Rear brake

bentrider · January 15, 2006, 05:36:10 PM

I am watching a DVD by Jerry "Motorman" Pallidino named Ride Like A Pro III. He advocates use of the rear brake(feathering) along with throttle and clutch in the friction zone whenever riding slow(like in a parking lot) even in a turn. What do others think of this technique?
I was taught that riding in the friction zone could burn the clutch and that you should not brake in a turn. Thanks.

dgyver · January 15, 2006, 05:45:03 PM

I feather the clutch all the time when going slow. I almost always brake in a turn (sometimes a little more than I should) which I mostly use the front brake. Probably should learn to use the rear more.

Alphamazing · January 15, 2006, 05:53:50 PM

I always feather the clutch when I'm doing low speed stuff like that. It allows for greater control of the power delivery. Using the rear brake at parking lot speeds also helps too. It settles the rear end down, I know, but I forget the physics behind it. I know there was a short little article in Motorcyclist about it. I might have to go check my back-issue archive.

gsmetal · January 15, 2006, 05:58:17 PM

I have this video and have applied what he has taught...it's amazing!

I saw him do these demo's at Myrtle Beach using a full dress Harley and, while it take a little practice, it's well worth it.

The few times you use the method, I doubt it would hurt your clutch.

annguyen1981 · January 15, 2006, 05:59:45 PM

Quote from: AlphaFire X5 on January 15, 2006, 05:53:50 PM
I always feather the clutch when I'm doing low speed stuff like that. It allows for greater control of the power delivery. Ysing the rear brake at parking lot speeds also helps too.

Ditto

surlybruce · January 16, 2006, 08:11:59 AM

I have doing this since I went to SUPERBIKE SCHOOL many moons ago. Way better control at low speeds .

Tyson · January 16, 2006, 12:57:42 PM

I too use this technique (but very infrequently) when i'm riding in a parking lot or really slow traffic. As long as your not doing it all the time i doubt it will severly hurt your clutch, and it provides you with a ton of control.

NightRyder · January 16, 2006, 05:27:32 PM

I was told they are wet clutches, and thus it won't hurt them very much.

Is this even true?! Are they wet? If so, I do believe that slipping it shouldn't hurt it hardly at all.

makenzie71 · January 16, 2006, 06:14:52 PM

Most bikes use wet clutches.

I don't do much feathering. Some I do instinctively but I never devote any amount of attention to feathering either the brakes or the clutch...but I've also geared my bikes so that throttle control is always a non-issue. I don't like having to maintain any kind of pressure on anything but the throttle because a bump or an unexpected event can cause you to either apply to much brake or remove all pressure from, or to release your grip on the clutch...either could foul your handling and put you on the ground. Solid throttle control is difficult to shake loose, though.

Only places I would deem feathering acceptable is on the track, where the unexpected isn't a variable under normal circumstances, and isolated and controlled enviroments.

solarpulse · January 16, 2006, 07:40:44 PM

According to the Motorcycle Safety Course,,,feathering the clutch will not hurt it its not like a clutch in your car.... and the feather method is awesome for goin down a construction zone when going like 2 miles per hour...and rear breaking in this is good too... thats what the course taught us to do.... god if you hit the front brake you would end up in the "rhubarb"

budget speed demon · January 16, 2006, 08:43:32 PM

Quote from: solarpulse on January 16, 2006, 07:40:44 PM
According to the Motorcycle Safety Course,,,feathering the clutch will not hurt it its not like a clutch in your car.... and the feather method is awesome for goin down a construction zone when going like 2 miles per hour...and rear breaking in this is good too... thats what the course taught us to do.... god if you hit the front brake you would end up in the "rhubarb"

I ride in such a way that I almost never use my front break. I usually just use the rear at slow speeds and the downshifting method when coming up to a stop light. I reserve the front break for emergency situations or when that extra bit of stopping power is needed. I don't suggest this to someone who's just getting on a bike though. They will not know how much front break is too much and when the time comes to come to a quick stop, it's likely that they will squeeze too hard and end up on the ground.

Badger · January 17, 2006, 10:17:21 AM

I thought that one of the most useful exercises during the MSF was the super-slow-speed, straight line drill (the one where the goal is just to go as slowly as possible without tipping over). Dunno what everyone else's experience was, but in our class they stressed holding the throttle constant (open enough to keep it from bogging down) and release the clutch just barely enough to keep the bike stable while crawling forward. I use this all the time.

In my commute there are a couple of sections of highway that regularly get backed up to stop & go traffic for a couple of miles, and this technique is very useful for moving along with traffic at less-than-walking-speed. The alternative seems to be to launch-then-brake all herky-jerky like, but that's no fun for 15 minutes. Of course, I suppose I could just scoot between the stopped lanes of traffic, but that is (unfortunately) illegal.

At that slow speed, the rear brake just seems to work better. The bike isn't very stable going at that speed, and you're mostly just trying to keep the bike upright by steering slightly to the side it wants to lean to. Squeezing the front brake seems to exacerbate the instability in the front causing the bike to dip toward whichever side it is currently imbalanced on (i.e., be ready to put your foot down...or be ready to put your shoulder down). The rear brake doesn't have the same effect.

Quote from: budget speed demon on January 16, 2006, 08:43:32 PMI ride in such a way that I almost never use my front break.

I've never heard this as a "recommended practice". I have heard: use the rear to settle the bike; use the rear to assist the front; use the rear to bleed off speed...but never "don't use the front." It sounds like you're saying the front brake is dangerous, and that seems contrary to conventional wisdom. To each his own, I guess.

NightRyder · January 17, 2006, 11:15:44 AM

Yeah, the slow race is the best. I donno where I first saw it (some tv/movie probably) but I should go do that. It wasn't any fun in the MSF because half the people would crash in to you or stop and fall over.

RVertigo · January 17, 2006, 11:35:59 AM

Quote from: bentrider on January 15, 2006, 05:36:10 PMI was taught that riding in the friction zone could burn the clutch and that you should not brake in a turn. Thanks.

Wet clutches are much harder to "burn" since they are coated in oil... Spending a lot of time in the friction zone of a wet clutch is not a big deal like it is with a dry clutch...

And... When you need to brake in a turn, use the rear...

Narcissus · January 17, 2006, 03:09:17 PM

I was also assured during my MSF course that any newer peice of "jap-scap" as he called them have oil bathed clutches and you could feather them all day with no ill-effects. Its what I do

Cal Price · January 17, 2006, 05:50:54 PM

Slipping the clutch is a normal biker skill and can be a very useful tool, braking whilst turning goes against a lot of conventional thinking and is not the thing inexperienced riders should be doing. However, slight rear brake whilst cornering, particularly tight cornering is a good control measure and can be used to stop you going too wide or fishtailing. I do it a lot especially on busy roundabouts.

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