Each wheel of a bike supplies a different amount of braking force. Under braking, the weight of he bike shift forward onto the front wheel, improving front tire grip. The largest braking effort is produced by the front wheel; a smaller, but significant amount is produced by the rear wheel.
Excessive pressure on the rear brake will cause the rear tire to lock. On a curve his will cause the back end to swing out and will destabilize the sideways balance of the bike.
Some riders are reluctant to use the front brake in any condition because they fear the possibility of locking the front wheel. This means they loose most of their braking capability.
Reliance on the rear brake alone has serious disadvantages, especially under hard braking. The rear wheel rise, lock and bounce along the road which will extend the braking distance and destabilize the bike.
When to apply the brakes and by how much depends on:
your speed
the space available
the road surface
your assessment of the appropriate speed for the approaching hazard
Braking should normally be progressive and increased steadily until most of the unwanted speed has been lot.
Do you know the braking capabilities of the bike you ride?
Find a suitable location with clear views where you can test your brakes without affecting other road users. Practice using your brakes:
use both brakes together
use front brake alone
use rear brake alone
These test should give you the confidence to use your brakes to the full when necessary. Always be aware of the effects of cornering and slippery survaces on your ability to brake without locking the wheels.
The key is to be able to slow down or stop you bike with it fully under control. Accurately estimating the required stopping distance at different speeds and conditions is a central skill of safe riding.
There are three ways of slowing or stopping:
decelerating (closing the throttle)
engine braking using the gears (recommended only in slippery conditions or steep hills)
Using the brakes
Deceleration
Closing the throttle, by means of engine compression, slows the rear wheel. This reduces road speed smoothly and gradually. The lower the gear the greater the loss of speed.
Engine braking operates only on the rear wheel and is a very effective way of losing speed.
Using the Gears
This technique makes use of the greater engine braking capability of lower gears. It operates only on the rear wheel.
In using this technique, select a lower gear and before the clutch is released, use the throttle to match the engine speed to the selected gear and road speed. Release the clutch smoothly. After the clutch is fully released, reduce road speed by gradually closing the throttle.
If you mismatch the engine speed to the road speed, using the clutch unevenly or decelerating too rapidly, risks causing a skid.
Using the Brakes
Don’t mess around with engine braking if you need to slow down quickly; use the brakes. Correct use of the brakes can slow you quickly and effectively. Incorrect use can cause a collision or lose of control. Many riders do not use their front brakes, even in an emergency. Many crashes can be avoided if the brakes are used to their full capacity.
Guidelines:
brake firmly only when traveling in a straight line
brake in plenty of time
adjust brake pressure to the condition of the road surface
avoid using the front brakes when the bide is banked, when turning and on loose or slippery surfaces
on hills, brake on the straight stretches and ease off on the curves
The way you use the gears can make or mar your riding. Your bike can only deliver the necessary power to increase speed if you are in the right gear. Skillful use of gears is going to depend on choosing the right gear for the road speed and accurately matching the engine speed through the chosen gear by precise use of clutch and throttle.
Braking and changing gears
The sequential gearbox on a bike doesn’t allow intermediate gears to be missed when changing up or down. When speed is lost through braking, multiple changing down of gears is required. There are two ways to do this:
Block changing
Sequential changing
Block Changing
During the later stages of braking, hold in the clutch lever and change down the gears until the appropriate lower gear is selected, then release the clutch.
This technique allows rapid movement through the gears, but depends on correctly choosing the appropriate gear for the road speed and accurately counting gears. If too low a gear is selected there is a risk of locking the rear wheel and skidding.
Sequential Changing
As speed is lost during braking, work down through each gear, engaging the next lower gear as its optimum speed range is entered.
At each stage, accurately match the engine speed and gear to the road speed.
This technique allows engine braking to slow the bike. The appropriate gear for the speed is engaged throughout and because the drive is engaged, except during changes, the bike remains stable. The rider also has the option of immediate power if needed.
