5 Things You Should NEVER Do on a MOTORCYCLE!!! Don't do it.
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- Опубликовано: 4 авг 2022
- If you don't make these 5 mistakes on the road you might just avoid a crash.
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I owe you a huge thank you!!! I truly believe you saved my life!
I did take the MSF course at my local college before I hit the street. They did do panic stopping, but never talked about not grabbing a handful of brake all at once. The goal in the class they taught was to stop in a shortest distance possible. So all 32 of us were nailing the front and rear brakes as hard as we could. Everyone making long rear tire skid marks. Those old small bikes they used just could not lock up the front tire if you wanted it to. Believe me, I am a big guy with a gorilla grip. I tried my hardest to because I wanted to do it in the shorted length to impress the teacher ;-)
Unbeknownst to me those small bikes were actually giving my the wrong concept of a real motorcycle because the sponginess way the brakes acted (much like a 10 speed bike) ya know you cant lock the front up either. I just though they all were like that, so didn't put anymore thought into panic braking because I thought you can't lock them up anyway.
After the class I did what I now know not to, and that is get to big of a first bike. My first bike I bought was a Honda ST1100.
I am 6'1" @ 260lbs. I don't like the looks of any Harley, or Indian, but love the looks of Honda, so thats why I went with this bike, and it fit me very well allowing my feet to be firmly planted on the ground.
Shortly after getting the bike (THANK GOD, I found your channel). I watched so many of your videos, and have learned so very much!
OK, sorry this got long, here is the meat of the story.
I saw the video where you talked about braking properly or panic stopping (can't remember title).
In that video you explained to not panic and quickly but smoothly squeeze the front brake to give time to allow the bike to transfer the weight to the front tire so it can grab the pavement. There was another video where you talked about braking in turns. Where you lean the bike up. I remember going out and trying this in a parking lot, and was SHOCKED to find out that grabbing a handful of front brakes on a real motorcycle does not work like those practice ones in the MSF course. My first crack at practicing this I was only going about 25MPH. Grabbed that front brake as hard as I could like in the class and that front tire locked right up, butt flew up off the seat and almost went over the front. Crazy!!!! Lesson learned.
Well, the other day was going 65MPH around a long curved road. In the middle of this curved road was another road that teed into it with a stop sign. As I am going around this corner I saw the car, and just like you taught I prepared for the just in case situation. Made sure my finger were over the clutch & front brake, and foot was over the rear brake, and I also slowed down about 10MPH.
Sure enough that car pulled out! As soon as I saw the car move you're face flashed in my mind. I didn't panic and instead slowly but quickly squeezed the front and rear brakes, and leaned it up. I did lock the back up a bit in the process but was able to release it a bit so it could gain traction. The front never locked up and I was able to stop in time!!! I know for a fact that I had not seen your videos and great explanation of this procedure, I would have either hit the car or locked the whole thing up and went 65MPH off the road into the tree line.
So GOD BLESS YOU and all the great work you put into your videos!!!
James
I owe you a huge thank you!!! I truly believe you saved my life! I did take the MSF course at my local college. They did do panic stopping, but never talked about not to grab a handful of brake all at once. So us going 20MPH were told to stop as fast as we could. Thus everyone was just nailing the front and rear brakes. So I assumed that was the thing to do. Shortly thereafter I found your channel. I saw the video where you talked about this, and how to do it correctly by squeezing the front brake slowly at first to give time to transfer the weight to the front tire.
Well, the other day was going 65MPH around a long curved road. In this curved road was a road that teed into it with a stop sign. There was a car sitting there already and sure enough they pulled out in front of me. AS soon as I saw that car move YOU flashed in my head, and I didn't panic and instead slowly but quickly hit the front and rear brakes. I did lock the back up a bit in the process but was able to release it a bit so it could gain traction. The front never locked up and I was able to stop in time!!! I know for a fact that I had not seen your video and great explanation of this procedure, I would have either hit the car in the curve or locked the whole thing up and went 65MPH off the road into the tree line.
So THANK YOU!!!
Hats off to you for avoiding the crash...glad MCrider helped you avoid it.
Right on dude...
Hi, I don't know why the course did not emphasize emergency braking. You should be squeezing in on the front brake, like you would squeeze toothpaste. As for the rear, leave it locked, don't let off as that can cause the back to slide out, or buck you off of the bike. Finally, while doing the braking the clutch should be all the way in and you should be stepping the the shifter until you're in first.
