How to brake quickly and safely

[The_Dover]

i'm from the shetland islands and have six fingers due to excessive inbreeding within an already shallow gene pool, should i just use four and tuck the others away or use my full compliment of digits?

[cowpoos]

i'm from the shetland islands

you should hook up with waylander....he's from somewhere in canada too!!

[The_Dover]

i think he's my daughter

[topher]

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

Certainly is interesting. I've never declutched under braking (been doing it this way on and off road for 35 years now) but, perhaps, will give it a go. Bigger dual purpose bikes like ours (Mine's bigger than yours. And black.) with their longer travel suspension have an exagerated wieght transfer on braking compared to stiiffer sprung bikes. But the rules remain the same. As they say in the paper, many riding styles are ingrained and the only way to change is repetion and practice. That sounds less like fun than just going for a ride to see where the road ends...

[XP@]

Another one I just remembered for the 2 or 4 fingers argument...

If your brake comes on fully close to the bars then your the two fingers holding the grip may stop full application of the brake. Once trapped behind the lever there is no getting them out so you are stuck.

I've had it happen to me a couple of times. Especially in winter gloves, but other factors could cause it too...

[Roj]

Thanks for this thread, it reminds me of things I must practise as I am not riding as frequently as I used to or as much as I would like

[Ruralman]

when it gets like this its 95%+ front brake
The best way to learn good bike handling skills is to do some dirt riding and you quickly learn how to react and deal with things on slippery and loose surfaces, how to slide and countersteer to keep it upright, and in some situations even on a road bike you are better to use a dirt bike technique of leaning the bike but keeping yourself upright.
Many emergency situations involve rapid braking and then a quick manoevre to move away from something with the power going back on again - rather than coming to a complete stop. This happens especially in a corner emergency where you have to get the bike upright to use full front brake power, and then need to be able to lean to either get away from the obstacle or stay on the road.
Great points though Mygsxf - you obviously were paying attention in class!

[MyGSXF:Me]

Great points though Mygsxf - you obviously were paying attention in class!

of course!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! again...

[mops]

well... it seems like there's quie a lot of variations on best emergency braking techniques... i guess alot depends on the bike itself...
i'm a inexperienced rider and i';m always looking for some good pointers.

for example, in wet my rear brake is royally useless. stopping power of rear only is so low that it pointless to even use it, as it just results in my fishtailing.... nearly hit innocent pedestrian while fishtailing....

possibly it be because my rear tyre is a touring tyre, while front one is sports tyre...

on dry, it is pretty much useless aswell in emergency situations, as i apply the front the back unloads and provides less and less braking force as the more braking happens on the front. it's ok to do like trail in rear brake when entering the corner or in normal road/traffic use, but forget about emergency braking...

i'm just wondering... theoretically speaking... wouldn't the bikes braking force be the strongest when 100% of weight is on the front wheel ? think about it as you are doing a stoppie, but the rear wheel is only an inch above the ground....

[jonbuoy]

exactly. There was a picture of a guy doing a stoppie in the wet a few years ago.

[Ruralman]

Certainly is interesting. I've never declutched under braking (been doing it this way on and off road for 35 years now) but, perhaps, will give it a go. Bigger dual purpose bikes like ours (Mine's bigger than yours. And black.) with their longer travel suspension have an exagerated wieght transfer on braking compared to stiiffer sprung bikes. But the rules remain the same. As they say in the paper, many riding styles are ingrained and the only way to change is repetion and practice. That sounds less like fun than just going for a ride to see where the road ends...

I guess the point is that emergency braking is different to everyday braking - when you really hit the anchors hard the rear wheel gets really light and if you don't pull in the clutch the braking will easily lock the back wheel and cause the engine to stall - then as mygsxf says you are stuffed as far as being ready to make a quick getaway.
On steep downhills on a dirt bike you are always playing with the clutch to prevent this lockup from happening - if you're in too low a gear it makes it worse so usually you're better in second than first and if you do stall a quick pull in of the clutch and then release without the brake will crash start it smoother in second than first (which just tends to lock up the rear wheel)
If you've been riding a long time you may also already be doing all of these things but its all done by your subconcious so when someone asks what you do in this situation you haven't got a clue 'cos you don't have to think about it.

[Paul in NZ]

Honest to god you people are frickin mental....

Have a shuffty around the web and try to understand the physics of what is happening to your bike. The whole reliance on the front brake thing works wonders on your modern high cog sports bike but for gods sake dont try and ride an old bike, a cruiser or (in some cases) a trail bike that way 'cos you will be DEAD....

Then for the ultimate in wierdness go ride my Guzzi with linked brakes... Front only? Hahahah I don't care how many fingers you use (even all 6 of Dovers) you stomp on everything and it stops... Once you get your head around it and guess what, you can even brake in corners without dying if you use the foot brake after you settle the plot with a dab...

Point of this?

Every bike is just a little different and before you get the mantras too entrenched - take time to consider the vehicle, where the weight is, how far it will move forwards etc. Try the brakes - experiment to see what works. THINK about it before you need it because THINKING and tailoring your thinking to the vehicle you are riding is what works - not a debate of the number of fingers to use... Like me Triumph - You use ALL your fingers and a few spares (if you have em) and both feet on the rear as well - praying helps too...

Just my (slightly pissed) opinion

[Motu]

I can't stop in a straight line....I don't want to stop in a straight line.Hard on in a panic stop we have lost one of our biggest assets on a motorcycle...manoeverability.....you are fixed on target.

A few weeks ago I came upon a couple of cyclists riding abreast,and I moved out to the centreline to give them plenty of room.....and then the bastards turned right on me! I couldn't go around the front of them,and they weren't moving fast enough for me to get behind them....but that's what I wanted to do.So I was locked up howling sideways,not fixed on my target...although I was sure aware of what would happen if we tangled.I was able to slow down enough to get out of the situation with some decorum.....but if not at some point I could of been off the brake down two cogs and taking an exit point.

Don't direct all your thoughts to stopping in as short a possible distance....look for a way out too.

[MyGSXF:Me]

Don't direct all your thoughts to stopping in as short a possible distance....look for a way out too.

Yep.. the trainers said... if you're heading off the road.. DON'T look at the tree or the lamp post.. as you'll be sure to hit them.. look at the GAP inbetween them!!

Jen

[XP@]

I can't stop in a straight line....I don't want to stop in a straight line.Hard on in a panic stop we have lost one of our biggest assets on a motorcycle...manoeverability.....you are fixed on target.

As the great book says "DON'T PANIC". You should not "Panic Stop" because that implies you are panicing and if you are panicing then you really have problems. Sure you may be leaving a trail of brown stuff but if you panic then you are going to do something rash, which could make things worse! (Think blond chick in a '70's movie)

To stop quickly you should have practiced "maximum effort" stops. So you will be able to stop as quickly as possible without thinking about it, so you can concentrate your brain power on finding the way out.