A updated version of "The Pace" written by one of our forum members!

[rybo]

Nick,

Thanks, as always, for the contribution you make to our sport!

http://www.cycleworld.com/2013/09/16/become-a-better-street-rider-with-the-pace-motorcycle-safety-and-riding-skills/

[One-ops]

Good read. Like the updates.
Havent had a good group to ride with forever though we all went racing or moved. I'm just getting back into riding street. Used to ride with the same guys every weekend it makes a differance for sure. Not that I wont ride with other groups but I know more bad things will happen now then when riding with the ones you know and trust type deal.

[asp_125]

Great read. Thanks for the article, Nick. One of the most common things I see riding with newbies is abrupt transitions on the controls.

[Drama2]

Great read and to Jeff who taught me this....

[UHATEIT]

I enjoyed reading that article just now. I have always been scared to use the brakes in the turn (front brake) but the key is not to stab it just to trail it and use it gently. So I will continue to try and use the brake in the turn but learn how to manage it. I like the contact patch pictures showing that when you use the front brake the forks compress therefore more weight loaded onto the front tire, causing the tire to flatten/expand outward and thus more contact patch/tracion on the ground.

My issue was that I brake before the turn and lock my arms and try to lean through the turn without using any brake, this I slow way the fuck down prior to the turn and then turn super slow like a little girl. probably a big reason the CSC guys dislike riding with me as I cannot hold that speed through the turns and thus riding behind me before and through turns is terrible. I can throttle it to accelerate out just fine its just the management of front brake and proper gear into and through the turn that I am terrible at.

This nice explanation makes me feel more confident about using "some" brake in the turn, not a whole lot, but at least I can start to learn how to manage the brake while in the turn so that i can carry my speed better, rather than braking completely before the turn and carrying no speed or traction on an unloaded fork through the turn. Using some front brake in the turn increases contact patch and traction which is wat I need as I honestly do not trust my tires when I am turning despite getting frash Michellin Pilot Road 2 in May prior to the season and the tires honestly are great and will hold their own, I just ride like a poon and need to stop that :(

[Subaru2Yamaha]

I enjoyed reading that article just now. I have always been scared to use the brakes in the turn (front brake) but the key is not to stab it just to trail it and use it gently. So I will continue to try and use the brake in the turn but learn how to manage it. I like the contact patch pictures showing that when you use the front brake the forks compress therefore more weight loaded onto the front tire, causing the tire to flatten/expand outward and thus more contact patch/tracion on the ground.

My issue was that I brake before the turn and lock my arms and try to lean through the turn without using any brake, this I slow way the fuck down prior to the turn and then turn super slow like a little girl. probably a big reason the CSC guys dislike riding with me as I cannot hold that speed through the turns and thus riding behind me before and through turns is terrible. I can throttle it to accelerate out just fine its just the management of front brake and proper gear into and through the turn that I am terrible at.

This nice explanation makes me feel more confident about using "some" brake in the turn, not a whole lot, but at least I can start to learn how to manage the brake while in the turn so that i can carry my speed better, rather than braking completely before the turn and carrying no speed or traction on an unloaded fork through the turn. Using some front brake in the turn increases contact patch and traction which is wat I need as I honestly do not trust my tires when I am turning despite getting frash Michellin Pilot Road 2 in May prior to the season and the tires honestly are great and will hold their own, I just ride like a poon and need to stop that :(

Personally I think everything about this article is spot on except the advice on trail braking....instead of giving such an advanced skill set for noobs to learn the focus should be on counter steering, early braking, lines and seat positioning before trail braking is even a thought in the mind of a noob.

[Nick I]

Personally I think everything about this article is spot on except the advice on trail braking....instead of giving such an advanced skill set for noobs to learn the focus should be on counter steering, early braking, lines and seat positioning before trail braking is even a thought in the mind of a noob.

Completely disagree and all the reasons are in The Pace 2.0. There's also a thread I started on FZ1OA.com in the Riding Tips column if anyone wants to read more on the subject: Brakes at Lean Angle. If you really want to get into this side of the sport, join fastersafer.com.

