Trail Braking Explained & Why experienced riders should do it
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- Опубліковано 29 кві 2021
- This week on MCrider we continue our discussion on cornering and what to do if you are running wide in a corner. Trail braking is the best option to help experienced riders negotiate curves safer and better on their motorcycle.
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This is a great channel! I feel like Kevin genuinely cares about making better, safer riders.
Excellent video! I've been back on bikes for about 4 years and 40,000 miles. I believe I have watched every MCRider video. I practice your drills often and seem better equipped to maneuver in a low speed environment than most seasoned riders. I will never stop learning or wanting to be a better, safer rider. I know with certainty that skills learned from you have kept me from a "bad day" at least once. Thank you for that Kevin and thank you for providing these tools to continue building my skillset.
Wow, thanks!
@@MCrider I recommend your channel to any rider who will listen. Again, thanks!
The best explanation of trail braking, why to do it, and the mechanics how it works that I have seen yet.
Thanks Todd!
@@MCrider where is your Road King motorcycle
Concur!
Took the words right off of my keyboard.
Been using the trail brake technique since I started riding and never knew it....It just made sense, felt right, and kept the suspension where I want it.
Canyon Chasers channel has a great video on using trail braking and delayed apex techniques.
So dose Ride Like A Champion
CC’s is the best I’ve seen on UA-cam
I started riding here in Australia when I was 6 years old. I’m now 58. I rode for a number of years then stopped completely for around 20 years! When I got back on the bike, I bought a subdued lower powered bike to literally find my feet again. I rate myself 6/10. Meaning I can start, go & stop. I tell my mates I’m brilliant in a straight line...it’s only the bends that f*** me up!🤣 Every single time I get on one of my bikes, I treat it like it’s the first time on one. Why? Because every single time you got out, everything changes, from road conditions, weather, other riders & in particular car drivers! Never take it for granted! Nice viewpoint. Cheers from Down Under 🇦🇺👍🏼😎🍻
Started riding around 30. That's probably why I'm still alive with the same cautious attitude towards every ride.
P.S. If bends are problematic -- that's usually cause of tense grip and/or look not enough far into the bend. That can be improved in a couple of trackdays with decent coach. Check out whether any go-kart tracks around let bikers in and if there're community of enthusiasts.
I'm not saying go racing, just a chance to practice long sweeping curves in controlled environment and get a feedback from peers or instructor if there's one.
Teaching riding on public roads, that's my go to advice when student has some problems in the curves. And it works like a charm.
@@adrianalexandrov7730 I was joking about the bends!🤭 I’ve done 6 or so track days on my previous S1000RR, then the S1000R at Phillip Island! Totally agree, they’re the best thing for rider improvement!👍🏻😎
@@andrewd7586 great choice of bikes! 👍
And for what it's worth that's coming from a supermoto fan who doesn't really like sportbikes. But s1000rr is fun and it's ability to set it on "rain" and give it to a newbie... Excellent machine for learning
Great attitude you will become a very good (and safe rider) 👍
For riding in the twisties, understanding and applying trail braking is a must for truly having control of your bike and safe riding. Excellent explanation.
Inexperienced riders tend to look down or even to where they do not want to go. Ya gotta keep those eyes up and looking to where you want to go. Trail braking is part of my everyday riding, slow or spirited. Thanks Kevin!
I took MSF after riding for years. And many years off bike. I learned so much and learned to question myself and be teachable. Riding a triumph trophy SE. big bike. Stay humble and question your ability is my advise.
