| Author | Message | ||
     Fl_a1a |
From: Street Strategies: A Survival Guide for Motorcyclists -Cover or slightly apply your breaks approach an intersection or alley way. | ||
| Bhmax |
Unless I'm WOT, I'm always covering the brake lever. | ||
| Fl_a1a |
I tried always covering the breaks but could not get comfortable doing that for long periods of time. | ||
| Jlnance |
There is disagreement as to whether covering the front brake is a good idea. I don't cover mine because I was taught not to. I'm not sure if that is a good decisions or not, I go back and forth on it. Certainly covering the brake reduces your reaction time. Certainly grabbing a hand full of front brake at the wrong time will put you on your ass. If you're never going to make a mistake, then covering the front is definitely the right thing to do. If your instinct when things get swirly is to apply brakes, like mine is, then perhaps it's better to keep your hands off them. I've read Keith Code, and Jason Pridmore's books. The both recommend covering the front. Thats a pretty strong endorsement. At the same time those guys are racers, they are exactly the people who have sufficient experience so to avoid applying brakes at the wrong time. | ||
| Isham |
The MSF recommends beginners not to cover the brakes because they might panic and grab it really hard. I think if your a real cool kind of riders like I am it's safe to cover. I always have my hand covering both brakes and clutch. | ||
| Fl_a1a |
I wonder if it would be better to cover the rear break when cross the intersection. Easier and more comfy to do, not as much full stopping power. You won't loose as much time reacting to the situation and one second later you can grab the front breaks if needed. | ||
| Terminator |
I always cover the front with my index finger, and in even when ive had to brake extremely heavy, ONE finger is all i have ever needed !!! | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
I have wide short fingers (thanks sausage fingered, pig farmer relatives). When I cover, I can only get the middle finger to initially bite anyway. As I squeeze, I can progressively get more of my stumps on the lever. Best of both worlds. No panic grabs. Reduced reaction time. Fortunately for many, I missed my calling as a proctologist. | ||
| Sslowmo |
i keep a finger on both, clutch and brake.i need two fingers to pull in the clutch, but one finger for brake. i also set the lever so the tip of my ,nose picking, finger is resting on it. when i release the throttle and squeeze the brake it's right where i need it. you should practice panic stops on every ride. | ||
| Fullpower |
" I missed my calling as a proctologist." Thank God for small favors. I always keep 2 fingers on brake lever in town, or around populated areas. | ||
| Macbuell |
It's a habit for me to do it. I always have two fingers covering my front brake lever at all times. I've even caught myself with my fingers covering my brake lever when I'm all alone on an open stretch of highway. I'm not sure how much time it saves in terms of reaction time but I don't want to ever find out. | ||
| Macbuell |
Oh, and here is another tip to go along with that. When approaching an intersection or side street and you see a car pull up, assume the car will pull out in front of you and plan escape routes. | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
I find that it's also pretty hard to "death grip" the bars covering the brake and clutch. Covering both provides for a more relaxed grip, less fatigue, and reduced unintended rider inputs. | ||
| Djkaplan |
"It's a habit for me to do it. I always have two fingers covering my front brake lever at all times." Same here... always. I don't worry about the rear, though. | ||
| Djkaplan |
"When approaching an intersection or side street and you see a car pull up, assume the car will pull out in front of you and plan escape routes." Same here... always. I assume all drivers are out to kill me because I'm so much cooler and better looking than they are. Another tip: When stopped at a traffic light, point your handlebars towards the escape route you plan on taking if the car behind you doesn't stop, and keep checking behind you with the mirror that's on the side you intend on going. Scan left and right by turning the handlebars slightly and don't take your eyes off the mirror until you know you're safe. Everyone plans escape routes at stop lights, right? | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
I also apply and disengage the brakes at stop lights to make sure my light "flashes". I also never take it out of gear. Hard to believe a big bastard on a large "adventure" bike could blend into the car in front, but it happens. | ||
| Xbullet |
1 finger each, clutch and brake. squeezing (not hitting!) that front brake goin' through a turn will teach you how the bike will react if you do have to slow down mid-corner. nothin' worse than grabbin' too much front brake in that sharp lefty and goin' right, or vice versa. practice panic stops in turns! | ||
