There was a time when I didn't think I used the back brake and not having one wouldn't be a problem. As things turned out, I broke the pedal on one occasion and had a spend a couple of weeks without it until I could get the bike to my dealer quite a long way away. Riding it became really difficult, in the style I am used to and slowed me down immensely. It's all fairly instinctual - like anything you develop your own style until it becomes completely natural. I suspect that different people have very different styles of riding.
to learn about observation sign up for an IAM/ROSPA course on the road. to learn about real machine control sign up for a CSS course on track.
That rather depends on the bike and how you ride. A sports bike with stiffer springs and less travel will not pogo around when you're riding in traffic. Whereas a softer setup with more travel, maybe you need to keep it under control. Equally, if you're continually squirting away from traffic and then braking hard as you come up behind the next vehicle then I can see you might suffer from a lot of pitching back and forth. I avoid heavy traffic wherever possible and tend to take it pretty sedately when I do, so just smoothly applying some front brake doesn't really give me any trouble. The rear brake would not give me any more control. And if I need to brake hard then it's fairly useless anyway!
Keep it smooth. Hislop style. Works for me. Not sure it makes me faster but its sure a lot easier and a whole lot less scary. Jorge i guess would call it butter. I just cant ride a bike making shapes. Marquez looks like A&E every corner. If that kid makes 25 i'll be surprised. He's nuts. Great to watch mind. Wouldnt want the fecker behind me though. Its safer to let him pass.
I've tried just using the front brakes, it didn't work for me. I've tried hanging off, but quite frankly I felt a bit of a twat. I've tried lots of different riding styles, and every time I do it makes me slower. I know what works for me, it may not be stylish or a' la mode, but quite frankly I couldn't give a stuff, I'm sticking with what I'm comfortable with, and comfort braking makes me comfortable. There, I've said it.
Use lots of rear brake on multi, none on 848 and even less than none on track these days. Can help to drag thru a corner sometimes, but it was always more comfort than anything, rather than set the chassis for a corner it sets me for a corner
I find in really heavy traffic if I keep some distance just run on tickover using the clutch and moderating the speed with the rear brake I can make gentle progress in complete control and with both feet firmly on the pegs, unlike the bloke this morning on his R1 revving and squirting with the forks diving up and down
People don't make gentle progress on Ducatis, do they? I thought the whole idea was to come first...come what may.
Dont think its the age....44 with an rsv4 factory and a 1100 hyper. Got my knee down for the first time at the TT this year so if anything i think im getting slightly better...been riding since 20 on and off....but id say the last 5 years (had a break before for about 9) i think i like it more than ever....probably because the bikes ive got i can look after keep clean and above all if the weather is anything short of nice they stay in the garage...perfect! I wouldnt say youre too old - maybe to step back and think about what youre doing before you do it...having said that (and this is an admission) i chased a guy home from work a few weeks back on an r1 and i drove like a twat - so much so that i was angry with myself all evening for doing it. So i guess we're all guilty of it now and again.
wisdom comes with age i think i read the road far better thand i did in my 20's now in my 50's i think i make better judgements aswell , and at the end of the day a bike will only go as fast as you make it go
Sometimes I think my judgement has got better with age. Until I recall that if you ride after a few shots of alcohol, you start to think your judgement is better ... but it's an illusion, it really isn't. Let's all just bear this in mind, eh?
Yeah - i agree....i think one thing i would say that is a positive from riding bikes is it does teach you to read the road much further ahead.
great 50 mile ride on the multi tonight after going to wrotham ace bikers cafe ,love the old mutli got my mojo back after that ride
You can thrash the tits off any bike and get nowhere, you need to find a rhythm to make progress. It's not something that can be forced. Glad you're enjoying it still.
Training !!!!!!!!!!!! ........it's not the bike .......you can retrain your reactions through forward planning,positioning,etc , trust me