An excellent simple description of trail braking. You want to adjust your speed to the centrifugal force in the corner. Centrifugal force is (mv^2)/r where m is the mass of the motorcycle and rider, v is velocity (we usually ignore the vector aspect and just worry about the magnitude) and r is the radius of the turn. So as you increase your speed the centrifugal force doesn't just go up proportional to the speed, it goes up as the square of the speed. Happily, centrifugal force comes down with the square of the speed as well, so that first bit of braking you do really helps if you overcook the entry. Stay calm and don't give up hope and incrementally squeeze on the brakes. If you are going to decrease the radius of a turn as you go through it, it makes sense to slow down to keep your centrifugal force constant. (Yes, you can late apex decreasing radius corners.) If you are increasing the radius of a turn as you go through it you can increase your speed and keep your centrifugal force constant. (Yes, you can early apex increasing radius turns). The most common turn is the Decreasing Radius In, Increasing Radius Out turn (DRIIRO). Road builders figure car drivers are idiots and won't slow down until they feel centrifugal force. So they start the turn gently and then decrease the radius. Watch the brake lights of the cars in front of you and you will realize road builders are skeptical for a good reason. DRIIRO puts the apex of the turn in the center. Weirdly, DRIIRO works in both directions on the same curve. Sometimes you can fit a constant circular curve into the corner and sometimes you need to change the radius down and up. You can keep a constant speed through the whole corner if you can fit a constant circular curve into the corner. Outside, inside, outside. If you need to adjust the radius down and up it make sense to change the speed down and up to achieve more or less constant centrifugal force. Many people like blasting out of corners, significantly increasing their centrifugal force as they exit. This is just using up more the safety margin. Fine, if you want to do it, but it doesn't work if you are going 10/10ths. Yes, I know racing tradition of slowing down a bit unnecessarily mid corner so that you can accelerate out of the corner and gain that 1 mph extra speed all the way down the following long straight away. The math works out, so that is a good plan on a race track. On the street where you are 30 or 40 mpg below the fastest you can go, what difference does it make? If I don't know the road I'm only at 5/10th. As I memorize the road I may bump it up a couple of 10ths. Happy cornering!
I didn't start trail braking until after I had been riding for about 25 years. I didn't even know that it existed. I love it now. I find it particularly useful on my 1986 Honda Shadow 1100. Compressing the forks just a bit coming into the turn really makes the geometry of the bike ideal for cornering. Also, I like to have my fingers on the brake lever... just feels secure to me. I don't find that I need to use it on every turn. But if the turn is sharp enough that I can't see around it then I use it.
Love your comment.... "The Cones Know" ! Awesome.
I was trail breaking last week without even thinking about it and never realised I did that until you brought up the subject before. I thought I always used press and roll, but that's obviously not the case.
It is the case with my FZ1, but obviously I'm not so confident on my SV650S into the corners due to reduced brake efficiency and forward riding position, so unconsciously used the trail breaking technique in a very sharp corner.
Thanks Kevin, for making me aware that I do indeed use that method even though I thought I did not!
Thanks Kevin..... once again, always great info!! See ya on the road!
I’ve been adding in trail braking to my riding this past year. It really does make a difference.
Thank you for the click in the garage practice point for getting used to how much. I had never thought of practicing a friction zone with my front brake.
Thanks Kevin. A skill to acquire.
Thanks Kevin. This is the best explanation on the benefits of trail braking that I have heard. I appreciate you sharing your knowledge.
Great video, I’ve been working on this technique this season, I would love to take an advanced course but have not been able to find one in my area. Thanks
Perfect. Keep the compression balanced throughout the turn. Love it.
Thank's Kevin , Trail Breaking comes Naturally with Rider Experience ! Great Motorcyclist Training ! Arizona
I started using trail braking several months ago and even practice it in town when cornering at intersections at slower speeds. This practice has enabled me to feel more comfortable in rural twisties at higher speeds.
Great info Kevin. Use this technique all the time. Especially on my new VFR800!
Awesome explanation and focusing on right aspects of using brakes.
Thanks, Kevin.
I've heard of Trail Braking for years but never really understood and that's a great description! Thanks for another good one boss
This was a very well organized and well-presented post. Thank you.
Glad it was helpful!
honestly I have only been riding for a bit but I have been using the front brake in turns since I started and I feel more control
I appreciate this video so much. I've been riding for a while and have been thrown into bettering my skills. I still have alot to learn and am taking an advanced course in October specifically for turning. But Ive always wanted to better understand trail braking. so thankyou!
Thoroughly great summary, this subject needs clarification as so many people are confused or assume wrong.
I started practicing trail braking early on thanks to advice from Kevin. It's always kept me on two wheels when coming into a corner too hot.
Honestly. Same here. I’m easily arguably a “new rider”. I’ve only been riding about a year with roughly 3k miles of mostly commuting. For me, the switch to trail braking happened about 4 months in. I was rounding a curve at the speed limit and had a car do the start stop. As he was about to pull out but saw me just in time. I was using the beginner slow/look/press/roll and was completely off my brakes. It was at that moment that I decided to make the switch. Just as Kevin said “what if’s”. What if that car hadn’t seen me. Since then, trail braking has been a complete riding experience changer.
Same here.
" I thought I had 30 yrs of experience. Instead, I had 1 year of experience 30 times"
A "veteran rider" to instructor, that thought he did not need a training class.
