Practice for sure so you know what your capabilities are and what your bike's capabilities are. What I would suggest though is to find a safe place to practice emergency braking, an empty parking lot for example, and then work at a slow and gentle pace to help you get comfortable with hard, fast braking. Get the bike up to 25mph for example and then get on the brakes and pull the lever in smoothly and come to a safe and controlled stop. From there work on improving your stopping distance by pulling on the lever quicker and harder (in slow incremental steps) until you are braking very quickly but still very controlled. Then you could add another 5mph and then another 5mph until you are able to stop from a much higher pace, quickly and safely.

What are some things that you can do, besides pulling the brake lever in smoothly and progressively that will help you get your braking done in the most controlled manner? We are still talking about stopping damn fast, just in a controlled way and not in a sketchy locking up the wheels, skilling, wobbling, panic stop.

Misti

 

Interesting read. Agree with most other posts...

My fears: own over-confidence and other drivers not checking blind spots/texting while driving. Youtube is a great way to make sure you are never over confident. Too many fools out there on powerful bikes!

 

Actually my biggest fear on a bike is either:
The drive chain breaking
or
Front master cylinder failing

Stuff gives me the chills

 

Either needing to stop right away and knowing its going to take more than just engine braking and applying both brakes or gravel/sand on a curve. Ive had to run into ditches (at a low speed) to avoid sliding and messing up my legs/bike. Also people who have never ridden nor give any attention to motorcyclists on the road.

 

Dropping my bike..lol

 

Ending up like the dragonfly on the windshield in the beginning of Men in Black.

 

So I was at a red light and my damn shoelace got caught on the pedal, and I couldn't get my foot down to stabilize myself.. Needless to say I went down with the bike, in front of a ton of traffic. This may not seem like a worthy fear but it shook my confidence.. Now I am actually scared to ride.. 2 years of riding and I never dropped my bike, extremely embarrassing.. =(

 

My riding shoes used to have long laces and I'd occasionally get the right one caught somewhere on the bike. Fortunately, I always stopped while leaning to the left. After several years of this I trimmed down the laces and they haven't given me any trouble since then.

 

Really guys!! laces???
buy quality riding shoes/sneakers or boots that protect your ankles and either have something that cover the laces or have none and use velcro or a zipper..
if you take riding your bike serious please make this a priority, i comment like this, having shattered my ankle some twenty years ago in a bike accident and like buying good gloves,jacket,pants i always wear decent boots and i always try to buy my stuff to look casual, i personally dont like looking like i just rode off the track, but to each his own..
anyway if a car t=bones you its going to hurt from the waist down at first and i think people who just wear sneakers and jeans would be quit surprised how well designed some of the street gear that is out there today and not terribly overpriced and out of most peoples reach.. i personally had a accident at the beginning of this season wearing my gear and a was t-boned as i mentioned up above... didnt even see it coming.. anyway after i got up and looked around the only thing that was in peices WAS MY BIKE and not me.. i dusted myself off and had my bike towed too a shop, went home , changed my gloves and jumped on my other bike and went to work..
well good luck, hope i gave you something to think about.. bikes are awesome, its everything else around you that you have to worry about and if you wear the right gear thats have the battle right there..
jay..

 

Who said that we were talking about tennis shoes when I mentioned shortening the laces? My heavy duty hiking shoes that I wear when riding have laces.