breaking on the track

[ducati_atx]

you use the front brake for stopping - motor slowdown wouldnt be fast enough (this is why bikes have brakes.)

As for the rear - you can use it to settle the rear down in a corner... using the rear properly wont cause you to lowside or highside. You can also use the brake to adjust the front/rear weight coming out of a corner too - I dont do taht as it spooks me out.

[spierce]

now bear with me cause i am a re-re i though no braking in turn because the wieght of the bike should be 60/40 with 60% of the wieght to the rear

and at track speed would the rear lock up easy and foot position on the peg would be lost too right? (ball of foot on peg no reachie the brakie)

[speedylocksmith]

sam, it's "braking"

[spierce]

Originally Posted by speedylocksmith

sam, it's "braking"

thanks speedy i luve u

[speedylocksmith]

Originally Posted by spierce

thanks speedy i luve u

i luv you too, my redneck inbred lover

[spierce]

wwoooooooooooooooo easy now i just hold the reins with one hand a pull back easy and my horse stops every time

[shmike]

Ducati ATX said it.

Setting up for and coming into a turn, the vast majority of braking bias will be on the front tire.

The brakes (front or rear) can be used through the turn but you have to be smooth. Any stabbing of the brakes will land you on your head.

The rear brake can be used in settling the bike, initiating a slide, controlling a slide, reducing wheelies, changing a line, etc. but those are very advanced techniques.

IMO, your typical trackday rider / amateur racer won't be any faster by modulating their rear brake than they would be by simply relaxing and riding smoothly.

[ducati_atx]

Originally Posted by shmike

IMO, your typical trackday rider / amateur racer won't be any faster by modulating their rear brake than they would be by simply relaxing and riding smoothly.

Typical trackday riders would more than likely not use their rear brake unless the front fails, they are offroading and dont want to lowside by using the front, or have an "oh shit" moment and lock everything up.

[was92v]

I can only speak for myself, but I rarely use the rear brake even on the street unless I am in a low traction situation or have a passenger, to lessen the weight transfer and make the ride smoother. Lately I have been practicing with the rear brake and it seems to be promising, I'll have to see where that takes me. When I learned to ride (in the stone age), rear drum brakes tended to lock suddenly for no particular reason when used at all, or just didn't do anything, so I just quit using them. The rear brake on my F4i actually works pretty well.

For me, while in Hi-performance riding mode, the front brakes provides 100% of my braking. The engine provides none. while Sport riding engine braking is used some and just riding around it provides more. But, when I am really in the zone, I have very little use for the rear brake. First off, absolute control of the machine is mandatory and allowing the engine to drag the ass end around is not using my control. It takes too long to do anything, not an efficient use of time, can cause suspension agitation that you did not plan for(not your control)and can be hard on the equipment.
If you are using the engine to brake for a corner, you have lost 3-5 seconds per lap that you can't get back and it is just not precise. On the track, if you are not on the throttle
you should be on the brakes. Anything else is wasting time. Less time on the brakes+more time on the throttle=quicker lap times. Precision application of the brakes and throttle are the only way to become consistent and will give you a repeatable sequence of events. By breaking down a lap into repeatable events, you can then start drilling into each event to measure your mental performance. Actions will (or seem to)become very slow and you can try different changes to archive a kind of harmony with the bike and track that you are working your craft on. When you get it right there is no better feeling in the world. When you get it wrong, you know exactly what you did and can change it to try something else with relative safety. Oops, sorry I almost got into this too deep.

Oh, and I'm from kintucke too ya'll... But not for a while.

[Mudpuppy]

Originally Posted by shmike

Ducati ATX said it.

Setting up for and coming into a turn, the vast majority of braking bias will be on the front tire.

The brakes (front or rear) can be used through the turn but you have to be smooth. Any stabbing of the brakes will land you on your head.

The rear brake can be used in settling the bike, initiating a slide, controlling a slide, reducing wheelies, changing a line, etc. but those are very advanced techniques.

IMO, your typical trackday rider / amateur racer won't be any faster by modulating their rear brake than they would be by simply relaxing and riding smoothly.

yes i agree.. 99% of people never need to use back brake.. i am sure that rossi, hayden, mladin, etc. all do and are very good at it.. the only time i use it at the track is if i am off in the grass.. i trail brake into corners but only on the front brake.. i watched a guy, who obviously read google so he thought he was smart too, at VIR try trailbraking into turn 1 after passing me, lock up the rear tire and t-bone a guy right in front of me.. so if you all pros want to try this technique feel free but do it at a track day where i am not at.. in 99.9% of skill levels rear brake is a terrible idea at the track..