The Scoop on Trailbraking- Keith Code Interview

[Misti]

Pretty cool interview with Keith Code on Trailbraking. Tons of great info


From www.motomom.ca

There is a lot of misunderstanding about the technique of trail braking; specifically people seem to be either for using trail braking, or against it. Keith Code and the California Superbike School are often thought to be in the camp that is against using trail braking and that they only advise getting all your braking done before you begin to turn the motorcycle. In this exclusive interview Code answers all our questions about trail braking.


MotoMom: Let’s start off first by defining trail braking. What exactly is trail braking?



KC: It’s the tapering-off of brake lever pressure for controlling the bike’s rate of deceleration. That’s the most basic definition. Commonly, the term is used to reference the action of tapering-off brake lever pressure while leaning into a corner. Probably the easiest way to illustrate this is to get the idea of keeping the forks compressed roughly the same amount from braking through to leaning the bike into the turn. You would have to coordinate the release of brake pressure with the increase of leaning. The deceleration load on the forks diminishes while the cornering centrifugal force of the turn increases as the bike is leaned. That’s how I originally described and photographed it back in 1983.



MM: Should new riders learn the technique of trail braking?



KC: Every brake release should have some trailing off of lever pressure. Barring something like running off the road, there is no on-road or track cornering circumstance where an abrupt release of brake pressure is optimum.



There is one important quick brake release that riders should master for maximum control in panic braking situations. In an obstacle avoidance scenario, where braking to the last instant before colliding with something and then quickly turning the bike to get by it is necessary, there aren't any options beside that technique.



MM: Is trail braking a race and track only skill or should street riders use it as well?



KC: As just mentioned, it's the correct way to release the lever for any corner entry situation. An abrupt release makes it quite difficult to accurately judge your final entry speed-if we call "entry speed" the speed that is left over right after the brake is released.



We also know that the bike will continue to slow until the gas is back on enough to accelerate it. That in itself is a very interesting subject which most people misunderstand. Most think that rolling the gas on 10 percent or so will maintain their speed but it won't, most bikes continue to slow. At race pace, the bike will be slowing an average of 8 mph per second between the brake release and throttle-on. Specifically, at Laguna Seca on a Supersport bike it requires from 12% to 43% throttle, depending on the corner, before the bike begins to slightly accelerate; up to that point it is losing speed rapidly.



MM: Do you teach trail braking at the California Superbike School?



KC: It’s a key part of our RACE school drills. It also comes up on Level 3 during a drill called Attack Angles. It can be covered at any time during Level 4 classes for which we have specific drills. Otherwise it’s also covered on request at any other point. It's interesting that the very best riders who have trained with us don't ask about it; they've figured out where it applies.

Recently, trail-braking has become a topic. On-board footage of top racers clearly shows this technique in use. Riders intently study this footage trying to pick up wisdom that will make their riding better. Trail braking as a technique seems to have developed its own fan club. From some of its fans one could mistakenly get the idea that it is the "silver bullet" that will cure all your riding problems. Thinking that any one technique in our sport is senior to the others is like saying all a painter needs to be able to paint a masterpiece is to make sure the color “red” is included.



Road racing is a multi-layered, multi-tasking, multi-sense oriented sport where there are no easy routes to achieving your riding goals.



MM: Are there any new braking drills?



KC: Recently, I've been researching all the aspects of braking, amongst other things. Right now my list contains 5 stages of braking control, each with its own on-track drills. There are half a dozen other important aspects to braking that we also use to train and coach our students.



MM: When you coach high-level motorcycle racers like AMA Supersport winner Joe Roberts, British Superbike Champion Leon Camier, etc. do you encourage or teach trail braking?



KC: It rarely comes up as a topic on its own. If a top level racer is having trouble with some aspect of his braking, often there is some underlying problem that when fixed, solves the whole thing. For that caliber of rider you are looking for the least time on the brakes and the earliest on with the gas. In all cases, they want to minimize the time on the brake and maximize the time on the throttle with no coasting.



