Lessons from the track: Performance braking : How to setup and brake effectively

[killer_instinct]

After my recent visit to Kari Race track organised by TWO Racing, I have started to brake sensible i.e. Front brakes as far as possible. The fact is I am riding for the past 14 years.

I use the Rear brakes only when I am riding on a straight line or on gravel. In fact on the way back from the tri state G2G a guy crashed on the Ghats as his rear locked.

Ghats are no place for rear brakes. Just to avoid rear braking on places like ghats and tracks I keep the balls of my feet on the footpegs to avoid any instinctive rear braking.

Thanks for the thread csgup1, lot of the riders have to break away from the braking rules that have been thrusted upon us in India. This thread would help lot of bikers in improve their braking.

[Tron05]

1 question.
When you enter a curve and you realize that you are at a higher speed, how would you use the brakes?

[silver_falcon_46]

Originally Posted by Tron05

1 question.
When you enter a curve and you realize that you are at a higher speed, how would you use the brakes?

Either ways, you don't get to grab the brakes. Make use of some serious Counter steering to save yourself. This would be the best bet and it works wonders in such situations. If there is another thread on counter steering, I would suggest you take a look there, otherwise csgup, how about we have a general thread discussing the various concepts?

[burnrubbernotursoul]

Originally Posted by killer_instinct

Ghats are no place for rear brakes. Just to avoid rear braking on places like ghats and tracks I keep the balls of my feet on the footpegs to avoid any instinctive rear braking..

i normally use very little of rear brakes but i have observed one thing, ie while taking a sharp LEFT turn a little dab at the rear brake helps in tightening the line and also gives a bit more confidence while taking the corner.here iam talking of a very light touch. of course for the RIGHT turn it cant be done coz i keep the inside toe on the pegs for a right turn.

@csgup1: thanks for putting up this thread , i can see a lot of destructive advices on the safe riding thread, which actually makes the newcomers confused.

finally your observations/suggestions on the part highlighted in bold will be highly appreciated.iam planning to move to bigger bikes in the next 2 years and hence trying to improve my riding.on small bikes i can get away with mistakes but on a bigger bike a small mistake can be fatal.

i would like to get one more thing cleared from you. i have trouble blipping and braking at the same time .i have tried and practiced it but still i cant get it right. so now what i do is as i approach a turn i down shift and instead of blipping i hold the clutch for a little longer and release it gradually so that it is totally released just before the entry. on the 220 it works just fine and the corner entry is smooth but i would like to know if this method is safe on bigger bikes? is blipping an absolute must for a smooth downshifting on bigger bikes?

[rags]

Originally Posted by Tron05

1 question.
When you enter a curve and you realize that you are at a higher speed, how would you use the brakes?

First thing to remember is to be gentle on the brakes when you're into a corner. If you just have to brush off a little speed you use the rear brakes but if you're too hot going into the corner and need to brush off a lot of speed then straighten the bike a bit use the front brake and lean it into the corner again.

[csgup1]

Originally Posted by killer_instinct

After my recent visit to Kari Race track organised by TWO Racing, I have started to brake sensible i.e. Front brakes as far as possible. The fact is I am riding for the past 14 years.

I use the Rear brakes only when I am riding on a straight line or on gravel. In fact on the way back from the tri state G2G a guy crashed on the Ghats as his rear locked.

Ghats are no place for rear brakes. Just to avoid rear braking on places like ghats and tracks I keep the balls of my feet on the footpegs to avoid any instinctive rear braking.

Thanks for the thread csgup1, lot of the riders have to break away from the braking rules that have been thrusted upon us in India. This thread would help lot of bikers in improve their braking.

You should always ride with balls of your feet on the pegs. Definitely helps weight distribution and you avoid dragging toes which can be dangerous

[csgup1]

Originally Posted by Tron05

1 question.
When you enter a curve and you realize that you are at a higher speed, how would you use the brakes?

good question. part of it is answered above and the following answer comprises of a few things from my personal experience.

The first thing and most important thing that you should do when entering a corner hot is look as far ahead where you want to go as possible. This is possibly the hardest skill to learn but you just have to keep practicing I still find myself caught out every now and then. But the moment you panic and look at where you shouldnt be going, you will end up going there and make it a lot harder for you.

Looking farther ahead also reduces your sense of speed and suddenly you realise that you arent going as fast any more. On the road it helps slow things down, on the track it means you can try and go faster. On your next ride out, look a short distance ahead and then look a couple of hundread metres ahead. it also makes things a lot safer.

The next part of the answer is that you can get away with trail braking (braking in the corner while leaning) the front and back if you are very confident on the brakes. as someone mentioned before trailing the back brake a little helps you tighten the line but I must suggest, it is a fairly advanced skill that is at home on the race track. I wouldnt reccomend using it on the roads for commuting.

The third part of the answer is Countersteer effectively. It has happened to me several times and still does that when you are running in hot into a corner. you freeze up and even though you think you are counter steering, your grip on the bars is way too tight and you really arent. you just need to remind yourself and keep countersteering.

The final part of the answer is keep on the throttle, as in keep the throttle slightly open. this is the hardest skill to learn and apply when you are a bit scared but you just have to keep applying it and practising it and you will improve with time. I still cut the throttle every now and then but I am a lot lot better than when I started out riding.

All of the above tips work brilliantly well together but need to be practised one at a time to really learn except for trailbraking which you need to save for the track. practise will make you better and a safer rider every day which is what I have learnt over the past few years.

I will discuss all the above topics in length in seperate posts. Till then, please tell your frinds and people to have a read and add if i have missed anything.

Thanks
Angad

[shirish]

Very good info there about the braking and it will surely help many bikers like me
Thanks for sharing it with fellow XBHPians Angad

braking is a big game.....and have to play tactfully by every biker.

Anyway, good usefull info.

[csgup1]

Originally Posted by It's me

braking is a big game.....and have to play tactfully by every biker.

Sorry mate. have no idea what you mean by that. .