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This
month I will try to share some ideas on how to test yourself on your braking
skills, or for some, your “lack” of braking skills. The first thing to
understand is the rear brake is the control
brake, and the front brake is the
brake that slows you down.
Let’s
begin with the rear brake, yes it will slow you down, and yes it will eventually
stop you, but not as fast and efficiently as the front. Try this easy
experiment,. You will need a large flat area, or starting area, and 4 cones.
Place the first cone (A) at one end of the drill area, the next cone (B) 30-40
yards in a straight line away from the first. You will need a helper to stand
with the other 2 cones (C&D) around the second cone (B). Now get your bike
lined up at a dead stop right next to the first cone (A), and basically do a
start and charge as fast as you can to the second cone (B), and right as you go
by cone (B), pull in the clutch and apply the rear brake hard so you lock it up
or skid to a complete stop. Have your helper place the third cone (C) by the
front wheel at the point you came to a stop. Now go back to the first cone, do
another start, charge to the second cone, and this time, keep the clutch out and
use only the front brake (1 finger only) until you come to a stop, have your
helper mark this point at the front wheel. It should be quite a bit shorter than
the cone marked from the skidding rear wheel. If it took you longer to come to a
stop with the front brake, then this shows you are very weak with the front
brake, if you stopped in a shorter distance with the front brake only, then you
can clearly see how much more effective the front brake is over the rear. Now,
go back to the first cone (A), and do another start, charge, and this time at
cone (B), use both brakes, lightly on the rear (control), and heavy on the
front, you should be even shorter than both the 2 cones the helper marked with
(C&D). Try this drill both standing up while braking and also seated.
The
idea of this drill is to make it clear in your mind what the advantages and
limitations of the brakes are. I mentioned that the rear brake is the control
brake, but used incorrectly, it becomes an “out of control” brake (skidding
in most cases). If you repeat this drill several times, you will start to shrink
your braking zone, which means you can hold it on longer coming into each corner
off the straight.
Here
are a few more tips on the front brake. Think of the modulation from “zero to
ten”. Zero is no brake, ten is max, five half way. The traction level can be
thought of the same way, so the conditions will determine the amount of braking
used. If you “drag” the brake into the corner, the bike will squat down,
thus changing the steering angle (steeper) and will help the bike turn quicker.
Also under braking, the front tire will “flatten out”, putting more tire and
traction to the ground, and you can “steer” it through the turn. If you come
off the brakes to early (before the apex of the turn), the front tire will
wander, seeking the path of least resistance, and you may wash out. Same with
the rear brake, while dragging the rear brake, this will put added traction to
the front and keep the bike stable. The idea is to bring the speed into the
corner, and use the brakes to control the speed and traction. And of course for
ruts, using a bit of front brake drag will keep you to the inside of the rut so
you won’t pop out. I would recommend oval drills to perfect braking
techniques, you must get a “feel”
for how all this works. It takes time and it takes practice, so don’t put it
off. For more on braking and other riding techniques, check out a 5
Magics Motocross School near you.
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