Slowing Down/Braking - What do you use? Shift or Brakes?

[Toxic]

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Heyy

Like the title states, how do you slow down/brake?

Do you use your brakes only, front and back? Do you down shift and slow down that way? Or a combination of both?

I noticed that I down shift and slow down my bike that way and eventually use my brakes to come to a full stop. Not sure if this will do any good to the bike but it seems to work well for me.

 

[shoe]

I do the same. Gear down eventually leading to front brake.

I sometimes hit the brake to flash the light to warn the car behind that I'm slowing.

In rain or sketchy road conditions, I'll gear down and use both front and rear brakes.

 

[Sushii]

Engine braking for the most part and then right before i stop, i disengage the clutch and use both my brakes.

 

[BusaBob]

I do the same. Gear down eventually leading to front brake.

I sometimes hit the brake to flash the light to warn the car behind that I'm slowing.

In rain or sketchy road conditions, I'll gear down and use both front and rear brakes.

similar, but i flash the brake lights using the rear brake instead.

 

[Baggsy]

Same as Bob.
If you're engine braking you should show the traffic behind you that you are slowing down using one of the brakes enough to get the light to come on.

 

[Wogger]

I hold the throttle pinned wide open untill my life flashes before my eyes, then grab a hand full of front brake while smashing down through the gears.

 

[MacDoc]

chuckle...on occasion not paying attention has caused similar panic - luckily the Burgman does the shifting and the 3 rotors get mighty hot.

•••

You always want to be in the correct gear so downshift smoothly but do warn drivers with a brake touch.
Front mostly if straight line, some rear if you are on angled pavement as the front end can snap around if you off camber or turning with the front brake being used, can catch you if you are watching traffic.

Wet or gravel = gently on all accounts.

 

[lampguru]

I do the same. Gear down eventually leading to front brake.

I sometimes hit the brake to flash the light to warn the car behind that I'm slowing.

In rain or sketchy road conditions, I'll gear down and use both front and rear brakes.

+1^

 

[Numb]

flintstones braking

 

[MadPoet]

flintstones braking

Lol, did that my first week riding. I must have built a lot of leg muscle flintstoning my bike every other traffic light.

 

[jeero]

flintstones braking

I flintstone-start my bike when I see a green light.

As for topic, I use a mixed combination of all methods to slow down (gear down, front and rear brake). Sometimes I just use rear and gear down, sometimes just front, etc.
No matter what though, I always turn on my tail lights even if I just lightly press the rear brake. You have to let people behind you know that you're slowing down.

 

[NealT]

Similar as well, tap the rear brakes slowly as I gear down and then apply both brakes evenly transitioning to more front as I get closer with a faster double/triple tap to warn that i'm braking harder. In the wet fairly similar but the gaps are wider to the car in front.

I do the same. Gear down eventually leading to front brake.

I sometimes hit the brake to flash the light to warn the car behind that I'm slowing.

In rain or sketchy road conditions, I'll gear down and use both front and rear brakes.

 

[Toxic]

lol nice to hear that im not the only one doing that then

for a sec I thought I figured out a new way of stopping ahahah newbs...cant blame us =D

 

[Metastable]

As Keith Code says, use your brakes for braking.... I mean if you're cruising around then go ahead and engine brake. However, if you have to BRAKE... forget about engine braking and use the brakes. On a big litre twin engine braking rocks!

 

[Beastess]

i hold the throttle pinned wide open untill my life flashes before my eyes, then grab a hand full of front brake while smashing down through the gears.

lol

 

[bombshelter13]

I use either or both depending on the situation and circumstances - anything else seems absurd. Sometimes one makes sense, sometimes the other, and sometimes you need both, depending on where and how you're riding.

In normal traffic situations I usually give two quick flashes before a full brake (if it's an emergency stop I may not have time for the flashes).

 

[Jag_V4Ape]

Its better to use your breaks than to use your engine as breaks. One costs more to replace than the other. =)
- (Keith Code Information) thank you very much! lol

 

[Prince]

What he said. You use engine breaking when riding into corners fast. As for putting around town, traffic light to traffic light, pull in your clutch, and bang all the gears down. I add a constant extra 500 RPM when doing this to aid the gears coming down. Brakes are cheap to replace, your clutch isn't.

 

[RV125]

As Keith Code says, use your brakes for braking.... I mean if you're cruising around then go ahead and engine brake. However, if you have to BRAKE... forget about engine braking and use the brakes. On a big litre twin engine braking rocks!

+1
pads are cheap engine is expensive.
Read/watch the Cornering Bible by Keith Code. (Twist of the Wrist II)

You may also want to practice your trail braking.

Cheers


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[haisam10]

I use engine to slow down in the gear I am in, i.e. Let off throttle and not downshift. Then use brakes when I want a full stop. Saves the brake pads.

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