BE SOFTER ON THE INITIAL TOUCH OF THOSE BRAKES!! Highly recommend signing up for ChampU...online program by current professional racers...lots of good information. ridelikeachampion.com/courses-page/
I would think is important to get used to have two fingers on the brake lever at all times. This would prevent grab because the fingers are already there for the initial 2% or a bit more. If full brake power is needed the other two can help with additional pull.
Motorcycle training courses are compulsory for new riders here in Australia. One of the first lessons is how use the front brake correctly, along with an explanation of WHY you are using the building squeeze method, even under emergency conditions. The aim is to pre-compress your front suspension and thereby force rubber into the road. Grabbing with uncompressed forks lets the lightly loaded tyre break traction during the moment that all your forward moving energy is being used to compress the fork springs. The very energy that you want to burn off by making your disc rotors hot. It is not burned off in the fork springs, actually, it is stored there until the traction breaks
I was a Instructor for the Motorcycle Safety Foundation for many years, my wife and I have been all over our country on Motorcycles. When we were younger. Watching your video made me feel much better, We taught the Rider Course, Not a lot of on the highway. I liked you video very much. I'm 79 and still riding, not like we did before. Thank You !
I got my motorcycle license in 1976 at 15 years old and have been riding daily ever since. I'm at about one million miles . What do you think you have? It's more what not to do when riding then trying to learn what to do. I think you can only get by with bad habits for so long.
As a current MSF rider coach I believe the curriculum should update at least the BRC 2 to using this analogy I often get asked about trail braking and front brake usage . Also it could be used in the BRC 2 LW which is for riders who want to get their waver card and have been riding long enough where the BRC is going to be boring . Here they do not need to go over the basics and they use their own motorcycle.
This saved my tail once. I came up to a curve at a good rate of speed and the entire curve was covered with pea gravel where a truck had lost some from its load from shifting around the curve. I eased on the brakes like described in the video and took the curve wide as possible, all the while I could feel my heart pounding in my throat. Yea, I'll never forget that one.
I couldn't agree with you more, after working years as a motorcycle instructor, so many people dropped their bikes, even at low speed, due to grabbing the brakes. Gently braking, loading the suspension gently is a skill to practice till it's second nature.
Doing the emergency braking practices really helps with modulating and applying brakes smoothly. I’ve always been pretty smooth on the brakes since I raced bicycles for a decade on the road before riding motorcycles but those 25-0
The other day I was, as DanDanTheFireman puts it, in the white zone as I was careening down a street at 10mph over the speed limit. I didn't notice the light was red until I was right up on it and instantly shifted into red zone. I stopped the bike in a freaking hurry... I ended with my rear wheel just a foot past the white line for where you're supposed to stop, and then backed it up to behind the white line. As I did so I looked over to my left because I was in the right most lane and there was a cop... right there... I looked at him and he rolled down his window and said "I've never seen someone brake like that, holy shit"
Been riding for 38 years, back in Germany for two decades in the winter too and then a decade and a half in California and Texas. I LOVE YOUR VIDEO. "Wait for the weight" is exactly what is right, and trail braking is where the turning actually really becomes effective. Thank you.
It's UA-camrs like you, MC Rider and DDFM that have saved my sorry old butt more than once! Getting back on a motorcycle as a senior citizen was scary as hell. But I watched videos here, practiced, got training, practiced some more and got more training. I've put over 10,000 miles on my bike this year riding in San Francisco and cross country. I've had 1-2 close calls in all that time. I know they could've turned out a LOT worse if I hadn't put in the effort with practice and training. I LOVE my front brake! That's why I caress it gently at first, then gradually, slowly but surely add pressure as needed. I see you live in San Diego, lived there for a bit after my Navy daze in Ocean Beach & North Park. Where do you go to ride?
I watch a lot of DDFM but I don't really care much for his ATGATT attitude... I mean, ATGATT is great and all, but for a lot of people it isn't practical. I tried to do a small road trip to the next state over back in July and if I'd been wearing the gear he wants everybody to be wearing whenever they're on a bike I would have passed out from a heat stroke a lot sooner than I almost did. Remember, bikes don't have air conditioning and when it's 97 degrees outside and 98% humidity, the gear is just as likely to kill you as not wearing that gear. If I have to choose between death by heat stroke and possibly some road rash, I'm going to go with the road rash, because at least that's survivable. Mind you, I've only ever had one accident, and it was the middle of the night about 5 years ago, caused by a drunk driver who was using the street lights to see and was all "oh I can see just fine, I don't need my headlights" and so I didn't know he was coming up behind me because he had his headlights off and it's really hard to see vehicles at night when they're blacked out like that. He ended up running me off the road and it busted me up pretty bad. Broke 2 ribs and shattered my collar bone... 10 years before that, and the 5 years since, no accidents. The greatest piece of safety equipment you have is your brain, and the most dangerous thing on a motorcycle is the nut that connects the seat to the handlebars.
@@BerryTheBnnuy I got ABS on my new Monkey as I started again riding. In the meantime I was a defensive driver of a Volvo. In both vehicles ABS never used automatically, because I am super careful.
There are on YT, some footage from grand tours cycling stages, involving downhill on twisty roads. Some Go Pro cams mounted on bikes, are showing the way the high ranked pro cyclists use the brakes, when turning at high speed. It is very interesting to see the modulation the action on the levers, and the bike reaction. It would be interesting that you, Greg, would put a camera on handlebars, filming the front brake lever, one somewhere in front of your right foot, filming the brake pedal and the third one, in its usual position on your helmet. And then make a video with synchronized footage from the three cameras. That would be a very comprehensive instructional video for any motorcyclist, especially for the beginners.
As I’ve progressed in my riding skills my main objective has been to be as smooth as possible with the throttle, steering , and brakes under all conditions. My mantra is “less is more” meaning smoothness leads to less effort which yields more control. And above all try not to panic when something weird happens. Try to anticipate and stay ahead of the bike in order to maximize your reaction time so you can still be smooth on the controls. Thanks for all your great videos. You have contributed greatly to improving safe riding practices for the motorcycle community.
Greg, when approaching a tricky intersection where cars could enter my lane from multiple directions, then I usually approach with the brake pads on the rotors (say 2% braking). This tiny bit of squeeze on the front lever makes it much harder to accidentally lock the front in a panic situation. During testing I found that it's actually quite difficult to lock my front wheel, I really have to hit the lever quite hard to do that. When the hand is already applying the lever, hitting the lever hard enough for front-wheel lockup becomes much harder. This means that even a tiny amount of braking when approaching the intersection creates a significant amount of safety. In tricky intersections that don't have good escape routes, I can't really imagine approaching without a few percent of brake pressure.
Also you improve your reaction time by like 0.5s because your hand and the breaks are already ready. It doesn't sound like much, but it is 10m at 70kmph (30ft at 45mph) everything else being equal.
Thank you for your grate information, I ride with my hand on the ready just in case! I think a lot of ego gets in the way, of safe riding with others who push fellow bikers past, there reaction times causing accident
You should maintain speed, and move away from traffic as you approach the intersection, but "cover" your clutch and brake. Also consider that no matter how fast and smooth your braking is, you won't have the reaction time to go 45mph-0mph in avoidance of a left turn car at an intersection. This is why we are taught to swerve, and you can't swerve as well if you're on the brakes
There is a corollary to this: if breaking hard while leaning freaks you out for fear of crashing, never ever release the breaks abruptly. If you do, you will instantly run wide and possibly crash. Being smooth is paramount while leaning, be it for adding or removing break pressure.
