Leaning versus Knee Down

[No Worries]

"The purpose of the brakes is to adjust and correct the speed of the motorcycle downward, controlling deceleration. Most riders have the idea that brakes are some kind of on/off switch. This isn't true." Keith Code-A Twist of the Wrist, page 62.

I can go up Lookout Mountain using the brakes for only a few turns. Coming down, it is so steep I have to use them on almost every turn. I put them on smoothly before the turn. On the switchbacks, which are basically U-turns, I put on both my brakes before the turn and keep them on through most of the curve. I usually keep the same pressure on them throughout the turn, but if I have to stop quickly, I just squeeze and press harder.

"Applying both brakes simultaneously will help stabilize the chassis and keep it from pitching forward too quickly." Lee Parks- Total Control, page 73.

Anybody remember the "Anti-dive systems" that the manufacturers used on the front forks in the early 1980's? Anybody ride a bike with linked brakes (where the front and rear brakes are applied with the front lever) to give some feedback on this?

Here's what Sport Rider magazine says about using the rear brake:http://www.sportrider.com/ride/146_0...lls/index.html

[Amber Lamps]

Originally Posted by No Worries

"The purpose of the brakes is to adjust and correct the speed of the motorcycle downward, controlling deceleration. Most riders have the idea that brakes are some kind of on/off switch. This isn't true." Keith Code-A Twist of the Wrist, page 62.

I can go up Lookout Mountain using the brakes for only a few turns. Coming down, it is so steep I have to use them on almost every turn. I put them on smoothly before the turn. On the switchbacks, which are basically U-turns, I put on both my brakes before the turn and keep them on through most of the curve. I usually keep the same pressure on them throughout the turn, but if I have to stop quickly, I just squeeze and press harder.

"Applying both brakes simultaneously will help stabilize the chassis and keep it from pitching forward too quickly." Lee Parks- Total Control, page 73.

Anybody remember the "Anti-dive systems" that the manufacturers used on the front forks in the early 1980's? Anybody ride a bike with linked brakes (where the front and rear brakes are applied with the front lever) to give some feedback on this?

Here's what Sport Rider magazine says about using the rear brake:http://www.sportrider.com/ride/146_0...lls/index.html

I don't know fellas,I think he has you here. I was taught to always use both brakes and I do.

[Trip]

Originally Posted by No Worries

"The purpose of the brakes is to adjust and correct the speed of the motorcycle downward, controlling deceleration. Most riders have the idea that brakes are some kind of on/off switch. This isn't true." Keith Code-A Twist of the Wrist, page 62.

I can go up Lookout Mountain using the brakes for only a few turns. Coming down, it is so steep I have to use them on almost every turn. I put them on smoothly before the turn. On the switchbacks, which are basically U-turns, I put on both my brakes before the turn and keep them on through most of the curve. I usually keep the same pressure on them throughout the turn, but if I have to stop quickly, I just squeeze and press harder.

"Applying both brakes simultaneously will help stabilize the chassis and keep it from pitching forward too quickly." Lee Parks- Total Control, page 73.

Anybody remember the "Anti-dive systems" that the manufacturers used on the front forks in the early 1980's? Anybody ride a bike with linked brakes (where the front and rear brakes are applied with the front lever) to give some feedback on this?

Here's what Sport Rider magazine says about using the rear brake:http://www.sportrider.com/ride/146_0...lls/index.html

And how may I ask do books automatically teach noobs how to properly use the rear brake? Sure if you are on an open track, trying to learn how to use a rear brake is a good idea. If you are on the side of a mountain, learning to use a rear brake isn't such a good idea because no one really wants to find out how a high side feels off a 80 foot cliff. Thank god for Lee Parks though, he really made me hurt less by reading his book.

I watched the Valentino tip video, now I am ready to go out and slide the rear around and win moto gp championships. YEY!!!!!

[The Awesome]

I'm nobody special, but put me down in the "I hate rear brakes" category. They aren't useful for straight line stopping if you use the front to its potential, my 600 didn't wheelie enough to need it for keeping the front end down, I trail brake only with the front, and I use the front when I run off track. The only place I give anything up by not using it is in the rain, where braking enough to unweight the rear is not possible. In that case, maximum braking is achieved by using both brakes together. By not using it in the dry, I never developed any control over it, so I just stayed off of it in the rain, too.

From an article about the Schwantz race school:

Some of his preferences come into play in the course syllabus. Like his personal dislike of the rear brake, the use of which he discourages despite the fact that several of the world's top motorcycle racers currently use rear braking to rotate the bike in corners. "I tried using the rear brake twice in my racing career", he explains. "And both times I found myself on the ground".