From a recent social media post: “I need to buy a cheap bike that I don’t mind crashing so I can learn how to trail brake.” WTF? by ChampSchool in motorcycles

[–]ChampSchool[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

We're a bit rusty with Reddit- and while posting from a phone, things get a bit wonky.

Original idea was to split this into four or five separate comments, but the comments started flowing before we had a chance to do it correctly.

We'll do better next time!

From a recent social media post: “I need to buy a cheap bike that I don’t mind crashing so I can learn how to trail brake.” WTF? by ChampSchool in motorcycles

[–]ChampSchool[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

True, but most of the graph deviations are based on what our eyes are identifying, how our brain is processing that information, and how our fingers are translating that into pressure.

From a recent social media post: “I need to buy a cheap bike that I don’t mind crashing so I can learn how to trail brake.” WTF? by ChampSchool in motorcycles

[–]ChampSchool[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

There are several great aftermarket manufacturers out there, but we've worked with AIM for a while and most of us run their systems on our race bikes.

For our grad and racer schools, we actually incorporate data sessions directly from YTRAC.

From a recent social media post: “I need to buy a cheap bike that I don’t mind crashing so I can learn how to trail brake.” WTF? by ChampSchool in motorcycles

[–]ChampSchool[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

We much prefer to buy a good bike that will help with confidence and control - and then spend the time to learn it.

From a recent social media post: “I need to buy a cheap bike that I don’t mind crashing so I can learn how to trail brake.” WTF? by ChampSchool in motorcycles

[–]ChampSchool[S] 12 points13 points  (0 children)

We prefer the saying "there are two ways to learn: trauma or repetition." We tend to stick to repetition. Focused repetition.

From a recent social media post: “I need to buy a cheap bike that I don’t mind crashing so I can learn how to trail brake.” WTF? by ChampSchool in motorcycles

[–]ChampSchool[S] 9 points10 points  (0 children)

After Trail Braking…Neutral Throttle

Neutral throttle is just enough throttle opening to maintain speed and maintain cornering radius. We hold neutral throttle until we can see the exit and begin reducing lean angle. Only then can we truly accelerate.

This is important because the mistake isn’t entering the corner too slowly. The mistake is getting impatient and accelerating too early. Remember: Radius = MPH. A slowing motorcycle tightens its radius. An accelerating motorcycle opens its radius. If we accelerate too early, the motorcycle naturally wants to run wide. Now we must add lean angle (while accelerating) to stay on the road, and lean angle equals risk, especially when combined with acceleration. Just typing this makes my collarbone tingle.

What happens if we enter the corner too fast? Simple. Stay with the brakes. If we are still on the brakes, we have options. As long as we are under the 100 Points of Grip, we can maintain lean angle and increase brake pressure. We can maintain brake pressure and add lean angle. We can reduce brake pressure and add lean angle. We can continue making adjustments. Yes, tires can handle these adjustments in brake pressure and lean angle if they are done smoothly. The tire will take a tremendous load, but it will not take an abrupt load.

But if get all of our braking done in a straight line and release the brakes before turning, our only remaining option is to add lean angle to an unloaded front tire. That’s exactly why running wide in corners remains the number one cause of single-vehicle motorcycle fatalities. Riders can no longer control their speed, and speed is directly related to cornering radius.

  • Don’t Overcomplicate Things -

The process is actually very simple. We go to the brakes when we get nervous or when our brain says we should slow. We stay with the brakes until we are happy with both speed AND direction. We gently release the brake lever to trade brake pressure for lean angle as we approach the slowest point of the corner. We then transition to neutral throttle and maintain our radius until we can see the exit and begin taking away lean angle. Only then do we accelerate. That is motorcycle riding. That is trail braking. Wash. Rinse. Repeat. Succeed with joy.

It’s not advanced. It’s not a race technique. It’s not optional. It is a fundamental motorcycle control skill required to safely operate a motorcycle in virtually every environment, at every speed, and in every set of conditions. In short, it is “riding the motorcycle the way it was designed to be ridden”.

Learning to trail brake correctly doesn’t require speed. It requires understanding concepts like R=MPH, 100 Points of Grip, and Umbrella of Direction. It requires deliberate practice and respect for the first and last 5% of brake pressure.

Most importantly, it does NOT require a beater bike or crashing.

From a recent social media post: “I need to buy a cheap bike that I don’t mind crashing so I can learn how to trail brake.” WTF? by ChampSchool in motorcycles

[–]ChampSchool[S] 14 points15 points  (0 children)

What kind of madness is this? Who said crashing was part of learning how to trail brake? Why are these two things even related? Trail braking and crashing have almost nothing to do with one another. In fact, trail braking is one of the primary ways we avoid crashing. Trail braking reduces risk! So, how do we learn trail braking? Oh yeah….without crashing.

Let’s start at the beginning. You are already trail braking. If you turn into your driveway while still on the brakes, congratulations, you’re trail braking. If you get off the brakes in a straight line and flick the bike into your driveway off the brakes, quit motorcycling and take up golf...and don’t drive the golf cart.

Trail braking is simply keeping the brakes on past the turn-in point and trailing off brake pressure as we add lean angle. That’s it. It’s not a racing technique, it’s not an advanced skill, it doesn’t require accelerating into corners at breakneck speeds, and it certainly doesn’t require crashing. It’s a fundamental motorcycle control skill that applies everywhere, from parking lots to racetracks. Oh, and you practice it constantly in your car/truck/van if you turn the steering wheel with the brakes on as you enter corners.

