Rear brake advocated for cornering in the wet

[Hot_Air]

Why is RiDE magazine encouraging us all to use the rear brake mid-corner, routinely, when it’s wet? Last month’s issue (December) strongly advocated using the back brake mid-bend in damp conditions. And not occasionally, but habitually. In response to a letter questioning this practice, the current (January) issue again encourages us all to use the rear brake in routine cornering when it's rainy.

I’m baffled.

Is it a technique I’ve been missing in my armoury? Like many of us here, I’m an experienced rider (track days, dirt biking, advanced stuff) and can’t recall anyone advocating habitual use of the brake mid-bend. I’ve even done the ‘braking in bends’ training with i2i – including experimenting with front and rear brakes for emergency stops while cranked over – and nobody suggested the rear brake was useful as a routine part of cornering on the road.

RiDE’s advice seems dangerous – especially for new riders who may take its advice as gospel. Or have I missed a cornering trick?

[Mr Moofo]

I always thought it was "do all braking before the corner" then accelerate out. Trailing the rear brake is great for slow speed work .... and setting up for corner.

On my old GS Adventure, with a paralever front end, you could brake wherever you wanted to. On the Ducati 998s , if you did that, it tried to kill you....

[Yorick]

Complete bollox story.

[Horse]

It's advocated - including, IIRC, by Spin - occasionally
for situations where you might find the bike getting into the power and when you risk the rear spinning and losing grip. But I think he suggests riding in a lower gear to keep the revs up already.

Caveat: from reading his book. I'll leave him to confirm/explain/ deny.

But for bikes, all of the time? Nah.

[Horse]

potentially this month's trail braking advice

[The Spin Doctor]

It's not for braking, but budget traction control. At least, that's how I use it.

I actually picked that up years and years ago from a guy who used to race a CB900F in the national class Avon Roadrunner championship. The tuned bikes were good for about 120 hp, with brutal power delivery, and a 4.25 rear tyre, and used to spin up in the wet at the drop of a hat. He and his fellow riders basically used to get on the gas then 'feel' for the grip with the rear brake.

I found it pretty handy round slimy roundabouts!

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

Freddie Spencer used to use the rear brake to control rear wheel spin, but as I'm not riding an evil V4 500cc two stroke on a 1980s technology tyre, I don't think I'll worry about it too much, I think closing the throttle is easier

[The Spin Doctor]

Freddie Spencer used to use the rear brake to control rear wheel spin, but as I'm not riding an evil V4 500cc two stroke on a 1980s technology tyre, I don't think I'll worry about it too much, I think closing the throttle is easier

It's not the throttle that's the problem... it's the nature of the surface. Your rear tyre is only as good as what you're riding over, which is a patchwork quilt of different surfaces plus spills of oils and mud.

The idea is that if you have some rear brake on and the tyre loses traction, it won't stop the sideways slide, but it will stop the wheelspin which usually accompanies it.

The problem with wheelspin is that it makes recovery very difficult indeed. Simply coming off the slippery patch isn't enough - you actually have to get the throttle shut and cut the spin that way. The problem is that by the time you do that on the road, the bike's often sideways. Highside, coming to a street near you soon.

If you remember back to VD days, there would always be a rash of highside crashes about this time of year, often from the new R6 owners who'd done DAS in the summer. They'd had several months of nice dry roads to perfect their technique of nailing it through the corner on the gas, and then they'd get caught out on a cold, wet morning, often on a roundabout they'd been riding round all year. One guy I recall actually fell off this way turning out of the end of his own side turning on to the main road.

Slowing down the sideways step means the tyre's less out of line when you hit the grippier bit of surface. And without the wheelspin to cope with too, the tyre has a far better chance of gripping again... hopefully you'll just have a big wobble rather than be picking gravel out of your teeth.

[The Spin Doctor]

Oh, and you don't use it 'mid-corner', the idea is to brake for the bend as normal upright, using both brakes, but just keep the rear brake on as you feed the throttle back in (still upright of course), then hold it on round the corner till you're upright again. You're not giving it a heavy boot, just enough to prevent uncontrolled wheelspin.

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

Sounds like that would work.
When I used to ride off road in slippery conditions I used to like to get the rear wheel spinning and sideways so that it couldn't catch you out by suddenly spinning because it was already spinning, sort of the opposite of the back brake thing to achieve the same end result, I wouldn't advise trying this on tarmac - my Husky 610SM had me out the seat by about 6" when it found some grip.

[Yorick]

Freddie Spencer used to use the rear brake to control rear wheel spin, but as I'm not riding an evil V4 500cc two stroke on a 1980s technology tyre, I don't think I'll worry about it too much, I think closing the throttle is easier

It's not the throttle that's the problem... it's the nature of the surface. Your rear tyre is only as good as what you're riding over, which is a patchwork quilt of different surfaces plus spills of oils and mud.

The idea is that if you have some rear brake on and the tyre loses traction, it won't stop the sideways slide, but it will stop the wheelspin which usually accompanies it.

The problem with wheelspin is that it makes recovery very difficult indeed. Simply coming off the slippery patch isn't enough - you actually have to get the throttle shut and cut the spin that way. The problem is that by the time you do that on the road, the bike's often sideways. Highside, coming to a street near you soon.

If the rear wheel locks, having the back brake on will make it even worse not better

[Yorick]

Sorry, I'm lost. Shouldn't be in here, I was looking for the restaurant. Sorry.

[Horse]

Sorry, I'm lost. Shouldn't be in here, I was looking for the restaurant. Sorry.

It is like you to be funny.

Now get your carer to come and collect you, probably need the toilet by now.

[Horse]

It's not the throttle that's the problem... it's the nature of the surface. Your rear tyre is only as good as what you're riding over, which is a patchwork quilt of different surfaces plus spills of oils and mud.

The idea is that if you have some rear brake on and the tyre loses traction, it won't stop the sideways slide, but it will stop the wheelspin which usually accompanies it.

If the rear wheel locks, having the back brake on will make it even worse not better

No-one is talking about locking up during braking

[DefTrap]

Real bikers ride shaft drives anyway.

For Winter I just tap the brake and the shaft spins the other way which nicely counteracts any skidding.

[Horse]

Real bikers ride shaft drives anyway.

For Winter I just tap the brake and the shaft spins the other way which nicely counteracts any skidding.

Visordown are calling, they want Silentmemory's jokes back *

* Probably not him, but he'll never know

[DefTrap]

Visordown are calling, they want Silentmemory's jokes back *

* Probably not him, but he'll never know

At the time though I didn't have a shaft drive to be able to confirm.

[Horse]

Visordown are calling, they want Silentmemory's jokes back *

* Probably not him, but he'll never know

At the time though I didn't have a shaft drive to be able to confirm.

I can confirm that I have never wheelied any of the shaft drive bikes that I owned,1978 - 2020.

But I can think of at least one other good reason for that

[The Spin Doctor]

If the rear wheel locks, having the back brake on will make it even worse not better

Shouldn't lock, since you're on the power. The idea's not to slow the BIKE but to stop wheelspin.

[Skub]

I can confirm that I have never wheelied any of the shaft drive bikes that I owned,1978 - 2020.

But I can think of at least one other good reason for that

I had an R90S which would wheelie when provoked. This often led me to suspect it was one of the rare models which actually had a final drive chain enclosed in the shaft housing. Maybe it was the chemicals of the era,my memory isn't what it was.