| Jsg4dfan |
Not too hard for me to believe -- a year or so ago, my Dad was punted underneath the Blazer in front of him while he sat at a light on -- get this -- a Kawasaki Concours. Not exactly an easy machine to miss, you might say. Dad was well bruised, but otherwise okay. The Connie was DOA. A few years before that happened, I was waiting one red light north from where Dad got hit, and some clod stopped only one foot away from the car in front of me. My then only briefly started habit of stopping on the extreme edge of the lane is the only thing that saved me. His passenger side fender was about 4 inches away from my clutch hand! So, there's my tip -- at a stop sign/red light where you're not in front, always stop well off to one side so that there is nothing directly in front of you, and watch your mirrors. That way, if the obliviot coming up behind is about to make you into a hood ornament, you'll be able to rotate (right hand), release (left hand), and launch in between the vehicles in front of you, letting them take it in the rear. May you never need to use it... | ||
| Slaughter |
I hate lane splitting (though it's legal in CA) - but coming up to stopped traffic it is really nice to pull ahead of the vehicles - at least you have a steel wall behind you. | ||
| Wantxbr |
Lane splitting is not legal here we call it Lane Sharing... It's illegal to ride on the line. Passing someone in their lane is O.K. WHY? Who knows. Cali is messed up with all there laws. I also ride with two finger on my front brake lever. Habit since I was 9yrsold. Always look in the areas where a car CAN potencially come out from. Alleys, Parking Lots, Driveways, Side Streets and so on. (Message edited by wantxbr on June 11, 2007) | ||
| Slaughter |
True enough. Can't cross the line without using a signal - you CAN share the lane. Correction noted. It's a subtlety but can still get you a ticket for illegal lane change. Right you are. Still nice to pull ahead of stopped traffic waiting for a light! | ||
| Dutchboy |
Street Strategies is a great book! I always cover the front brake, and practice progressively braking. Grabbing a fist-full of front brake is certainly a risk when you have to suddenly brake, but if you're covering the brake already you've given yourself a second more time to get slowed down, which translates into more distance to slow down. And if you've been practicing your braking, and you always use them progressively you're less likely to grab too much in an emergency. Anyway, Street Strategies is chock full of two-page treatments of the sorts of situations you can come across when riding. This book has saved my skin (if not more) on many occasions. | ||
| Itchybro |
THIS book helped me more than anything I've come across. It's written in easy to understand language (much more so than the Keith Code stuff) By the way, Ienatsch is the guy that wrote The Pace. (Which I'd love to tattoo on a few foreheads at the Gap) I feel the cover is a bit misleading as it's not all about "getting a knee down". When combined with David Hough's two excellent books, you have a good beginning. Then again, ANYTHING that helps you out there is GOOD stuff! | ||
| 12r |
Covering the front brake lever helps prevent wind resistance operating the brake at high speeds (c) Valentino Rossi  | ||
| Dutchboy |
Posted by itchybro: THIS book helped me more than anything I've come across. It's written in easy to understand language (much more so than the Keith Code stuff) By the way, Ienatsch is the guy that wrote The Pace. (Which I'd love to tattoo on a few foreheads at the Gap) I feel the cover is a bit misleading as it's not all about "getting a knee down". When combined with David Hough's two excellent books, you have a good beginning. Then again, ANYTHING that helps you out there is GOOD stuff! +1! Ienatsch's book makes great use of pictures to illustrate his points. Hough's books are a little (lot) heavier on text. But for about $100 all together this set is worth every penny | ||
| Wantxbr |
Still nice to pull ahead of stopped traffic waiting for a light! OH SO TRUE! | ||
| Tdiddy |
I pull ahead at the lights so the little girl pretending to Britney Hilton or whoever talking on the cell while breathing through her mouth and wearing HUGE sunglasses can't run into me with out really trying hard. | ||
| Captain_nartman |
Just Pretend EVERY cage is out ta Murder you n You'll be Fine. Worked fer Me for 25 years, and 3 of Those were as a motorcycle Courier in Melbourne Traffic 10 Hours a day... and 10 Years up here in the Alice as a Motorcycle Tour Guide.. (spammin mates site sorry: http://centraloz.biz) although with almost Zero Traffic, Folks as First-Time Pillions are Just as Much of a mystery Entity as a car Stopped at a T-Intersection Pullin out in Front ofya. N x |