The last thing I want is a Forum argument, so if everyone stays open-minded, here's my thinking:

-New riders ride the same bikes veteran riders do, and a new rider can buy a GSX-R 1000 the day after the graduate from a new-rider school.

-If a new rider buys a sport bike, that bike is designed by roadracers...if the new rider wants that bike to work correctly, he or she will trail the brakes past the tip-in because no good roadracer anywhere is off the brakes before turn in while entering corners that need braking. The champions from last year design the new bikes for this year...and they all trail brake.

-If "instructors" feel new riders can't master trail braking, they may be underestimating their students. Here is a quick but incomplete list of dexterous activities that are more difficult than trail braking: Playing guitar, piano, harp, flute, banjo, drums. Flying a helicopter. Flying or driving an RC vehicle. Shooting a gun well. Typing well. Having neat handwriting. Playing video games. Using an adding machine. Texting quickly and legibly.

-If instructors believe students have no experience with trail braking, the instructors need to stand on the sidewalk by a freeway onramp that requires braking and watch Grandma in the Buick, soccer-mom in the mini-van and Joe the Plumber leave the brakes on past the turn in. That's trail braking. They are giving away brake pressure as they add steering-wheel angle. Everybody does it, everybody trail brakes their cars...yet they go to a new-rider school and get told not to. But they want to...for all the reasons written about in The Pace 2.0.

A few years ago I would have ignored the above quote...but not any more. Our sport is not growing, and what industry can grow if it's new members are getting maimed and killed? Getting all your braking done in a straight line is fine when you're cruising because nothing matters at low speeds and high grip. It's when you misjudge the turn, or are trying to set a lap record at the track, or it starts to sleet on the way home from work, or there's gravel in your favorite corner, or you're on your buddy's 1300 and you just twist the throttle too long, or the corner goes right at 20mph instead of left at 50...then everything counts. And any one of these scenarios (and many, many more) can and happen to any rider...even a new one.

Final Thought: Trailing the brakes (leaving the brake light on at turn-in) is fourth on my list of priorities with a new rider...fourth! First is getting those eyes moving and scanning. Second is concentrating on What's Next with relentless focus. Third is smoothness with brakes, throttle and steering. Then trail braking...

-Nick Ienatsch

[Drama2]

Can I get you to teach me Nick.......:) huge fan.


Completely disagree and all the reasons are in The Pace 2.0. There's also a thread I started on FZ1OA.com in the Riding Tips column if anyone wants to read more on the subject: Brakes at Lean Angle. If you really want to get into this side of the sport, join fastersafer.com.

The last thing I want is a Forum argument, so if everyone stays open-minded, here's my thinking:

-New riders ride the same bikes veteran riders do, and a new rider can buy a GSX-R 1000 the day after the graduate from a new-rider school.

-If a new rider buys a sport bike, that bike is designed by roadracers...if the new rider wants that bike to work correctly, he or she will trail the brakes past the tip-in because no good roadracer anywhere is off the brakes before turn in while entering corners that need braking. The champions from last year design the new bikes for this year...and they all trail brake.

-If "instructors" feel new riders can't master trail braking, they may be underestimating their students. Here is a quick but incomplete list of dexterous activities that are more difficult than trail braking: Playing guitar, piano, harp, flute, banjo, drums. Flying a helicopter. Flying or driving an RC vehicle. Shooting a gun well. Typing well. Having neat handwriting. Playing video games. Using an adding machine. Texting quickly and legibly.

-If instructors believe students have no experience with trail braking, the instructors need to stand on the sidewalk by a freeway onramp that requires braking and watch Grandma in the Buick, soccer-mom in the mini-van and Joe the Plumber leave the brakes on past the turn in. That's trail braking. They are giving away brake pressure as they add steering-wheel angle. Everybody does it, everybody trail brakes their cars...yet they go to a new-rider school and get told not to. But they want to...for all the reasons written about in The Pace 2.0.

