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Short version
Use the front brake as your main source of braking on tarmac, even in the wet.
Use 2 fingers on the brake lever to give the best feel and modulation of the pressure.
Use the setup and Squeeze method. This essentially means with the 2 fingers on the brake, put a little bit of pressure on the lever so the pads in the calipers start rubbing the discs. once this is done you can start applying more and more pressure on the brake without the wheel locking up. At the same time, use the other fingers to roll off the throttle
Finally set up your body by sitting further back in the seat and gripping the tank with your knees to keep front tyre from feilding undue weight.
Long version:
Theres a bit of information going around on the site about how to brake and the following topic is one such area where there is GOOD information EXCEPT the last post which tells people to use the front brake in short bursts. I dont understand where that is coming from because if it was effective you would see motogp guys doing it.
Its information like that in the last post and a few posts in the engine braking area that makes me cringe. Its not just people doing it wrong themselves, its the fact that they are preaching it to other people.
The worst 'braking myth' I have seen on the site and in real life is the dont use the front brakes, only use the rear. I thought this was fairly rare till my cousins in mumbai and their friends were absolutely admant this was the right way to brake. I wonder why there are bigger discs on the front then
Here are a few tips I have learnt from the track from some very experienced riders. the seems to me the best way to wash off speed on the track or on the road. It works well with the bikes suspension to give the front tyre maximum grip to go over all the crap on indian roads.
The first and the most important rule in braking is that majority of braking power comes from the front brakes when on tarmac. this is the case even in the wet. the only time you need to be weary of the front brakes is when you are on a loose gravel or dirt road.
the second part is how do you apply the brakes. the last picture in the above link topic shows the ideal set up for braking with 2 fingers on the bar. this genreally gives you more than enough pressure and accuracy to modulate the brake lever.
The correct technique to put pressure on the brake lever is the set up and squeeze technique. This essentially means with the 2 fingers on the brake, put a little bit of pressure on so the pads in the calipers start rubbing the discs. once this is done you can start applying more and more pressure on the brake without the wheel locking up. If you grab a handful of brake without the initial feathering , you have a greater chance of locking up the front.
The other part is using the other 2 fingers and your thube to simultaeously roll off the throttle as you increase braking pressure.
This takes a little bit of practise but once you are used to it, it is the quickest and best way to wash off speed.
The third part about braking is setting up the body so you give suspension the best chance to load properly. Suspension in indian bikes is extremely soft so this is all the more important to take as much weight off the front wheel as possible. before you start to brake , you need to set your body up for braking. The ideal way to do this is stay further back on the seat and clasp your knees together as tightly as you can and grip the tank . This will ensure you are locked on the bike in a good position and are not putting undue pressure on the bars. more so it will ensure that your weight is more towards the back of the bike than the front thereby not putting undue pressure on the front suspension
Finally if you are on the track and trying just to wash off speed and not come to a halt, trailing the brakes off is a technique that settles the suspension well and doing the opposite of the setup and squeeze method means you are getting on the throttle early.
thats most of what Ive learnt and I still have a lot to learn. If I have missed something please feel free to add it here.
From second page a question and answer
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
Use the front brake as your main source of braking on tarmac, even in the wet.
Use 2 fingers on the brake lever to give the best feel and modulation of the pressure.
Use the setup and Squeeze method. This essentially means with the 2 fingers on the brake, put a little bit of pressure on the lever so the pads in the calipers start rubbing the discs. once this is done you can start applying more and more pressure on the brake without the wheel locking up. At the same time, use the other fingers to roll off the throttle
Finally set up your body by sitting further back in the seat and gripping the tank with your knees to keep front tyre from feilding undue weight.
Long version:
Theres a bit of information going around on the site about how to brake and the following topic is one such area where there is GOOD information EXCEPT the last post which tells people to use the front brake in short bursts. I dont understand where that is coming from because if it was effective you would see motogp guys doing it.
Its information like that in the last post and a few posts in the engine braking area that makes me cringe. Its not just people doing it wrong themselves, its the fact that they are preaching it to other people.
The worst 'braking myth' I have seen on the site and in real life is the dont use the front brakes, only use the rear. I thought this was fairly rare till my cousins in mumbai and their friends were absolutely admant this was the right way to brake. I wonder why there are bigger discs on the front then
Here are a few tips I have learnt from the track from some very experienced riders. the seems to me the best way to wash off speed on the track or on the road. It works well with the bikes suspension to give the front tyre maximum grip to go over all the crap on indian roads.
The first and the most important rule in braking is that majority of braking power comes from the front brakes when on tarmac. this is the case even in the wet. the only time you need to be weary of the front brakes is when you are on a loose gravel or dirt road.
the second part is how do you apply the brakes. the last picture in the above link topic shows the ideal set up for braking with 2 fingers on the bar. this genreally gives you more than enough pressure and accuracy to modulate the brake lever.
The correct technique to put pressure on the brake lever is the set up and squeeze technique. This essentially means with the 2 fingers on the brake, put a little bit of pressure on so the pads in the calipers start rubbing the discs. once this is done you can start applying more and more pressure on the brake without the wheel locking up. If you grab a handful of brake without the initial feathering , you have a greater chance of locking up the front.
The other part is using the other 2 fingers and your thube to simultaeously roll off the throttle as you increase braking pressure.
This takes a little bit of practise but once you are used to it, it is the quickest and best way to wash off speed.
The third part about braking is setting up the body so you give suspension the best chance to load properly. Suspension in indian bikes is extremely soft so this is all the more important to take as much weight off the front wheel as possible. before you start to brake , you need to set your body up for braking. The ideal way to do this is stay further back on the seat and clasp your knees together as tightly as you can and grip the tank . This will ensure you are locked on the bike in a good position and are not putting undue pressure on the bars. more so it will ensure that your weight is more towards the back of the bike than the front thereby not putting undue pressure on the front suspension
Finally if you are on the track and trying just to wash off speed and not come to a halt, trailing the brakes off is a technique that settles the suspension well and doing the opposite of the setup and squeeze method means you are getting on the throttle early.
thats most of what Ive learnt and I still have a lot to learn. If I have missed something please feel free to add it here.
From second page a question and answer
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
I've made the thread sticky so that it's easily accessible.
what the... @#$%^ when i heard of theories like start braking with the rear brakes (even on tarmac and on the track) and theories like pumping the brakes, to be honest i was blown away that what i have learnt over my biking years is all rubbish
like you came in to save some of the ppl like me who over the years believe that most of the braking comes from the front and not the rear and i do get the thing said by you "setup and squeeze method " .
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