Another very informative video, I actually can't recall when I began using these technique, I was self taught, when I first started riding there wasn't any classes I wish there would have been, would have saved me several scrapes and bruises along the way, lol. I glad that now there are many different types of learning material out there for everyone to find and use. I'm of the opinion that I will never consider myself an expert motorcyle rider for when that day comes I won't have anything else to learn about this great experience we call motorcyle riding. Many thanks to you for your time and effort that you put into making these videos...
I am soon to be 59 y/o. I have been reviewing trail braking videos for at least two years. I have two years on a motorcycle this July. I'm always practicing what I have learned. This is by far the best video I've ever seen on trail breaking. I'm going on a 700 mi trip tomorrow and I will use these techniques in all the curves. Thanks Kevin! You're by far the best instructor I have encountered yet! No one has explained the mechanics, as plain as you have, imo on all of UA-cam!
Thanks for all your knowledge very good learning a lot
Thanks Kevin for all your help!
MCrider I love your videos, and I would have loved to have you as an instructor when I was learning to ride (but we both would have been 14!). Very happy to hear you talking about trail braking; learning it and practicing it have changed the way I ride over the last few years, and I'm a better rider. I would only argue that everything you say about the benifits of trail braking are even more important for new riders. New riders are more likely to come in to a corner hot and more likely to grab a handful of front brake if they do, and having the shortened trail and compressed front fork when they do will lessen the consequences of these mistakes. I don't know, but telling a brand new rider to accelerate all the way through a corner instead of telling them how to brake more safely if they need to seems backward. I'm hoping we can find a way to incorporate this technique, or some version of it, into training for new riders.
100% believe in using both push and pull on the bars... being on a cruiser I feel having body position technique in your toolbox is a must for street riding. And mainly for me, pulling on that outside grip in a corner is coupled with making sure my head and chin is up and my shoulders are approaching my inside grip. All as one felt motion. You can lean far further with your body farther than motorcycles will go on their own... Thank you for what you do!
Very useful information. You're saving lives. ¡Gracias!
I hope that the new rider that I'm thinking of sees this video. A year, or so, ago, another motovlogger was asked the question by the new rider if he could use his front break if he was going too fast in a curve. The vlogger told him yes. My thought was this novice rider meant, "If I am going way too fast for my ability and comfort level, I panic and want to slow down, can I grab a handful of front break in a good lean to slow it down?" My thought was that it could get him killed. I've used trail breaking for many years, didn't know it even had a name until more recent years, same with "Rev matching" didn't call it anything, it is just the way to downshift. Always great content.
Watched a good video on this on canyon chasers. Here in northern California I use it most all the time.
Awesome info! 🩸✝️👑
Great video! The fact you highlight "EXPERIENCED RIDERS" is key. I see some other UA-camrs proposing a broad use of trail braking. I find this irresponsible since it can be dangerous to riders without the needed experience.
I just started using this technique a year or two ago. All those years riding and I never thought about changing my riding this much. It works. And the more I do it the more natural it becomes. And I have been riding consistently a long time (57 years?) because I am old. But never too old to learn I hope. Thanks to everyone including Kevin.
PS I learned to ride in the dirt. Great training. But no trail braking. Because mostly no front brake!
Kevin, thanks for another great video. Please comment on what you do with throttle through the turn while trail braking. Thanks!
Humility as it relates to our own ability is key.
Best explanation I've seen Thanks Kevin!
I used to watch you all the time and you're really great.... I haven't watched any of your videos in over a year.... I love motorcycles but I love my country and what's going on in our country is more important than motorcycles
Any time you get all puffed up with your skills and think you’re past an MSF skills class, try something like a track class with the, e.g., likes of a Kieth Code. It will keep you humble unless you’re just immune to feedback. A number of years ago I read some stuff from Nick Ienatsch on very lightly using the front brake and throttle for corner control and was practicing in baby steps on every ride until it was becoming second nature - and it was revolutionizing my own riding, whatever humble state my base skills were. Anyway on a downhill blind 100 degree right turn a deer burst out from the brush on the right and only because I was already lightly on the front brake and all of the rest of that was in hand, I stood up and instantly stopped so hard the back tire banged down once I was still - the deer careened off the right side, took off my GSA running light and spun around on his back before jumping off. I didn’t even fall down although It wasn’t very graceful at stop and hit. I barely crossed the center line with my front tire even after standing it up and getting (a glancing) hit by that deer. The control this technique offers is amazing even for just pretty ok riders that use it well enough. Lots of luck there, but mostly I was able to quickly straighten and quick stop in a corner completely because I entered and controlled the path the way MCrider is describing here. I was just past the stiction point on the front brake and the tire footprint was well engaged was just beginning to increase throttle with the just enough front brake to “turn on the taillight”. The details why it works is interesting and too complicated for an uninvited commenter like me here. Nick Ienatsch explains that side pretty well IMO if you’re interested, MCrider does a good job with the skill side too. This is really, really good material from MCrider in my opinion. I’ve ridden 50 years, feels super weird to say that, but anyway I do not consider myself anything remotely like a pro skill motorcyclist or even a skills trainer and, realistically, I must not have the same reaction times as when I started at 18 years old. This is just completely practical material. It takes some considerable practice, forever, is my experience. So... I really almost never comment on anything but suggest to tag this good video to review!
