Why You Need to Be Trail Braking | Motorcycle Trail Braking Explained
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- Опубліковано 18 чер 2018
- Learn how one of our favorite techniques can enhance your street riding. You may also want to watch this newer video on the subject: • The real reason TRAILB...
Have you ever wondered how to trail brake on a motorcycle? Or have you ever been told that trail braking is so risky that it should only be done by professionals on closed courses or racetracks? In this video we explain what trail braking is, how exactly it works the way it does and we explain why we think trail braking is one of the most powerful riding tools for street riders and how you should be trail braking on every ride.
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#motorcycletrailbraking #trailbraking #trailbrake
We have an updated version of this video that goes into a little bit more detail and answers some of the most common questions. Check it out! ua-cam.com/video/fuoYUYFNkGI/v-deo.html
Thanks for keeping on this subject! I keep sharing this clearly-correct information with fellow riders and tend to get a LOT of pushback. 😣
Been riding for 40+ years and was an MSF instructor way back in the early days, I must admit that I had no understanding of what trail braking really meant. Thank you for the clear explanation. Old Dogs can learn new tricks. Now to get out there and practice.
Kudos to you sir to accepting to learn new things.
Yep, this old dog is going out to practice this. Could've used this at the Dragon on a very tight right but instead used only the rear brake and chose the forest straight ahead. At the time riding a ZRX 1200 standard but accelerating essay too fast into an unknown curve!
That’s right everyone has different skill sets , and different experiences ... with age your more than likely to have a lot more experiences and knowledge depending on the environment and the resources in that environment , that is why you or we all have something to learn from the young generation and the older generation , once we learn that we’ve only scratched the surface , then we can make the leap into the deeper subjects of the matters at hand .. 🤷🏼♂️ just my two cents and a theory I try to live by ...
You probably do it already and don’t even notice.
Old dog! 🙋♀️
MotoGP rider Bradley Smith was asked once in an interview, "What advice would you give street riders?". Smith's response was to practice pushing your bike around, like, on your feet and off the bike pushing, and engage the front brake as softly as possible, learn to feel the first bite and get to know it well. He was advocating trail braking.
Yeah, Smith is one of those racers that really really understands how a motorcycle works. He's brilliant.
I wonder how many MotoGP and WorldSBK riders actually ride on the street. My guess is that for the top level riders, not much if at all.
@@admiralbeez8143 I watched a video where an Italian guy mentions that. And I think Rossi doesn’t ride out of the track. Too much risk. Cars trees fire hydrants drunk or distracted drivers. Its amazing how many times they wreck and walk away on the track. Cant do that in the outdoors.
@@admiralbeez8143 they have contracts to not do certain activities such as riding oon the street
@@anubis8680 that's funny because I also heard a couple interviews of race car drivers that just drive a "slow pickup truck" and another one that mentions he just rides super bikes
I watched this video when you 1st uploaded it back in 2018, I took the bike out that very afternoon and practised trail braking, over the next few day I spoke to my friends about it and they ALL said "nah rubbish, never trail brake" but I carried on for a few more days trying it out.... 2 years later I can honestly say it's made me a better rider and given me so much confidence in corners, now I wouldn't ride any other way and even recommend this video to my new rider friends... Thank you....
Dude!! That's amazing!! Thank you for taking the time to come back and tell your story. Mind if I share this comment?
@@CanyonChasers Hey your more than welcome, yeah please share and thank you
I get what you mean but that doesn’t mean that teal braking makes sense. Especially the guys who made this video doesn’t understand what trail braking is. He really doesn’t understand. But if it help you to practice that’s the most important
@@greatdane145 let's hear your explanation then, einstein
I was never taught this - I think I did it intuitively but always felt like I was breaking a rule or something based on what I was taught. Good to know I’m not crazy for doing it this way.
I've always ridden like this intuitively all my riding life and never knew it was called trail braking lol.. It's either you have a feel for it or don't. If you don' then most likely those riders are at potentially risking themselves crashing more often than not.
Riding a motorcycle requires a lot of skill and understanding of the machine. Each bike can behave differently, but they're all essentially the same if you apply the same logic.
Coasting is engine braking, which is rear wheel braking. This was the aha moment of the video for me.
exactly the same for me. I had to pause the video and think for a moment and then understood and whatched further. thanks for this simple statement, very helpful.
Yup, me too - I think I use engine braking quite a lot and the brakes not as much as I should. I tried trail braking - or what I thought was trail braking (important distinction) - on one ride, but got tied in knots and my corners weren't nearly as smooth as usual, so I didn't persevere. This excellent video will make me try again. Really great explanation.
