Braking Techniques "To go fast, you need to go slow"

It sounds confusing isn’t it? The proper way of using your brakes can make you faster and if you master it, you can be a safer rider or a racer perhaps. Proper braking is a very important part of my safety riding module, since we all know the saying that “the speed that thrills is the speed that kills”. Truly, there is a fact that if you do not know how to stop or slow down your motorcycle, it can create serious problems in your life and to the people around you.

Moto GP riders have mastered the braking techniques, they will speed up in the stretch but once they approach the corners, they shave their excess speed in order to achieve the perfect corner speed.

Let me give you a background on the truth about stopping power.

Front brake – Almost 70% of stopping power of all land vehicles is on the front brakes To operate the motorcycle’s front brake, you must squeeze the lever located at the right side of the handle bar.; you should be very careful on how you apply the front lever for the front brakes. Done wrong, it can cost you  a scratch on your brand new helmet, jacket, gloves, riding pants and riding shoes. (That is, if you’re wearing one). You need to squeeze the front lever, never grab it.

Rear Brake – The rear brake has 30% stopping power. Many riders here in the Philippines still believe that using the rear brakes can make you stop effectively. This is originally the mindset of a bicycle rider when he uses the rear brake in order to stop. I don’t see a problem about that, but when it comes to stopping a motorcycle which is heavier than a bicycle, that’s a different story.

Engine brake - Engine brake is a method of assisting your front and rear brakes in slowing down effectively; this will help not to overwork your brakes. It will make you slow down but it will never cause your motorcycle to stop. Engine brake is effective if you use this first before stepping on your rear brake pedal, especially if you want to slow down on a slippery road like gravel or sand. How does it work? From fourth gear, you shift your gear to third and so on. Do not shift from the highest to the lowest gear abruptly for this will damage your engine.  

To actually explain how braking works, try to ask your friend to hold on your shoulder facing you, and then try to walk forward while he tries to hold you. Can you move freely while he tries to limit you in moving forward? That is how the front brakes work.

Then ask him to position himself at your back, hold you in both shoulders and try to limit you in moving the same direction. Is there a difference? There is! You will just drag him on the direction where you want to go. That is how the rear brake works, using your rear brake alone will not give you a full stop experience and it will only make you slow down. But still, you’re not going to stop effectively. So how do you use your brakes? Use them simultaneously; this can give you a 100% stopping power.

Improving your braking skills will also improve your riding. Try to practice braking in an open parking lot. Once you’re already familiar with your braking, try to do an exercise which I called target braking. Start by speeding up your motorcycle on a 30kph and try to apply the brakes on your target marker. Once you hit your target, up the pace to 40kph and so on. This will give you an idea on how precise on how you can make your motorcycle stop.

Mastering on how you apply your brakes can make you a better rider. If you have any questions regarding braking, please don’t hesitate to ask us through Rider to Blogger!