Did they tell you to use ‘progressive’ brake pressure? Did they have you slide your foot on the pavement while slowly adding more weight to your foot before the demo? Did the coach doing the demo show how they squeezed the front brake? It’s odd that they would never have mentioned how to apply brake pressure at all. Perhaps you should contact the school and let them know who your coaches were and your concern about not learning about brake pressure. That’s a big mistake for an MSF coach to make and should be addressed immediately.
whenever someone says 'the MSF course didnt explain it' Im skeptical
for one, everything they teach is in the manual, and they read thru the entire manual in the class room half of the course. Its a lot to take in over 24 hours in 3 days, maybe you were distracted or your mind drifted off. Front wheel braking is different from riding a bicycle. You cannot lock up the front on either without dropping the bike, but most bicycles dont have a front suspension - that is why you have to use the front brake progressively to 'load up' the front suspension. If everyone was slamming on the front brakes in your course, then everyone would have been dropping their bikes.
The two MAJOR things you have to know before you even SIT on a motorcycle are counter steering and braking, because neither are intuitive and both will get you killed if you dont understand them completely. Hard to believe a MSF course, with multiple instructors, could somehow skip over either.
And DITTO the other comments: when you lock up the REAR brake KEEP it locked until the bike comes to a complete stop - the bike might slide out sideways, but you can steer into the skid and not lose it. IF you let off the rear brake while its skidding and it has slide out, the bike snaps back straight so fast it literally THROWS you off the bike.
Great advice. Been riding for 25+ years and still remind myself to loosen up. It makes for a more comfortable ride, too.
Absolutely!
Lol...lessons learned. Got a closet full of those T-shirts. Over 40 yrs of riding experience here. and still learning
What you said about loosening up on grooved pavement just hit me between the eyes! i've had to deal with that lots this summer because of all the construction and have been fighting the bike and going old lady slow because it feels like the bike wants to slide out from under me. turns out maybe i'm the problem. guess it's time to put in some practice time.
Practice practice practice
Muscle memory will keep you on the right path, after the practice!
Great show!!
I have a 96 goldwing. Never turn left with your foot under the shift lever. Your foot will hit the road long before you expect it. If your lucky it will only sprain your ankle. I’ve only done it once that’s all it takes to learn. Alway watch your videos. Keep it up.
Thanks Kevin! One move you can make to lessen the tension in your upper body including your arms and shoulders is to simply let your jaw go slack! As the jaw drops loosely you will feel the tension lessen in your shoulders which will move down thru your elbows. Not sure where I learned it but have used it many times in running, cycling and skiing. If your tense, let the jaw go slack!
I've heard this before. Guess I'll have to check it out.
Yup, we teach this in yoga classes (teacher here) when settling in to get started. In addition to this check where your tongue is. Is it pressing up into the roof of your mouth? If so, you are tense.
I guess that's why chewing gum helps to relax and enjoy the ride. Hmm
Thank you so much. As a newer rider in their first year, I can't tell you how much the videos have helped and you explain things clear and succinct it really helps us out there.
When experience talks, we should listen and practice.
unvaluable advice, thank you.
I am 56, I just got my licence a week ago. Better late than never.
Bro ' s These are Words to Live By !! Pay Attention to this Guy ! Thank's Arizona
Was raised up in a rural area and learned to ride on gravel & dirt so those have never bothered me: a metal grate bridge now that’s another situation, never have been able to relax through that one. Keep up the good work
You mean like a cattle grid?
Some old bridges were made with just a metal grid you could see through lots of wobble and very slick in rain.
Grip with your knees on a cattle guard
ya know, I'm the death grip rider with numb thumb and hand, as you said this is something I have done forever, I'm embarrassed to tell you how long I have been riding, I figured it was because i griped too hard and I kind of worked on it but now that you confirmed that I know for sure its a problem, I can work harder on it and sort it out, its just a bad habit I can resolve. Thank you Buddy enjoyed This vid Cheers Karl Squire.
I must thank you for these videos Sir.
As I took my first ride on the road today with my street/scrambler, I was more comfortable than I thought I would be because I’ve spent hours watching your videos.
Thank you for the time and energy you put in to these videos to help complete strangers stay safe on the road.
There is a special place reserved for folks like you.
God bless and thank you again
Great to hear!
www.MCrider.com/Member
Years ago, when I was a tech at a BMW dealership, the service rep gave me the low-down on motorcycle riding ergonomics. He said "ride with low flat handlebars. (Like on a BMW R90S) The rider grasps the bars with relaxed hands, the arms are straight, the back is straight for good posture and the legs are under the rider at a natural angle. I know many cruiser riders will swear by the comfort of pulled back bars but if you look, a good grip is the only thing keeping the hands from sliding off and the arms are literately held up in the air by the force of the grip.