Brilliant explanation thanks Kevin
I've just gotten a bike at 61yo. I used to ride many years ago but I haven't been on a bike for 40 years. I would consider myself as a beginner now as my skills I used to have are so rusty they are seized! I'm slowly regaining some skills back and your advice is much appreciated. You never stop learning no matter how old you are.
Love your channel and advice
thanks for a great explanation
Thank you so much…valuable info!
Great explanation! Having the forks slightly compressed going into the turn, rather than rebounding slightly as the weight shifts rearwards, makes a lot of sense. The contact patch is going to be larger, if only fractionally, and more front end grip will be available. The more I learn about riding the more it becomes obvious that it's all about finesse, and also that I don't have much finesse, yet!
Great video!
When you ride in a group it maybe a good idea to tell your fellow riders that you apply trail braking so that they don't get alarmed by your brake light all the time 😊
I agree.
Lol yep. And prepare to get passed when people are annoyed you are hitting the brakes on every little curve.
@@beepbop6697 Group riding is not something I enjoy due to the inexperience of some riders and overconfident other riders.
I was following a mate who recently passed his test and unexpectedly broke into the corner and picked up the bike into a more upright position. If I hadn't had a decent space cushion I'd have run into the back of him.
@@beepbop6697 you don’t understand trail breaking obviously
@@thomasfoster2 Or even more better, don't ride in groups at all.
Thanks for clarifying these techniques. I learned to ride way before formal rider training became mandatory, so I was unfamiliar with the terminology. Glad to say I learned some good habits through trial and error. Trail braking ought to be intuitive on blind and unfamiliar corners. Having said that, even a familiar corner can develop a nasty pothole overnight after a good rain. Best to err on the side of safety.
I agree with Todd Swenson. I've watched several videos on this subject but their explanations were about as clear as mud. Kevin described this so easily and clearly. I immediately understood what he was saying. I also like the fact that he compared the slow, look, press, and roll technique to it.
Awesome vid!i use what all of them.
I’ve got to find a bigger space than the church lot I’m currently training in! On the road, I’ve sometimes found myself slightly cheating in some turns dragging the rear brake ever so slightly.
But the learning is ceaseless. This will one more substantial lesson for me and the GW.
Thanks @MCrider for another fantastic lesson into the mastery of our ride.
Liam. Judiciously 'dragging' the rear brake at slow speed isn't cheating. It's a great technique to help with slow-speed stability. ☮
At our MSF course this past summer, our instructor specifically said many times to keep all 4 fingers on the bars at all times. keeping two fingers on the front brake was not an option. I guess it is too much for a noob to handle all the info in such a short time.
Getting weight down to the road for traction makes sense to me and being ready for anything around the corner does also!
Thanks for the info.
Matt - Ontario, Canada Ninja EX250R
I have been riding for 40 years both dirt and road but I will admit there is always a lot more I can learn or fix.
I worked trail braking into my everyday arsenal, I’m a bit of a squid though, so I kinda need it 😆
Great insights about trail braking! It's for safety first! In fact the best counter act against running wide and preparing for the unexpected ...
So I like to add the idea to let the left hand do all counter/steering (push & pull) and the right hand does the trail braking (NO rear brake during cornering!) and maintenance throttle ...
But for driving slow (e.g. U-turns) this role play for both hands kind of reverses ... ! ... throttle control by clutch (left hand) with maintenance throttle (right hand & NO front brake during turning!) combined with "maintenance" rear braking (right foot) ...
Well. Even with many kilometers on the odometer / cockpit dash (approx. 55000km experience) - I think I`m still a "noob" to riding. I did many road long trips but - there are still so many things to learn and to master... and I`m still learning for new things. Such as riding on parking lots with "sitting in sidesattle" or driving with the knees on the seat - to improve those low speed driving skills.
