Proper method of braking? | GTAMotorcycle.com

Proper method of braking?

D

datguywithtaste

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I would downshift and when I make a complete stop I would make sure to always be in either 1st gear if I'm about to take off, or chill in neutral.

BUT

Let's say I need to slow down into the left turning lane, when I have downshifted and am slowly creeping waiting for it to be clear can I ever hold in the clutch or is that bad and wears it out? thanks
 
What do you ride and is it equipped with a wet clutch?
... Everything wears out parts but you'd be amazed how much abuse a wet clutch can withstand just as long as you keep your revs low and the oil free of water and debris, just watch a trials bike rider and you will see that we almost constantly slip the clutch, one finger is almost always on there :| unless you are going up some stupid big hill climb. & btw: I've yet to wear out a clutch on Any vehicle, so done properly and serviced adequately you will never have a problem.
 
datguywithtaste said:
I would downshift and when I make a complete stop I would make sure to always be in either 1st gear if I'm about to take off, or chill in neutral.

BUT

Let's say I need to slow down into the left turning lane, when I have downshifted and am slowly creeping waiting for it to be clear can I ever hold in the clutch or is that bad and wears it out? thanks
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I creep in 2nd or 1st if the revs drop too low, modulate the clutch as needed to maintain balance and momentum.
 
I try to keep unnecessary creeping to a minimum. Ride to a spot where you can make the turn when there it is safe, pull in the clutch, leave it in gear and you are ready to go. Trying to slowly creep forward while looking for holes does little to help you and makes your life more complicated. It depends on the bike too obviously. I like riding big twins so they can lump along at idle in first at ~10 km/h. It's not often that you are forced to hold a speed between 0 and 10. On a 250 with no torque, obviously there is a lot more clutch slipping required.
 
With a car you can go to neutral and give the clutch throw out bearing a rest but for safety reasons, primarily the lack of a protective cage, on a bike it is recommended that you are always in the appropriate gear.

In creep and crawl traffic you can chose between constant feathering of the clutch or wait until there are a few car lengths and then take up the space. One system exercises your slow riding skills and the other exercises your vocabulary as people grab the space.
 
+1 on wet clutches being able to handle creeping. The main way to destroy a wet clutch involves doing something while on the throttle (e.g. attempting a burnout, launching your bike weird).
 
Take a course.
 
Keep it in gear unless parked.

Sometimes I get lazy and give my hand a break and slip into neutral. While my hand is grateful, my mind is freaking out that I’m a sitting duck.

It’s ok to hold the clutch lever in while waiting to move ahead.


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GreyGhost said:
I try to keep unnecessary creeping to a minimum. Ride to a spot where you can make the turn when there it is safe, pull in the clutch, leave it in gear and you are ready to go. Trying to slowly creep forward while looking for holes does little to help you and makes your life more complicated. It depends on the bike too obviously. I like riding big twins so they can lump along at idle in first at ~10 km/h. It's not often that you are forced to hold a speed between 0 and 10. On a 250 with no torque, obviously there is a lot more clutch slipping required.
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Unless you're on the DVP during rush hour.

I'd find myself between 0 and 15km/h for most of the length of the DVP coasting in 1st or 2nd gear on a Ninja 300.

Turned it into a game of how many times I need to put my foot down (usually around 3 times) between Gardiner and 401.

It's good practice for low speed skills, get a feel for the rear brake and modulating the throttle/clutch to maintain balance.
 
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PLau said:
Unless you're on the DVP during rush hour.

I'd find myself between 0 and 15km/h for most of the length of the DVP coasting in 1st or 2nd gear on a Ninja 300.

Turned it into a game of how many times I need to put my foot down (usually around 3 times) between Gardiner and 401.

It's good practice for low speed skills, get a feel for the rear brake and modulating the throttle/clutch to maintain balance.
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Good point. If you're a new rider use the rear brake instead of the front and you'll achieve much better results for slow manoeuvres.
 
PLau said:
...
Turned it into a game of how many times I need to put my foot down (usually around 3 times) between Gardiner and 401..
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:D a budding trials rider, you only lost 3 points!
I used to ride the Don Valley green belt and go as fast as I could, but they'd probably shoot you for doing that now :lmao:
 
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Trials said:
:D a budding trials rider, you only lost 3 points!
I used to ride the Don Valley green belt and go as fast as I could, but they'd probably shoot you for doing that now :lmao:
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Frustrating to lose 3 points because the highway comes to a complete stop for 5 seconds for no apparent reason.