A few years ago I would have ignored the above quote...but not any more. Our sport is not growing, and what industry can grow if it's new members are getting maimed and killed? Getting all your braking done in a straight line is fine when you're cruising because nothing matters at low speeds and high grip. It's when you misjudge the turn, or are trying to set a lap record at the track, or it starts to sleet on the way home from work, or there's gravel in your favorite corner, or you're on your buddy's 1300 and you just twist the throttle too long, or the corner goes right at 20mph instead of left at 50...then everything counts. And any one of these scenarios (and many, many more) can and happen to any rider...even a new one.

Final Thought: Trailing the brakes (leaving the brake light on at turn-in) is fourth on my list of priorities with a new rider...fourth! First is getting those eyes moving and scanning. Second is concentrating on What's Next with relentless focus. Third is smoothness with brakes, throttle and steering. Then trail braking...

-Nick Ienatsch

[rybo]

If this post had a "like" button, well, I would press it.


Completely disagree and all the reasons are in The Pace 2.0. There's also a thread I started on FZ1OA.com in the Riding Tips column if anyone wants to read more on the subject: Brakes at Lean Angle. If you really want to get into this side of the sport, join fastersafer.com.

The last thing I want is a Forum argument, so if everyone stays open-minded, here's my thinking:

-New riders ride the same bikes veteran riders do, and a new rider can buy a GSX-R 1000 the day after the graduate from a new-rider school.

-If a new rider buys a sport bike, that bike is designed by roadracers...if the new rider wants that bike to work correctly, he or she will trail the brakes past the tip-in because no good roadracer anywhere is off the brakes before turn in while entering corners that need braking. The champions from last year design the new bikes for this year...and they all trail brake.

-If "instructors" feel new riders can't master trail braking, they may be underestimating their students. Here is a quick but incomplete list of dexterous activities that are more difficult than trail braking: Playing guitar, piano, harp, flute, banjo, drums. Flying a helicopter. Flying or driving an RC vehicle. Shooting a gun well. Typing well. Having neat handwriting. Playing video games. Using an adding machine. Texting quickly and legibly.

-If instructors believe students have no experience with trail braking, the instructors need to stand on the sidewalk by a freeway onramp that requires braking and watch Grandma in the Buick, soccer-mom in the mini-van and Joe the Plumber leave the brakes on past the turn in. That's trail braking. They are giving away brake pressure as they add steering-wheel angle. Everybody does it, everybody trail brakes their cars...yet they go to a new-rider school and get told not to. But they want to...for all the reasons written about in The Pace 2.0.

A few years ago I would have ignored the above quote...but not any more. Our sport is not growing, and what industry can grow if it's new members are getting maimed and killed? Getting all your braking done in a straight line is fine when you're cruising because nothing matters at low speeds and high grip. It's when you misjudge the turn, or are trying to set a lap record at the track, or it starts to sleet on the way home from work, or there's gravel in your favorite corner, or you're on your buddy's 1300 and you just twist the throttle too long, or the corner goes right at 20mph instead of left at 50...then everything counts. And any one of these scenarios (and many, many more) can and happen to any rider...even a new one.

Final Thought: Trailing the brakes (leaving the brake light on at turn-in) is fourth on my list of priorities with a new rider...fourth! First is getting those eyes moving and scanning. Second is concentrating on What's Next with relentless focus. Third is smoothness with brakes, throttle and steering. Then trail braking...

-Nick Ienatsch

[asp_125]

..
Final Thought: Trailing the brakes (leaving the brake light on at turn-in) is fourth on my list of priorities with a new rider...fourth! First is getting those eyes moving and scanning. Second is concentrating on What's Next with relentless focus. Third is smoothness with brakes, throttle and steering. Then trail braking...

-Nick Ienatsch

LIKE! I have had many new riders here, and elsewhere, ask me about trail braking before they have mastered steps 1 to 3.

[97ThunderCat]

Nice read, thank you. I feel like I apply a lot of that pretty well to my riding. Not too shabby for a guy who's never taken an MSF course. I still want to, even though I've been riding on/off for six years there is always something new to learn or be refreshed on.