by Robert Vaughan
Screeeeeeeeech!
Beeeeeeeeeeeep!
“Did you see that car? He came from behind that 18-wheeler and ran the red. I almost hit him.”
Has this ever happened to you? Ever wonder just how fast you can stop your bike?
With a few good techniques and a little practice the answer is a lot faster than you think. The two main techniques are squeezing the front brake rapidly instead of grabbing it, and taking advantage of the weight shift to use even more front brake. The practice takes just a few minutes in a parking lot about three times a year.
As you start braking, about half your weight is on each wheel. If you apply both brakes hard without grabbing the front brake, your weight will shift forward and you can squeeze the front brake even harder, while you let up a little on the rear. It takes only about half a second for your weight to shift so you can add more front brake. It is because of this weight change that about 70% of your braking power is on the front. When all the extra weight shifts forward, the front tire gets harder to lock, while the rear gets easier to lock.
If you ever lock the front tire, release the front brake and come right back down on it. This is exactly the opposite of what you want to do with the rear if it locks. You can release a locked rear if you’re perfectly straight, but if you’ve turned sideways and you unlock the rear wheel, you can do a highside—not something you do for fun!
A parking lot is the perfect place to practice-an empty parking lot that is. No need to terrorize the populace while they’re trying to use the lot. Start out at 10–15 miles per hour. The techniques are the same for any speed, but you don’t need as much room to practice in if your speed is lower.
When you go back to the streets, you need to add only one more technique—looking out for the other guy. If you’re braking hard, this means checking your mirrors before you start to make sure you’re not being tailgated. If you’re in a situation where you might have to brake suddenly, cover both brakes to cut your reaction time to about half. This shaves a few feet off what by now is your already-impressive stopping distance.
Rain can affect your stopping distance more than it affects your technique. You can’t stop as quickly in the rain. Because you can’t brake as hard, not as much of your weight shifts forward. That means braking less hard overall and using a smaller percentage of front brake. Otherwise, techniques are the same.
Having some jerk with the brains of a carburetor pull out in front of you while you’re turning around in a parking lot adds another factor—stopping in a curve. When this happens, straighten the handlebars and the bike. Then stop. Don’t try to mix the two.
These few techniques and a little practice should get your stopping off to a good start.