Not too long along, during a neighborhood dinner party, I met a man who had recently wrecked his motorcycle.

Bob looked rough... his right arm was broken, his chin was bandaged heavily, and his walk was strained.

Bob was the center of attention as he told his story.

"I was riding in the left lane of divided highway... while two cars were next to me traveling in the same direction. Without warning, the car next to me pulled into my lane to pass the turning car ahead of him."

He proudly proclaimed:

"I hit my rear brake with everything I had... and had to LAY HER DOWN."

Later (in private) I asked him how much front brake he used.

"None," he proclaimed.

I wish Bob was reading this, but something tells me he never took motorcycle training seriously...

Two Things Every Motorcyclist Should Understand

1. For normal motorcycles (ie... anything except a 15 foot chopper), the front brake provides SIGNIFICANTLY more stopping power than the rear brake.
   
   Ever grabbed the emergency brake (rear brake only) on a car? Then you understand 'stopping power' using the rear wheels alone is less than impressive.
   
   
2. "Laying her down," as Bob described it, is almost NEVER the prudent thing to do.

What actually happened?

Bob locked the rear wheel and 'low-sided'. Actually he was lucky, because there is a far worse crash mode that could have taken place. If Bob had released the brake while the tire was skidding, he would have probably 'high-sided'.

A 'high-side' crash is a REALLY BAD THING!

Picture this: Unless by very good fortune the bike's wheels are lined in a perfect straight line, when Bob unlocks his skidding rear tire (releasing the brake), the unlocked wheel regains traction, the bike will snap straight and he will probably be instantly thrown over the handlebars landing in front of his motorcycle. Worse, the bike may land on the rider, increasing the likelihood of injury.

Learning proper braking techniques is very important, and a bit more complicated than your car equipped with ABS. We'll give specific recommendations and practice drills on the website and in future tips.

David Mixson
MotorcycleMentor.com™