Covering the brake

I knew that *you* would say that, from previous conversations.

That's what I'm getting at really. It is comfortable to me, in fact
not covering the brake (first and index fingers extended and resting
flat on the lever) feels unnatural and forced.

Well, that's the nub, I suppose. I am comfortable and I think my
throttle control is at least adequate in that the RF hasn't spat me
off yet and I can provide quick but smooth pillionage. Whether I can
improve by forcing myself off the lever is the query - I think I'll
have to give it another go.

I just spotted a typo - that should have been L3, not L1. Lane 1 was
busy, L2 less so - not so much behind but fairly well-loaded in front
(should have spotted the pattern, indicating the presence of a copper,
duh) and I was easy to spot, being the only one out by the Armco,
hurling out of the nearly-set sun at the ton.

My point was that the grab (very rapid on-and-off) I gave the brake
was purely instinctual. I didn't need to think about it - as I saw
Traffic Car I grabbed brake. Had I needed to release the throttle,
move fingers up and apply pressure, in that fraction of a second I'd
have been level with Plod and he'd have certainly seen brake lights -
the RF doesn't **** about with piddly brake lights, either. I think
he'd have been more moved to pull me had he seen lights as evidence of
grabbing a handful, see?

 

Aye, fair enough.

That's fair enough too, watch out for them rabbits. Banging the
throttle shut mid-corner will put you over the hedge too, of course.
I reserve the rear brake for mid-corner moves - or at least I did,
until I found the only comfortable riding postion on the RF is with
the balls of my feet on the pegs. Covering the rear is restricted to
slow speed stuff, these days.

My bad, my typo. I was the _only_ vehicle in Lane 3, with a
completely open road in front of me - although there was heavy traffic
in L2 which I was aware of. Plod was in L1, the bus in L2 and I
caught sight of Plod as the rear of the bus exposed the Battenburg. I
reckon I was on the brake, lost 30mph and off again before the
driver's window was visible - a split-second later and he'd have seen
brake lights and moved in for the pull.

I had an excuse ready, though. I would have said (in mitigation at
the side of the road) that I had been doing a sensible speed, keeping
station with the traffic, when I saw the VW bus pull out in front of
the BMW. I then gave it a good squirt to clear the BMW before he
could pull out on me, see? Making space for him, keeping me and my
pillion safe, but putting me well over the limit for a couple of
moments. More or less what happened, omitting the actual speed I'd
been maintaining for the past 30 miles.

 

My pint precisely. Fractions of a second saved can massively effect
outcomes, I reckon.

That's the question. Is it worth retraining myself to ride with
fingers off levers?

Pathans, innit?

I wished I'd been wearing them on Sunday night - the temperature
inversions an hour later chilled my hands to the point of numbness
every time the road dipped. The sight of the mist in the fields
apparently being held back by the hedgerows from spilling onto the
motorway largely made up for it, mind.

 

Well fucking well go and look, will you?

You won't cover, of course. You're Old Skool, like Ace.

 

Why not French?

 

Guzzi, not the front lever, my foot covers the brakes.

On the MZ Trophy I have to pull the lever most of the way in to take up
the slack. Every second counts.

 

AOL

 

My new Berings are excellent. They're a touch too big without liners but
1112 miles in one /cold/ weekend and not a finger tingle.

I saw that recently the mist spilling down the cess (the bit between the
rails and the fence). Very satisfying, IYSWIM.

 

I try to avoid touching the brakes at all. I find it makes for much
smoother and better thought out riding. Tends to make it quicker too.

 

Have you got any prices? I wouldn't mind doing this anyway.

 

Talking about filtering, why don't the scooter boi types do it here?
Using their scooters as a stop gap until they get a car, thus thinking
car all the time? Useless at filtering? Stupid? All three?

For filtering practice, I go into Brighton and if I know it's going to
be really busy, I take the CG125. That gets through smaller gaps.

 

Muck wrote

Lack of bollox?

It is different in Essex, we are hard we are.

 

well, if you ask me, "yes".

but, what do *I* know?

 

and you of all people know that *I* could be smoother, so it's not
everything. But it's a start.

 

no, you're right - it's one of the areas of my riding that needs
attention.

 

You've not had to work on anything machanical and French?

 

Could be.. Judging by the sorts of cars they tend to want after their
sooters.

The only person from Essex I knew was a girl, and she was quite soft and
squishy, squidgy even.

 

all 3 IMO. You see it in London too - people waddling along between the
cars when there's oodles of space for them to filter in.

 

I'd like to say I do that too but I think I have outstretched finger
syndrome on roads outside of town.

IIRC this is what Dave Cordon said on my training. There was a strong
emphasis on relaxing and using the grips on the handlebars for throttle
and steering control. If you read the road correctly then you wouldn't
need the "comfort" of covering the brake lever. It's a bit like Eaton
teddy bear hugging syndrome.

It's a hard discipline to apply if you are not used to it but when it
all gels then the riding position felt better and my speed was certainly
higher and road positioning correct for the situation.

 

The Renault 4 Fiona had was excellent to work on; the 2CV we had for a
bit was well designed in its own Gallic way.

No worse than a comparable BMC/Leyland.