If you adjust your rear brake pedal height be sure to check and see if your brakelight is still working properly. Don't want some teenage girl on a Ninja telling you how to adjust your rear brakelight switch. Excellent lesson again, thanks!
Found that out the hard way the other day - adjusted it so my foot can comfortably cover it without being tense. Completely ignored the light switch though - for some reason I'd assumed it's activated by brake pressure ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
As for getting schooled on brake switch adjustment by a random girl on a Ninja - I'm an engineer, I've got nothing to prove, but I'd also be asking her out for coffee or something 🤣
Great call on the "drops" Pleased to say I have, I THINK, finally learned that lesson . And I hate those grooved roads.. I will be reciting the "Stay Loose" mantra on that one. ONE OTHER DON'T EVER DO!! Never be refueling your bike and lean over the tank to see how close to full it is with a lighted cigarette. No, NOT ME: but it was interesting to observe. I learned a whole new language too, as the rider expressed his sentiments of the moment.
Good stuff Kevin. One thing I've done to alleviate the problem of gripping the handle bars too tight is to wear unlined deerskin glove. They seem to stick t the hand grips really well so you don't want to grip the bars so hard. Keep the good stuff coming.
As a new rider this is very helpful
I grabbed a handful of front brake the other day when I took my foot off the brake pedal side to touch down on an off camber driveway.
Fortunately I didn't drop it but it was the closest call for some time.
Your analysis is correct 👍
I have been riding on the road since 1996. Your channel is awesome! Learning every video! Thanks for sharing the knowledge! Stay Well!
PS: I still catch myself tightened for no reason! Lol
Great info! Thanks again for all your insight.
The grooved roads "prior to resurfacing", pretty sure 635 through Mesquite and Garland was grooved the entire 15 years I lived in DFW. 😂
Sage advice as always, sir. I already knew all of these, but I needed to be reminded. After enough time goes by we tend to forget the basics. So thank you!
Good stuff as usual. Thanks!
Great tips Kevin. Thanks for reinforcing these principles.
Thank you Kevin. Good reminders
Love this, especially as I have bad knees & size 15 feet! A bad combination for riding pigeon-toed, which I do, particularly when feet are up on the crash-bar. Also had to learn the no-front-brake-at-slow-speeds rule the hard way: Fell over doing a slow turn on the way home from Sturgis, left-side saddle bag ('13 Electra Glide Classic) caught my ankle leaving me prone, unhurt, but caught underneath the bike. People driving by must have shaken their heads in wonder.
Great pieces of advice to live by. Keep the shiny side up. Cheers.
Thanks for the slow speed rear brake lesson. Have not gone down but almost did using the front break to stop mid turn at low speed. I had no insight into what was happening till now. Thanks.
Glad it helped!
Once you become a more experienced rider (months in the future), I strongly recommend learning to use the front brake to slow and/or stop while mid-turn at speed. When that time comes, obviously research and learn what you're doing beforehand as there are very important things to know, but it's a huge misnomer that one can't use the front brakes in a corner--which can be a lifesaving skill and helpful part of safe riders' toolkits. (E.g. You just went into a corner and an obstruction is blocking the road. Standing up the bike to stop takes longer.) Again, this is an intermediate/advanced skill for later, but learning to be gentle with the inputs & precise with brake pressure is key to getting there.
Wow that’s good information thank you Sir
Great advice. Another amazing video, thank you. God bless and ride safe.
Always enjoy your teaching, seems I’m always learning
I for one do practice emergency stops. Your advice saved me from a bad outcome with a deer. I was going 60-65 when a pair of deer crossed the road. I was on the brakes hard but I didn't jerk on the front brake. It was muscle memory did the trick. I thought at the last moment I was going to hit her. I didn't swerve. Took your advice and choose to collide at the greatly reduced speed. Funny thing happened. I stopped with a jerk and saw the front tire get kicked by the doe. The bike and I were fine. Some forest workers pulled up to see if I was okay. I'm good. I ask hows the bike look. With a drawl the guy say, oh just a bit a hair and the tire is all. ;- )
The first 1/4 second, when the road steers the bike, causes me to fight. Then the brain kicks in and "QUIT DUMMY! Relax." Great observations and another real good video. Thanks!!
Good stuff..had to do a two up u-turn recently…practice always pays off, especially in unforeseen circumstances 👍
I'm gonna share this video with all my riding student. Excellent!
