What do you do if you're coming into a pretty sharp turn, say an offramp, doing average speed, and as you come around the bend there's a car stopped in front of you. Or a dear, or rocks falling, or anything that you would be best off NOT running into? I don't ride yet, so I'm just curious as to what you do in this situation? It seems that everyone says when you're in a turn, don't brake b/c the rear tire loses traction and then it's all she wrote. So what do you do when you HAVE to brake? Do you just lay it down and slide? Or what?
NEED to brake in a turn...
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1) take the MSF class....rear brake usage is pretty minimalSelf said:
2) straighten up, SQUEEZE the brakes, 70% ft 30% rear
3) take the msf www.msf-usa.org
Last night i was in a pretty sharp turn going pretty fast and saw a nickel in the road in front of me. I did the smartest thing there was, jumped off the bike. God knows if you're in a turn and even look at the brakes you're going down.
On a serious note, don't buy a bike. Ever.
On a serious note, don't buy a bike. Ever.
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Mikael said:
O K.............
I will sometimes drag the rear just enough to help stand the bike up a bit so I can then apply more force to the front brake. You need to really know how much rear brake to apply given your lean angle, speed and your bike's tendency to stand up when the rear brake is used mid corner. My bike is pretty predictable on the brakes and I'm sure it's different from bike to bike. Be careful if you try this. I got really good at it long before I ever needed to do it at the last second. Trying to do it while coming in too hot w/ a car in the oncoming lane is less than smart.
I know many pros use the highside effect of rear braking in corners to actually flick the bike over to the other side during ess curves. It can be done effectively, but is hard to learn and control. They are pros for this reason among many others.
Another thing I've started to try is a tip I read that Eddie Lawson subscribed to. When first braking, give just enough braking force to compress the forks just a bit and THEN apply your normal braking force. This "plants" the front tire just before you actually begin braking hard. This applies more to normal, straight-line braking as opposed to mid-turn like you're asking about, but it also points out that an outright "fistfull" of brake lever is never really the answer. Whether you're upright and pointed straight or not.
I know many pros use the highside effect of rear braking in corners to actually flick the bike over to the other side during ess curves. It can be done effectively, but is hard to learn and control. They are pros for this reason among many others.
Another thing I've started to try is a tip I read that Eddie Lawson subscribed to. When first braking, give just enough braking force to compress the forks just a bit and THEN apply your normal braking force. This "plants" the front tire just before you actually begin braking hard. This applies more to normal, straight-line braking as opposed to mid-turn like you're asking about, but it also points out that an outright "fistfull" of brake lever is never really the answer. Whether you're upright and pointed straight or not.
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NEVER lay it down and slide. Thats a fools way of dealing with their lack of riding skill. Skilled riders call that a crash.
Getting it upright is sometimes not an option... because it might get you head on with oncoming traffic. So first rule is.. if you can't see long enough through the corner, don't go fast. Always plan for something like that happening. Anything else is a gamble, we all do it sometimes but if you make it a habit the odds will quickly turn against you..
Steer away from the obstacle.. lean more if possible, it usually is..
Steer away from the obstacle.. lean more if possible, it usually is..
could be diffrent for me than for all of u, as my bike is a little different, but if I have to brake in a curve I front brake first (not much, very controlled), this lifts me up which makes me go straight but at least I can slow down preaty good, normaly then I have to stop braking and get leaning again a bit, but if I still have to slow down more, then I back brake so that I can lean a bit while doing this so that I don't fly out of the curve.
OR if its at higher speed, I would like to quote The Black Prince: "With a motorcycle You can't evade by braking. You can only evade by accelerating"
OR if its at higher speed, I would like to quote The Black Prince: "With a motorcycle You can't evade by braking. You can only evade by accelerating"
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Also, dont look down or to the side. Keep your eyes straight in front of you. That helps keep the handlebars straight.Self said:Thanks everyone. The answer to my question seems to be get as upright as possible, then squeeze the brakes. No grabbing and watch out with how much rear brake I apply. I'll remember it for when I'm out there!
I never rear brake when I have to brake hard. It's 100% front brake for me. The only time I ever trust that rear brake is when I'm coasting to a leisure stop. When I have to jam on the brakes, especially in a curve, you can bet your ass I'm nowhere near that rear brake.
But as for the question at hand, sometimes it's impossible to straighten up. When I'm in a situation like the one you presented, I just threshold brake until I know I have enough room to coast to a stop.
But as for the question at hand, sometimes it's impossible to straighten up. When I'm in a situation like the one you presented, I just threshold brake until I know I have enough room to coast to a stop.
This is an extremely important point that most of us don't like to remember. If you can't see far enough to stop within the distance you can see, you're going too fast. Even if you know the road, there could be a new obstacle in the turn ahead. That's what is great about the track (at least with corner workers). You can be assured that the corner is clear even if you can't see through it unless the corner worker is waving a flag.bluevfr said:
Clearly bikes brake best when upright. You can then more easily do a panic stop if needed. If you're leaned over in a right-hander and stand it up, you'll likely end up in oncoming traffic (not good). It is possible to brake while leaned over, you just need to know how much is possible usually with only the front. Braking will cause the bike to try to stand up which will make it easier to brake more but will also change your direction. This is the best time to NOT target fixate and definitely look where you want to go and not at what you are trying to avoid.
snigg said:
Its not a good question, because this was included in it:
SOMEJERK said:
That's not a question. That's a statment of insanity. If he honestly thinks that you just lay a bike down when you have to brake in a curve, he does not need to belong to this gene pool.
What do you do when you drive and have to brake a turn? You hit the brakes. You don't smash them, you don't hit what's in front of you, and you don't jump out.
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This person doesn't have a bike and I am assuming this person has not ridden...He is probably just asking that because he hears everyone preach no braking while in turns, so he is not sure what people will do when they need to brake while in a turn.
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