I agree with most of what is said and in then 60's I learned to brake gently and still do to this day. It means that first I am looking well and planning well ahead which is something some bikers do not do. So looking far enough ahead helps and then a realisation of what speed I should be doing at that time, ahead of what I am doing now. So being early on the slowing down and early on the brakes, if necessary means that I use little of my brakes capacity . My mechanics both for cars and bikes say that the brake pads are hardly worn on one side and less worn on the return side which indicates a slow and low use of brakes,. Combine that with again a slow and low use of acceleration, meaning don't abuse the throttle as well and go faster, too fast and so easy on the brakes and easy on the accelerator makes for a much smoother rider and a better, safer biker.
Even when I don't ride my bike I do shadow practice of squeezing front break with my finger. Man that shadow practice really helping me a lot. Specially on panic breaking. It is like setting up a software in the brain that will automatically trigger a soft to hard break.
Well stated. This is exactly why all riders should routinely be practicing progressive braking in a controlled environment (empty parking lot) - to get the muscle memory set! I personally like to do this a few times, both straight and in a curving situation) prior to heading out for a ride - just to reset that muscle memory (decades of riding experience) in getting the weight transfer to load up the front tire as the pressure on the lever is applied progressively. As was also said below, chopping or rolling off the throttle also helps to initiate that weight transfer. Ride safely!
MJ is 100% right on this. I took the Champ school on line version a few months ago and they heavily stress this. Last week, was on a 2 lane highway doing about 58 mph into a corner. That was a bit too fast. So since I already was at about 10% front brake only and my first two fingers were already on the front brake lever, I applied additional brakes to tighten my radius from going any wider in the curve. Good thing I did because I would have gone right into a Mack fuel truck.
Touch fineness on the brakes is the most important thing to learn (or in that mix). Even coming to a stop right where you want to with no front dive takes practice. When I first started riding again after 25 tears off, I thought my new bike had front fork issues but they disappeared after some seat time. Finesse on the brakes is critical in about every riding mode. High speed and low speed.
This subject doesn't get talked about enough. You're exactly right. If you want to save yourself and your bike the best thing you can do is constantly practice this and THINK about it every time you ride and then when that car pulls out in front of you "no-grab" breaking is already in your muscle memory.
Thank you for this reminder, I just recently got back into riding and had that same thought in my head “don’t use the brakes in a turn” but this makes much more sense.
Thank you for all of your content. I've watched hundreds of your videos over the last few months and picking up my first bike, CB650R, tomorrow morning. Eager to learn, train, improve and ride!
Especially when riding on dirt, I've adopted some recent training which recommends using the rear brake as a bike stabliser. Not grabbing is great advice, but also especially wary of grabbing the front. In spite of that it was also demonstrated that only using only the rear brake does not stop you easily, especially downhill.
Truth. Tires can handle a good amount of force, but they need a little bit of time to grab onto the road surface. Don't 'shock-load' them, they'll just slide over it. I'm not sure how I'll behave in a real panic situation, but I usually try to 'caress', then start a progressive squeeze. Tried hard braking in a training on a wet cobble road, it's amazing how much grip that still can generate.
every time you use the front brake, do a few things. Make sure you never hover over it while riding. That's because in a panic you'll grab a whole heap of everything. Every time you do use it: setup then squeeze. Over time it will be a habit - even at panic. Traction in the wet is around 90% on motorbike road tyres.
I don't know the video, but if you want to be safe you would check mirrors, roll off and then set up front brake. Not only does it mean you are ready to brake, it puts this little red light on at the rear of your bike. I am not 100% confident in what you mean there though and whether I am responding to your comment correctly... If want safe technique, which means you are conservatively managing your speed, use 4 fingers. If you are on a race track or decide to go high-risk and ride like you are on the race track, use 2 after totally rolling off throttle, which would allow you to trail the front brake into corners at high lean angle, not pogo the front suspension after braking is complete, and roll the throttle smoothly and continually on after you have reached maximum lean angle. Maybe point me to the video that describes everything I just wrote there in detail from Motojitsu, and how you practice that.
Absolutely correct, if driving normally on public roads. The only exception to using brakes softly could cause a crash, is if you exceeded the limits of speed and lean (already dangerous) that any amount of braking will cause you to lose traction, but this is usually during racing where a lot of safety rules are ignored for the speed benefit and done by professionals. So if you are racing on a public road and crashed, you either grabbed the brakes too hard or going so fast that using the brakes at all will cause a crash as most bikes aren't setup like the racing bikes.
When I took the MSF beginner course in Austin, TX, they told me to not touch the brakes in any turn or with any lean. They said to release throttle and LEAN MORE if necessary, which I knew was BS after watching many videos like this by guys like you. Thanks for helping me not develop bad riding habits!
they hated that I always had two fingers on the brake lever they said I should have all four fingers when I break but I was like f that deduct the points I'll still pass this stupid class lol
I think if you follow the "enter with the correct speed for the bend" philosophy the "no touch" edict automatically results in "no grab" which for beginners might be indicated. The problem as we all know is that road conditions can't always be predicated and you have to adapt to them to survive. I guess the balance is struck by MSF to help people to ride safely quickly but not necessarily to survive the unexpected which is a road skill that needs to be learned. Before the advent of courses my old man used to say that if you can survive the first two years of motorcycling you'll survive a lifetime. He wasn't wrong as I made all my silly mistakes and had low speed crashes on an old 250cc Honda.
I always ease into the brakes, I learned that early on, experimenting lol I think a lot of people rely on abs to much, just because you got them doesn't mean you should depend on them
These videos are a life saver for new riders like me. I am riding for almost two and half years now and never crashed or fell from my bike. I am not bragging btw because I ride a p***y according to my friends. They say all time that if you don't fall, you don't learn. I learn from these videos and I would rather be a p***y than paying my hospital bills.
“Prelooading” is the key word here. FortNine had a nice explanation on this: Tyres can take a lot of force without slipping, but they cannot handle too much rate of force. Especially in the beginning. Tyre rubber has to build up load, and you achieve this best by pre-loading the brake, thus you simply cannot “grab through” them anymore.
Good advice here, thanks for sharing! My experience with emergency braking is the smooth initial application can transition very quickly to full braking once the suspension reacts and compresses.
I'm on a Kawasaki Ninja 400, that bike has braking on the engine due to the air pressure in the exhaust when you roll off the throttle. Together with a brake lever, you got plenty. It's just being smart is all.
@@Smitty_1703 Smooth progression and calm nerves. My V Star 650 has a heavy clutch that grabs like a bastard. Her friction zone rides like a horse that's been in the stable too long. If I'm not smooth on the controls, she bucks hard.
I have taught 2 of my sons to ride, and I am now teaching my wife to ride (at age 48), and one of the first things I teach them, and get them to practice, is to start soft on brakes, then squeeze more IF needed. I learnt EARLY on (been riding over 40 years), NOT to grab brakes.... Great Video mate.
I learned this the hard way. Thankfully I had enough experience to not panic and saved myself from going down. But it's a lesson I'll never forget. Great video!!
Now i am just running with the Yamaha Tricity after driving a car for a little while, it felt natural to what i did in my early years. I have no bike license but even as a car driver, i know just slowly put the brakes on. My experience is listen to the bike, it tells you everything. Now i could be telling complete nonsense but it's what is helping me. In a emergency yes you might hit the brakes hard but with normal driving, keeping the speedlimits, it's very easy. Thanks for the video and drive safely
Can never be repeated enough. Thanks! I'd love a video on coping - mentally and/or physically - with those really bad worn patches on roads that are now found all over the damned world.
