Hey fans, I bought a motorbike the other day and have been riding a total of 2 hours. I have a braking question, and this is based off how I drive my car, do you or should you, engine brake coming to a stop? Or slow down, clutch in, shift to first and then use brakes? Or do both? And if that’s the case, in what situation?
Either only brakes or both. The reason is not really a technical one but rather a safety one: due to the different engine size/power to weight ratio, the engine brake slows you down much quicker that in a car. Combine that with a very small profile from behind and you are basically a huge surprise for the person behind you when you slow down that quickly without the brake light as an indicator; perfect recipe for disaster.
Always use your brakes when slowing down. Good practice is to slightly press the rear brake (foot) when you decelerate so the light goes on, but for now just always use the brake for everything.
Also, especially as a new rider, keep proper distance to the car in front of you. Stay safe and have fun!
Great point about no brake light being on when engine braking. That is something I’ll consider.
Yes, very aware of keeping a distance from the car in front as well as checking mirrors - I do this in my car, typically looking in them more often than the wind screen, do this is quite a good habit for me.
I’ll definitely use brakes in traffic… thanks for taking the time to reply. I’m so excited to ride…but very conscious of the dangers. I’m.in my early 40s so have all the recklessness out of my system and safety Is the priority