Gr8Dane Posted June 26, 2012 Report Share Posted June 26, 2012 TOTW II page 30, paragraph 2: BE SUSPICIOUS Quote " In any turn (real braking turns excepted) where you are tempted to chop the throttle and/or use the brakes lightly, look at it with a suspicious eye and see if good throttle control won't gain an even better result" Case in point: Many years ago, Bill Stermer invited me to go for a ride on Highway 33 out of Ojai, California. This is an awesome winding mountain road, well maintained and with very little traffic on week days, however, on weekends, there are too many weekend warriors. Bill is a well - known motorcycle journalist who has probably been riding for 50 years or more. I remember reading his articles in Cycle Magazine when I was a just kid dreaming of one day riding motorcycles in California. He now writes for Rider Magazine. On that particular day, he was riding his old BMW R100 RS and I was riding a BMW R1100 RS (a veritable crotch-rocket compared to Bill's bike). Of course, I was gonna show the 'old' guy on his ancient bike who was king of the hill, right? So I'd go charging into the corners, chop the throttle and slam on the brakes. As a result of massively superior horsepower, I would get to every corner first, but no matter what I did, Bill would be on my rear wheel before the turn was done. I figured Bill must know the road better than me, so I slowed down and let him get in front. Here's what I observed: His brake light never came on. (Note to self, tell Bill his brake light is out) He would roll-on the throttle much sooner than me. He'd pull a couple of bike lengths on me in every corner. It looked completely smooth and effort-less. Eventually we stopped for a break. This time the brake light worked just fine. Here's what I learned: The harder you charge, the harder your SR's make you brake. The harder you brake, the slower you go. The better the throttle control, the less you have to brake. Just like it says on page 30, paragraph 2. Going fast thru the corner is much more fun than going fast before the corner, right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktk_ace Posted June 27, 2012 Report Share Posted June 27, 2012 the no brake lights... its a pretty "evil" trick for riders who loves to nearly stick it up your bottom on public roads I think your friend is relying quite a bit on engine braking for priming the entry speed hence no brake lights. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
faffi Posted June 27, 2012 Report Share Posted June 27, 2012 Quite interesting, Dane, because I remember Stermer considering himself a rather slow and careful rider compared to Homchick and the rest of the gang at Cycle. But as you say, being a daredevil doesn't always make you faster. Nice writeup Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
warregl Posted June 27, 2012 Report Share Posted June 27, 2012 Nice example Dane. I know I have seen that play out more than a few times on back woods rides and track days. A few years back at VIR there was a fellow on a Desmosedici RR. He was wicked fast in the straight bits but once he tiped it in I thought he was going to fall over for lack of corner speed. CSS is cheaper than a Desmo...and more effective . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnnyrod Posted June 29, 2012 Report Share Posted June 29, 2012 Does the TOTW quote refer to braking before a turn or during? As Keith also says, the engine is not a brake. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
faffi Posted June 29, 2012 Report Share Posted June 29, 2012 Proof positive that you can make up time on the brakes - and a storming last lap http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7-3fkD1n2U&feature=related Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gr8Dane Posted June 29, 2012 Author Report Share Posted June 29, 2012 Does the TOTW quote refer to braking before a turn or during? As Keith also says, the engine is not a brake. This particular quote specifically excludes braking corners.It only refers to good throttle control. In other words, if you can enter a corner without chopping the throttle or using the brakes, then that is an example of good throttle control. There's many corners that can be entered and taken flat out or with just a minor adjustment of the throttle. Past experience with that particular corner naturally helps Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gr8Dane Posted June 29, 2012 Author Report Share Posted June 29, 2012 Does the TOTW quote refer to braking before a turn or during? As Keith also says, the engine is not a brake. This particular quote specifically excludes braking corners.It only refers to good throttle control. In other words, if you can enter a corner without chopping the throttle or using the brakes, then that is an example of good throttle control. There's many corners that can be entered and taken flat out or with just a minor adjustment of the throttle. Past experience with that particular corner naturally helps Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gr8Dane Posted June 29, 2012 Author Report Share Posted June 29, 2012 Agreed. The engine is not a brake. If you need to use the brakes, use the brakes. However, there's always exceptions. That's one of the reason 'slipper' clutches were invented. "Backing" the bike into a corner to line it up for a quicker turn is an example, right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gr8Dane Posted June 29, 2012 Author Report Share Posted June 29, 2012 Proof positive that you can make up time on the brakes - and a storming last lap http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7-3fkD1n2U&feature=related Awesome video, thanx! Goes to prove that GP racers have better throttle control and braking capability than the rest of us. It's quite clear to me that SR #1 was slowing me down on that ride, combined with too much braking. Bill reeled me in every time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gr8Dane Posted June 29, 2012 Author Report Share Posted June 29, 2012 Proof positive that you can make up time on the brakes - and a storming last lap http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7-3fkD1n2U&feature=related Awesome video, thanx! Goes to prove that GP racers have better throttle control and braking capability than the rest of us. It's quite clear to me that SR #1 was slowing me down on that ride, combined with too much braking. Bill reeled me in every time. PS. Eirik, Check your PM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnnyrod Posted July 3, 2012 Report Share Posted July 3, 2012 Agreed. The engine is not a brake. If you need to use the brakes, use the brakes. However, there's always exceptions. That's one of the reason 'slipper' clutches were invented. "Backing" the bike into a corner to line it up for a quicker turn is an example, right? I thought backing it in was done with the rear brake, as you can control that, you can't really control engine braking. By extension, the slipper clutch is useful because you can't control engine braking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mugget Posted July 6, 2012 Report Share Posted July 6, 2012 Definitely an important point. For me, my riding really stepped up a level (or few!) when I finally understood that my speed when I release the brake does not need to be the speed required at the apex. That is to say that you can enter a corner much faster and the very act of turning & cornering will continue to reduce your speed. Big eye opener! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.