Back in the days when riding my CX500, I was able to lock up the front wheel in a straight line while it barely dives by grabbing it momentarily. Of course you don’t keep it locked up. Best video for safety!!
Just went through advanced riding course, on every turn and even at emergency stop, coach was yelling to us smooooooooth. So your tires won't squeek or slide, even a tiny slide was a fail per rating. Smooooooth.
Thankyou! You just explained how & why I busted my ass on the “The Tail of the Dragon”. Advice I needed back then but was a hard-headed rookie that learned a lesson the hard way. Luckily I wasnt killed but came damn close to it. I’m fine now & still riding but I listen, learn & practice. Thanks for yor time & sharing these safety tips.🏁🏍
It's a natural response which has to be 'unlearnt' which is tricky to master & is why so many new bikes have a brake assist. As a London courier from the 80s i'd cover both breaks in anticipation & hone those observational skills to the max: even if you're eyeballed people would still pull out & make unpredictable manoeuvres. In town you always had to be ready for the unexpected.
Yep! Same thing driving your car. I’m totally in the habit of the smooth brake & people often tell me how they notice I never jerk anyone around. Well I don’t want to spin out or jerk myself either lol
Glad someone else said it about braking in the middle of a turn. So many people say don't do it don't do it, don't brake into a turn, don't brake while turning. That's great advice for a noob.... but if you know what you're doing, you're good. I brake in turns all the time. You just gotta ease on it at first then load on the pressure, and you gotta understand the bike will wanna stand back up when braking in a turn, so you have to compensate for it.
I had an emergency situation in a curve where a lady came over into my lane. I was in full lean and I had to apply my break quickly. My options for exit were to go to the left into opposite traffic or apply my brakes, soft but quickly and i hit a guard rail. My right hand was broken and elbow crushed because I was applying the brake but it stopped me enough that I didn’t go over an embankment. Thank you for your lesson, sir it saved my life. If I would have hit my brakes hard, I would’ve either slid under the car or I would not have been able to control where I was going again thank you.
I always cover the front brake with two fingers during spirited riding or city areas with lots of traffic hazards. That way I'm never "grabbing" for the brake when I need it, it's already under my fingers. That gives me a little more time to load the suspension and be more subtle with how much force is needed. My bike also has linked brakes and that helps spread braking inputs, too.
I love your advices, and your videos, thanks for sharing your knowledge. I have years of riding, did some courses too, and I am always learning, everyday. Softness in everything you do on a bike is essential. Sometimes of course, the "chicken factor" appears and you loose all your learnings, and there you go squeeziinnnnggg thaaaaaa breakeeeeeesssss 😂 I think BMW's, (I have an RT) because of the Telelever / Paralever suspension saved me a lot of times, otherwise I would have go straight ahead... Cheers from Portugal, and thanks for your video.
as a rookie I've learned this the hard way. what I found helpful is pumping the brakes almost like its ABS. if I have to stop quick I downshift and pump the brakes at the same time. I know it sounds bizzare pumping the brakes, but it actually helps you stop quicker and prevent locking up of the tyres
Love your approach! It is hard to get people to believe that slow is fast - but it is! There's a great quote in the movie "Shooter". "Slow is smooth and smooth is fast!" Nice.
As mad as this sounds, I've been using this technique for my cycle now (Giant Roam 2!) and really liking it! For over 40 years, I've been slamming on the brakes lol. I also use the front brake a lot more after this as I was trained not to use it so much as a kid in case you flip over lol. The front brake use increase has defo improved stopping.
Having ridden a bicycle daily for almost 40 years before starting on motorcycles was a lot of help, many of the skills translated directly to motorcycle handling with a bit of practice (and a lot of getting used to a lot heavier and more powerful machine). Judging by the amount of attention the correct use of the front brake gets, that was probably one of the most valuable of those skills :)
(It was probably better to learn that being too aggressive with your front brake will result in you flying over the handlebars and your vehicle somersaulting on top of you - it was probably better to learn that as a pre-teen with a vehicle that weighed 10 kg than as a middle-aged guy with a vehicle that weighs twenty times as much ;-P)
Great point that you delivered exceptionally well. I have adopted this over the years without ever actually pinpointing this specifically. Different bikes and their breaks in curves very much very, for example breaking and setting your line into a curve in a road glide is a science. That is where I started studying and applying trail breaking. Wasn’t all that satisfying but it was effective. Now I’m riding a Pan America with all the modern tech that my RG didn’t have. To make a long story short I am so happy I did adopt trail breaking. The satisfaction and tremendous increase in stability has me reevaluating all of my breaking techniques with very awesome results. I’m thinking the key to this could be your point of don’t grab and drop. The difference of the chain opposed to the belts I have been riding for 35 years has me treating the throttle very similarly.
Good discussion in the video, MotoJitsu given you got so many video, you might already have this in the collection, if not might be worth a video or drawing people attention to that video if it exists in your collection where you explain and demonstrate how the bikes frame, suspension, tires etc are all loading and unloading when you pull the brakes/release the brakes, throttle etc. That helped me a lot when I was learning, then one is able to understand what is happening to the bike itself when applying brakes. For the majority of people they don't always have that understanding.
You are 100% correct. I’m no pro but i mention to new riders to practice emergency braking techniques so you can develop the good habits BEFORE a real emergency arises.
Key word.... PRACTICE. Repeat the squeeze over and over again until you can see the benefit. Everyone learns at their own pace. Practice practice practice, make it a conscious effort. Good advice man...
I think generally just try not to brake in a corner unless you have to? Other factors like damp greasy corners or debris etc lots of factors which are common on corners are just going to be made worse if you’re braking anyway?🤷🏼♂️
Smart rider! I do the same and never slipped for over 20 years, exactly if you break already a tiny bit then the breaks can be squeezed hard, I always tiny little wee breaking while going to almost each intersection in the city, never had issue break hard and saved me like a million times already. Plus breaking a tiny bit already means the reaction time is immediate so really there no need to break hard then like ever.
Thank god I found this video! I once cornered and hafway into this long long sweeping corner I panicked and felt I was going a little too fast… braked, back wheel slid out, the bike held but I got a fright and thought I couldn’t brake on corners
Very good advice. This would definitely save someone if an animal runs out in the middle of the road in front of them. Have to ingrain it enough so even if that emergency happens, the slow-on-the-brakes-initially reflex happens automatically.
When you grow up in the country with dirt bikes on gravel roads and winter riding you develop good riding fundamentals down at a early age. Allows you to try/fail/learn/try again while you are still young enough to bounce back from a drop.
I have noticed even with cars that most people are speeding on the straights and then jam the brakes when they hit a curve..... brake technology has gotten so good with abs also that people take chances with their speed depending on those brakes. Watch people coming up to a stop light, they speed right up to the point of hitting you.... I have to believe this way of driving has bridged over to motorcycles now. When bikes had drum brakes, no abs and were horrible you learned how to anticipate braking better or you just skidded out and went down. Even tire tech has enabled the average idiot to drive and ride way over their abilities.....
You are absolutely right in everything that you said, but you forgot to explain why. When entering a situation where you will be tempted to abruptly brake, the weight on the front tire is light. Applying 30% braking will cause the lightly loaded tire and suspension to wash out. Applying 5-10% at first causes the front suspension to compress, the weight on the tire and braking ability to increase, thus avoiding a front end washout. The same technique that allows a fast moving moto-crosser to enter and exit a slow speed turn with maximum braking is important for street use also. The increased rake angle of the forks under braking is also something to consider, but a rider can anticipate that and lessen turning inputs.
