slow riding tip...

[Mojoe]

after posting the poll on dropping the bike in year one, there were a few that had slow speed drops in parking lots where they lost balance.

so if you are a noob, or just havent taken a msf course where a good one would have taught you this.....

try dragging the rear brake at slow speeds. find a place where you can practice, and try some tight turns at a crawling speed. at slow speed the rear wheel wont lock up, so you can apply more. give it a shot. set up a pattern in your head and do it with no brake....then try it with the rear brake dragging. you will find you can actually move slower, and balance is improved.

[iwannadie]

ive had people tell me im wrong for using my brake like that. in parking lots and stuff doing tight turns ill ride the rear brake and i hear 'you shouldnt use the brake while turning!'

[WildKat]

I think what's getting at is..dragging the rear brake will keep the bike at a slow speed so it helps you maintain balance while your learning to ride..so when you get into a situation in say a parking lot at a mall, or at work and u need to drive slow u'll have more confidence because you've practiced riding a slow speeds.

[dragkota]

Sounds right to me

[Docarooooo]

Thanks for the usefull tip. I will try to practice it tomorrow and tell you if I drop it or not. I probably will. This bike is so much heavyer than my dirtbike.

[tzortn]

The other option is to do what the MSF course teaches. They tech you to use the friction zone (drag the clutch) for slow speed stuff. That way you are not dealing with the full power and the gyroscopic force of the engine helps balance.

[fasteddie]

The other option is to do what the MSF course teaches. They tech you to use the friction zone (drag the clutch) for slow speed stuff. That way you are not dealing with the full power and the gyroscopic force of the engine helps balance.

Yea, we could not use the brake in my MSF class.

[Mojoe]

The other option is to do what the MSF course teaches. They tech you to use the friction zone (drag the clutch) for slow speed stuff. That way you are not dealing with the full power and the gyroscopic force of the engine helps balance.

Yea, we could not use the brake in my MSF class.

actually the course i took 3 years ago was teaching dragging the rear brake. and i also noticed that when they were teaching the practical, all 22 hours of it, there were variances from one instructor to the next. each had a different method. none that contradicted each other...but one might say drag the brake....the other doesnt mention it....and doesnt tell you not to do it. it goes without say that you have to use the friction zone of the clutch. i just see that as a given and didnt mention it. i havent often been in a tight spot, doing tight turns, where i could completely engage the clutch, but when i could, that is where the rear brake drag helps.

my point is that at really realy slow speeds, dragging the rear brake can make a difference between you being able to be one of the guys who can keep his feet on the pegs....or turning you into one of those guys who has his legs sticking out each side like wings to mentally telling yourself that is keeping you balanced. or worse yet, dragging your feet or walking the bike. 99.9% of the time when my bike is moving, both my feet are on the pegs....never stuck out to the side hanging in the air....and never dragging or walking on the ground. so what you have to do is take a look at your method....and see just how often you do this. if you want to eliminate that.....so that someone like me doesnt look at you at grin cuz they think it looks noobish....then give it a try. you got nothing to lose.

by not using this method, i am betting most of you have your feet hanging down when you are manouvering....and not on the pegs where they should be. if you can honestly say your feet are always on the pegs, then your method works fine...so stick with it and forget what i just said.

[suzukisportrider2004]

i am going to have to give this a try next time i am in a large parking lot. tho i have never had a problem with slow turns and such. i dont see how it would help?

[fasteddie]

Mojoe: Honesty; my feet stays on the pegs, however I do value your input.

[Island_boi]

use the friction zone. ride the clutch and counter steer. get your butt on the opposite side of the turn to maintain balance. my 2 cents

[93katana600]

The other option is to do what the MSF course teaches. They tech you to use the friction zone (drag the clutch) for slow speed stuff. That way you are not dealing with the full power and the gyroscopic force of the engine helps balance.

thats what i do works grate have yet to lay tit down

[md86]

Actually , what I've read says to use ALL those methods in combination .... Clutch-play , dragging the rear brake , AND getting your ass to the side of the seat . Read it in Motorcyclist , Sport Rider , and I BELIEVE it was in SRT as well .

[Mojoe]

Actually , what I've read says to use ALL those methods in combination .... Clutch-play , dragging the rear brake , AND getting your ass to the side of the seat . Read it in Motorcyclist , Sport Rider , and I BELIEVE it was in SRT as well .

BINGO...we have a winner. and it is my personal opinion that any mfs instructor that tells you that it is a no no to use the brake at slow speed manouvering doesn't know wtf he is talking about.

[ben segrest]

Something that nobody mentioned is that using the rear brake with lengthen your wheelbase where the front brake will compress your forks and shorten it. The longer the wheelbase the more stable the platform