All this talk about braking forces etc, but nothing on your clunky boots as you put it, if you are using a borrowed bike how is the back lever adjusted to suit your style of footwear? if you have a very chunky sole and the pedal is a position for someone with race type soles "thin" then you may already be on the braking point before actually applying the brake if you get my drift, getting the feel of the brake is easier with a light boot. The rest of it go with Ragnar.
Got to say this thread will be so confusing for a new rider who is trying to pass a test. I wouldnt be surprized if thay chucked the towel in and got a car
@ Dustin - I'm more than capable of using the front brake and have the confidence to use it! as I said I don't have a need to at the moment as I use the gears to slow down at juntions so only need to touch the back brake, I'm only riding round town within speed limits as I'm with the instructor.
I started this thread looking for advice on how to do an emergency stop correctly as I hadn't been shown/told in my training, not because I am incapable of using either of the brakes!
Already got a car JP! lol, so I won't be chucking in the towel, think its more a case of taking the info on here which is relevant to e-stops and ignoring the rest, and it has worked, my instructor today told me to do it the way Ragnor said, and from about 15 attempts I did I only had 1 rear lock up, and apart from the first 2 I did which took too long to stop, my instructor said I would have passed the test doing all but those first two and the lock up one, so a massive improvement and I actually feel confident I can now do it on the test and more importantly all the time after the test when I'm on my own.
Don't know if anyone's mentioned this, but there's a cracking PDF you can down load from FEMA which brilliantly explains why certain things need to be done a particular way, and that includes braking. I had never heard of counter-steering until I read it, and was really surprised about the some of the differences between some UK and European recommended practices. Well worth a read:
Hello there ''hello there'' , many apologies. I seem to have gotten the wrong end of the stick there. I am highly delighted to hear that I was wrong. Enjoy your biking ...Dusty...
Agree with you on that one harry worth.
When I heard about counter steering I look it up on Youtube and realised that is what I was doing already, as you say it's done without thinking
A good conscious push on the bars [more c/s] would save a lot of people from running out of road when going round a corner, but unfortunately the braking instinct gets there first.
As you say counter-steering does happen automatically
But if you deliberately use it , you can do remarkable things in a corner. Brake hard as hell with the bike upright , well past the natural tipping in point of your bike, a deliberate counter steer will put the bike on it's side very quickly. After the apex , use deliberate counter-steering to pull the bike upright, you can get on the throttle harder, sooner than a natural corner exit... Dusty...
p.s. As you can imagine, forcing your bike to steer quicker than it's steering geometry is designed to is potentially hazardous, so practise on gentle bends first. Once you get the hang of it , you'll find it is well worth the effort.
Well today I passed Mod 1 at long last wooohhhhoooooo big smiles today, thanks for all you good wishes and advice!
Any tips for Mod 2 - I'm doing it next week!
Next week , ride for yourself, ignore the examiner (unless he is giving you directions) and if you get into a situation where you feel its safe to filter ... DO SO !! its called making good progression & will show confidence in your own ability as a rider.
Best of luck lady
Oh Mr P (my other half) says , give way to transit vans on narrow roads ... I would point out I only scored a minor fault as the van did not break or alter its direction of travel ... but apparently its not advised or a recommended manoeuvre lol