Ouch, I'm sure that this clip will hurt alot of professional you tubers who believe otherwise about making u turns and such with front brakes slightly engaged,like i was told that stopping is mostly the front brakes and slow speed controlling the bike is rear brake only ,but I'm learning new things every day and this is a new one for me .
Agree with your gentle on and off the brakes. Should be done gently to increase / decrease as suspension travel increases / decreases and contact patch and hence traction increases / decreases. Police riders on advanced riding courses teach to use rear brake lightly for slow riding as well as a constant rpm and use the clutch to control speed. Works for me! 👍
I'm a new rider 6 months. 60 years old. My entire focus is speed going into turns. Not a sports bike. I remember two mistakes going too fast in a turn . Those were my best teachers. That jolt of fear taught me to focus on that technique. Went on my first group ride with three other riders and was able to keep up just fine. Felt very confident but I think it was all a matter of learning from a mistake. We had to make a couple of fairly sharp u-turns during the ride. I was able to make them no problem because of the church parking lot next door. Not grabbing the break has been burned into my mind I've only done it once with a little fishtail is all it took.
Over the years I have had the privilege to learn and mold my riding skills for both track and street with the assist of a handful of pro racers and school instructors. When it comes to braking, I was taught and feel most comfortable using just my index and middle finger. When I am riding in the canyon’s I always have these two fingers resting on top of my brake lever. I will generally lightly tap my front brake just prior to entering a turn to settle the front end and many times will trail brake thru the entry and up to the apex of a turn depending on speed, and if the turn is an increasing or decreasing radius. It all comes down to feel, and having confidence in your front end. The key is starting with a light squeeze and increasing the squeeze, (If necessary) based on body position and lean angle.
What else causes crashes in corners is riding down the center of the lane. Pay attention at stop lights and you will notice the center is darker from oil leaks from cars, that oil is also dripping on the center lane on rest of the road and building up on your tires. Just a little can make the difference of staying up or going down.
GRADUAL braking is the ONLY way any motorcycle rider should use the brakes. Great information for all watching this! It's also why trail braking is so very, very effective instead of slow, look, crash, and burn. "Gradual" is a bit relative based upon circumstances, but NEVER "surprise" the bike by grabbing a handful or foot-full of brakes. You'll crash. Period.
This is spot on. Al the UA-cam 'experts' say things like: 'YoU CANNOT bRaKe In CoRnErS, yOu'Ll CrAsH 🤡'. That's just plain bullsh*t. It's all about controlling your throttle/brake and you will be perfectly fine. Thumbs up for you pointing these things out! 🙌
Wow! You have an amazing view. All we have here in ohio is flatness and corn fields. Very few curvy roads too, we have to have the worst place to ride.
Been riding over 30 years. Whilst riding with friends in France, my mate asked me why I was on the brake mid corner?…I was using the back brake very lightly to help me turn in on a sharper corner than I was expecting.
I was on a roadking.Car i was following, at about 3 car lengths, hit the car in front of them when lead car stopped suddenly to avoid missing their turn. This technique saved me, although my brakes locked up for the last few feet. I missed their bumper by inches but maintained control.
Following a vehicle, 3 seconds should be a minimum if possible which is a lot more than 3 car lengths. This is true for motorcycles AND cars and trucks. Of course in the City thats pretty hard to do. But open highway. I do my best to give myself 3 seconds usually 4. Why rush on a bike? I'm not trying to get anywhere I'm just riding.
I really like this video, good explanation. Yes, you can definitely squeeze faster, just because a car jumps out in front of you doesn't mean you have to grab the front brake. I believe it.
You are supposed to use your brakes before a corner to get your speed correct for taking the corner. Using your brakes when banked over mid bend will make the bike stand up and under steer. Then you will most likely run off the road, or panic brake and lock the front wheel. If you really have to brake mid corner the back brake is the best option.
Lately I’ve been using my fingers to pull the brake lever nice and easy all while blipping the throttle to downshift and engine brake. Engine braking along with front and rear brake makes for a really quick stop. But ultra emergency I just get heavy on the front brake progressively loading it more and more and heavy on the rear and slowly easing up as the weight shifts forward. Practice emergency braking randomly. Try it in corners. Then when you need it, you’re good. Had a massive dirt hauler pull out in front of me on a highway and was able to stop quick. Also, don’t speed. I know when I’m coming up up on heavily trafficked intersections and pull outs. Just slow your pace ahead of time. Just my $0.02. MotoJitsu has definitely made me a more relaxed but capable rider. Don’t be in a hurry. You won’t save much time. You lose much more time from an accident than you would taking it easy. Ride safe everyone!
I just got into my first road wreck and I am sure that you are right on my crash. but on a super windy road in Colombia came around a corner and someone had cut a tree down and left it in my lane. I do remember coming around corner and see the tree and then jumping up! Cant imagine being able to softly squeezing brakes when seeing that in a flash! I do believe you that would have made a difference not sure I would have stopped in time. but by far would have been less damaging to me and bike!
Smooth inputs are best for everything in a vehicle on the road. Sudden changes like hard acceleration, hard braking, hard turning, all of these things run the risk of overcoming the friction between your tires and the pavement and it only gets worse when the pavement is wet or uneven or covered with gravel etc. where the friction level is lower.
![Lp. Сердце Вселенной #60 РОЖДЕНИЕ ЛОЛОЛОШКИ [Финал] • Майнкрафт](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/YoR0pAV9FVQ/mqdefault.jpg)
BE SOFTER ON THE INITIAL TOUCH OF THOSE BRAKES!! Highly recommend signing up for ChampU...online program by current professional racers...lots of good information. ridelikeachampion.com/courses-page/
"Truth is not a Democracy"
Hmmm, so MANMADE climate change might be bs after all?
I would think is important to get used to have two fingers on the brake lever at all times. This would prevent grab because the fingers are already there for the initial 2% or a bit more. If full brake power is needed the other two can help with additional pull.
Load the tire, before you work the tire.
compressed front fork (by weight transfer) also helps the bike rotate into the corner
Motorcycle training courses are compulsory for new riders here in Australia. One of the first lessons is how use the front brake correctly, along with an explanation of WHY you are using the building squeeze method, even under emergency conditions. The aim is to pre-compress your front suspension and thereby force rubber into the road.
Grabbing with uncompressed forks lets the lightly loaded tyre break traction during the moment that all your forward moving energy is being used to compress the fork springs. The very energy that you want to burn off by making your disc rotors hot. It is not burned off in the fork springs, actually, it is stored there until the traction breaks
I was a Instructor for the Motorcycle Safety Foundation for many years, my wife and I have been all over our country on Motorcycles. When we were younger. Watching your video made me feel much better, We taught the Rider Course, Not a lot of on the highway. I liked you video very much. I'm 79 and still riding, not like we did before. Thank You !
Awesome dude. I'm late 60's. Started riding again after 25 years off. You are now my hero.
I got my motorcycle license in 1976 at 15 years old and have been riding daily ever since. I'm at about one million miles . What do you think you have? It's more what not to do when riding then trying to learn what to do. I think you can only get by with bad habits for so long.
Been riding 43 years. Youre right but really its common sense and ability more than anything else
As a current MSF rider coach I believe the curriculum should update at least the BRC 2 to using this analogy I often get asked about trail braking and front brake usage . Also it could be used in the BRC 2 LW which is for riders who want to get their waver card and have been riding long enough where the BRC is going to be boring . Here they do not need to go over the basics and they use their own motorcycle.
I bow to you, sir.
‘Don’t grab ‘ is the golden rule for most situations in life
My hamster approves
Tell Creepy Joe.