On the track there are cornering situations that demand some extended trailing of the brakes, mainly places where you can't get the bike turned quickly to your knee. For example, nearly all decreasing radius turns require a longer tapering off of the brake because the steering into them is more gradual. In some double apex turns we will see riders trailing the brakes well past the first apex. Where it applies; it applies.

Read the complete interview here: http://www.motomom.ca/keith-code-on-...ive-interview/

[misfitsailor]

Thanks for sharing! Any advice from Keith Code is good advice.

[Alex]

[CC Cowboy]

I'll try it but, since I only ever use the rear brake I'm not sure it applies.

[alex.s]

Originally Posted by CC Cowboy

I'll try it but, since I only ever use the rear brake I'm not sure it applies.

trail braking with the rear, that's a special hayden corner setup move isn't it?

[CC Cowboy]

Originally Posted by alex.s

trail braking with the rear, that's a special hayden corner setup move isn't it?

That way the front end never washes out.

[Motofool]

Originally Posted by Misti

.............Read the complete interview here: http://www.motomom.ca/keith-code-on-...ive-interview/

As always, excellent presentation and subject, Misti !!!

"Just as the painter must learn to draw well and understand contrast and perspective and form and a dozen other things to make that masterpiece so the rider must have the underpinnings to be able to make decisions on his handling of corners and to make them his own. It’s the ART OF CORNERING not just the techniques."

[Misti]

Originally Posted by Motofool

As always, excellent presentation and subject, Misti !!!

"Just as the painter must learn to draw well and understand contrast and perspective and form and a dozen other things to make that masterpiece so the rider must have the underpinnings to be able to make decisions on his handling of corners and to make them his own. It’s the ART OF CORNERING not just the techniques."

Cool thanks My favourite part of the article is when Keith says, "where it applies, it applies." meaning that the technique of trail braking is useful in the corners where it is necessary, not in all or every single situation.

[ally99]

Great article!
I use my rear brake when mountain biking all the time to tighten up a corner. That's fun as hell! I don't touch it on the track though. I started playing around with trailbraking through a corner or two at Jennings using the front brake, but I'm nowhere near comfortable with it. I'm still at the point of preferring to be completely off the brakes before tipping in.
I want to go to the California Superbike School!

[ally99]

Originally Posted by Motofool

"Just as the painter must learn to draw well and understand contrast and perspective and form and a dozen other things to make that masterpiece so the rider must have the underpinnings to be able to make decisions on his handling of corners and to make them his own. It’s the ART OF CORNERING not just the techniques."

...and this! Exactly Hernan! You have beautiful words!

[Motofool]

Originally Posted by Misti

Cool thanks My favourite part of the article is when Keith says, "where it applies, it applies." meaning that the technique of trail braking is useful in the corners where it is necessary, not in all or every single situation.

I have found this part especially interesting:

The big negative is that the fork’s are restricted in their ability to rotate side to side that slight amount that you feel when cornering. That slight oscillation is necessary for the bike’s stability, which I covered in A Twist of the Wrist, Vol II.

These forces are in conflict with one another and the forks become less compliant, less able to follow the road’s surface changes, under those conditions. The tire then begins to “dance” over the ripples and bumps. This, I’m convinced, contributes greatly in even the top riders losing the front and low-siding while trail-braking.

For single-disc front brakes, there is a twisting torque that deforms the tubes while they try stopping that disc from rotating.

This is key to be understood:

It’s the tapering-off of brake lever pressure for controlling the bike’s rate of deceleration. That’s the most basic definition. Commonly, the term is used to reference the action of tapering-off brake lever pressure while leaning into a corner. Probably the easiest way to illustrate this is to get the idea of keeping the forks compressed roughly the same amount from braking through to leaning the bike into the turn. You would have to coordinate the release of brake pressure with the increase of leaning. The deceleration load on the forks diminishes while the cornering centrifugal force of the turn increases as the bike is leaned. That’s how I originally described and photographed it back in 1983.

Simply braking deep into the turn is not trail braking.
Gradually releasing pressure on the lever as the front contact patch and springs gradually "feel" additional load from side forces is.

IMHO, those who have a better feeling for what the contact patches and springs are standing, better understand and perform the art of cornering.