Key Points:
recognize when to change gear by the soun of the engine
choose the right gear for the road speed
brake in good time to slow to the right road speed as you approach a hazard, passing intermediate gears to select the appropriate gear
use the brakes rather than the gears to slow the bike (except during hill descents)
The design of motorcycles allows for high power-to-weight ratios and can outperform all cars except high-performance racing or sports cars. This ability to accelerate rapidly allows the rider to avoid conflicts with other traffic.
For the inexperienced or novice riders, however, the power-to-weight ratio can prove hazardous. Conspicuity of motorcycles continues to be a problem. Even if seen by other drivers, adequate judgment of its approach speed is often difficult. A misconception of size, velocity and time makes the driver think he has more time.
The small profile of the motorcycle and lack of highway reference points by which to judge approach speed may give the illusion to the driver that he or she can execute turns safely before the motorcycle becomes a hazard.
Build a picture of what is happening. Use your eyes in a scanning motion, sweeping the whole environment. Riders who scan, looking for hazards, have a lower risk of crash than riders who concentrate only on one area.
Use your mirrors frequently and consider checking over your shoulder when it is not safe to rely on your mirrors alone.
Rear Observation
A combination of mirror checks and looking behind, which ensures you are always fully aware of what is happening behind you. Looking behind is important because the view through the mirrors on some motorcycles is restricted, leaving significant blind spots.
Because there is an element of risk in taking your eyes off the road, avoid prolonged rear observation.
Consider rear observation when you are about to change position or speed as you approach and negotiate a hazard.
Peripheral Vision
Learn to react to your peripheral vision as well as your central vision. Peripheral vision is good at sensing movement. This helps to alert us to areas that need to be checked more closely.
Peripheral vision gives us our sense of speed and lateral position, registers the movement of other vehicles and acts as a cue for central vision.
Your helmet and/or visor may restrict your peripheral vision. To overcome this, move your head slightly from side to side so that you are aware of what’s happening alongside you.
How Speed Affects Observation
At 70 mph the shortest distance in which you can react and stop is 315 feet. To anticipate events at this speed you need to be scanning everything between you and the horizon.
At speed, vibration can distort vision
The faster you go the further you need to look ahead. As your speed increases, consciously look beyond the point where your eyes naturally come to rest
Fatigue limits your ability to see
Speed increases the distance you travel before you can react to what you have seen. You need to build this into your safe stopping distance. When you double your speed, you quadruple your baking distance
Your ability to take in foreground detail decreases with speed and increases as you slow down. In high traffic you must slow down to be able to take in all the information necessary to ride safely
ABS technology provides emergency safety in low-traction conditions and conditions where traction changes quickly. It does not allow a rider to enter curves at higher speeds or to shorten safe following distances.
ABS brake application while the bike is in a lean can cause a slide-out or failure to maintain lane placement.
The ABS system on cars allows the driver to perform steering actions under heavy braking. This works because of the dual-track design inherent in cars. The motorcycle, a single-track vehicle, cannot change steering input under maximum braking.
The ABS equipped motorcycle will brake in a straight line. Some things to consider regarding AS systems on motorcycles:
Braking must be hard to activate ABS. The ABS functions best under emergency applications.
ABS will not help the rider who does not perform collision avoidance maneuvers or fails to use the brakes
Even if only the rear brake is applied, it will prevent a lockup of the rear wheel and a possible slide-out but will still render only 30% to 40% braking capability
Brain injuries occur in various ways, the most obvious being through a blow to the head. The skull will cushion a light blow and the brain receives little if any force from the impact. If the impact is hard, the severity will depend on the mass, size and speed of the impacting object and its shape and hardness, then the brain may sustain more severe damage.
The object of the helmet is to distribute the forces of impact over a wider area, preventing the concentration of forces which could cause severe head injury.
The helmet performs four important unctions which must be clearly understood in order to understand its role:
Prevent surface injuries to the scalp, such as: lacerations, abrasions, contusions, etc.
May prevent skull fractures and crushing or deforming injuries. It will at least dampen and reduce the extent or severity of injuries.
It may prevent or lessen the injuries where the neck joins the head.