Lol me too. I been using rear brake and engine breaking when entering corner sometimes when in corner too. This video makes me realize how suck I am with riding.
My question is, how do I fix this? I find myself thinking bout trail braking as I’m going through a curve, however, I get to a point where just the slowing force of the engine braking is taking me to a slower speed than is necessary for completing the curve and I ease onto the throttle before I’m even thinking about exiting. Does this happen to anyone else?
@@Saxophonedan you don't NEED to trail brake. It sounds like your entering the turn slower than needed which is perfectly fine. All that matters is making it where you need to go in one piece
Im currently a MSF RiderCoach and you highlight a very problematic part of this curriculum that needs to change.
No alot of new riders lack the required muscle memory and experience to properly use the trail braking technique. As you can see here in the comments. So the MSF is taking the safest route. Whatever a rider learns after the course is on them and so are the consequences.
@@jotunheim5302 its taught in the advanced class but not in basic. Due to lack of enrollment i think the basic shoyld take some things from the advanced
@YesMan, I remember coaching brand new riders who were gently slowing to the middle of the corner very naturally on their own, to stop and accelerate through the entire corner. The only value I can figure that comes from SLPR is that it really drives home the importance of setting a conservative entrance speed. But most people trail brake in their cars, on their bicycles... My mom, who has never ridden a motorcycle and is the most conservative woman in the world trail brakes in her little car all the way to the apex of the freeway off ramp.
@@CanyonChasers when I trail break during driving, I am on the break the hardest, maybe 30% before the apex, then feather off from there to,make it smooth.
But doing this on a bike, I'd be leaning.
My MSF said never be ON the front break during a lean because you can low side... I ride a sport bike..
Is this true? I have wide close calls frequently unless my approach speed is slow.
@@LightGesture it's all a matter of how much traction you are using for turning and braking. Front brake gradually applied actually gives more available turning traction because you are placing more downward force on it.
Snatching the brake in a lean will overcome the available traction because you aren't giving the bikes weight time to shift or the suspension the opportunity to dampen it.
You can actually low side from releasing a heavy application of brake mid lean because you are reducing the downward force on the tire.
I like the idea of "keep the brake light on through the apex" it gives you that 1% or better braking and keeps weight loaded on the front. Just focus on keeping the light on, then you can increase your ability naturally.
I rode without trail breaking on I first got my license on my Ninja 250 however once I got a bigger bike I had hard time turning specially at roundabouts. After a while I searched breaking safely while turning and thats when I learned about trail breaking and now riding and turning is not scary anymore.
Thanks for this pro tip. I've always been taught to get all things in order prior to the corner, and not mess with brakes with bike at lean. You talked about the struggle that I've always had on roads that I'm not familiar with. On a known road I know the gear \ braking needed to feel safe going through a corner, but as soon as I end up on a new road I'm in learning mode. My riding style completely changes as I try to guess what gear \ braking is needed. This is usually fine on the corners that allow for a little more room for error, but on those corners where there's a hair pin type turn it can get unsettling. I'm going to start holding the brake a little longer, and give this a try on my "home" roads that I'm familiar with.
The hard part for me is being on the brake, and holding the throttle steady as well.
"by using the brakes we are the ones in charge" The best piece of motorcycle advice I've heard. Some riders I see are on a motorcycle but not really in control of it. Knowing you have the knowledge and skill to command your motorcycle in any scenario makes riding much more enjoyable. Yes, the more you know the better it gets.
They are more concerned about what people think of them, then hurting them self, others or getting killed.
Heard people that care more about what others will say or think if someone saw that they was training in a parking lot. Then getting killed in a crash. It cant get any more stupid, if you ask me. Training on something to me, has never been embarrassing.
If someone makes fun of me for practicing, I only laugh at them. Because I know they are stupid, and don't understand much. And probably going to have a short, hard life.
point #2.... "why would you want to accelerate when you can't see what's ahead" ? because you have never crashed before, and think you're invincible.
because it gives you maximum grip. the reason your rear tire is larger than your front and you have roughly 50/50 weight distribution is because the bike was designed to accelerate. use your brakes while leaned over, your probably down to less than half of your grip.
Haha, there's some truth to that!
The old saying in motorcycling is "there are those that have crashed and those that will crash"
Many times, you can force your way threw, by going fast enough.
LOL....pretty good one!
Finally someone who's says "Slow down".