Lovely greetings from austria, buddy.
Great Video, for parking practice, can you please put a video together to show all different practices that you can do with placing Cone on parking lot. I know you have a few videos, but it would help if all in one video. Thanks
I use trail braking all the time, and I ride a cruiser (1997 Harley FXSTC). Actually, most times I use both brakes, it really helps to keep the bike level, if you got too much front end dive, just a little extra pressure on the rear brings the back end down or a slight release on the front brings the front up (depends on the conditions of the corner whether you want the front end to come up or the back end to go down). I use it to keep the bike balanced between front and rear more than anything (generally if I need to tighten or narrow, I use additional counter-steering or body position changes rather than adjustments to trail braking).
But, the biggest thing I learned early with trail braking is subtlety. You're barely putting any additional pressure if you're using it to make adjustments. Just stuble rear brake makes you go wider, suble front goes tighter. But the key is subtle adjustments. Even if you're not making adjustments to how wide or narrow you're running, just the trail braking itself is super subtle, it doesn't take much. If you grab too much, you'll risk going down.
But, you also really need to be bonded to your machine and how it reacts, where the center of gravity is and how it shifts based on what you're doing (body position, trail braking, accelerating, etc). It becomes second nature and when you're looking where you want to go and how the bike feels under you, you'll almost instinctively make adjustments to the braking, acceleration and counter-steering. It's definitely something you need a feel for and to not be actively thinking about while you're doing it, you just have to feel it.
OMG! Best rider show Ever!!!
Thanks for your great concers. I agree with your comment.
Feathering the rear brake is common in off road riding. It's useful on your street riding ,too.
If you come into a corner a little bit "Hot" , especially. It is more difficult to brake effectively while cornering, be gentle, and careful!
Kevin, thanks for your videos, they are all full of great info. I to ride a 2018 GW and have used trail braking, but notice very little difference between TB or engine braking. I think it may be because of the way the brakes are set up with the wing. You know adding a little rear brake also adds some front brake. Do you have any comment on this type of setup on braking? Thanks.
Hi Kevin I live in the Uk 🇬🇧 I’ve been riding since I was 16 now just a few months of 60 I could tell some stories about bikers I’ve done a few track days in my time had some super fast bikes no good for the roads.
I’ve used this type of braking for a good few years and works very well if you know what your doing every other year I top my riding up I normally go on what we call a police ride safe course excellent courses these the officers who follow you always say I take my corners perfectly and efficiently I’ve just traded in my Kawasaki Z1000 SX you know them has Ninja 1000 great sports touring bikes I got a brand new BMW F850 GS adventure sports exclusive should of bought one these years ago very suitable for my riding needs over in wales 🏴 part of the Uk 🇬🇧 I went on the BMW’s training course for off-riding best thing I’ve every done I liked it that much I went back from pt1 to doing pt2 and 3 which was very hard but the experience you get from it is amazing even could save your life if your riding off road alone.
I think your videos and the way you put things across are so clear yes I will say it the best channel on here for teaching them thank you for sharing your knowledge and let’s hope people listen and practice what your saying it could save there lives one day you stay safe 👍🏻👍🏻
This was very interesting. I’ve been using a motorcycle as my daily driver for most of my life. I bought my first motorcycle with my own money when I was 18. I’m 55 now. I have tried to estimate, and I think I’m closing in on a million miles on the road, and I would not consider myself a pro because I have never had any training of any type. I just figured out everything myself by feel, and I am quite sure I have plenty of bad habits; however, after watching this video, I realized that I have been doing this for many, many years. I had no idea that’s what I was doing. It just feels right. I also realized that when I truly was a beginner I was turning the way that you were describing at the start of the video, and without even realizing it morphed into this. It must be intuitive to evolve to use this technique because it does provide much better control.
Same goes for using the rear brake occasionally. No-one ever taught me that, I was always told that the rear brake was for when you were coming to a stop, but it sometimes aids in stabalising the bike in certain situations. No-one taught me that, it just feels right when I do it.
ALWAYS learn on here.👍
I appreciate that
I'm recently back to riding and have been studying the Oregon program. One of the things taught is that you don't use your breaks in a turn. Turning friction is not the same as braking friction and braking while turning can end up bad. So how do I find that balance of using and not using my brakes in a turn. I'm really enjoy and learning from your trainings.
There have been so many times on the twisties of the Sierras that I’ve had to engine break along with trail breaking. Those turns get on you fast!
Breaked it out pretty nice.
