Just got back from Portimao on the V4S with a thumb brake set up. I have done a bit of Supermoto training so understand the impact of hitting the rear brake when down-shifting into turns. It stops the rear wheel lifting when the weight shifts forwards, stabilises the bike and if on past the apex can better point the bike round the corner so gas can be applied earlier. Treble the power and the corner speed and things are remarkably similar. Take Turn 1 at Portimao. Crest the rise under the gantry 250 meter board, head up, thumb on hard and down three gears, rear end dips, hit front brakes hard to lose 100 mph for T1 apex. The key benefit I noticed was because the rear had dipped, the front hardly felt like it was diving at all, meaning the tip in was far faster and later and apex speed went up dramatically from 80 to 100 mph. In the sharp, downhill, positive camber Turn 5 keeping the rear brake on past the apex with the gas on as well felt so solid Turn 6 became my favourite passing place. That never happened before. So, yeah, I now recommend rear braking.
I often mean to use my rear brake on track, but never do… except to stop the wheelie in certain parts… Enduro riding I use it all the time.
Yeah enduro is in my mind where rear brake technique originates. When I do Dirt School with Gary Birtwhistle the only way to get the bike turned is rear brake….. because there isn’t a front brake. Next time you are on track give it a go, the risk of something horrible happening is very small, but the upside is very good.
Good point. It simply has to pull you up quicker going into a turn one… unless of course your rear wheel is up off the black stuff! But that’s generally panic braking for mere mortals like me..
And, I guess, why Ducati have built this into the electrickery of the latest V4. Hit the front brake and a percentage of rear brake pressure is applied too… The new Panigale V4 is the first sports bike to have its braking system managed by the Race e-CBS system. Developed by Bosch in collaboration with Ducati, this combined braking system with Cornering functionality can autonomously apply braking pressure to the rear, according to predefined strategies, when the rider activates the front control. On track, the system intervenes as it would for professional riders, while safety and stability are heightened during road use. The Race eCBS system applies braking force to the rear every time the front brake is activated based on motorcycle lean angle and rear load and, in the case of the sportiest setting, continues to intervene even when the rider releases the front brake, the so-called “post run” function, replicating what professional riders do to tighten the trajectory and stabilise the bike so that it better holds the line into the turns.
Correct. More modern bikes with a degree of brake linking include the s1000rr and 765 triumphs latest generation. But. None to my knowledge apply the rear brake per Ducatis latest offering which is much more advanced than a simple linked braking system.