5 Great points to remember and to practice till they become habits. TY.
Lots of those cut grooved roads in central TX. DOT will tear a road up and it can be months before they come back and repave it.
Great advice to just stay loose and let the bike be squirrelly underneath you. Trust in the centripetal forces of your heavy wheels and know that the bike naturally wants to go straight whether you are on it or not. Don't fight the bike/physics, and just give light course corrections as needed (likely not needed if on a straight road).
Another tip is to seek out gravel roads and go put some miles on them. Get used to the feeling of losing and recovering grip. Practice this and you won't freak out when you encounter a bit of sand/gravel on the roads.
Great information and video
Thank you again Kevin for your sharing of your knowledge and time! I am a new rider and practicing every chance I get. I'm 58, so I get it, and take the advice VERY SERIOUSLY!! See ya on the road Sir!
Thanks for great advice.
Dragging your boot on a WR250r is quite a surprise on knobby tires. My boot was wider than the peg. The 3rd time it happened, I managed to knock my foot off the peg. That was fun.
Nailed it again Kevin! Basic fundamentals are not hard. I used to have that death grip on the handlebars, but your videos helped me cure that. Thanks again for all that you do sir.
Very helpful reminder!
I gave up on trying to ride but I got my license. I really enjoy your videos. Great stuff.
Thank you very much for your wise advice! I'm a new rider and an old man. I truly appreciate your advice!
Thanks for the tips!
Excellent presentation! My grip is more of the letter "C" than the letter "O". In the twisty fun, I may use sort of an "OK" grip with my outer right side digits covering or near the hand brake for trailing on and off.
Thanks! 👌
Good reminders. Going back to the basics is never a bad idea. Thanks for sharing this helpful information with us all.
Glad it was helpful!
Great info Kevin! Cheers from Frisco. Remember the grooves in the old central expressway years ago ??
Did they do away with the rain grooves, in DFW? I remember being on my Sportster a few years ago and getting off on a circular upwards ramp with heavily grooved asphalt. I wasn’t very experienced and boy was that scary 😅
On point 1 I fint that i tend to death grip the throttle. My solution was to add a paddle to the throttle so it doesnt feel like im about to have my throttle position slip in my hand. Point three is so easy to do and i catch myself doing it more when im not manuvering. I.e. on straights or where theres very slight curves. I tent to move my feet in and hover over the rear brake and prepare for a gear shift when stoping or manuvering. Good info all the same.
Yes, Sir! That “Slow Speeds = Rear Brake Only!” will get you if you’re not paying attention especially on a big, heavy bike.
Great points
Kevin, you're the Mas Ayoob of motorcycles! A very good thing...
I learn something every time I watch You. Your the Best 😊😊😊😊😊😊😊
Good advice, I don’t know about tensing my hands up when the bike drifts in cut outs, but over here in the uk the roads are designed primarily for cars not bikes, that means very often in corners on country roads, smooth metal drain covers are directly in our riding lines and on a wet greasy winter road hitting one of those when leaning for the corner tightens my sphincter up a treat! Lol stay sunny side up everyone Dave.
Great advice! I wear boots with a slightly raised heel. On my Sportster, I put the front peg right up against the front of the heel to lock it in. I can't ride with the balls of my feet on the pegs, it vibrates too much and is uncomfortable. Keep up the great videos!
Greetings from Reading, Pa.
great advice!
Never underestimate the power of the Victory Sport Cruiser young Jedi , Yoda built my motor ! Victory gave me all the good stuff already there , forks 50mm , rear fox racing shock , Brembo twin discs up front , single Brembo in back , bought 2003 complete transmission , 17 inch rims with ricer tire selections , less grooves in tire are better , Most American made bike in the last 24 years , 2000 Victory , the Sweetness !
MC Sir, yet another great instructional video! Thanks! As a USAF Vet myself, much appreciated for your service too. I've got a sort of unusual question for you because this question is regarding very different bikes than you normally teach about. BUT love the lessons in this video because they ALL are things that I've learned and that you have further defined for me(us). So, I currently have 3 bikes that don't fall entirely into the catagories you teach. I have a 2007 Yamaha Majesty YP400 and a 2014 Honda CTX700 DCT and lastly a week ago I took delivery of a Kymco AK550. Years back I had a 2008-9 Triumph Bonnie, and way back a Kawasaki Vulcan Classic 800. So none of these bike do I have a question for you except the TALLEST bike and how do you recommend writing techniques for a toddler bike such as this...the 2022 Kymco AK550 (my newest as of a week ago) is 31 inches to seat height. I'm 5-5 and even though the Yamaha Majesty is tall too, this new bike, the Kymco gives me challenges at "stops". I've watched Jocelin Snow & more about "Adventure Bike" handling as a shorter person but none about street bikes. Any tips you can offer? Gotta say, I'm LOVE'IN this new Kymco AK550 for it's 53HP and it's now (starting to break her in) 63MPG coupled with the "twist n go" of this Super Touring bike! (nearly 4 gal tank cap). So back to any techniques you can offer would be great. Thanks and ride safe and keep the videos coming!
