Bonneville America Forums Forums Rider Safety Forums Riding Technique Panic stops or Quick Stopping Techniques

As a new rider (only 1 year under my belt) and having 1 close call this year. I'm determined to improve my riding stills but I want to make sure I'm practicing the correct way. My close call at the Nor-East rally was due to poor braking technique. I applied too much rear brake and no front. The rear wheel broke loose and I all most low sided the bike then all most high sided when I released the brake. Luckily I was able to get the bike under control and avoid an accident.

Now I've been really concentrating on how much front and rear to apply. I want it to become second nature but I want to be sure I'm doing it correctly. I was told to use about 70% front and 30% rear. Also, is there any practice drills that will help ingrain that so in a panic situation I don't revert to auto braking which is all foot.

fishercat,
you might want to purchase the Jerry "Motorman" Palladino "Ride Like a Pro" DVD. He also has several other DVD's that might interest you.
ridelikeapro.com

If you pick up a cheap "training wheels" bike, you will feel less anxious about practicing extreem braking and colision avoidance. Once you are done with it, you can always resell it and recover at least most of your money.
Apply the front brake slightly ahead of the rear brake. The reason for this is weight transfer. At the brakes are applied, the weight of the bike and rider tends to rotate around the center of gravity so thet the front of the bike gets heavier. If you hit the rear brake first and apply it to a point just short of lockup, the rear will get lighter when the front brake is applied and the rear wheel may then lock.

Riding straight ahead on flat, level, dry ground, try applying the front brake progressively harder. At the instant it locks, LET GO! While doing this, concentrate on the sound and feel of the bike and try to learn the warning signs that occure before lockup. Then do the same with the rear brake.

The things to keep in mind are that a locked wheel does not steer well, it won't stop nearly as well as one that is near lock but still turning, and locking a wheel takes away all the wonderful gyroscopic effects that make a motorcycle stay up without help.

Yes, in the movies, they use the strange effects of momentarily locked wheels to do all sorts of wonderful things. Don't try this on a bike you care about. Those guys have crashed hundreds, maybe thousands of times learning how to do that.

I always find it fascinating when there is a question on how to ride. As most of the time I cannot answer it as I find over the years this stuff has just become so second nature that I don’t even think about it any more.

Unfortunately this does not really help you in what you are trying to find out. In any event I have read numerous posts here on riding techniques and thinking about most of them I would agree that would be the normal thing I would do as well. So for a generic answer it might be great but remember every tight situation is different from the last and from what other have experienced. So yes they might be helpful hints on riding techniques but remember there are some of the don’t does that might have to be applied in some situation to get out of trouble.

Now most would agree you don’t want to lock up the back end at all. Well for me this was what got me out of serious trouble the one day. I was heading for a sure side on with a car that jumped the stop sign. The only way I got out of this was by locking up the back bringing it into a broadside with the car and just before impact applying major throttle this shooting me out alongside the car instead of into it.

I have since then used the broadside in a few situations to my benefit. So for me the big don’t lock the back brakes up worked for me. Now I would not go out and try this as I mastered this type of technique through my off-road days and it can be quite dangerous as you may just flip the bike over onto it’s other side.

So my point being remember what you learn and at time apply it in a different way. Time and experience is however the biggest teacher of them all.

I think we can quite safely say this will never end as I learn new techniques every day and I have been riding for around 30 years now.

One other thing I find when making an emergency stop is I try and gear down as I am stopping and let compression help in the slowing down process. This also helps if I see a quick alternative out of the situation I will be in the correct power band to be able to power out of the situation.

BUT the most important and hardest things to remember don’t panic as this is your worst enemy.

I have a problem with all the "this is how you handle it" advice, not that it doesn't give you some basic dynamics of riding, but the fact that every situation is different. I am not a "pro" rider by any stretch, but I find that by riding the same bike over a long period of time I become attuned to what both the bike and I are capable of doing. I ride within that "zone", only exceeding it slightly if I feel the need to improve my ability. Otherwise, I try to use what's under the helmet to keep me out of drastic situations in the first place.
In today's riding environment, you can be the best rider in the world, and if some moron in a cage has your number.... your number is up......

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Otherwise, I try to use what's under the helmet to keep me out of drastic situations in the first place.

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So true...when I was a gliding (sailplane) instructor we used to say that the superior pilot is one who uses their superior knowledge to avoid getting into situations that require their superior skills to resolve...

