You could be watching MCrider videos ad-free. Find out how.
I rode for a lot of years using nothing but slow – look – press and roll. It works and as long as you do not misread a corner or need to emergency brake in a corner it is a viable solution for all riders but especially new riders who have not developed good brake and throttle control yet.
I do think there is a better option for more advanced riders though. My advice is that new riders should become well developed in the basics first…slow – look – press and roll is one of the fundamental skills in my opinion.
Differentiating between an advanced rider and a new rider can be really tricky…Especially when giving advice online like MCrider does.
So how do we define a new rider? There are a few ways to do it but none are totally perfect.
If you say someone less than 3 years of riding experience what if the rider only rides a few hundred miles a year?
If you say someone with less than 10,000 miles riding. What if the rider has horrible riding habits and has ridden 15,000 miles with really bad technique.
And, there is another really bad practice that many people fall into and that is grossly over rating our own skill at something.
Early on in my experience coaching new riders I had a class with about 5 or 6 riders in it. We went around the room and introduced ourselves. All but one rider stated they were brand new riders. However one rider told about riding across the country on his motorcycle, he talked about a road trip into South America, he had been riding for over 20 years and that he was just taking the class so that he could get an insurance break on his motorcycle insurance.
I have no reason to doubt that he had actually been on the trips he described and I made a mental note that I would not have to watch this rider as closely when we got out on the motorcycles…that was my first mistake.
Later that day we left the classroom and within about the 3rd or 4th expercise Mr. World Traveler began struggling. He could use the clutch and get the motorcycle going, he had obviously ridden before but if you asked the guy to weave between some cones or control the motorcycle with slow speed he was one of the worst in the class.
This guy had so many bad habits he was a disaster in the controlled environment of an MSF range.
He ended up passing the class but I am sure he left the weekend a humbled man…or maybe not, he might have left and thought, “Man I aced that class!”
So I learned as an instructor and I saw it numerous times that riders will often over value their own riding ability.
That is why training classes are valuable and training exercises like those found in the Field Guide are valuable. Because we might lie about our riding abilities but the cones never lie.
So, I say all of that to say this…I believe the technique of trail braking is best left to experienced riders who have developed good brake and throttle control.
Are you an experienced rider? I don’t know but the cones do. Take a more advanced classes and get an honest evaluation of your riding skills.
So, what is this magic bullet for advanced riders that make cornering safer for experienced riders? We have discussed it here before it is called trail braking.
Trail braking by definition is a driving and motorcycle riding technique where the brakes are used beyond the entrance of the turn (or turn in) and then gradually released (or trailed off) as the rider progresses through the turn. Depending on a number of factors the rider will trail off the brake pressure at any point in the curve up to the apex of the corner.
This technique requires good brake control, using too much brakes and it can cause problems, being choppy with the brakes and it can cause problems, coming too fast into the corner with this or any technique can cause problems.
Why do I think this is a better technique for cornering for advanced riders. Because it puts the rider and especially the motorcycle in a better position to handle the “what ifs” of riding.
Let’s say a rider who is not using trail braking enters a corner and there is something in their lane that was not apparent at turn in. Using slow – look – press and roll the rider is back on the throttle and using maintenance throttle or slightly accelerating. That requires a rider using this technique to really be on their game looking through the corner and not riding above their ability to get the motorcycle to a stop in the distance they can see clearly up the road.
Because they are back on the throttle the forks are extended, the weight is rear biased on the motorcycle and a lot of weight has to shift forward before that rider can get back on the brakes. Not to mention that the rider is leaned over and this uses some of the available traction as well.
A rider who is using trail braking to enter the corner already has some pressure on the brakes, the front forks are compressed and the rider can add a little more braking without upsetting the balance of the motorcycle.
That forward weight shift headed into the corner is a huge benefit to the rider if they need to stop in the corner, and it gives the front tire more traction because more weight is being applied to the front tire at turn in.
There are some misconceptions about trail braking.
Many riders say trail braking is strictly for the track.
It is true that trail braking can allow a rider on the track to enter a corner at a higher rate of speed. But that is not what we are using it for on the street. I don’t enter a corner much faster at all when using trail braking on the street than I do using slow – look – press and roll.
Trail braking just puts the motorcycle in better balance to be prepared for the what-ifs.
So on the street it is not about being faster, it is about being safer and you need to separate talk about trail braking on the track from trail braking on the street.
There is confusion about how much pressure to use on the brakes at lean in.
Because our goal is not to get into the corner faster, I am still doing almost all of my slowing prior to the corner. I am just using a little front brake to keep the front forks compressed. In reality that does not take much pressure at all. (See Video for illustration of technique)
I have given a very brief overview of trail braking in this video. If this is something you are ready to explore in your riding or you just want to know more on the subject go to MCrider.com/tb and I have a whole selection of videos that go into much more detail on the subject. If you are an advanced rider this is a good tool to have in the tool belt.
The thing is though if you are going to consider making the switch you will need to decide at some point to fully switch to trail braking. The reason is you never know which corner is going to be the problem and once you recognize the problem it is too late at that point to get the benefits of trail braking.
Advanced riders should enter every corner with all of the tools available at your disposal to stay upright.