I've been using trail breaking on the road since I've got into gymkhana and it kinda became a habit. But the real taste of it I've gotten when started to ride track on supermoto. Sure trailbreaking works on a street bike or sport, but with those long travel supermoto suspension you really get a taste of it and how it works.
Plus supermoto or adventure bikes, just corner so much better when front suspension is loaded with a bit of a brakes.
Good explanation on trial breaking but now after 30 years since you actually brought it up an got into somewhat detail about it,
then said you have more detail on how to trail break in your website to learn more about it, by the time I have watched it I'll be 2,000 years old 🧓
Excellent. "New rider" and "experienced rider" is a sliding scale I think, in both categories. I view trail-braking as a simple technique, that requires a deft touch. (On a side note, I've read articles about some of the amazing top racers who steer/slide around corners with both wheels pointed in the wrong direction. - Champs like Mick Doohan, Casey Stoner, Eddie Lawson, Kevin Schwantz, ...)
Good information
Thanks
I’ve been trail braking on almost every curve for over 40 years without a single problem. I’m “sneaky fast” too - ie I’m hard to keep up with without the need to do a lot of hardcore speeding. The only con I can think of, is that I never get to burn two rear tires for every front one like most of my buddies do. My front tires always wear out just as fas as the rears.
Suggestion: explanation should include what throttle and clutch are/are not doing while trail braking to avoid coasting curve.
Great explanation, very informative.
However, If you light up the brake light in every corner, wouldn’t automobiles following you kind of get a “He’s crying wolf again”... brake light on but not really slowing down... and then when you really need to brake hard... the automobile is like... it’s just a wolf cry again... which could cause a loss of response time for the auto... and you get hit from behind, just a thought. (I’m thinking about secondary road riding with two way traffic and limited passing opportunities, not multi lane roads)
Trail braking is the best. Learnt about it when I was road racing bicycles. Could only use front brake due to left hand injury. Most think it’s trailing the rear brake not the front brake. It requires a delicate touch but, very effective.
hope I will learn it
Grew up riding dirt bikes (now have a Harley) and have been doing this without really thinking about it lol didnt even know it had a name
Thanks.
I didn’t hear you talk about being IN THE RIGHT GEAR for the corner. The easiest way to make sure you take the corner properly is to be in the right gear for the corner. Add that to your brake, press and roll technique and you have a good recipe for turning.
LIKE SKIING ..DONT LOOK DOWN! OR STRAIGHT AHEAD! LOOK DOWN ROAD OR PAST THE TURN! in any case I think riding on track with video & diagram would make your series a whole lot more fun & interesting it will give a better example, it does work, despite the time & effort.
I just did the MSF course last week, and my instructor told us to never apply the front brake when turning. It seemed to make sense, but now I realize maybe he was oversimplifying it for beginner riders.
Kevin, thanks for all of your excellent videos. I'm a 66yo re-entry rider after 30+ years. I kept my endorsement over the years and recently took the MSF rider course for a refresher. What a great class it was! Now, my dilemma is climbing onto own new bike that's twice the size of the training bikes. How do I "break the ice"?
You can always start small and work up.
I live in north Dallas... do you have a motorcycle class for slow maneuvers? Need to learn how to do tight turns with this heavier bike. 🙈
I also have noticed that some newer riders have what I think is a bad habit. Instead of pushing the left bar to go left, they pull the right to go left or combine push with pull. Pulling the opposite bar end works, but is impricise and tends to lead for need for corrections and slower response of the bike to the inputs.
trailblazing works. you may even be already doing it if you have been the same bike for a good while. once i watch this video i really started developing this technique.
Kevin,
I haven’t seen the Gold Wing for awhile, but I did see what looks like a new Road King. Did you get rid of the GW?
I find Trailbraking with engine braking works well with me. I always enter corners in the lower gear so never need to use rear brake as engine brake seems to contribute enough to the rear braking effort. Iam on the front brake before the corner begins and I gently release as speed drops or when coming out depending on lean angle too.
I trail brake because I can't see the ern of the turn. Once I can see through the turn, I let off the brakes and i know how much throttle to give.
Ahhh so now I get your previous comment. Yes ive experienced what you describe with the SA biker. I got that often on the gun range where a shooter would say this or that on how experienced he was ( No She as no She ever did that) and then could not shoot a full target 5 meters away
I go wide before the turn comes in if that makes sence, If im turning right ill go far left and dip the bike towards the right of the turn off the throttle of course
Slow, Look, Press, &...Troll...(Trail off the brake...Roll on the throttle)