Been doing this for years - both onroad and offroad. This is probably the best instructional video of trailbraking I've ever seen ! +1
Seems like many of you who believe trail braking is dangerous think it means maximum braking into the turn. No, you missed the fundamental message that you brake earlier and longer into the bend and gradually feather off of it as you transition to throttle. You don't whang on the brake and hold that pressure the entire time into the curve. The entire point is to leave a greater margin or "traction budget". You don't just brake deeper into the turn, you brake earlier - *not harder*. It also means you apex later and get a better view. Trail braking does not mean, "rushing the corner".
Thank you! I'm befuddled by how many people think trail braking is a hamfisted grabbing of the front brake, and how many of those people seem to insist that's what I said.
Thank you. I was about to say this very thing.
Why not just brake earlier, go into the curve slower without needing any brake to maintain control and wait until you are through the curve to accelerate?
I think a lot of the negative comments are coming from people who didn't watch the entire video. They heard or read "braking" and "corner" and were triggered and just launch off into their explanations as to why it's so "dangerous." They are so "knowledgeable", they don't even know that MSF teaches trail braking now.
Lisa Jones, seems to me that you need more practice with this technique. It's not about knowledge, it's about careful control and concentration. Maybe people could be riding this way without even realizing it. Either way, it's not always a good idea to believe everything you see on UA-cam.
I learned trail braking before I took my first MSF course, I was told I was wrong and to never keep my fingers on the brake lever, sorry but trail braking saved me more than once and I even taught my wife way before watching this video and finding out I was correct after years of being told I was wrong by 7 different instructors ... I have had some terrible instructors, this video needs to be seen by all MSF instructors.
always keep a finger or two on that lever in dangerous areas. the time it takes for you to lift it of the bar to the lever could kill you
Trail breaking would have saved me in my recent low-side. I expected a lot less tight of a turn heading onto a highway onramp and got 3/4 through before I realized I was going too fast. I tried to break using my front breaks but second guessed myself since breaking is supposedly bad in turns, and it became too late to do anything. I wasn't sure how to correct myself, even though I had been breaking through most of the turn. If I had been told that I could break more with the front break after that and correct myself, I wouldn't have crashed.
couldnt agree more!
@@michaelhimich5188 I had this too. They almost failed me. I'd learned the habit bike messengering, and it was IMPOSSIBLE to stop doing it. It had saved my life a few times.
I had been riding for probably 30 years before I took the MSF course. I was constantly being "criticized" for resting my fingers on the brake lever, as well as for only using 2 fingers while using the front brake. You're not supposed to use the front brake while riding the MSF course, because you're doing a lot of slow and low-speed turning. By using the front brake while turning, you increase the chances of "folding" the front end of the bike and going down.
I was only taking the MSF course after riding for decades, because I had planned on becoming an instructor. I looked at it this way: I did what they wanted me to do, the way they wanted me to do it, so I could pass the course (which I did). In my opinion, if you're an MSF instructor and you're not teaching the curriculum AS WRITTEN, you shouldn't be an instructor. It's not your job to rewrite the curriculum, it's to teach the curriculum the way the "experts" wrote it.
Personally, after passing the course, I decided to not pursue being an MSF Rider Coach, because I didn't necessarily agree with what was being taught and/or the way it was being taught. Novel concept, I know.
It’s what we would call “risky” lmao had me crying.... was waiting for a technical term
Amazing to have this free information available to us. I learned this the hard way... but man to hear it in words would have saved me lots of money and a broken shoulder. Thank you for the video! It's extremely helpful and I guarantee many accidents and injuries have been avoided because of this team.
Remember all trail braking is light and very steady. You are not stopping your bike or chopping speed, you are slowly grinding down your speed.
Practice first with a feather touch.
I had many moments of terror every time I rode for past 10 years until I tried trail braking. No more being scared. I always preferred following someone, buy now I love to lead. Thank you!!
while entering the corner, and when you start leaning, dou you maintain the throttle while applying little brake, or you completely release the throttle while leaning towards apex? So basicaly my question is do you use throttle and break same time, or just break while leaning and then in apex smoothly transition to throttle? In that case, what if you slow down too much while leaned down, let's say corner end longer and inward....
Did you find answer to your question? Im wondering the same
@@Igor12822 somebody answer this please!
@@notfunni I think trail braking works best when it's a relatively tight low speed corner. When approaching the corner, the throttle is idle and brakes are being applied. You would then trail off the brakes around the turn in point, maintaining slight front brake + idle throttle until reaching the apex.
But if it's a long sweeping corner where you may not even need to slow down, then it doesn't make much sense to brake the whole way through the first half of the corner. In that case it calls for either just a steady throttle, or brief roll off + light braking just to help the bike turn in.