@@shawnmclean7932 Wonder which carrot top said "Grab em by the *****" 🤔
That's what she said
Grab life by the pussy
This saved my tail once. I came up to a curve at a good rate of speed and the entire curve was covered with pea gravel where a truck had lost some from its load from shifting around the curve. I eased on the brakes like described in the video and took the curve wide as possible, all the while I could feel my heart pounding in my throat. Yea, I'll never forget that one.
I couldn't agree with you more, after working years as a motorcycle instructor, so many people dropped their bikes, even at low speed, due to grabbing the brakes. Gently braking, loading the suspension gently is a skill to practice till it's second nature.
Doing the emergency braking practices really helps with modulating and applying brakes smoothly. I’ve always been pretty smooth on the brakes since I raced bicycles for a decade on the road before riding motorcycles but those 25-0
Absolutely. And look at the exit not that rock on the side of the road.
The other day I was, as DanDanTheFireman puts it, in the white zone as I was careening down a street at 10mph over the speed limit. I didn't notice the light was red until I was right up on it and instantly shifted into red zone. I stopped the bike in a freaking hurry... I ended with my rear wheel just a foot past the white line for where you're supposed to stop, and then backed it up to behind the white line. As I did so I looked over to my left because I was in the right most lane and there was a cop... right there... I looked at him and he rolled down his window and said "I've never seen someone brake like that, holy shit"
Been riding for 38 years, back in Germany for two decades in the winter too and then a decade and a half in California and Texas. I LOVE YOUR VIDEO.
"Wait for the weight" is exactly what is right, and trail braking is where the turning actually really becomes effective.
Thank you.
It's UA-camrs like you, MC Rider and DDFM that have saved my sorry old butt more than once! Getting back on a motorcycle as a senior citizen was scary as hell. But I watched videos here, practiced, got training, practiced some more and got more training. I've put over 10,000 miles on my bike this year riding in San Francisco and cross country. I've had 1-2 close calls in all that time. I know they could've turned out a LOT worse if I hadn't put in the effort with practice and training.
I LOVE my front brake! That's why I caress it gently at first, then gradually, slowly but surely add pressure as needed.
I see you live in San Diego, lived there for a bit after my Navy daze in Ocean Beach & North Park. Where do you go to ride?
I watch a lot of DDFM but I don't really care much for his ATGATT attitude... I mean, ATGATT is great and all, but for a lot of people it isn't practical. I tried to do a small road trip to the next state over back in July and if I'd been wearing the gear he wants everybody to be wearing whenever they're on a bike I would have passed out from a heat stroke a lot sooner than I almost did.
Remember, bikes don't have air conditioning and when it's 97 degrees outside and 98% humidity, the gear is just as likely to kill you as not wearing that gear. If I have to choose between death by heat stroke and possibly some road rash, I'm going to go with the road rash, because at least that's survivable.
Mind you, I've only ever had one accident, and it was the middle of the night about 5 years ago, caused by a drunk driver who was using the street lights to see and was all "oh I can see just fine, I don't need my headlights" and so I didn't know he was coming up behind me because he had his headlights off and it's really hard to see vehicles at night when they're blacked out like that.
He ended up running me off the road and it busted me up pretty bad. Broke 2 ribs and shattered my collar bone... 10 years before that, and the 5 years since, no accidents.
The greatest piece of safety equipment you have is your brain, and the most dangerous thing on a motorcycle is the nut that connects the seat to the handlebars.
@@BerryTheBnnuy I got ABS on my new Monkey as I started again riding. In the meantime I was a defensive driver of a Volvo. In both vehicles ABS never used automatically, because I am super careful.
@@BerryTheBnnuy mesh jacket?
There are on YT, some footage from grand tours cycling stages, involving downhill on twisty roads. Some Go Pro cams mounted on bikes, are showing the way the high ranked pro cyclists use the brakes, when turning at high speed. It is very interesting to see the modulation the action on the levers, and the bike reaction. It would be interesting that you, Greg, would put a camera on handlebars, filming the front brake lever, one somewhere in front of your right foot, filming the brake pedal and the third one, in its usual position on your helmet. And then make a video with synchronized footage from the three cameras. That would be a very comprehensive instructional video for any motorcyclist, especially for the beginners.
As I’ve progressed in my riding skills my main objective has been to be as smooth as possible with the throttle, steering , and brakes under all conditions. My mantra is “less is more” meaning smoothness leads to less effort which yields more control. And above all try not to panic when something weird happens. Try to anticipate and stay ahead of the bike in order to maximize your reaction time so you can still be smooth on the controls.
Thanks for all your great videos. You have contributed greatly to improving safe riding practices for the motorcycle community.
Greg, when approaching a tricky intersection where cars could enter my lane from multiple directions, then I usually approach with the brake pads on the rotors (say 2% braking).
This tiny bit of squeeze on the front lever makes it much harder to accidentally lock the front in a panic situation.
During testing I found that it's actually quite difficult to lock my front wheel, I really have to hit the lever quite hard to do that.
When the hand is already applying the lever, hitting the lever hard enough for front-wheel lockup becomes much harder. This means that even a tiny amount of braking when approaching the intersection creates a significant amount of safety. In tricky intersections that don't have good escape routes, I can't really imagine approaching without a few percent of brake pressure.
Also you improve your reaction time by like 0.5s because your hand and the breaks are already ready. It doesn't sound like much, but it is 10m at 70kmph (30ft at 45mph) everything else being equal.
I generally “cover my brakes” with a couple fingers, but I like the idea of putting a bit of pressure on them. 👍
Thank you for your grate information, I ride with my hand on the ready just in case! I think a lot of ego gets in the way, of safe riding with others who push fellow bikers past, there reaction times causing accident
You are doing something very smart, it called pre loading the brakes and it can and will be a very useful to you in advance accident.
You should maintain speed, and move away from traffic as you approach the intersection, but "cover" your clutch and brake.
Also consider that no matter how fast and smooth your braking is, you won't have the reaction time to go 45mph-0mph in avoidance of a left turn car at an intersection.
This is why we are taught to swerve, and you can't swerve as well if you're on the brakes
There is a corollary to this: if breaking hard while leaning freaks you out for fear of crashing, never ever release the breaks abruptly. If you do, you will instantly run wide and possibly crash.
Being smooth is paramount while leaning, be it for adding or removing break pressure.
Avid rider for 45+ years. I do exactly as you have presented, but never had it explained this well.
Thank you.
I agree with most of what is said and in then 60's I learned to brake gently and still do to this day. It means that first I am looking well and planning well ahead which is something some bikers do not do. So looking far enough ahead helps and then a realisation of what speed I should be doing at that time, ahead of what I am doing now. So being early on the slowing down and early on the brakes, if necessary means that I use little of my brakes capacity . My mechanics both for cars and bikes say that the brake pads are hardly worn on one side and less worn on the return side which indicates a slow and low use of brakes,.
Combine that with again a slow and low use of acceleration, meaning don't abuse the throttle as well and go faster, too fast and so easy on the brakes and easy on the accelerator makes for a much smoother rider and a better, safer biker.
Truth....
Very true planning ahead is the key.
Even when I don't ride my bike I do shadow practice of squeezing front break with my finger. Man that shadow practice really helping me a lot. Specially on panic breaking. It is like setting up a software in the brain that will automatically trigger a soft to hard break.
What is shadow braking. I've not heard this term 🙃
@@jeanettesalisbury6153
Didn't OP write "shadow practice"?
