The braking system must be practiced as soon as the motorcycle is in hand.
Whenever you get a new bike, you must practice its braking system. Whether the bike is brand new or second hand. Even if you have been riding for more than 20 years, the importance of this practice is immense. If you already know the entire braking system, you will have an added advantage.
How the weight balance of the bike, how the weight transfer during braking etc. is different in every bike. And if you don’t have a prior understanding of these differences, you can be in danger.
Braking problems on motorcycles include accidents due to lack of knowledge of braking distance, rear wheel lock and wheel skid, front wheel lock and wheel skid, or rear wheel lifting and you falling forward.
The two main areas for braking practice are to prevent wheel lock, or to prevent the bike from skidding.
How to use rear brake on motorcycle?
We’ve convinced you to use the rear brake in an emergency, just because you don’t have the nerve to do so. If you are a nervous person who can keep a cool head without panicking during an emergency, using the rear brake will do wonders.
Which we will discuss in this practice session Inshallah.
You can squeeze the maximum out of your bike’s braking system if you have proper synchronization of the front and rear brakes. So when you practice, you have to use the rear brake so that it becomes instinctive in your automatic action .
Put the engine in neutral by depressing the clutch. Apply light pressure to the rear brake. By this slight pressure the rear weight of the bike will shift to the front and at the same time maintain balance during this weight shift by applying pressure on the front brake. Never apply the front brake all at once. Increase the pressure gradually, hopefully the bike will come under control.
Wheel lock
In motion, your bike’s wheels can be on the road in two ways. In rotating or sliding condition. In the state of slide, which we call this, the kinetic friction acts on the object and when the wheel rotates, the rolling or dynamic friction acts. An example of kinetic friction is when you push an object, the force applied to it is distributed in three directions. Forward and downward, regardless of the direction you’re hitting. Look at the picture.
So when kinetic friction acts on a moving object, there is no stability in its trajectory. It can change direction very easily. On the other hand, rotating wheels can maintain a certain direction due to rolling or dynamic friction.
If your rear wheel locks, the bike’s wheels will change from dynamic friction to kinetic friction. Can’t keep the direction right and you’ll fall.
Rear wheel lock
Let’s safely put the matter into practice. We will first look at locking the rear wheels. But by no means go to the paved road to do this practice. Go to an empty football field, a light dew will do the trick. While moving, hold the rear brake hard while not holding the front brake. Vyas has become a fishtail.
Now if you can’t intelligently change your center of gravity, then straight splash on the ground. Does that sound familiar? You must have experienced the screech that breaks suddenly on the grass on a dewy morning.
Front wheel lock
Locking the front wheels is very simple. No speed required. Start the bike. Slowly increase the throttle while fully depressing the front brake. In this situation you are in front wheel lock.
Braking on bends
Breaking often becomes a serious issue when speaking. Never underestimate the curve of the road. First slow down your bike. Apply the rear brake very gently. At this time your bike will not be straight at 90 degrees. Centripetal force causes you to lean towards the center of the bend with the bike. This is normal. You can bend your knees to help the bike while turning.
This is a normal situation. But suppose you meet an obstacle midway through the turn, say a goat or a dog. What to do then?
When to use front brake on motorcycle?
Don’t be afraid. Since you are not racing your bike will have less speed when cornering. Hard braking is possible in this condition. I remember we learned how to synchronize the front and rear brakes in the practice session. Apply it this time. You will see that the bike stops nicely and safely. But don’t brake too fast, accidents are sure to happen.
Variation of braking with weather conditions
If you can do these braking practices regularly, then hopefully you will be able to control the bike with proper braking. As the braking may vary depending on the weather conditions such as monsoon braking and summer braking will not be the same due to changes in road conditions. The foggy winter paved road and the village dirt mud road braking will never be the same. Different environments require different practices.
Finally
Finally, there are no set rules for safe and effective braking, but an understanding of the braking system and how it works, and experience will certainly help you every time.
Read more: 5 Safety Tips while Refueling your Bike-You Need to Known
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