@@lubey111 thank you
One of the best tips for cornering. Having watched this sometime ago I started to practice this technique and you can definitely benefit from it. It gives you way more confidence if you need to slow in a corner as you brake in a more relaxed way as opposed to grabbing a handful and washing out in a panic as shown on shed loads of UA-cam vids.
« Do you add more coast » is the best thing I’ve ever heard
Being one of those who got hammered with the "kill all speed for a turn and accelerate out of it regardless" , I found myself well impressed with the clarity and common sense you guys showed in this video. Thank you ever so much for sharing this. Even though I've been driving a motorcycle for decades now, I learned something new today. For which I'm gratefull. Thanks guys!
Used trail braking inadvertently when I got my bike last year. Was still recovering from knee surgery and found it was literally uncomfortable to move my ankle when riding. As a result I found that using the front brake was much more suitable for me until my knee (and ankle) felt better. Now I'm feeling more in control thru the corners using the trail braking technique. Thanks for a great description thru your video! Only thing I would add (as more of a reminder) is to not become fixated on the hazard spots of the corners (ie: guard rails, other vehicles, objects, etc). Keep looking as far ahead as you can in the direction you want to go and not at the perceived obstacles. Thx.
So I commented on this video over a year ago asking for additional clarification which I received. I then commenced to practicing the technique a lot under controlled and concentrated conditions. I now use it all the time and consider it especially helpful when approaching downhill curves. I can directly attribute this knowledge and subsequent practice to saving my bacon on a couple of misjudged curves. All I did was delicately apply a touch more brake while trail braking. Thanks for sharing your knowledge. It's the best explanation of trail braking I have been able to find.
Wow, just discovered your channel and the “Trail Breaking” episode...LUCKY ME!!! GREAT QUALITY, HIGH SKILL LEVEL, COMPETENT INSTRUCTION AND ADVICE! I’m looking forward to binging on your content and honing my skills. THANK YOU!
Not only does trail braking:
-change the geometry so the bike wants to turn more,
-but also loads the front tire increasing contact patch
-AND reduces speed at the same time.
💯
no one taught me the term 'trail braking' but as i gained experience on the bike, this technique saved me numerous times when i went into corners bit too hot.
Agreed, but it will come naturally with experience. Not for new riders.
Try setting your entry speed earlier, just as Keith Code teaches.
MSF course just pushed me to be a safe rider.
I'm a very new rider , I've only been out a couple of times but I applied this and all I can say is wow....made cornering much easier and I felt much more comfortable..great video ..thanks
This is the third time I have watched this video in the last year. Congratulations one making one of the best motorcycle videos on UA-cam.
Trail braking changed everything for me on the street. Thank you 🙏
Smoothness in operating all the controls is the biggest deal in riding a bike, even more so on a high power one...
Jnjjjjjj 🔖🔖🔖🔖👗🔖🔖🤔🤔♉🤔🤔🤔🔖🔖🔖🔖🔖👗🔖🙄🙄♉🤔👗👗🔖🔖🔖♉🔖🔖🔖🔖🔖🔖👗🔖🔖🔖🔖🔖🔖🔖🔖🔖🔖👗🔖🙄🔖🔖🔖🔖🔖🔖🔖🔖♉
I'm new to riding on the street, and I find corners intimidating sometimes. The way I've been taught just doesn't always feel good. A few times I've come out of a difficult corner and realized I've instinctively done just what you're describing - I'll notice that it worked really well, but then I'd think "wow I was lucky, better not do that again!" Now I understand why. From now on I'll work on it on purpose! Thanks for reminding us how braking and accelerating affects bike geometry.
Every time I watch this I get more out of it, and it's had a massive effect on my riding. Gold.
I remember from 55 years ago a piece of advice I was given, slow in fast out. I think that was aimed mainly at rear wheel drive vehicles which were the predominant drive in those days. Used it in cars and motor cycles ever since without any problem. This sounds pretty similar, but it's really good to hear the reasoning for it.
I dont even own a motorcycle lol
Leonidas I 😂🙌🏻
I was there at one point, watch enough of these videos and your gonna gind yourself riding sooner then later 😂
i mean it would be pretty stupid to buy one without seeing this video first huh? but now that you have this knowledge...
I do, but I live in a state that basically has no trail corners just city blocks lol.
I watched moto vids for 6 months straight before buying my first bike... You're on the right track, pun intended ;)
Loved the fork pressing and wheelbase graphic. Amazing video
Been doing that for about 20 years. I ride Harleys hard and learned from a really good sport bike guy. Respect!
Your videos on cornering are my "go-to" videos ! So well done!
This is pure motorcycling gold! Great video.
"Do you add more coast??" LOL
I love that line. Just about blew coffee out my nose when he said that.