[csmith12]

Hey @Ally, think of trail braking as "teddy bear breaking" in reverse, remember at Jennings? How would it feel for you if you did most of your hard braking up front and then finesse the later part?

[ally99]

Originally Posted by csmith12

Hey @Ally, think of trail braking as "teddy bear breaking" in reverse, remember at Jennings? How would it feel for you if you did most of your hard braking up front and then finesse the later part?

It would feel pretty good if I wasn't so pussy about hard braking and wasn't so dead set to be off the brakes before I lean. I got a lot harder on 'em day 2 though!
Maybe I'll get another chance to practice one day.

[csmith12]

Originally Posted by ally99

Maybe I'll get another chance to practice one day.

You know damn right....

[Motofool]

A controversial article:

http://www.cycleworld.com/2014/05/28...raking-skills/

[adouglas]

I just completed my first track day experience and all I can say about trail braking is this...

Ohhhhhh... NOW I get it!

On the street I tried to practice this skill but got exactly nowhere. Applying enough brake at street speed to have any kind of a noticeable effect is too much. But at speed... it just feels natural. I was doing it before even realizing that I was doing it.

And as the day went on I started experimenting with it in this one hairpin. Tried trail braking all the way to the apex, then taking the turn without trail braking. HUGE HUGE HUGE difference in bike stability, but it only comes out at speed.

[JeffM]

Originally Posted by Motofool

A controversial article:

http://www.cycleworld.com/2014/05/28...raking-skills/

Not cotroversial to me.

Here is a video of Shane Turpin following Ken Hill at Miller East. Keep an eye on Ken's brake light as he trail brakes to the apex on the corners.

Link to original page on YouTube.

[Jim L]

I have reread all the post here several times.
I finally occurred to me that there are two braking threads here; and the Cycle World article holds the key, "there is no penalty for a slow corner entry on the street".

Thanks to JeffM for the Miller track video. I have a lot of time on this track, both east and west, track and race days, NS125 and CBR600. Track braking is controlled by front brake only; and rear brake is pit only. As the bike is leaned over, the brake is feathered out, the body position moves down and forward to keep the front end loaded. This is a 100% maximum effort event. If it's not perfect, you lose time, and your buddy beats you. Yuck...

Street is about protection. Having 100% of the threats analyzed BEFORE committing to a line/speed turn. I was on a buddy's VTR and he was on a Duc. Two turns, a blind right followed by a open left with a slight crown, which was just enough to obscure the exit pavement. He lead at a faster pace.

I am always suspicious of blind rights, as it is quite common to have trailers kick gravel onto the road surface at the apex, so my line/speed was set for this. No problem, so on the the left. It was easy and my line was away from the center line, but no sign of my buddy.

He was down and off to the right side. Just beyond his turn apex, the crown had hidden a puddle of antifreeze from earlier in the day. I didn't see it until moments before I was in it. He lost a little skin (jeans and jacket) and some pricy Duc scratches.

Moral? Please don't treat the road as a track. Both riding styles in this thread are correct, but only under their specific conditions. I have been to Code street/track classes and both are excellent. Trail braking at maximum levels is not correct for the road, nor is using a rear brake at speed anywhere.

Track days a wonderful fun. There nothing better, especially if you are expanding your skills. The road is just like a track with the yellow flag out. Wind the speed back and no passing, because somethings up.

Be careful, have fun, learn a lot.

These are just opinions from an old guy and respectfully submitted.
Cheers,

[Motofool]

".......Every brake release should have some trailing off of lever pressure. Barring something like running off the road, there is no on-road or track cornering circumstance where an abrupt release of brake pressure is optimum.

There is one important quick brake release that riders should master for maximum control in panic braking situations. In an obstacle avoidance scenario, where braking to the last instant before colliding with something and then quickly turning the bike to get by it is necessary, there aren’t any options beside that technique.

.......For that caliber of rider you are looking for the least time on the brakes and the earliest on with the gas. In all cases, they want to minimize the time on the brake and maximize the time on the throttle with no coasting."

Link to original page on YouTube.