Proper braking technique on a bike is something that even veteran riders can get unsuitable. And a momentary lapse in judgement or a little bit of panic could end in poor technique rearing its ugly head, causing you to lock up a tire. Every road, motorcycle, and rider is barely different, and there isn’t any universal safe-riding technique, but there are some helpful guidelines.
The 70/30 rule is a robust standard practice for applying motorcycle brakes in regular riding situations. The 70/30 rule states that in every braking scenario, the rider should apply each the front and rear brakes for the sake of stability, and it is best to make use of the brakes in a way that around 70% of your braking force is applied to the front wheel, with the remaining 30% of braking force being applied to the rear.
Due to weight transfer under braking, more weight might be applied to the front tire. Because of this, the front brake might be doing the lion’s share of the work. Obviously, when you brake hard enough to get the rear wheel to lift off the pavement (a.k.a. a stoppie or an endo), you are decreasing your rear tire traction to zero, and putting the entire work into the front. Having your rear tire leave the bottom is sub-optimal at best, so you would like to brake hard enough to maximise the work the front wheel is doing without transferring an excessive amount of weight.
Feeding in some right foot braking to the rear first helps to each stabilize the bike under braking while helping to haul it down from speed. Mockingly, since the rear wheel gets lighter under braking anyway, you might have to know the way much rear brake you should use without locking up the rear and causing a skid.
Learning the dynamics of your bike
Many riders will eschew the rear brake altogether, arguing that due to weight transfer, it doesn’t actually do much. Don’t let that squid mentality poison your brain, though, and do not fear using each brakes; they’re there for a reason. The rear brake is incredibly essential to a correct corner setup and just as essential in an emergency stopping situation.
It’s mandatory to get to know your specific bike, too, and its braking system, and the one technique to really learn the way it really works is to ride quite a bit and learn the way the bike reacts to your inputs. With that have comes muscle memory, and your body will know what to do in an emergency scenario. Essentially the most effective braking happens with a soft initial touch, step by step loading the front tire and modulating pressure on the lever and foot brake to slow the bike down. Apply an excessive amount of brake, and you may go over the handlebars, apply an excessive amount of rear brake, and your rear tire could skid out. Knowing how much pressure will cause either scenario will make riding quite a bit safer.
There are definitely scenarios where the 70/30 rule should not be followed, including low-grip situations like rainy day riding or dirt-strewn roads, or irregularly weighted bikes, like whenever you’re carrying a big load or a passenger. The rear brakes will also be utilized by themselves, for instance, after you’ve got leaned right into a corner to correct your line and slow you down (in case your bike doesn’t have corner-sensitive ABS, use this method with excessive caution). But learning to ride in those situations should come after learning the right way to safely apply the brakes in a straight line, without overwhelming either the front or rear tire. Practice using each brakes, in wide-open parking lots or in rider training classes first; that way, you learn the right way to get the utmost effectiveness out of your brakes before an emergency pops up.
This Article First Appeared At www.jalopnik.com