Hilarious!
Here in the UK my instructor told me countersteering was "only for the track". I imagine if I mentioned trail braking his head would've exploded. Thankfully, I was able to find correct information, like this video, and others, and potentially save my life.
how awful, that instructor is giving disgustingly harmful information to all their students
SMH 🤦♂️
I've been riding since '69 and accidentally figured this out by trial and error,(trail braking) the idea of not knowing where the exit is a great point a lot of riders don't get until it's too late, thanks for pointing it out. two more points, counter steering helps get the bike leaned over and especially when you realize you have entered too fast, a lot of people don't get the mental image of just how small the contact patch is, especially in wet conditions, and look out for any signs of foreign material, I ride in the country a lot where vehicles are always pulling out and transferring all kinds of bad stuff like liquids, sand, gravel, etc., to the road, thanks for putting this info out there you guys will probably save some lives
That graphic with the rake and trail was really well done!
Thank you, my dear friend, this saved me today, and I saw this video yesterday. I was riding a tight corner and it was a blind corner, I had a little front brake on when I entered a corner and all of a sudden an SUV was riding in opposite direction in my lane ( it's. Two line country road ) and I managed to brake effiflciently and slow down enough to maneuver safely through. ( My motorcycle is a classic 350 and don't have abs)
Thank you
Whoa, that's a dangerous situation.
amazing story, happy to see it in the comments after i watch this video for the first time :D
I faced same situation, but without trial braking.. somehow I managed... But it was close to death... Escaped...
Now I need to learn trail braking...
Glad you used trail braking and stayed safe. Cheers from a Classic 500 rider
Some years ago, when I bought my first bike, I watched this video. Later I bought a book but until now I wasn't able to understand trail breaking. KNOWLEDGE, EXPERIENCE and WORK are necessary. Thanks for such quality on your material.
I've been riding for 40 years. What an eye opening video. Thank you!
I just watched the vid.. after years of riding, I started doing this a couple of months ago.. where I live the twisties are sometimes bumpy and can go off-camber in the corners... so after I started 'trail-braking' I was able to keep my line in the corner and maintain my speed throughout the corner and exit easily... without 'trail-braking', the corners were a bit dangerous and unpredictable to ride through... often I would have to back-off or brake fast which made each of the corners really hairy... so thanx for the vid .. awesome stuff explained easily.
after many years, I've in the last year started doing this. It's by far one of the very best techniques I've EVER done. So much more control and confidence in corners.
Thanks for the clear and useful instructions. I recently returned from a 3000 KM trip to the Dolomites, Italy. Beautiful motorbike landscape with more turns than you can imagine. I have focused on trailbraking there. I was amazed how much more control and fun trailbraking brought me. What an eye opener. I can drive safer and faster. Thanks a lot.
Jan Peter, The Nerherlands
this is what I just got taught in learners only a couple weeks ago in Australia. keen to start practicing this more
Generally, I agree with you.
The motorcycles I learned on were old, top-heavy bikes with narrow tires. Before I took a safety coarse, I learned on city areas and narrow, and bumpy, twisted watershed roads that often had loose asphalt from road patches.
I will not recommend anyone do anything, but I found that where conditions were good, and at very slow speeds, while the bike was upright, I practiced feeling just what it took to make the rear tire skid. I found that even with a lowly 450cc engine, that skid threshold was very dependent on engine rpm. Engine compression braking during de-acceleration is something I like to get a feel for--while modulating the rear brake. Especially at low RPMs, if the engine wants to stall, surely, it alone wants to skid the rear tire. What I wanted to learn: at each given engine RPM, at varying surface and tire conditions, how much rear brake must I subtract to make the rear tire microskid on compression strokes.
Obviously, cornering and braking forces are applied to the same tire contact patch. Obviously, as you slow, much of the weight comes forward, and as you said, compressing the forks, and changing the suspension geometry. By its nature, like a shopping cart wheel, trail keeps the front wheel stable, and I do think that your assertion that keeping the bike level/from not diving, so the trail does not diminish is a handy technique.
Still, I feel one of the most important mantras to use, is to look where I am going, and if I cannot see, then slow down. You mentioned something to that effect. Not riding your bike into the unknown may take the fun out of it, but where I rode, I never knew where branches might have come down. I never new where a pile of wet leaves might have been. I never knew where the pot holes might have formed, that day. Not all the blind-driveways where marked.
I don't trust the public-works people to have built any stretch of road--until I see it for myself.
Sport-bikes are so fast now. Is there any reason why someone couldn't speed up later, when they can finally see?