Well stated. This is exactly why all riders should routinely be practicing progressive braking in a controlled environment (empty parking lot) - to get the muscle memory set! I personally like to do this a few times, both straight and in a curving situation) prior to heading out for a ride - just to reset that muscle memory (decades of riding experience) in getting the weight transfer to load up the front tire as the pressure on the lever is applied progressively. As was also said below, chopping or rolling off the throttle also helps to initiate that weight transfer. Ride safely!
Just ride bicycles, no better practice for braking properly.
MJ is 100% right on this. I took the Champ school on line version a few months ago and they heavily stress this. Last week, was on a 2 lane highway doing about 58 mph into a corner. That was a bit too fast. So since I already was at about 10% front brake only and my first two fingers were already on the front brake lever, I applied additional brakes to tighten my radius from going any wider in the curve. Good thing I did because I would have gone right into a Mack fuel truck.
Touch fineness on the brakes is the most important thing to learn (or in that mix). Even coming to a stop right where you want to with no front dive takes practice. When I first started riding again after 25 tears off, I thought my new bike had front fork issues but they disappeared after some seat time. Finesse on the brakes is critical in about every riding mode. High speed and low speed.
Its just so hard when you get surprised your instinct is to grab a handful, I learned the hard way, at least I hope learned
@@caspar_gomez Yes, that's true. But with some seat time that 'touch' will show up.
This subject doesn't get talked about enough. You're exactly right. If you want to save yourself and your bike the best thing you can do is constantly practice this and THINK about it every time you ride and then when that car pulls out in front of you "no-grab" breaking is already in your muscle memory.
I’m a new rider @ 68 & greatly appreciate you & your wisdom on riding T Y
Abrupt anything on a bike is a bad day probably.
CHAMPU-such great info & price is a DEAL.
Wow, 3k miles/month?! I thought I was doing good having my bike for four months and almost putting 1.5k miles on it.
I'm retired, & I usually average 1k / month, when spread out over a year. Actual mileage is higher in nice weather, lower when it's snowing.
3 months 8k km 👍
Several thousands of miles on a bicycle in your childhood does help a lot, too. It‘s physics after all.
Thank you for this reminder, I just recently got back into riding and had that same thought in my head “don’t use the brakes in a turn” but this makes much more sense.
Thank you for all of your content. I've watched hundreds of your videos over the last few months and picking up my first bike, CB650R, tomorrow morning.
Eager to learn, train, improve and ride!
Especially when riding on dirt, I've adopted some recent training which recommends using the rear brake as a bike stabliser. Not grabbing is great advice, but also especially wary of grabbing the front. In spite of that it was also demonstrated that only using only the rear brake does not stop you easily, especially downhill.
Truth. Tires can handle a good amount of force, but they need a little bit of time to grab onto the road surface. Don't 'shock-load' them, they'll just slide over it. I'm not sure how I'll behave in a real panic situation, but I usually try to 'caress', then start a progressive squeeze. Tried hard braking in a training on a wet cobble road, it's amazing how much grip that still can generate.
every time you use the front brake, do a few things. Make sure you never hover over it while riding. That's because in a panic you'll grab a whole heap of everything. Every time you do use it: setup then squeeze. Over time it will be a habit - even at panic.
Traction in the wet is around 90% on motorbike road tyres.
@@scottquayle7754 MotoJitsu was saying in another video to always cover the brake (with 2 fingers) when rolling of the throttle.
I don't know the video, but if you want to be safe you would check mirrors, roll off and then set up front brake. Not only does it mean you are ready to brake, it puts this little red light on at the rear of your bike.
I am not 100% confident in what you mean there though and whether I am responding to your comment correctly...
If want safe technique, which means you are conservatively managing your speed, use 4 fingers.
If you are on a race track or decide to go high-risk and ride like you are on the race track, use 2 after totally rolling off throttle, which would allow you to trail the front brake into corners at high lean angle, not pogo the front suspension after braking is complete, and roll the throttle smoothly and continually on after you have reached maximum lean angle.
Maybe point me to the video that describes everything I just wrote there in detail from Motojitsu, and how you practice that.
@@scottquayle7754 ua-cam.com/video/aS5uGl2Ec9E/v-deo.html
it's this one I think
Absolutely correct, if driving normally on public roads. The only exception to using brakes softly could cause a crash, is if you exceeded the limits of speed and lean (already dangerous) that any amount of braking will cause you to lose traction, but this is usually during racing where a lot of safety rules are ignored for the speed benefit and done by professionals. So if you are racing on a public road and crashed, you either grabbed the brakes too hard or going so fast that using the brakes at all will cause a crash as most bikes aren't setup like the racing bikes.
What you teach here will probably prevent many accidents or even save lives for many inexperience riders. Thank you and God bless.
When I took the MSF beginner course in Austin, TX, they told me to not touch the brakes in any turn or with any lean. They said to release throttle and LEAN MORE if necessary, which I knew was BS after watching many videos like this by guys like you. Thanks for helping me not develop bad riding habits!
they hated that I always had two fingers on the brake lever they said I should have all four fingers when I break but I was like f that deduct the points I'll still pass this stupid class lol
I think if you follow the "enter with the correct speed for the bend" philosophy the "no touch" edict automatically results in "no grab" which for beginners might be indicated. The problem as we all know is that road conditions can't always be predicated and you have to adapt to them to survive. I guess the balance is struck by MSF to help people to ride safely quickly but not necessarily to survive the unexpected which is a road skill that needs to be learned.
Before the advent of courses my old man used to say that if you can survive the first two years of motorcycling you'll survive a lifetime. He wasn't wrong as I made all my silly mistakes and had low speed crashes on an old 250cc Honda.
I always ease into the brakes, I learned that early on, experimenting lol I think a lot of people rely on abs to much, just because you got them doesn't mean you should depend on them
I agree. It’s the “panic response” and or lack of practice
You’ve earned a subscriber. Thanks.
These videos are a life saver for new riders like me. I am riding for almost two and half years now and never crashed or fell from my bike. I am not bragging btw because I ride a p***y according to my friends. They say all time that if you don't fall, you don't learn. I learn from these videos and I would rather be a p***y than paying my hospital bills.
“Prelooading” is the key word here. FortNine had a nice explanation on this: Tyres can take a lot of force without slipping, but they cannot handle too much rate of force. Especially in the beginning.
Tyre rubber has to build up load, and you achieve this best by pre-loading the brake, thus you simply cannot “grab through” them anymore.
Good advice here, thanks for sharing! My experience with emergency braking is the smooth initial application can transition very quickly to full braking once the suspension reacts and compresses.
I instantly almost grabbed the like button on this video, but then I just squeezed it...
I've noticed rolling off the throttle while progessive braking acts as a total brake system.
Especially if you have a big single cylinder 4 stroke engine!
If I snap off the throttle, the rear brake can skid on dirt roads!
I'm on a Kawasaki Ninja 400, that bike has braking on the engine due to the air pressure in the exhaust when you roll off the throttle. Together with a brake lever, you got plenty. It's just being smart is all.
@@Smitty_1703 Smooth progression and calm nerves. My V Star 650 has a heavy clutch that grabs like a bastard. Her friction zone rides like a horse that's been in the stable too long. If I'm not smooth on the controls, she bucks hard.
I have taught 2 of my sons to ride, and I am now teaching my wife to ride (at age 48), and one of the first things I teach them, and get them to practice, is to start soft on brakes, then squeeze more IF needed. I learnt EARLY on (been riding over 40 years), NOT to grab brakes.... Great Video mate.
Love this Greg. I ride and repeat things you say, out loud as I ride. You rock 🙃
I learned this the hard way. Thankfully I had enough experience to not panic and saved myself from going down. But it's a lesson I'll never forget. Great video!!
So, my new ‘squeeze’ is my brake lever. Got it.
