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Riding Skills Series: The Basics of Hard Braking



By Jason Black
illustrators: Wes Allison

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1. Twenty years ago, you weren't even supposed to touch your front brake.
You'd flip right over on your face, so the stories went. Five years ago,
racers and riders were preaching the exact opposite: "Don't even bother with
the rear brake; the front is all you need." So, in the pursuit of the
ultimate braking performance provided by your average Bandit 600S, we hooked
up our Stalker radar gun and the laptop computer and set out to solve the big
braking question: What is the optimum braking procedure, and how do you do it?




2. Keep your head up when riding, eyes always scanning what's going on around
you. When applying the brakes, squeeze them smoothly, don't yank them. This
gradually transfers weight to the front tire, increasing front tire traction
and reducing the chance of locking the wheel, which eliminates the rider's
control over the motorcycle. A hard stop using the front brake has the front
tire howling on the verge of lock-up. The line between optimum braking and
lock-up is a thin one, so make it a habit to go to an empty parking lot and
practice hard braking. Our braking distance from 60-0 mph using only the
front brake was 151 feet.

3. We didn't judge the distance correctly and nearly ran into the radar gun
for the first rear-brake-only stop from 60 mph. Using the rear brake is
useful when tightening turns, checking surface traction or settling the rear
at corner entrances, but to use the rear brake exclusively in everyday
situations is asking for a Volvo sandwich. Modulating the rear brake is tough
to do without locking it at some point. Press down on the pedal firmly until
you start to hear the tire howl; this is the point just before lock-up, and
is the hardest you can brake without skidding. Impending lock-up is far more
effective at stopping a motorcycle than a locked, skidding tire, so practice
working up to it. If you're not accustomed to using the rear brake, lock-up
is very easy to achieve, as shown in the photo. If lock-up occurs, keep the
tire locked and countersteer in the direction you want to travel before you
release pedal pressure. Braking distance from 60 mph using only the rear
brake was a long 289 feet.




4. Keep at least one finger on the brake lever at all times when riding. This
cuts down on reaction time by eliminating the finger movement from the bar to
the lever in the case of an emergency. Two fingers are generally all that is
needed for hard stops on modern sport bikes.

For our final test, we modulated both the front and rear brakes
simultaneously. Not surprisingly, we brought the motorcycle to a stop in the
shortest distance of the three tests: 146 feet. Both brakes together
undoubtedly provides the best braking performance.

If you're feeling confident, practice your braking over painted lines,
through puddles and on bumpy surfaces, which further bring suspension forces
into play. The more you practice hard braking, the better off you'll be next
time you're forced into a panic-stop situation.

This article originally appeared in the October 1995 issue of <i>Sport
Rider</i>.