Comments for The Ride Report

Comment on Old Dog, New Trick by Mrs Road Captain

Mrs Road Captain — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 01:25:36 +0000

Dragging the rear brake also does wonders for stability when riding in gravel

Comment on Old Dog, New Trick by Lady R

Lady R — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 18:49:18 +0000

I try to never touch my front brake in a turn. I’ve seen too many people go down, and I myself, dropped a bike in a parking lot, using my front brake while turning. I drag my back brake a little if I’m entering my turn too fast, and I feel very secure doing it. I try to down shift enough that I don’t have to brake at all in turns, but corrections sometimes have to be made. I don’t claim to be an expert at anything, but after trying both techniques, I’m a rear braker in turns, a front braker on straights, and both brakes if some jerk decided it was time I changed my velocity. Which happens more than I care to say!

I think when your riding a motorcycle, you learn something every time you go out. The day I think I know everything, will be the day trouble happens, and I hope I can avoid that. I hope you don’t mind me putting in my two cents. Thanks for sharing this, and just remember, we are all in it for the ride. Ride safe!

Comment on Old Dog, New Trick by Chuck

Chuck — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 20:33:59 +0000

Up ’til now I’ve relied solely on the front brake during turns, but now I’m using primarily the rear.

I tried not to brake in turns at all, and I’d use only the front brake if I had to brake to make a corner. Now I’m entering corners a little faster than before and dragging lightly on the rear brake to fine-tune the speed mid-turn. I’m not using the front brake at all. It’s a lot more stable with the rear than with the front, I have to say.

In normal braking, like just tooling down the street to a stoplight, I brake with both brakes. At low speed, like in parking lots, rear brake only.

Comment on Old Dog, New Trick by Becky

Becky — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 19:23:47 +0000

Do you also use the front brake in the turns, or just the rear? I tend to use both most of the time, so want to make sure I understand. Thanks for the advice.

Bikerchickz

Comment on Old Dog, New Trick by Lucky

Lucky — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 19:10:51 +0000

Great post! There’s always something new to learn.

Comment on Old Dog, New Trick by Joker

Joker — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 23:50:13 +0000

Chuck,

It was a good debate, and we did it in a civil manner, with a good end result. Nobody knows everything and everybody knows nothing. That’s why we all have our own experience and opinions.

As you said, sometimes experience can blind us to the fact that maybe OUR way isn’t always the best way. Being able to pick up things from other people and use them to re-look at how you do stuff is always a good thing. What worked good yesterday doesn’t always work good tomorrow, and so forth.

Very few of us these days seem willing to admit we were wrong about anything. I know a guy who’s so paranoid about it, he keeps as many things as he can secret, for fear he’ll get found out that he may have made a mistake somewhere. Ridiculous!

Great post & thanks for the nod.

Comment on BTTW by rick

rick — Sat, 31 May 2008 19:00:15 +0000

Sounds like a blast to me. Although the lane splitting seems a little frightening.

Comment on BTTW by Beaker

Beaker — Thu, 29 May 2008 07:27:04 +0000

I agree with ya - it is fun when a few of you turn it up!!

Comment on BTTW by Steve Johnson

Steve Johnson — Tue, 27 May 2008 01:28:34 +0000

Back when gas was $2.50 a gallon, we would ride that fast. Now, I’m keeping my speed on the freeways down to 70-80, just to make the gas stops less frequent. I still ride it hard on the backroads.

Comment on Rubber Down by rick

rick — Mon, 26 May 2008 02:03:08 +0000

I recently purchased Continental “Attack” tires so far so good.