I wish there were trails close by... Close enough that I can decide to go on a whim the morning of. ^_^
 
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PLau said:
Turned it into a game of how many times I need to put my foot down (usually around 3 times) between Gardiner and 401..
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Been there. I always look for oppportunities to moderate my speed as well to avoid the need to stop to begin with no matter what I’m driving. This is rooted in my truck driver experience as it’s easier to keep hundreds of thousands of pounds moving than it is to come to a stop and get it under way again.

On the bike I don’t slip my clutch much at all, but I will hold it in when going slow, let it out to put a little momentum back into things, and the pull it back in to coast again, aiming to never fully stop. Rinse, repeat.
 
PLau said:
... I wish there were trails close by... Close enough that I can decide to go on a whim the morning of. ^_^
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There used to be all kinds of them! but they kicked out the motorcycles and turned them all into landfill sites, golf courses, untouchable vacant land and dog walk areas.
 
Finesse the clutch so that you can creep forward or stop as needed using the clutch only while using little or no throttle. Engine at idle speed or barely above. It takes a fine touch.

For the vast majority of bikes which use a "wet" clutch - lubricated and cooled by engine oil circulation - slipping the clutch with the engine near idle speed will not hurt them.

If you find yourself slipping the clutch at 5000 rpm to make the bike creep along, that will do damage, and it means you need to improve your clutch and throttle dexterity and co-ordination.

It's the same with cars. I always pull off from a stop with the engine at or barely above idle speed. I've yet to have to replace a clutch before 400,000 km.
 
PLau said:
Unless you're on the DVP during rush hour.

I'd find myself between 0 and 15km/h for most of the length of the DVP coasting in 1st or 2nd gear on a Ninja 300.

Turned it into a game of how many times I need to put my foot down (usually around 3 times) between Gardiner and 401.

It's good practice for low speed skills, get a feel for the rear brake and modulating the throttle/clutch to maintain balance.
Click to expand...
HAhahah same here on qew/gardiner/lakeshore.

My goal at all times is to not stop and put my foot down. I've gotten better and better... i can go down to 2kph before it becomes too wobbly to handle properly. Beginning of the season was 4kph...

So to answer your question, yes you can ride it out down low...just dont rev too hard/high
 
LePhillou said:
HAhahah same here on qew/gardiner/lakeshore.

My goal at all times is to not stop and put my foot down. I've gotten better and better... i can go down to 2kph before it becomes too wobbly to handle properly. Beginning of the season was 4kph...

So to answer your question, yes you can ride it out down low...just dont rev too hard/high
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After a couple years of practice, this year I was able to hit an (indicated) 0km/h for about a second before having to put my foot down. Keeping the bike up right, looking far ahead, and not thinking too much about trying to counter-balance the bike helped with this.

Getting back on the throttle and moving a couple inches (after coming to a complete stop) helped a lot when the bike started to feel like it was going to tip over giving a bit of a time for vehicles in front to start moving again. *wouldn't recommend new riders doing this in traffic at the risk of slamming into the car in front of you*

A bit of throttle > trying to counter-balance with body weight, however, if you can do both well, you win the game.

It's a balancing act - standing on the pegs helps a lot with this, however I'd rather not be standing on my pegs trying to balance my bike in traffic..
 
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PLau said:
After a couple years of practice, this year I was able to hit an (indicated) 0km/h for about a second before having to put my foot down. Keeping the bike up right, looking far ahead, and not thinking too much about trying to counter-balance the bike helped with this.

Getting back on the throttle and moving a couple inches (after coming to a complete stop) helped a lot when the bike started to feel like it was going to tip over giving a bit of a time for vehicles in front to start moving again. *wouldn't recommend new riders doing this in traffic at the risk of slamming into the car in front of you*
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For a few years, slow race was part of the Basic Rider Training Course, maybe they should consider bringing that back.
My guess is the OP is a fresh out of training rider.
 
Trials said:
For a few years, slow race was part of the Basic Rider Training Course, maybe they should consider bringing that back.
My guess is the OP is a fresh out of training rider.
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They did this at Learning Curves when I took the course 7(?) years ago.

Not sure that they still do or not, but it really comes down the the individual practicing basic skills on their own time.

That being said, at that stage, I lacked an understanding of what I could use that skill for as my mind went straight to "Why don't I just put my foot down?".
 
Trials said:
For a few years, slow race was part of the Basic Rider Training Course, maybe they should consider bringing that back.
My guess is the OP is a fresh out of training rider.
Click to expand...
We had to do it at trail tours, the goal was to go so slow in a very small curvy course that the one behind you would actually tip over ahahha it was fun...and i wouldnt do that on asphalt without the proper gear cause someone WILL tip over.
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