[Luke]

I was reading "Riding in the Zone" by Ken Condon last night, and he had an interesting way of talking about braking and turning. It's a good book - glad I added it to the collection.

Anyway, everything from MSF up tells you to brake before you turn, and this is the "gospel", so to speak. However, many people still don't really understand the destabilizing force that braking adds to the equation.

I think Condon does it perfectly with the concept of the "Traction Circle", namely:

• The black circle represents the limits of traction
• The red arrow is braking force
• The green arrow is lean angle
• The blue rectangle represents the force of the braking and lean vectors.

Note that as the red line lengthens (more braking force), the green line must shorten (less lean angle) for the blue rectangle to stay inside the circle. Note also that the blue does not touch the circle - you always want to operate at less than the limits of traction.

None of this is to say you cannot brake in a turn - but it shows that the more you brake, the less you can lean. The maximum lean angle can only be had with no brakes, and maximum braking with no lean. Obviously, better tires and suspension will make the circle bigger - but the same proportional restrictions apply.

So what does this really mean? Bottom line is that taking a corner starts well before you start to lean - you should be judging the corner and setting your speed up with the bulk of your braking before the turn. That way, you can coast through the turn or, even better, add throttle to lighten the front / load the rear so the bike will track better.

Condon's book goes over this concept in more (and better) detail, as well as providing a wealth of tips about staying safe on the street. It also includes a DVD that reinforces the concepts in the book.

Good Read!

Luke

 

[Luke]

thats similar to how the book sport riding techniques explains it. he says you have 100 points of traction and for example if you're using 70 for lean, you only have 30 left for braking or accelerating i believe. that's definitely a good book too

Nick Ienatsch, right? I bought that one at the same time as the Condon book - it's next on my list. Good to hear someone like it, makes me look forward to it even more!

TheMente, I would think so, and DoubleRR referred to that specifically. Anything that loads the tire is going to decrease the traction available for leaning. Also, adding power tends to make the bike stand up anyway.

 

[Luke]

Why Michael, I apologize for offending you. I'll count you as one vote for me wasting my time. When I start getting negatives from folks that wear protective gear, you may get your wish.

As a firefighter instructor, I often run into individuals who claim to have "twenty years of experience" when in reality they have "four years of experience five times". Even though I'm 54, I'm still interesting in learning new things, both from books and from others.

Luke