Brain injuries will depend not only on the magnitude of forces, but also the rate at which energy is transferred. The helmet helps to decrease the rate at which energy is transferrred. It does this by acting as a “crush zone”, significantly reducing the severity and extent of the injury effect. It could be the difference between a fatal versus non-fatal injury.
In short, it provides a greater chance for survial and may even prevent serious injury.
Not all helmets meet safty approval. In ascending order, make sure your helmet has one of the following endorsements:
Department of Transportation (DOT) Standard (basic standards for all helmets sold).
American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Standard (referred to as the Z90.1 standard, more stringent than DOT)
Snell Memorial Foudation Standard (even more stringent requirements)
There are several myths that sometimes provoke debate among motorcyclists and can lead to dangerous advice being given. Some of the dangerous advice given are:
Intentionally ground the motorcycle when a crash is imminent (“laying it down”).Instead of performing an evasive maneuver, the inexperienced rider will often lay the bike over onto its side as a last ditch effort. A sliding motorcycle has less stopping ability than properly braked tires.
Accelerate to recover from high speed instability (wobble or weave). In actuality the rider should gently ease off the throttle, place his upper body on the gas tank to effectively change the center of gravity and gradually slow down. Initially accelerating may slow the wobble or weave until the next oscillation occurs, but then the result will be a much more pronounced instability. Hard braking will alter the suspension characteristics and may likewise cause a crash.
Accelerate around a turn to regain control. The safest way to approach a turn on a curve is to slow down before entering it. Acceleration should be undertaken only near the end of the curve. Rapidly applying the throttle in the turn, when the bike is in a lean could result in the rear tire breaking traction and the bike going into a slide. The same effect may occur with substantial rear-brake application.
Avoid using the front brakes because it will throw the rider over the handlebars. In reality, the front brake is responsible for 60 to 70 percent of the bike’s stopping power and should be used. In emergency braking situations, the effective center of mass of the bike shifts forward toward the front wheel and tire, which creates a higher adhesion value to the front tire that tends to prevent the front wheel from locking unless the brake torque is extremely high. Another consequence is that the traction force n the rear wheel and tire is reduced, allowing the rear wheel to lock up and slide. With braking action on the front wheel, the rear wheel, even if locked, will not move from side to side and the bike will continue straight.
New riders need to take more time to become familiar with their machine. Skill and strategies need to be developed. Statistically, most crashes occur within the first six months of riding. If the rider is on a borrowed machine, the likelihood is even greater that he may be unfamiliar with certain operating or handling characteristics.
On an uphill grade truck tractors will travel very slowly because of their weight; usually, it will have the four way flashers going to warn others (hey, this is going to take a while).
On a two lane road, what can be expected behind the truck? A long line of disgruntled drivers. Every so often one might poke out into the opposing lane to try to see around the truck for clearance. Heck, one might even try to pass the truck.
Watch for vehicles immediately behind the truck that you cannot see, which might be the one’s more apt to attempt a passing maneuver since they only have to clear the truck and not a line of traffic too.
If your riding on that opposing lane, be aware of this!
Some things you can do:
reduce your speed, which always means more reaction time
make sure you are in the appropriate gear to match road speed
engine braking is preferable on steep grades; avoid over-heating your brakes, which will reduce stopping efficiency (distance)
position yourself to the nearside (road edge) for the best or earliest detection of a hazard
ride with your clutch and front brake covered for the quickest stop if needed
watch your rear for someone not as diligent as you and is increasing speed on the downhill
tap your brakes to warn traffic behind you that you are slowing down
consider sounding your horn if the situation calls for it
Strong winds, especially cross-winds, are hazardous because they can blow you off course. Sudden gusts of cross-wind are the most dangerous and are likely to occur:
in gusty weather
when leaving the shelter of buildings
in intersections
when passing or being passed by a large vehicle
in exposed places, like bridges, viaducts, hill crests, etc.
When strong winds are likely, keep your speed low and plan your course to give additional space to your downwind side. Even at speeds as low as 30 mph you may be blown around. Larger bikes with full fairings and closed-in bodies are particularly at risk of deflection in strong winds.
