Most singe bike wrecks are caused by inexperienced riders going into a curve too fast, getting nervous and braking hard.... should have braked 1st and took the corner at a comfortable speed. You got lucky- thank God and glad to hear you are OK. Better though.... when you commit to a turn, commit for real, look through the turn, get into the lean and go.... much better than braking mid turn. there are always execptions to any rule though. 8 out 10 new riders will wreck if braking hard in a turn i would guess ( at more than 10 MPH).... anyone else agree?

 

I agree completely and I fully hear what you're saying. The key is the difference between braking and braking HARD.

I fully agree that the thing to do is get all of your braking out of the way before you turn, unless you're riding at 100%, in which case you can balance between the last bit of braking and the first bit of turn in (as Blackdog stated).

I'm not really interested in getting into the fine dynamics of cornering and braking. My point is just that every situation requires a different technique and that there is no single rule that applies in every situation. My example of braking in a corner was meant to illustrate this. I am not in any way advocating braking in corners, I'm just saying that there are situations, no matter how rare, where doing something not generally recommended might actually save you. It is better to practice (again, like Blackdog said) in a variety of situations so that you have some sense of what will happen when you're out in the real world. It's really just about broadening your array of skills. If you say you'll never brake in a corner, you're tossing aside the possibility of building that skill. Again, just to be clear, if I'm riding hard, laying it over, pushing the tires, I'm NOT going to touch the brake, but if I'm riding in a group at 75% and the guy in front of me slows at an apex, I'm going to be happy that I practiced easing on the brake in a corner because it's going to keep us both upright. Just stay within your limits and the limits of your bike and tires.

I am really happy that I had the opportunity to save myself by braking in that corner on my second day of riding--not because it was "good technique", but because it kept me on the road and showed me that even though people say "only experienced riders" can brake in a corner, in many real-world circumstances, most riders actually can ease on the brakes in the corner without instantly going down, like is so often said.

Perhaps I am more skilled than I give credit, having been an avid downhill mountain biker for many, many years, where precise braking is essential and every single corner is truly unique, with rocks, roots, mud, sand, holes and whatever else... but I think that anyone with a bit of common sense and a desire to survive is capable of bending rules when appropriate and avoiding those absolute bits of advice that have words "always" and "never" in them.

 

+1 For using both brakes. I don't want to get into an arguement because you're not going to change my mind so I'll just give my reasons.

(1) 3 brakes are better than 2. More surface area = more friction = quicker stops (common sense)

(2) If the rear tire has any contact at all with the road it will help slow you down if you use it to help you stop. The more rubber on the road the better no matter what you're doing. The point has been made that when braking hard with the front your rear is not in contact with the road. To this I say; I have never braked so hard with my front brake while emergency braking to lift my rear wheel (stoppies excluded). If you feel the need to brake that hard it's an indication that you are following too close and/or not paying attention and shouldn't be riding. Common sense says if you apply too much brake to either wheel under certain circumstances it can lock.

(3) If you were to try braking hard using only your front brake in a corner you would have trouble steering no matter what vehicle you are operating. I generally use my rear while cornering, front is used only if I can't shed enough speed quick enough without risking locking the rear and as little as possible.

(4) Another point was made about weight transfer, using the rear brake reduces the amount of dive in the front end so steering isn't so heavy and you can still manouever easily. Not to mention countering that oh ****! I'm going over the bars feeling.

(5) The manufacturer thought it was a good idea to install a rear brake and I don't remember seeing anything in the manual that said "WARNING! REAR BRAKE ONLY TO BE USED FOR TRAIL BRAKING". I don't think there is any blanket rule as to how much to use it (notice I did not say when) but my rule is apply it just enough to help me stop and help keep the bike somewhat level but not enough to lock it.

The only way to figure how much of each brake to use is practice which if your a newb braking should get as much attention as steering. Find a large open area and experiment braking from different speeds, emergency and non, differant surfaces, etc,. In other words know your bike and yourself and what you/it's capable of or not, that way there's more safe braking and less panic braking.

I don't claim to be some GP racer or the best street rider but this is what works for me. I have never laid a bike down in my many years of riding, knock on wood, and regularly ride at a moderate to fast pace but always aware and almost always defensively.

Now, let the flaming begin.

 

If i am coming into a corner to fast I will use both brakes a split second before the corner and use the rear brake after that in the corner if its still to fast. Than I will hit the gas and pull out of the corner about as hard as I came into it.

Braking in the corners can be done easily. and I did mean by progressive braking. not smashing the brakes all at once. Thats just plain stupid.

 

what do you professionally race?

 

No I can just ride. Its not hard to learn when you practice everyday. Actually I was wanting to get into racing also. I think it would be a blast.

 

hey guys iam sure we can all ride pretty good. we just need to be safe and remember that if it works for you then use it, because we get use to doing things our own way and it may be hard to try what other people do and do it the same way. but remember as you get better and faster your ways may have to change to suite a new speed then maybe we can remember what we have talked about here and maybe alter our ways. It is really good to hear from all of you and your passion.Sportbikes and learning about all there is about them is such a blast.

 

Well said ejohn.[sm=smiley20.gif]