Covering the brake

Well, do you - or don't you?

I do; all the time. I have been advised by better and faster riders
that I shouldn't when on the open road as it improves throttle control
and "makes you concentrate more and ride quicker". Well, I'm
generally as quick as I want to be, tyvm, and in any case, even if I
have firmly resolved to peel my index and second fingers away from
hovering over the lever, when I next glance down, there they are
again, ready for brake action.

Now I put it to the great unspellchecked - should I modify my
behaviour in this respect? Will not covering the brake turn me into a
Riding God, with more focus and better control - or will it turn me
into Strawberry Jam next time I need the brake in a hurry?

I'll tell you what though - it was fucking handy on Sunday evening on
the M4 ... making progress through the gloaming, wanting to get home
so much I could feel the need to see the odometer rolling
continuously, I'd 'hooked up' with a bloke in a silver BMW that was
doing a nice steady ton or so.

He dropped into Lane 2 at one point, while I was still in L3 - and a
VW camper van pulled out of L1 about 100m in front of him. Mr BMW
dabbed the brakes and checked his mirror, so I squirted a bit of
throttle to pass him and leave him space to pull out. As we were
doing ~35mph more than the VW, it seemed the best option (in that
split second you have to make a decision) so I did it.

As I cleared the VW I checked my left mirror and then glanced across,
to see that the bleeding VW had pulled out to pass a Traffic car. All
marked up, but erstwhile concealed by the VW (or it had blended in
with the colour scheme of the VW which was a in a lairy blue yellow
and green "scheme").

Bearing in mind that I was the only vehicle in L1 apart from the BMW
100m behind me, that I had a FOAD, stuffed-to-bursting paddock sack
strapped to the rack behind the pillion - and that I was doing 110 or
better, I shat. Every tendon twitched, like. Fortunately, that
included the metacarpal tendons and I pulled the brake lever for an
instant, hard enough to induce the first (and only)
pillion-lid/rider-lid interface all weekend.

On checking the speedo an instant later, it had dropped to ~80 so I
indicated left, rolled off and dropped in to L2 in front of the VW ...
and then rode like a fucking angel at 70 indicated, just like all the
rest of the traffic, for three miles to the next junction. Every car
on the M4 for those three miles had blue headlight bulbs, the
bastards. Fortunately, Joe Law must have been in a mellow mood ...

 

I always cover the front in town, and stay away from it on the open road but
even then I move to cover it if I see anything untoward and always when I
see a car at a junction or approaching one. The only downside of covering it
for me is when I go for the brake and haven't completely shut the throttle
which can cause moments.

 

Only when there's a hazard ahead.

Dunno about that - I just don't think keeping my fingers extended at
all times would be very comfortabel - it certainly wouldn't feel
'natural' to me.

I wouldn't bother trying to change, IIWY. You're obviously comfortable
doing what you do, so unless it's actually affecting your throttle
control it's probably doing no harm.

Heh. Nasty situation, but the question here is - would you really have
been unable to brake out of trouble had you not been covering the
brake? Difficult to answer, I know, but it can become just as
instinctive with or without the pre-extended fingers, IME.

 

I only ever cover the brake (and clutch) when riding around town.

I go on the theory that if I'm on the open road, and practising decent
forward observation, then it's the *throttle* that will get me out of
trouble, and that I don't want to give myself the opportunity to
mid-corner panic-brake etc.

In your described situation, I'd say that based on your description,
you were too close to the vehicles in front for your relative road
speeds.

 

In

<snip>

Yes, and from early years of two stroke abuse the clutch gets covered
too, its a habit I've not been able to get out of.

--
Steve Parry

http://www.gwynfryn.co.uk

http://www.arrivedeprived.org.uk/

K100RS SE
F650
(not forgetting the SK90PY)

 

???

Wierd. Most people would surely use the index and middle fingers for
two-finger braking, no?

 

If you want to get anywhere in London you have to ride like Tron. Lots of
sharpish ducks and dives to take advantage of slow drivers' reflexes let
alone their frustration-led lane changing, smooth doesn't really come into
it IME. Don't even talk about scooter riders...

I saw what must be London's fattest cop on a bike recently. In fact he's
often around this area. Don't they have some kind of yearly fitness test for
these guys? Seriously, this guy would have hidden SD with Big Tony as
pillion.

 

I did on the Honda. I'm finding it's not enough on the Suze.

 

this is bollocks, if you ask me. In a high speed emergency stop
situation, the thinking time will be much longer than the time
required to flick your fingers out to grab the lever (which will take
*way* less than 1/2 a second, I reckon).

 

Like most of the other things I do on a bike, I've no idea whether I
do or not.

 

It will still take longer than if your fingers are already on the lever.
Also consider that Pip's fingers are probably webbed.

 

You are *very* odd if you are not using your index finger on the brake
lever.

 

granted - I'm just not convinced that this "advantage" outweighs the
problems of unneeded panic braking - riding with your fingers off the
lever definitely makes you smoother, IME (I deliberately taught myself
to ride without fingers-on-levers a couple of years ago). I could
still do with being a lot smoother, mind you.

ah - so that's why he wears mittens...

 

At 80 mph that's 240 feet.[1]

[1] Obviously a made up figure but I bet it's the difference between being
splattered and not being splattered if you're within that distance without
your fingers covering the brake. Probably.

Anyway, aren't you the guy that doesn't breake on trackdays? I think you
just don't like breaking.

 

Not necessarily. In an emergency situation you could replace the first two
with emotional reaction and the last two into one movement that's slightly
slower than if they were at the ready.

 

nope - "muscle memory". When you've trained yourself to do it, your
fingers are already moving onto the lever before you've finished the
thinking part.

 

when did I claim to not brake on trackdays? I think the only thing I
said is that on the front straight at Snet, I found I could be both
smoother and faster on the double-apex right hander if I used only
engine braking.

 

I think you're confusing "covering" with "applying". ...

 

When did I claim that you did claim? I read your mind.

And why did I spell "brake" twice as "break"? S'ok, I got it. I'm a mong.

I just rang Bemsee btw. They're not taking anymore applications for this
season, unsurprsingly. They start again in November. Prior to that anyone
wanting to race will have to have completed a race school such as Ron
Haslam's, European Superbike, or their own that they run in February.

I was intending to do one anyway so it's no skin off my proboscis.

 

Unconvinced about what? Once physical movements have been programmed in
(such as braking, turning a steering wheel, blocking a punch, etc) they
happen much faster than thought. Your second point about grabbage and panic
braking is valid but it's the difference between braking too fast (possible
front wheel low side) or not fast enough (possible triple salco and reverse
pike). If you're braking unnecessarily then that's another matter
altogether.