Thank you.
Thank you. Excellent content. New subscriber
Welcome aboard!
Great advice bro for sure 🤠
Appreciate it!
Lifting you feet up to ride with the balls of your feet on the pedals has another significant positive effect. Try it for yourself. When you are on the balls of your feet your knees come in and grip the tank, and that makes for more dynamic control of both balance in a straight line and control of the lean when cornering.
Great idea….. just be for sure, it’s tight enough to grab in a fraction of a second if you hit a surprise bump or object.
Thanks Kevin!
Firm yet relaxed hold on handgrips.
Relaxed upper body, arms especially.
{Grip the motorcycle with your legs}.
Keep your toes straight ahead, or whole foot on the floor boards (avoids toe tapping the pavement when leaning into turns).
Slow speed = rear brake only.
Be a smoothie... Never jerk the controls (clutch, brakes, steering etc.)
If you are on a road that has just covered with fresh tar, and the tar is cured, hard, and dry, but the sand is still there, and the sand causes your wheel to go where the sand wants it to go, hold on tight to those bars. You will need to do some kind of adjustment in your steering. It's natural to do so and for good reason. Your tire will tend to want to follow whatever grooves are in the sand, or wherever because of loss of traction, but you want to control the front wheel properly to stay upright.
You may experience something similar on some bridge surfaces with a steel grid deck, but they tend to move the wheel back and forth, and not in one direction only, so it may be startling at first but then you should find that you can relax when you see what it's doing.
I rode dirt bike on mountain trails for many years and got tired of gripping the bars at every section of rocks or roots, so I got a steering stabilizer. Problem solved but you still have to watch those areas that want to control the direction or location of your front wheel which will not be in the direction your bike needs to stay upright.
These videos helped keep me alive in the first year.
Hello Kevin, thanks for the video. Years ago when getting my motorcycle off the center stand, I inadvertently squeezed the front brake and over it went. Doesn't take much for that to happen. Now I keep my fingers off the front brake when rocking the motorcycle off the center stand. Have a great day!
I always pull the clutch lever when rolling the bike off the centre stand, just in case the gear lever hits the back of my leg putting the bike in gear and it jumps forward. Only had this happen once but now I do it every time.
Great note about the feet! Soo easy to adopt that bad habit
I agree with your points, but on a 800 mile + day I tend to move around and use all positions to find more comfort. This is on interstate riding, I keep proper position on shorter rides and non interstate rides.
yup, i learned my lesson grabbing front brake with the wheel turned., real slow, sudden stop from being hit, bike went down, i was able to hold it on the way down(Honda Rebel 500) got up picked up the bike and went on my way. put a blemish on clutch lever, but other than that no harm. i sure don't use front when turning u turns, or right/left turns.
Hope you stopped at the K-River Camp Ground. I was thinking that it's near Ureka Springs AR and Moyers OK . Now that I think about it maybe I was thinking in the wrong state..
For me I never have had trouble with those metal grate bridge surfaces and I don’t know why some do. But if you hold tight, I can see the rippling surface would transfer to the body and you might fight it, and that must be why they find metal bridges difficult. I learned how to ride a street motorcycle on gavel roads and you had to ride loose or you were down or in the ditch.
Depends on how wide your tires are.
A nice light grip and good posture allows you smooth inputs. You only need a couple fingers for the levers anyway.
Sound advice 👍
seen some real bad vids about control, yours nails it spot on, well done. ( shoulda, coulda mentioned looking ahead at the road and not fixating on anything in corners. heh just a suggestion ;)
Emergency beaking is paramount to being a good rider with thar skill in your rearview bit keep practicing anyway.
Chances are if you're riding in the rain, you won't encounter an emergency braking situation because you'll have already extended your following distance but situations do occur that can make an emergency wet stop a necessity so be sure to add that to your resume and a good time to practice that skill is when you've already made it safely to your destination on an already wet bike (cause you'll have to clean it up anyway). Take it easy at first so you can get a feel for the bike's attitude/behavior and slowly increase your severity until you feel comfortable.
