Quote:
Originally Posted by JacRyann
At this moment, you probably know enough to get around the streets. Just need to practice the skills so it's automatic. Do the following in parking lots lots:
3. braking. After you get moving, practice squeezing-in clutch then braking to stop. Don't worry about downshifting yet, you can do that once you're completely stopped. After you accelerate at full-throttle after starting, practice front-braking harder and harder. You can start with the both brakes simultaneously, then lighten up on the rear as it starts to slide. You'll find that there's tremendous traction under braking. Practice pushing back with your arms and sliding back in the seat while maintaining control of the bars and brake-lever.
|
Ok, so I appreciate you taking the time to write out some suggestions and things to practice in parking lots or somewhere safely but there are a few things here that I disagree with.
1. In terms of braking, I never squeeze the clutch in first and then brake. This is backwards. You want to get on the front brake lever quickly but smoothly and work on coming to smooth controlled stops by using the front brake first. Pull in the clutch once the bike is slowed down before you come to a complete stop to avoid stalling or who cares about stalling/downshifting for now, just get the braking practice down. Quickly apply the brakes without a stabbing or jabbing motion, smooth progressive but strong pull on the lever to get stopped quickly.
2. Pushing back on the handlebars with your arms under hard braking is a bad idea. You want your arms to be as relaxed and loose as possible without any added pressure into the handlebars as that could cause the front to shake or wobble or to pitch to one side or the other. You DO want to keep yourself from sliding forward into the tank but you should be doing that by using your legs pinching into the tank and NOT your arms pushing on the bars.
I've attached a link to an article I wrote on Emergency Braking
here:
It covers all the basics and clarifies some of what I've written above. Enjoy