So Damn true about not trusting road conditions to be at the maximum gripping capacity on a turn where you can't see. Well said!
The feeling when you ride into the corner too fast.
💩👎💩👎💩👎💩💩💩💩
You can hear all those family members that were screaming at you for getting a bike saying I told you so
@@lavoroduro Factz! And $1K worth of repairs and front/side fairings later.....😔😁
This was something I may have never learned from others, thank you for sharing your knowledge and experience
Very informative , straight to the point and just an amazing explanation overall. 10/10 ! Thank you for another great video
Thanks for this public service. Suddenly I'm seeing trail braking videos all over the place, but yours was the first, and I like the approach you used. I've ridden bikes for almost 20 years, and I was always timid about corners, apparently because I was trying to follow the old dogma you mentioned. So many close calls due to coming out of the corner wide, sometimes crossing the center line. As a result, I haven't put many miles on my bikes, simply because the fear factor interfered so much with the fun factor. I'm looking forward to getting back on the Bonneville and experimenting with this technique.
Amazing. This has changed everything for me.
Thanks for the video. It pretty much cleared up most of my uncertainties on trail braking
Really smooth, articulate explanation. Each segment of your presentation anticipates my next question, or “what if.” Nice job. Thank you.
Lots of YCRS/ Spencers type info in the vid. There is way too much misinformation out there WRT trail braking. Good job distilling it down a bit. Last time I did YCRS Scott Russell talked a little about having the confidence to stay with the brakes especially if you colossally eff up a corner and get in too hot or off line. You may loose positions but you can still be in the race by reeling it in and not running off and crashing. This is a even more important skill on the street where if you make a mistake you may not have safe runoff. And we know all good riders never make mistakes ;)..
I live in mountain area and in downhill hairpin roads the trail braking is natural. I kept this technique from there and use it every where.. It's amazing technique with the combo of countersteering Because you are learning to control the bike at high speeds...
It's not only a game changer technique but also life saver.
I've watched a number of videos on trailbraking since watching this, but this is the best description I've seen.
I've been watching and watching and watching the same few videos as I have ended up scared and uptight about cornering. I just don't feel safe. Thank you for sharing your story with the silver Honda and how you moved past that time with trail braking. I'm yet to go riding and discover the difference but are hopeful for decreased stress levels and a little more fun than I am having atm. As a newer rider I am feeling very vindicated that my concerns and feelings of fear are not just because I am a useless rider and 'not getting it'. So many of your explanations match my experience and I am feeling very grateful to have come across these tutorials. Thank you.
Took the words right outta my mouth
This is an old thread hope you’re still riding. One thing that really helped me progress was to go back and forth on this stretch of road that had a lot of turns. Some of the turns were hard or scary and some easier. After going back and forth on that road the scary ones were manageable, the hard ones I could take with skill and the less scary ones I could fine tune my approach and improve my technique. I think mastering that little stretch of road set me up to manage newer roads with some confidence and skill. But with a respect for being safe and in control.
Well done, Excellent presentation. Best explanation of Trail braking I have ever heard. Thanks so much.
well u learn something new every day cheers .
Really Great tips, looking forward to perfecting this technique! Thank you!
Thank you for making us aware of these techniques.
Very professional and informative! Super helpful! Thanks 👍
This makes a lot of sense. Great explanations! 🤟
I am a 50 year old man who has just purchased his first bike SV650 LAMS in Australia, I can’t even ride yet because of Covid, however I have been watching your content and it’s is so informative and I think when I do get to start riding I will have good habits because of what I’m learning from you! Thank you
Hope you get to enjoy riding! 😊🙏🏼
Hello mate did u start riding now?
Australia ? Authoritarian shit hole?
Best content and explanations, should be taught everywhere.
It is worth noting that the esteemed Lee Parks dedicated a section of his book, Total Control, to trail braking for the streets, as well as coaching the technique in his safety classes which have been officially adopted by numerous states as well as the US military.
Thank you for the video. I have been riding a TW adventure bike custom. with an extended rear tire. In the beginning i used a lot of the rear brake in the wet,dry and in corner. Several times i almost lost control till i practiced and perfected used the front brake. It's amazing. I guess i will improve as i use the tricks you have given us.
Glad to find all these good technique videos before I start riding so I can have a baseline of knowledge when I begin. The less bad habits I pick up early the better.
You are so right man! I used to engine brake but I would always sweat green apples cause it seemed unstable. I tried trail breaking as you said, and I got the same speed up the way I do down now. Thanks man!
I watched this video yesterday and tried Trail braking out today. It really helped me taking corners better and riding through them more stable. It also helped me correcting my line when i took a corner faster than usual. You earned a sub, good content and good videos!