Then do it again.
It'll give you piece of mind
I've been riding for 50 years and this is a good reminder video of things we tend to forget about. Especially the front brake at slow speeds, I pulled up to drop this girl off in front of her house and of course only f'n spot on the street for miles with sand at the curb and pitch black out just as I was coming to a stop (like 2 mph) had my hand on the front brake and wouldn't ya know just enough to get away from me. Broke off my left Jay Brake FIXED footpeg on my forward controls on my 2000 raked Fatboy. You get the picture, I was pissed but it was my fault for forgetting simple things you already know. Thanks.
I learned on a Honda rebel 250. I had no idea what lean angle would do until I got on my next bigger bike that seemed to scrape the kick stand all the time on the left side kick stand. I traded the bike back to a rebel 250 because I don't want to think about scraping. Holding a line tight or wide eyes or head isn't a problem. I like to stay on a cruiser other than the rebel do they make a cruiser that leans? I ride in WV so all roads are very curvy.
Thankyou
Great advice again Kevin. Thank you for what you do for us. I was wondering if you ever looked at the Brake Free helmet mounted light. What do you think of it? Thanks again!
I have never used one.
@@MCrider Check it out. I think you will be impressed.
Mulțumim!
I've been riding for 60 years but I try not to be complacent I am well aware that doesn't mean I am immune to accidents so I constantly talk to myself when I ride to remind myself to ride safely
I have to mentally remind myself when in gravel driveways or parking lots to keep my hand off the front brake! Took me twice to engrave this into my memory. (Goldwings are pretty heavy when lying on its side.....)
Toes also become an issue with big riders. At 6 ft 8in with a size 15 shoe my toes can hang out further than I sometimes realize, especially on my Concours! No so much of an issue on my GS.
No wonder am poor at slow speed. Thanks I will work on this going on. Liking it in kenya
To the average dirt rider, none of these things are surprising. Really want to improve your on road skills? go ride some dirt. Traction and surfaces change within feet and inches requiring good trail reading skills and understanding of what to do under those changes. It really is a game changer when riding the slab…
The toes out / catch them on the pavement isn't a problem on a cruiser with forward controls. You can't get your toes low enough to hit the pavement, it will be the pegs first. But low speed leans in a corner do occasionally catch my heels - Scouts are notorious for that. First time that happened spooked me. But it's not really a safety issue. Knees on the tank do help loosen the upper body and grip.
New member- I love the field guide but wish it were an app
There is an app for the forums and field guide...information here: forum.mcrider.com/t/mcrider-forum-app/5462
I swear I only drop my motorcycle in front of people these days. I do pretty regular fairly aggressive parking lot practice with cones and such and only drop them rarely...but if you stick a crowd in front of me, the likelihood seems to increase tenfold.
Speaking of smooth braking, I practice at least a couple fast emergency stops on every ride. If nobody is behind me _and the surface is safe,_ I may quickly do one before turning into driveways/etc. It took SO MUCH repeated, deliberate practice before I learned to not reflexively slam the rear brake in emergencies.
I wiped out big time on my bicycle.
The front wheel caught a street car rail in the rain. It was a lesson.
Kevin, like always, great advise. I repeated the mantra together with you: "slow speed = rear brake only."
I have an 2020 FXBB and occasionaly I would go over a bump and my throttle hand is jerked and the bike, being "torquey" jumps up and startles me. Is this because I'm holding on too tight?
Think about the throttle hand positioning also. If your throttle hand is at an angle to where anytime a big bump makes you throttle down, try adjusting your hand down a bit. That way you’ll have some “Give” in your elbows to adjust for bumps without affecting the throttle.
On day two of motorcycle rider, i dropped my two day old s1000xr because i grabbed the front brake at slow speed, luckily only with a small scufmark to the handprotector and some bruising to my ego.
what aabout using front brake offroad on steep heels over rocks and stuff ? do you suggest not doing that? I sometimes require it but i am not sure if that is a good technieque or i should be doing other things
(serious question)
As a truck driver I go for weeks without getting to ride my bike. And every time the 1st day I'm back on it IHave to remind myself to loosen up. But I have a great reminder my hands go numb. Black-and-white carpet tunnel or something . When that happens I'm like You dummy you know you enjoy this relax
Hitting the front brake with the handle bars turned during the slalom during my msf test caused me to go down and made me fail the first time.