😀
@@patrickmba7638 😚😚😘
Now i am just running with the Yamaha Tricity after driving a car for a little while, it felt natural to what i did in my early years. I have no bike license but even as a car driver, i know just slowly put the brakes on. My experience is listen to the bike, it tells you everything. Now i could be telling complete nonsense but it's what is helping me. In a emergency yes you might hit the brakes hard but with normal driving, keeping the speedlimits, it's very easy. Thanks for the video and drive safely
Can never be repeated enough. Thanks! I'd love a video on coping - mentally and/or physically - with those really bad worn patches on roads that are now found all over the damned world.
Back in the days when riding my CX500, I was able to lock up the front wheel in a straight line while it barely dives by grabbing it momentarily. Of course you don’t keep it locked up. Best video for safety!!
Just went through advanced riding course, on every turn and even at emergency stop, coach was yelling to us smooooooooth. So your tires won't squeek or slide, even a tiny slide was a fail per rating. Smooooooth.
Thankyou! You just explained how & why I busted my ass on the “The Tail of the Dragon”. Advice I needed back then but was a hard-headed rookie that learned a lesson the hard way. Luckily I wasnt killed but came damn close to it. I’m fine now & still riding but I listen, learn & practice. Thanks for yor time & sharing these safety tips.🏁🏍
It's a natural response which has to be 'unlearnt' which is tricky to master & is why so many new bikes have a brake assist. As a London courier from the 80s i'd cover both breaks in anticipation & hone those observational skills to the max: even if you're eyeballed people would still pull out & make unpredictable manoeuvres. In town you always had to be ready for the unexpected.
Enjoying the videos. I thought that area looked familiar, I’ve been running around Jamul trying to get enough miles to break in my new bike.
Thanks for the videos, helps a bunch.
I appreciate the short and straight to the point videos👍
Agreed. YCRS really improved my riding with regard to braking. We teach it on Leod Escapes tours as well. Nice road for the topic.
Yep! Same thing driving your car.
I’m totally in the habit of the smooth brake & people often tell me how they notice I never jerk anyone around.
Well I don’t want to spin out or jerk myself either lol
Great line " truth is not a popularity contest" . So many implications in everyday life. Keep learning and thinking .
If I would have taken this guy's advice I would have been dead decades ago and most recently two-and-a-half months ago. 🤣
2:42
Truth is not a popularity contest.
- MotoJitsu
This is my new favorite quote
Glad someone else said it about braking in the middle of a turn. So many people say don't do it don't do it, don't brake into a turn, don't brake while turning. That's great advice for a noob.... but if you know what you're doing, you're good. I brake in turns all the time. You just gotta ease on it at first then load on the pressure, and you gotta understand the bike will wanna stand back up when braking in a turn, so you have to compensate for it.
The bike will want to stand up and go straight when accelerating. The opposite is true when braking: it will want to lean/turn tighter.
I had an emergency situation in a curve where a lady came over into my lane. I was in full lean and I had to apply my break quickly. My options for exit were to go to the left into opposite traffic or apply my brakes, soft but quickly and i hit a guard rail. My right hand was broken and elbow crushed because I was applying the brake but it stopped me enough that I didn’t go over an embankment. Thank you for your lesson, sir it saved my life. If I would have hit my brakes hard, I would’ve either slid under the car or I would not have been able to control where I was going again thank you.
I always cover the front brake with two fingers during spirited riding or city areas with lots of traffic hazards. That way I'm never "grabbing" for the brake when I need it, it's already under my fingers. That gives me a little more time to load the suspension and be more subtle with how much force is needed. My bike also has linked brakes and that helps spread braking inputs, too.
Love how you call out others bullshit. In my experiments / learning, yeah, brake control is one of those non-obvious critical skills.
I love your advices, and your videos, thanks for sharing your knowledge. I have years of riding, did some courses too, and I am always learning, everyday. Softness in everything you do on a bike is essential. Sometimes of course, the "chicken factor" appears and you loose all your learnings, and there you go squeeziinnnnggg thaaaaaa breakeeeeeesssss 😂 I think BMW's, (I have an RT) because of the Telelever / Paralever suspension saved me a lot of times, otherwise I would have go straight ahead... Cheers from Portugal, and thanks for your video.
as a rookie I've learned this the hard way. what I found helpful is pumping the brakes almost like its ABS. if I have to stop quick I downshift and pump the brakes at the same time. I know it sounds bizzare pumping the brakes, but it actually helps you stop quicker and prevent locking up of the tyres
Love your approach! It is hard to get people to believe that slow is fast - but it is! There's a great quote in the movie "Shooter". "Slow is smooth and smooth is fast!" Nice.
As mad as this sounds, I've been using this technique for my cycle now (Giant Roam 2!) and really liking it! For over 40 years, I've been slamming on the brakes lol. I also use the front brake a lot more after this as I was trained not to use it so much as a kid in case you flip over lol. The front brake use increase has defo improved stopping.
It also helps to keep both hands on the bars!!
Having ridden a bicycle daily for almost 40 years before starting on motorcycles was a lot of help, many of the skills translated directly to motorcycle handling with a bit of practice (and a lot of getting used to a lot heavier and more powerful machine). Judging by the amount of attention the correct use of the front brake gets, that was probably one of the most valuable of those skills :)
(It was probably better to learn that being too aggressive with your front brake will result in you flying over the handlebars and your vehicle somersaulting on top of you - it was probably better to learn that as a pre-teen with a vehicle that weighed 10 kg than as a middle-aged guy with a vehicle that weighs twenty times as much ;-P)
Best advice is to keep both your hands on the handlebars!
Great point that you delivered exceptionally well. I have adopted this over the years without ever actually pinpointing this specifically. Different bikes and their breaks in curves very much very, for example breaking and setting your line into a curve in a road glide is a science. That is where I started studying and applying trail breaking. Wasn’t all that satisfying but it was effective. Now I’m riding a Pan America with all the modern tech that my RG didn’t have. To make a long story short I am so happy I did adopt trail breaking. The satisfaction and tremendous increase in stability has me reevaluating all of my breaking techniques with very awesome results. I’m thinking the key to this could be your point of don’t grab and drop. The difference of the chain opposed to the belts I have been riding for 35 years has me treating the throttle very similarly.
What would be the difference between belt and chain in braking situation?
Mine is chain (Speedmaster)
Great advice! Thank you!
Good discussion in the video, MotoJitsu given you got so many video, you might already have this in the collection, if not might be worth a video or drawing people attention to that video if it exists in your collection where you explain and demonstrate how the bikes frame, suspension, tires etc are all loading and unloading when you pull the brakes/release the brakes, throttle etc. That helped me a lot when I was learning, then one is able to understand what is happening to the bike itself when applying brakes. For the majority of people they don't always have that understanding.
Thank you very much. Getting ready to brave my first ride. Glad I watched this before I took off.
You are 100% correct. I’m no pro but i mention to new riders to practice emergency braking techniques so you can develop the good habits BEFORE a real emergency arises.
Key word.... PRACTICE. Repeat the squeeze over and over again until you can see the benefit. Everyone learns at their own pace. Practice practice practice, make it a conscious effort. Good advice man...
I think generally just try not to brake in a corner unless you have to? Other factors like damp greasy corners or debris etc lots of factors which are common on corners are just going to be made worse if you’re braking anyway?🤷🏼♂️
Smart rider! I do the same and never slipped for over 20 years, exactly if you break already a tiny bit then the breaks can be squeezed hard, I always tiny little wee breaking while going to almost each intersection in the city, never had issue break hard and saved me like a million times already. Plus breaking a tiny bit already means the reaction time is immediate so really there no need to break hard then like ever.