Anyway - stay safe out there

Regards

Jan

Well I think you have the right idea. When I started riding 30 years back there were no how to ride references you worked it out as you went along. You sure learned quickly from your mistakes that is one thing for sure. This is why I think I have such a hard time trying to actually relate to someone how I do it. I have to actually make a mental note to see what I am doing in a situation if someone asks.

This is why I say you need to become part of your bike and just do it not even think about what you are doing. For me it’s like someone asking me how do you walk, I don’t know I just walk.

There's a university in Quebec that did an exhaustive study on the most effective mothod of emergency stop on a motorcycle. I have a copy of their findings here .

Matt

Some interesting points in that study. Especially in regards to sequence and practice.

Do they offer a motorcycle safety course where you live?

Yes, already passed the MSA course in NH with 100% on the driving test and written test. A 15 MPH panic stop is way different than a 50MPH panic stop.

Grump- I feel offers great advice- use your skills to prevent, rather than cure...I too have a lot to learn and undertook an Institute of Advanced Motorists 8 month course. Any course which teaches lessons learnt by seasoned riders, as found on here, is money worth spending.

I have contacted the chap from this site a number of times and, although UK based, the principles are the same (as are the injuries!!)

http://www.datacraftsystems.co.uk/techniques/techniques_left/index.html

hope this helps

Regards

Rod

Fishercat,I do not believe that any of us here should be giving you our take on how to panic stop a motorcycle unless we have learned that technique from a certified instructor, or we are a certified instructor,and here's why.From everything that I read about panic stopping there is at least one person on this board that is giving very poor advice on panic stopping.Advice that could really get you hurt.He does not mean to,he thinks he is helping you. If you were an experienced rider you might be able to pick out the good advice from the bad advice, but being a fairly new rider you probably can't.Because of that, I think we do you a disservice by telling you what to do,or what we would do.Get your advanced training from a certified class and instructor,not by asking those questions on a motorcycle forum.I say this with your best interest on my mind.Please. Vegas

Point taken. I've been reading a lot about the subject and plan on taking the NH Intermediate training class. It's $50 and I hear it's well worth it. They have an advance class but you have to have 2 years riding experience between the intermediate and advance class.

When you apply the front, the entire weight of you and the bike are pushing against the brake making it efficient. When you stomp the back, that same weight simply drags the back tire along.

Using the front brake has to be an unconscious thing.
Find yourself a large parking lot and practice as much as you can. Practice stopping in a straight line, not in a curve. In a curve, stand the bike up to go straight to do a panic stop. Learn, read, ask as much as you can but you've got to get out and practice. You're going to have to un-learn that foot thing! Practice!

I took the safety course a couple years back, and I can say this skill has saved my butt more than a few times; people drive like lunatics around here and the roads are narrow and curvy. One problem I had though was the dealership I used to bring my bike to did something funky with my rear brake causing it to lock up whenever I hit with any good amount of pressure. This almost caused me to lose control of the bike twice. I had to bleed the brakes completely to get the right amount of pressure back, now its all set.

Mind if I ask which dealer? I got mine in Shrewsbury...

Sickboy,

Take it from someone who found out the hard way.... check that rear tire for flat spots. Those wheel - locking stops will take the rubber off a bike tire right now.....

Hey Grump, yeah I check the tire for flat spots especially after one very long skid when kid blew stop sign and almost nailed me. Everything looked cool, but I'm replacing the tires this spring so all should be good.

Bennybmn, yup Performance cycle in shrewsbury Ma, they are clueless. Read my post in the lounge about bad dealers for more bad experiences at this place.

That's a shame. I know the guy who sold me my bike left a couple years ago, I think he was a Triumph guy from WAY back, led the RAT pack and everything. Too bad...

this is something i need to relearn every spring, not overly rely on the rear brake.

go to a lot and practice, after 30 years, i'm going to.

always have an escape route. my experience has taught me this awareness prevents a lot of problems. happened last week. not enough time to stop after a car/teen decided to go left, as i started to brake, i realized there wasn't enough disrance, so i went around the cell phone talking teen on the sandy shoulder and had room to spare.

i was shocked at how fast it happened and also how calm i was. the calm scared me the most.
great link btw.

cat

The best thing you can do is avoid panic stop situations. You will develop eyes in the back of your head and a sixth sense that will tell you if the idiot looking right through you is about to turn into your line of travel. Roadwasher had it right when he said it's hard to put into words. It's something you do as a reflex, there's not much time for thought. Have you taken the advanced riders course yet? If not you should. It's not a cure all, but is well worth doing no matter how long you've been riding.