Weather and road surface
Remember, besides affecting visibility, weather will affect road surface. Snow, rain or ice will greatly reduce tire grip, making skids and aquaplaning more likely. Standing water, from whatever cause, also reduces tire grip.
Be aware that special hazards exist in summer. Dust on the road, rain after a long dry spell, melted asphalt and loose chippings.
Micro Climates
Micro climates can cause frost and wet patches to linger in some areas after they have disappeared elsewhere. Landscape features such as valley bottoms, shaded hillsides and slopes, or large areas of shadow cast by trees or buildings can cause ice to linger and result in skidding.
Bridge surfaces are often colder than the surrounding roads because they are exposed on all sides and can be icy when nearby roads are not. Patchy fog is particularly dangerous and is a common cause of multiple pile-ups.
Adapt you riding to weather conditions
Bad weather gets a bad wrap and is often blamed for causing crashes, but the real cause is inappropriate riding for the existing conditions. Riding in dense fog at a speed at which you can stop in the distance you can see to be clear means riding so slowly that the trip may not be worth while.
The best way to deal with a skid is not to get into one in the first place. Careful observation, the correct speed for the conditions and adequate braking distances are crucial for safe riding.
Weather affects your physical and mental condition, how far you can see and how your motorcycle handles.
When weather conditions reduce visibility, you should reduce your speed and regularly check your actual speed on the speedometer. Always be able to stop within the distance you can see to be clear.
Weather which reduces visibility:
cold weather
fog and mist
heavy rain
hail
snow and sleet
bright sunshine
Use of lights in bad weather
Lights have two purposes. They help you to see better and they help others see you. In daylight, the latter is more important.
Daytime running lights are now common on most motorcycles – should be used in rain, snow, mist or fog.
Do not use high beams when you are behind another vehicle in fog – it may dazzled the driver and will cast a shadow of the vehicle on the fog ahead, disrupting the driver view.
The brilliance of fog lights masks the brake lights – allow more distance between you and the vehicle in front and aim to brake gently yourself
Riding in bad weather
If you must ride in bad weather, use anti-misting spray on your visor, glasses and mirrors. Regularly check your speedometer for actual speed. You cannot rely on your eyes to judge speed accurately in these conditions. Low visibility distorts your perception of speed.
Observing when visibility is low
When visibility is low, ride so you can stop in the distance you can see to be clear. Use the edge of the roadway fog lines. Staring into featureless mist tires the eyes very quickly. Focus instead on what you can see:
the vehicle in front
the edge of the road
the road ahead
Avoid fixing your focus on the tail lights of the vehicle in front because they will tend to draw you towards it. Be ready to use your horn to advise others of your presence.
At intersections, listen for other vehicles and consider using your horn.
As you ride the road will have different zones of visibility. In some areas your view will be good and in others you will only be able to see what is immediately in front of you. Where your view is restricted, use alternative sources of information.
Typical areas with restricted view are intersections in towns and winding roads in suburban areas.
When you approach a hazard where you view is restricted, position your bike to get the best view. Take every opportunity to improve your observation of converging roads and the road ahead.
Opportunities are presented by open spaces and breaks in hedges, fences or walls. It is often possible to assess the severity of a curve or grade by the position of trees or light poles.
Look for these features:
open spaces and breaks in hedges
the curvature of a row of poles or trees
reflections in shop windows
moving shadow or light cast by low sunlight or headlights
Keep your distance
Other vehicles also affect how much you can see. The closer you are to the vehicle in front the less you will be able to see beyond it, especially if it is large.
It is vital to have a good view of the road ahead because of the speeds involved. Your view will depend on:
the curvature and grade of the road
the lane that you are in
the size and position of other vehicles
your view height
You should keep back far enough from the vehicle in front to maintain a safe following distance.
Avoid sitting in the blind spot of other vehicles by overtaking briskly or dropping back. Do a shoulder check to make sure that no one is sitting in your own blind spot before changing lanes.
