find what you're comfy with and go from there, best to experiment.