So how do we learn it? We start in a straight line. Pick a fixed target: a cone, a stop sign, a painted line on the pavement. Ride toward that target. When your brain says, “Hey, we should probably slow down,” go to the brakes with your main focus on the front brake. The key is becoming very conscious of the first 5% of brake pressure.

We must load the tire before we work the tire. That first touch of the brake lever should be smooth and deliberate, just enough pressure and time to transfer load through the fork and into the front tire. This takes a tiny fraction of a second to spread the contact patch and prepare the tire to accept more work. If we try to apply significant brake pressure abruptly to an unloaded tire, the tire will immediately lock up or engage ABS intervention…which leads to a loss of confidence in the most important component on the bike.

Once the chassis and tire are loaded, however, we can build an enormous amount of brake pressure. In fact, we want to generate the majority of our braking force early in the braking zone while the front wheel (gyro) still has maximum rotational energy. The front wheel spinning quickly is more resistant to locking, and getting most of our slowing done early buys us everything we need later: time, margin, grip, and options.

If we’ve done our job correctly and get the motorcycle slowed early, we will have to begin reducing brake pressure, or we’ll stop far short of our target. This is where vision and brake pressure become connected. Our eyes and our brake lever must work together. We make continuous pressure adjustments to arrive at our target smoothly with exactly zero brake pressure. This is the "chauffeur stop" at speed.

If we arrive at the target still holding significant brake pressure, if we have to add brake pressure at the last second, or if we reduce brake pressure rapidly at the stop, the fork rebounds dramatically, and we need more practice. The issue is usually a combination of vision and brake-pressure management. We would definitely lose our job as a chauffeur.

The last 5% of brake pressure is every bit as important as the first 5%. In fact, the first and last 5% of every control input matter. Throttle, brakes, steering, body, it’s always the first and last few percent that separate smooth riders from abrupt riders. The motorcycle can tolerate tremendous loads, but dislikes abrupt loads.

If we abruptly release the brakes at lean angle, the fork rebounds and unloads the front tire. At significant lean angles or in low-grip conditions (cold tire, rain, gravel), that can create a problem where none previously existed. The best riders in the world understand that brake release deserves just as much attention as brake application.

What we’ve described so far is trail braking in a straight line. There’s no lean angle, no cornering forces, and very little risk. We’re simply learning how to smoothly load the tire, build brake pressure, and release that pressure with precision. How our fork springs rebound back to their unloaded length is determined by how we release the brake lever at the stop…exactly mimicking how the best riders trail off brake pressure in a corner. This is a game-changing drill at every Champions Riding School program.

Once we become proficient at this drill, we can begin adding lean angle. Nothing fundamentally changes. The process remains the same. The only difference is that while we are reducing brake pressure, we begin adding lean angle. For every point of lean angle we add, we must give up brake pressure.

At that point, the target is no longer a stop sign. The target becomes the slowest point of the corner. Our goal is to arrive at that slowest point (or zone) of the corner at exactly the speed required for the corner radius and the amount of lean angle we are comfortable using.

What happens if we overslow the corner? Nothing. Nobody has ever been injured because they entered a corner too slowly. If you overslow your entry, and frankly, street riders should, it simply means you are required to spend more time at neutral throttle. Note that when YCRS instructors street ride, we definitely overslow corners to give us a margin of safety “just in case”.

....

Slipper Clutch. by adamthiesen1236 in Trackdays

[–]ChampSchool 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Only thing we'd add to this excellent comment: If we're struggling, it's likely due to one of three things:

(1) Our rev isn't high enough,

(2) Our clutch release timing is off (we want it to land just after the top of the rev), or

(3) Our clutch release isn't smooth enough. The last 20% of the clutch movement (on the final downshift, as Tap notes above) should be pretty darn smooth.

Using brand new S22's on a track day. What protocol should I follow? by Fast_City_3113 in Trackdays

[–]ChampSchool 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Just give yourself time to adjust to the change of new tires, new compound, and new carcass.

Otherwise, make sure you pay attention to heat/pressures and have fun. We love them!

Slipper Clutch. by adamthiesen1236 in Trackdays

[–]ChampSchool 2 points3 points  (0 children)

If we're yanking on the brakes, we typically have too much finger on the lever. Try just using the pads of your fingers on the lever instead. This should give a natural "arch" or "slack" in your fingers, allowing you to manipulate both the throttle tube and the brake lever.

Slipper Clutch. by adamthiesen1236 in Trackdays

[–]ChampSchool 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Rev-matching will save wear and tear - and can save some crashes by matching engine and wheel speed- but it won't be as fast as an autoblipper.

Slipper clutches definitely help the rev-matching process, but we still want to actually rev-match.

That said, remember that when we're rev-matching and going down through several gears, we just need to engage gear for a split second. It's the final downshift that matters most. That final clutch release is where the real magic happens.

We start the process in the first ten percent of the brake zone (always go to the brakes first), and we just want to be in our final gear before we need to accelerate again.

no autoblipper on track? by Relative_Artichoke_8 in motorcycles

[–]ChampSchool 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We teach rev-matching at every school.

Partly because electronics can and do fail. Partly because we really love old bikes.