It is extremely essential for a rider to understand the use of brakes and the correct brake to use according to a situation before going on the road. Although most of the riders tend to get excited on shifting gears and trying to hit the maximum speed it’s the brakes that would save your life in a dangerous condition. If you are a newbie you need to learn to use the brakes first instead of focusing on shifting the gears or counter steering. Today we would give you 7 tips for braking on your motorcycle which would definitely help you out in your next journey on a motorcycle.
1. The effectiveness of the Brakes
There is a difference in the effectiveness of both the brakes. The front brake is more effective as compared to the other brake as it would give the maximum stopping power. The reason behind it is that your weight shifts on the front wheel while you are applying the brakes instantly. You can use the brake on the back wheel if you are speeding a bit as it would be more convenient for you and the chances of falling in front of your bike would be neglected.
2. Don’t Use the Front Brake to Stop the Bike Suddenly
If you are going to make a sudden stop and you are driving at a speed you shouldn’t apply the front brake. Once you’ve applied it the front wheel would suddenly become static and you could be flying off from your bike and falling on the road.
3. How Hard to Push the Brakes?
You need to learn in detail about the braking system of your ride. You need to know how hard the front and the rear brake is. Practice would be the best way and you can do it in a safe environment. Once you’ve started practicing in pressing the brakes in different conditions and with different speed you would get to know about the amount of effort required in various situations and which brake to prefer. Use front, rear, and both the brakes to get the proper feel. Using the rear brakes suddenly in emergency situations could make the bike slip up and using the front brake suddenly could life the rear wheel as the front wheel comes to a halt. So it is all about practice and finding the right combination.
4. Using Brakes While Leaning
The tires are really effective when you aren’t leaning but the moment you start leaning on your ride the situation changes pretty quickly. The tires start losing their grip once you start leaning so you need to be extra careful while applying brakes in such a situation. Holding the same brake which doesn’t affect the balance of the bike when the tires are upright could suddenly cause a skid when used in the leaning situation. It is dangerous to use the brakes when the lean angles increase although you can apply the brakes while you are taking a turn and the angle is not really lean.
5. Acting According to the Road
Every road is different from the other and you have to quickly notice whether the road is wet or slick. If there is friction available on the road and it isn’t slippery you can apply both the brakes without any worry. If the road is wet or slippery due to any other factor you need to be really careful as the bike could skid if you applied the rear or front brake too hard. Remember that it is easier to recover from a rear wheel lockup as compared to avoiding any harm while your front wheel slips up. So try to stay alert and use the rear brake in the slippery conditions.
6. ABS Systems
The Anti-Lock Braking Systems can be pretty effective in the normal conditions as they give you more control on the wheels as a driver. These systems are designed especially to avoid skidding of the tires. You don’t have to worry about locking up the tires while applying the brakes if you’ve got an ABS. Remember that ABS doesn’t work when the bike is leaned over.
As the computerized bike intervention is involved so it is quite impossible to match the balance ABS can provide your vehicle during wet and slippery conditions. There is quite a difference between motorcycles using ABS and motorcycles not using it at all. In order to get to know the usage of brakes in both kinds of rides, you need to drive different motorcycles. Once you’ve driven different bikes you would get to know which braking system is more convenient for you and you can choose whether you want to put an ABS in your ride or not.
7. Pressure on the Brakes
It depends on the situation that how much pressure you need to apply on the brakes. If you’ve got to stop your bike immediately you need to apply more pressure instantly while you can just apply normal pressure if you want to slow down eventually. Sudden pressure could result in making your bike skid so it is better to ride at a normal speed so you don’t have to rush into applying the brakes.
Final Words
We hope that these 7 tips for braking on your motorcycle would be useful for you whether you are a newbie or an experienced biker having difficulty in making a choice while applying the brakes. Different people have different preferences when it comes to the use of front and rear bikes. We would definitely like to know more about your valuable opinion on this topic so do let us know in the comments section.