Thats awesome to hear! Thanks for the feedback!!
It definitely gives you more confidence on unknown roads.
I would highly suggest learning trail braking and practicing it on the race track before you start applying it to the road because until you really get a feel for it it's easy to lose the front end and end up on your ass and at least from my experiences a low side on the track is gonna be a lot safer than a low side on the street a lot less likelihood of hitting an oncoming car or hitting a guardrail or anything of that nature on the track your more than likely just going to slide off the track and be OK.
I taught myself how to ride a motorcycle, and I guess I've naturally been doing this technique. Never knew some people don't brake during the turn. Seems much more dangerous.
You're not "supposed" to brake during the turn, but if you know what you're doing and how to do it, of course you can. These guys (and guys like them) are trying to turn everyone into "Ricky Racer." The street is not a racetrack and shouldn't be treated like one. Does that mean I ride like an old lady when I'm out riding? Hell no! It just means I don't go around encouraging everyone to ride 3 times the speed limit while riding on a public road or highway, and instruct them on how to do it "safely."
@@maximusmax4557 I didn't get the feeling that this was about racing. It was more about giving yourself more control in bends. It does seem that a lot of people see it as applying the brakes in a corner, when it's really about keeping a light pressure on as you lean in to the turn, rather than coming off the brake completely. So the bike's geometry stays roughly the same, rather than weight on the front braking for the turn, then weight on the rear as you lean in and apply throttle, then weight shifting to the front if you apply the brakes. That's dangerous.
Here in Scotland, the roads are mostly twisties, and I've gone into bends that ended up feeling like they were more than 360 degrees :) I'm lucky in that I was trail braking, depending on the situation, before I'd heard about it. What a hero ;). Anyway, it does help massively in giving you control. Plus, I follow the rule of trying to always be able to stop in the distance you can see.
Can't wait for the weather to improve, so I can head into the Highlands again :))
Ride Safe
@@ME-ru4hv He literally explained on how to feather the front brakes and what would happen if you just squeezed down on them as you enter the turn, so if people don't want to follow what the guy said in this video and be stupid it is on them. The idea here is to actually listen to the words he says instead of paraphrasing....
@@maximusmax4557 They what do you do, when you suddenly have to brake hard in a turn. And you never practice it?
You don't have to be a street racer to go 80mph on the highway. And you have to brake hard and turn. If you never practice that. You want do it. You only crash. That's why most people on bikes crash in corners. Because they don't practice that, because they are not racing. But Bambi or Elk don't care what you are doing. He… or she… just jump into the road in front of you. They don't know that you have not any plans on emergency braking. And there for you have not trained on it.
Better to have way more tools then you need… Then to miss one when you need it…
That can cost you your life. That's why corners take the most lives. Because people think they can just ease through life slowly, whit minimal of knowledge. That is not the way to be safe.
Its not how fast you are going that kills you. It is the lack of knowledge what to do, when something happens.
Thanks for the video, something to work on this weekend.
The explanation regarding reducing rake while braking and vice versa is the best explanation I’ve seen, thank you!
Since I passed my UK bike test in 1980 before it got difficult, nobody has ever mentioned anything like this to me. Not even when I much later passed the IAM so called advanced test! I’m now subscribed and I’ll start practicing straight away. Many thanks.
I think to describe the idea is kinda difficult, he is covering too many ideas at once.
Start with this idea .... barely touching the front brake, preloads the front suspension .....
Carrying this preload into the corner towards the apex keeps the front suspension loaded, increasing traction OVER coasting in.
PLUS a side bonus .. ((from coasting into corner .. then into apex..then you need to have front brakes)) .if you try to touch the front brakes once you are leaned over, it's easy to grab too much AND some bikes like Harleys have to soft a front suspension, so they DIVE really bad (in this situation)
Also soft street cruisers benefit more than rice rockets
What I found surprising, I discussed the trail braking (and more specifically Brake Light Initiative) with one IAM observer who was assessing my ride on the other occassion, and he was basically discouraging use of it whilst appreciating the use of it on the track.
Not quite sure why (although their book does the same, "brake before you lean"), since I exactly explained him the pros, but I guess this may be because of the IAM's focus on the safe and predictable street riding (not quite slow, but not necessarilly efficient).
That's because it is mainly a racing technique to get around corners faster and more efficiently, which is something you shouldn't be doing in the street. Everyone who race/circuits cars usually trail brakes. I rarely do it on the bike and only with familiar corners. If I'm able to trail brake on a corner that I'm taking 'fast' and not familiar with and somehow save myself from crashing/crossing over the line, it means I wasn't going fast enough - trail braking didn't save me.