I don’t know about you but where I live we can easily have 20 to 30 degrees in temperature change from early morning to afternoon. Early morning rides can be potentially hazardous because of frost left by overnight freezing that may not melt off immediately. Defrosting times may vary depending on several factors like elevation, shaded areas, etc.
Watch for Black Ice
Usually found at night, this condition may also be found in the early morning on road surfaces that are shaded. You may also find this on bridges and overpasses, where winds cause the exposed surfaces to have lower temperatures than the rest of the road.
If the humidity is high and the road surface temperature is below 32 degrees Fahrenheit, you have the needed ingredients for this hazard to manifest. ”Black Ice” is treacherous because it is usually unnoticeable until you are on it and it’s too late.
Riding Tips
Scanning - be diligent in your scanning for signs of potential hazards.
Reduced traction condiions:
Make NO sudden changes in speed or direction
Reduce lean agles in turns
Increase following distances for more time and space to react
If the rear wheel begins to spin from traction loss:
Squeeze in the clutch to reduce the power to the rear wheel and coas through
Tires are designed to tolerate the heat created by roadways. If there is a decrease in temperature it will take longer for tires to warm up so that the compounds in the tires will function as designed.
Some tires may never reach optimum operating temperatures.
This means your tires will not have the traction that you are accustomed to.
Ride more cautiously and allow more time for the tires to reach ideal operating temperatures.
This is a low speed front wheel movement very specific to certain motorcycles and easily induced by such factors as road bumps, ruts, pavement seams or the motorcycle itself.
Altering a bike’s basic design can add to this problem. This is, as it’s call, a flutter type movement easily controlled with a firm grip on the handle bars.
Do not touch brakes or throttle until flutter stops. It is the same type of movement a caster under a shopping cart exhibits when pushed along and could be easily stopped by placing a finger on each side of the fluttering caster, and it would stop fluttering. Thus, your hands on each handle grip controls this problem with ease.
Myth Exposed: “Avoid Using the Front Brakes Because it Will Throw You Over the Handlebars”
Myth: Avoid using the front brakes because it will throw the rider over the handlebars. ***** Comment: In reality, the front brake is responsible for 60 to 70 percent of the bike's stopping power and should be used. In emergency braking situations, the effective center of mass of the bike shifts forward toward the front wheel and tire, which creates a higher adhesion value to the front tire that tends to prevent the front wheel from locking unless the brake torque is extremely high. Another consequence is that the traction force in the rear wheel and tire is reduced, allowing the rear wheel to lock up and slide. With braking action on the front wheel, the rear wheel, even if locked, will not move from side to side and the bike will continue straight. *****
Myths Exposed: “Accelerate Around a Turn to Regain Control”
Myths: Accelerate around a turn to regain control. ***** Comment: The safest way to approach a turn on a curve is to slow down before entering it. Acceleration should be undertaken only near the end of the curve. Rapidly applying the throttle in the turn, when the bike is in a lean could result in the rear tire breaking traction and the bike going into a slide. The same effect may occur with substantial rear-brake application. *****
Myths Exposed: “Lay it Down”
Myth: Intentionally ground the motorcycle when a crash is imminent ("laying it down"). *****
Comment: Instead of performing an evasive maneuver, the inexperienced rider will often lay the bike over onto its side as a last ditch effort. A sliding motorcycle has less stopping ability than properly braked tires. *****
Myths Exposed: “Speed up when bike Weaves or Wobbles”
Myth: Accelerate to recover from high speed instability (wobble or weave). *****
Comment: In actuality the rider should gently ease off the throttle, place his upper body on the gas tank to effectively change the center of gravity and graduall slow down. Initially accelerating may slow the wobble or weave until the next oscillation occurs, but then the result will be a much more pronounced instability. Hard braking will alter the suspension characteristics and may likewise cause a crash. *****
Attitude
"The mindset you develop will shape your thoughts and guide your opinions. Developing the right attitude is both fundamental and crucial for safe riding."
Stopping Distance Rule
Never ride so fast that you cannot stop comfortably on your own side of the road within the distance you can see to be clear.