So fine teaching..it helps me learn alot..n it helps me get my driving license test passed this month..keep it up
As a new rider, i love your videos and how much you break down the simple stuff. Also, i love this road from your video I run it about once a week.
Thank god I found this video! I once cornered and hafway into this long long sweeping corner I panicked and felt I was going a little too fast… braked, back wheel slid out, the bike held but I got a fright and thought I couldn’t brake on corners
Very good advice. This would definitely save someone if an animal runs out in the middle of the road in front of them. Have to ingrain it enough so even if that emergency happens, the slow-on-the-brakes-initially reflex happens automatically.
When you grow up in the country with dirt bikes on gravel roads and winter riding you develop good riding fundamentals down at a early age. Allows you to try/fail/learn/try again while you are still young enough to bounce back from a drop.
I have noticed even with cars that most people are speeding on the straights and then jam the brakes when they hit a curve..... brake technology has gotten so good with abs also that people take chances with their speed depending on those brakes. Watch people coming up to a stop light, they speed right up to the point of hitting you.... I have to believe this way of driving has bridged over to motorcycles now. When bikes had drum brakes, no abs and were horrible you learned how to anticipate braking better or you just skidded out and went down. Even tire tech has enabled the average idiot to drive and ride way over their abilities.....
You are absolutely right in everything that you said, but you forgot to explain why. When entering a situation where you will be tempted to abruptly brake, the weight on the front tire is light. Applying 30% braking will cause the lightly loaded tire and suspension to wash out. Applying 5-10% at first causes the front suspension to compress, the weight on the tire and braking ability to increase, thus avoiding a front end washout. The same technique that allows a fast moving moto-crosser to enter and exit a slow speed turn with maximum braking is important for street use also. The increased rake angle of the forks under braking is also something to consider, but a rider can anticipate that and lessen turning inputs.
Ouch, I'm sure that this clip will hurt alot of professional you tubers who believe otherwise about making u turns and such with front brakes slightly engaged,like i was told that stopping is mostly the front brakes and slow speed controlling the bike is rear brake only ,but I'm learning new things every day and this is a new one for me .
I don't watch your videos as much anymore. But they have helped me a ton on braking. Thank you.
Agree with your gentle on and off the brakes. Should be done gently to increase / decrease as suspension travel increases / decreases and contact patch and hence traction increases / decreases. Police riders on advanced riding courses teach to use rear brake lightly for slow riding as well as a constant rpm and use the clutch to control speed. Works for me! 👍
Great teachings! thanks so much. very pleasant voice btw, makes a lot of difference😎
I'm a new rider 6 months. 60 years old. My entire focus is speed going into turns. Not a sports bike. I remember two mistakes going too fast in a turn . Those were my best teachers. That jolt of fear taught me to focus on that technique. Went on my first group ride with three other riders and was able to keep up just fine. Felt very confident but I think it was all a matter of learning from a mistake. We had to make a couple of fairly sharp u-turns during the ride. I was able to make them no problem because of the church parking lot next door. Not grabbing the break has been burned into my mind I've only done it once with a little fishtail is all it took.
Maybe your parking lot is protected by the angels. Do not drive faster as you special angel can fly!
Over the years I have had the privilege to learn and mold my riding skills for both track and street with the assist of a handful of pro racers and school instructors. When it comes to braking, I was taught and feel most comfortable using just my index and middle finger. When I am riding in the canyon’s I always have these two fingers resting on top of my brake lever. I will generally lightly tap my front brake just prior to entering a turn to settle the front end and many times will trail brake thru the entry and up to the apex of a turn depending on speed, and if the turn is an increasing or decreasing radius. It all comes down to feel, and having confidence in your front end. The key is starting with a light squeeze and increasing the squeeze, (If necessary) based on body position and lean angle.
What else causes crashes in corners is riding down the center of the lane. Pay attention at stop lights and you will notice the center is darker from oil leaks from cars, that oil is also dripping on the center lane on rest of the road and building up on your tires. Just a little can make the difference of staying up or going down.
Engine braking on an sv650 is like 30% brake pressure already ;p
Rolling off is usually all u need in an open vision corner
GRADUAL braking is the ONLY way any motorcycle rider should use the brakes. Great information for all watching this! It's also why trail braking is so very, very effective instead of slow, look, crash, and burn. "Gradual" is a bit relative based upon circumstances, but NEVER "surprise" the bike by grabbing a handful or foot-full of brakes. You'll crash. Period.
This is spot on. Al the UA-cam 'experts' say things like: 'YoU CANNOT bRaKe In CoRnErS, yOu'Ll CrAsH 🤡'.
That's just plain bullsh*t. It's all about controlling your throttle/brake and you will be perfectly fine.
Thumbs up for you pointing these things out! 🙌
Wow! You have an amazing view. All we have here in ohio is flatness and corn fields. Very few curvy roads too, we have to have the worst place to ride.
Been riding over 30 years. Whilst riding with friends in France, my mate asked me why I was on the brake mid corner?…I was using the back brake very lightly to help me turn in on a sharper corner than I was expecting.
I was on a roadking.Car i was following, at about 3 car lengths, hit the car in front of them when lead car stopped suddenly to avoid missing their turn. This technique saved me, although my brakes locked up for the last few feet. I missed their bumper by inches but maintained control.
Following a vehicle, 3 seconds should be a minimum if possible which is a lot more than 3 car lengths. This is true for motorcycles AND cars and trucks. Of course in the City thats pretty hard to do. But open highway. I do my best to give myself 3 seconds usually 4. Why rush on a bike? I'm not trying to get anywhere I'm just riding.
I really like this video, good explanation. Yes, you can definitely squeeze faster, just because a car jumps out in front of you doesn't mean you have to grab the front brake. I believe it.
You are supposed to use your brakes before a corner to get your speed correct for taking the corner. Using your brakes when banked over mid bend will make the bike stand up and under steer. Then you will most likely run off the road, or panic brake and lock the front wheel. If you really have to brake mid corner the back brake is the best option.
Lately I’ve been using my fingers to pull the brake lever nice and easy all while blipping the throttle to downshift and engine brake. Engine braking along with front and rear brake makes for a really quick stop. But ultra emergency I just get heavy on the front brake progressively loading it more and more and heavy on the rear and slowly easing up as the weight shifts forward.
Practice emergency braking randomly. Try it in corners. Then when you need it, you’re good. Had a massive dirt hauler pull out in front of me on a highway and was able to stop quick. Also, don’t speed. I know when I’m coming up up on heavily trafficked intersections and pull outs. Just slow your pace ahead of time.
Just my $0.02. MotoJitsu has definitely made me a more relaxed but capable rider. Don’t be in a hurry. You won’t save much time. You lose much more time from an accident than you would taking it easy. Ride safe everyone!
I just got into my first road wreck and I am sure that you are right on my crash. but on a super windy road in Colombia came around a corner and someone had cut a tree down and left it in my lane. I do remember coming around corner and see the tree and then jumping up! Cant imagine being able to softly squeezing brakes when seeing that in a flash! I do believe you that would have made a difference not sure I would have stopped in time. but by far would have been less damaging to me and bike!
Thanks man, this makes a lot of sense - new rider myself and have been guilty of grabbing the brakes. Will be using this technique from now on.
Smooth inputs are best for everything in a vehicle on the road. Sudden changes like hard acceleration, hard braking, hard turning, all of these things run the risk of overcoming the friction between your tires and the pavement and it only gets worse when the pavement is wet or uneven or covered with gravel etc. where the friction level is lower.