When riding the curves, especially one after another, how you release the brakes is just as important as how you apply them. Let's start with how you apply the brakes. When you apply the front or rear brake you transfer weight forward to the front. Simple physics, huh? That's why the rear wheels on cars, motorcycles or even bicycles will skid first in aggressive stops; the rear of the vehicle is getting light.

Essentially, what you're doing is changing the weight bias by putting more weight on the front tire contact patch and less weight on the rear tire contact patch. Because of this, the front contact patch becomes more effective because it has more weight placed upon it. UNLESS. Unless you grab a huge handful of front brake and make the weight transfer too quickly and overload the friction coefficient of the front contact patch. By applying the front and rear brakes hard without stomping the pedal or trying to pull the lever back to the bars during the initial application you give the front contact patch time to have the weight transferred to it and become able to bear the hard braking without skidding.

Do I mean that you should lollygag about during hard/emergency braking? NO. Be firm and immediate but make the application as a progressively hard thing. If you do find yourself in a situation where you've applied the brakes so hard that the front is skidding, release and reapply. (This does not apply if you have ABS) A skidding front wheel will put you down pretty quickly. The exact opposite is true with the rear wheel. If you have a skidding rear wheel (as is usually the case in the "I had to lay er' down stories"; stay on the rear brake. If you release the rear brake after the rear wheel has come off center from the front (usually starts to come around on the low side of the road crown) and you release the rear brake, the rear wheel will immediately spin back up to speed and snap itself inline with the front, quite possibly pitching the rider over the high side. Because of this, it's important to know that the front brake is more effective than the rear and that you should be accomplished at knowing what the wheels are doing under you (during braking) so you effectively stop in the shortest distance on both wheels.

Now, when riding curves and you've applied the brakes PRIOR to entering the curve and your entry speed is to your liking; don't just let the front brake lever flop out when you're done with it. Doing that will change the weight bias rapidly to the rear and make the front lighter. Making the front lighter, that rapidly, can cause a loss of front contact patch during the counter steering process during the curve. That loss of front contact patch can cause the front wheel to wash out from under the bike. Depending on how hard the brake application was, and how much weight was transferred forward, a quick release of the front brake will result in a nearly consummate weight transfer to the rear contact patch. This can also be complimented by an increase in throttle. So release the brake smoothly, just as you applied them. The whole idea here is to use the brakes in the most effective manner while insuring weight bias is transferred progressively.

This may or may not make sense. I've only had one cup of coffee and I banged it out in a couple minutes.

 

When the idiot pulls out in front of you causing you to slow down from 60 to 30mph and then slowly "speeds" up to 45 think happy thoughts don't ride ANGRY.

 

I had the smell of PIG s#$T on a bike I had that lasted for 2 years. The chicken and turkey haulers will leave you fathered and stinky.

 

lol...so true, and so well said.

 

I think it's been said but is worth repeating, don't rely on mirrors when turning or switching lanes, do the "over the head check", such that you have to turn you head to check the blind spot. This has saved me many times from some ******* creeping up out of nowhere in my blind spot.

When riding out west where the speed limits are often 75 mph and traffic moves at 85, hang the hell on tight when a tractor trailer comes at you from the opposite direction! Heck, even at 45 mph the wind gust can blow you off.

 

Never assume that a cars blinkers are telling you the direction they are actually going and try to go around them.
Had a car in my neighborhood turn on their right turn signal at a stop sign.
The right turn signal must have somehow stayed on.
As they slowed to a driveway I thought they were turning right into they immediately turned left just as i was going around them.

Only other thing I can think of is at a stop sign/light don't pull right up behind the car in front of you. Give yourself some room to go around or up beside them if the car behind you doesn't seem to be slowing.
Had a car hit me from behind once at a light. I saw them coming... Had no where to go!
Luckily they weren't going to fast, they just said the sun was blinding them and couldn't see... Ha so just keep going even though you can't see I guess!

 

Good reply Paniolo. I was contemplating the same type of response, but you nailed it.

 

Yes, paniolo nailed it, rear brake def stabilizes the bike in slow manuevers , well said. A lot of good advise from all posts.
Not sure if anyone posted this suggestion but never pull up to close to the vehicle in front of you,always leave enough room for escape and watch the cars coming up behind the car behind you. Be safe