Get off the bike!

[dannylightning]

Originally Posted by dhgeyer

The scariest lapses for me have been the times I have seen a sharp curve coming, and have been aware of it on some level, but have failed to take any appropriate action whatsoever, like slowing and moving to the outside. Suddenly I have found myself in mid curve at straightaway speeds, and in the improper lane position. The only things that saved me the two or three times it's happened have been good physical skills, and the fact that I tend to ride fairly slowly anyway, so my straightaway speed was survivable in the curve.
The basic idea I'm trying to get across is that it's not enough to master the bike - you have to master yourself, and your human mental state.

there was one road in Tennessee i had never taken before, it was slightly up hill and there was a spot where there was a little bump in the road, just high enough you could not see the road past it till you were right up on it. as soon as i went over that bump i was doing around 45-50 and there was a crazy sharp curve in the road, if it were not for all the practice on the curvy roads and quick reflexes i probably would have flew off the road in to the ditch. there was no sharp curve sign or any thing. just a holy shit, hard breaking and flying around that thing. moral of the story, if you can practice taking curves do it and get good at it and if you don't know the road you are riding on be careful, if there is any time where you cant not see the road ahead and don't know what is coming up, slow down. better safe than sorry.

[mrlmd1]

Better safe than sorry means not riding faster than your visibility. If you can't see around the bend of the curve, then slow down before you get there - you never know what lies around the curve, could be a stopped car, someone coming in the opposite direction cutting the corner over in your lane, a fallen tree, rocks, etc, etc., you'll never know 'till you see it. Not good, doing hard braking going into a curve. Sounds to me like more good luck than "skill".

[Water Warrior 2]

Contrary to what many riders say, I can and do brake going into a curve. I'm not talking about race track speeds but speed non the less and I do it with the front brake. A little rear brake to settle the back end but fairly hard on the front end will scrub off speed in a hurry. I also practice this now and again after entering a curve. A little more exciting of course but something we should all be able to do. The wild life around here doesn't wait for you to be riding in a straight line before leaping out and scaring the stuffing out of you.
So many new riders never learn how to front brake for fear of going over the handle bars. Not so in actual life, your are more likely to go over the bars after T-boning a cage because you can't stop properly and in the shortest distance possible.

[dannylightning]

Originally Posted by Water Warrior

Contrary to what many riders say, I can and do brake going into a curve. I'm not talking about race track speeds but speed non the less and I do it with the front brake. A little rear brake to settle the back end but fairly hard on the front end will scrub off speed in a hurry. I also practice this now and again after entering a curve. A little more exciting of course but something we should all be able to do. The wild life around here doesn't wait for you to be riding in a straight line before leaping out and scaring the stuffing out of you.
So many new riders never learn how to front brake for fear of going over the handle bars. Not so in actual life, your are more likely to go over the bars after T-boning a cage because you can't stop properly and in the shortest distance possible.

i agree, once i ran over a squirrel, he jetted out into the street and went right under my bike, and i ran him over, thank god only my rear tire went over him. not sure what would have happen if the front tire would have ran over him.

i have all kind of practice hard breaking right before going around sharp curves. i have practiced every thing i cold think of that might come in handy some day, practicing hard breaking in all situations is a really good idea, it would be pretty hard to go over the bars using your front break on a cruiser, those crotch rockets on the other hand might flip you over the bars easily, those guys hit the front breaks hard and rid wheelies on their front tires.

mrmld1 my exact words were (if there is any time where you cant not see the road ahead and don't know what is coming up, slow down. better safe than sorry.) it was definitely better to break hard going into that curve that it wold have been to fly off the road into a ditch. and when i say ditch i mean big ditch a good 2 feet or more deep, hard breaking going into a curve is definitely skill, in my case it was a bit if skill and luck. like you said you never know if there is going to be gravel or any thing else there trying to wipe you out.

[mrlmd1]

Maybe I misread or misunderstood the post(s). If you are talking about hard breaking BEFORE you enter the curve, that's fine. If you are talking about hard braking when you are leaned over going too fast once you are already in the curve, that's another story, which I don't think many people recommend, (especially if it could have been avoided), at least to a newbie.
Depending on the amount of room you have and what's in front of you, it may be better to steer straight and stand the bike up and break like hell, vs. brake really hard leaned over and risk a lowside. It all depends, as always.
Read up about trail braking, if that's what you are talking about, braking in the curve.

[dannylightning]

Originally Posted by mrlmd1

Maybe I misread or misunderstood the post(s). If you are talking about hard breaking BEFORE you enter the curve, that's fine. If you are talking about hard braking when you are leaned over going too fast once you are already in the curve, that's another story, which I don't think many people recommend, (especially if it could have been avoided), at least to a newbie.
Depending on the amount of room you have and what's in front of you, it may be better to steer straight and stand the bike up and break like hell, vs. brake really hard leaned over and risk a lowside. It all depends, as always.
Read up about trail braking, if that's what you are talking about, braking in the curve.

Nope, I was talking about breaking right before I hit the curve. breaking when you are going around the curve could end up bad if you do not do it right, if you do halve to break while taking a curve i believe you should keep the breaks on threw out the whole curve or at least until you slow down enough that letting off the break is not going to effect you and you should mainly use the front break, i know letting off the breaks suddenly when going around a corner fast can also cause your rear end to slide out. as well as breaking while going around a curve if you do it wrong, .