Trail braking is excellent technique for any traction driven wheeled vehicle. Great moto-specific explanation, though. Much appreciation.
I love playing with the geometry of my bike it's like a different motorcycle each time. Getting a feel for how each change makes a difference is key in being a motorcyclist
Bravo, one of the best explanations of use of trail braking and why.....
Nice technique to add to my arsenal. Me and my sv650 thank you
Excellent video in both content and presentation! I've seen other videos on trail braking and other motorcycle skills but this was far more informative in the time taken since it was done without all the useless, nearly off topic rhetoric so many others think they have to use to make their videos entertaining.
Thanks!
Buy the recommend book if your still struggling to understand trail breaking. A superb read with very clear advice for road and track.
I know this is an old video. But I watched it today and felt, I have been doing this instinctively all my riding life. I just did that to feel the weight on the front wheels as it made me feel more confident. Kudos, great observation.
I thought I was a good rider, but that's ignoring I that have issues in some curves.. this is enlightening! thanks
Great video Dave! I wish all riders would be able to drop their pride and get some advance training on their bike. Being able to hold 3% front brakes really changed my riding.
I have 40 years of riding experience and am learning how to turn NOW ! Thanks.
Great video. I've watched quite a few and you explained trail braking in a way that was very comprehensible.
"Add more Coast!" Love it! (And Guilty of doing it! lol)
Seriously though, Great Video. And I'm totally going to go out and try this.
Hmm. I was kind of excited about this video. Thought I was going to learn something new. Turns out I've been doing this instinctually already. Still watched the video though. Very informative.
Yes I do this too but now more aware of improved geometry in the turn .
So much of riding is instinctive and by feel. Knowing why your instinct is correct lets you consciously choose the best action for a situation... The may be times instincts are not correct.
Thank you for your knowledge and great instructions.
This popped up and a great video. I love the turns and living in CO with lots of mountains, this was very informative especially the effects on rake geometry change. It got me thinking about my Springer and the reduction of front dive (shock vs fork tubes) when grabbing a lot of front brake. I would add that many people do not downshift properly to gain the use of engine braking combined with what you said. Anyway, great video!
dude thank you so much for sharing.
Brilliant ! subscribed ..
Great info on trail braking. I’ll be practicing next time out. Thanks
Great information !!
I think it's important to understand that your not jamming on the break, but only using one or two finger low strength. I found adding baby and I mean super baby pressure on the rear break as well helps.
I’m
Still trying to break the habit of using the rear break only, coming from dirt, I’ve always power slides into corners, can’t do that on street, trail breaking has allowed me gain confidence in my
Cornering, and entering speed.
I came from dirt bikes as well but I used my front brake more then my rear, I didnt even know I was "trail breaking" until I saw this video I was just naturally doing it
@@benfarr6049 coming from Dirt bikes, trailing kinda comes as a habit, except your not sliding into it.
More lean angle is my preferred solution to most overcooked corner entries. Most of us punters out there are not using anywhere near the full potential of our bike or tires. I've found that any time I've needed to dip it in harder than I like, the bikes I ride have just taken it in their stride. Conversely, the times I've tried to manage the situation with brakes are some of my more memorably sketchy moments. So I'm a fan of spot the desired exit and counter-steer like ya life depends on it lol But I must admit, I don't really brake unless I'm trying to go flat out. Or a wallaby tries to get onboard.
Think of lean angle as risk. Lean equals risk. You are correct that many bikes/riders may have more available lean angle. Or maybe not. What if there's less available grip, or the road gets a lot tighter, or your tire is worn, or a myriad of other variables?
Avoiding the front brake we are giving up so much control. The front brake controls our geometry, our contact patch, our radius, our suspension, not to mention our rate of forward velocity. Relying soley on "just lean more" we might get away with it -- until we can't. We need to be adaptable riders - we need to be more than "one trick ponys"
@@CanyonChasers I'm thinking confidence must have a lot to do with it, as lean angle, or running out of grip feels lower on my risk assessment than unsettling the bike with the brakes. Some variance in our riding experience no doubt. I live off the blacktop a few miles, which has changed my riding style a bit. And I guess I could do some work on my braking.
I think I do most of my weight transfer with the gearbox on my little underpowered metric rat bobber which just isn't very fast. And my supermoto lives on it's front wheel in the braking zone, due to it's long travel forks. But I'll definitely have a play with trailing next time I hit the twistys.
Not sure if you've covered these topics, but I'd be interested in your thoughts on low light depth perception, and riding road bikes on dirt roads. To get to a campsite or escape zombies.