Slowing Down & Braking
Posted: Mon Jul 21, 2014 11:21 am
In the "New Rider Needs Advice" thread, one of new member Yamajira's questions was about the best way to slow down. I said:
- I engine brake out of habit from driving a stick most of my life, and riding dirt bikes on sandy trails. In the deep sand, we use the engine because brakes will lock up easy and dump you real quick. That's not a problem on the street, though. As Nelsonmd pointed out, the brakes can easily stop you safely on the street.
- I don't know if I agree that it gives you more control under normal stopping. I wouldn't do it for emergency stopping, because that would be likely to slide the rear tire. For normal stopping, though, it doesn't seem really any different than just using the rear brake.
- True, it does put more wear on the drive train, but that seems minuscule compared to the wear it's getting just being used every day. It's far less stress on moving parts than any rapid acceleration, assuming your not down shifting and just popping the clutch, slamming everything around. However, it completely relives the wear on the brakes. I guess my opinion is that I don't think that extra wear of slowing down will make more than a few miles difference in the life of the bike in the long run, but it could mean changing brake pads half as often, or even less.
- The other thing I've noticed is that it seems to promote safer stopping (but that may just be for SpeedRacer's like me
). Engine braking takes longer than mashing the brakes, so when I do that, I'm forced to begin slowing down sooner than I might with just the brakes. I'm sure that's not necessarily true for everyone, but I know it's good for me. I don't drive unsafely, but I like speed, and this is one thing that helps keep me in check without having to think about it.
- You guys know by now that I like to over-think things, so I'm curious. How do you do it? What's your opinions? What are we missing?
Nelsonmd followed with this:SpeedRacerOnline wrote:- Slowing down, I usually gradually down-shift and let the engine do most of the work. It's not necessary, but it saves your brakes. However, don't down-shift too quickly. Dropping gears too quick will slide the rear tire if you're still doing 55 and drop it in a gear that wants to max out at 30. Again, practice will make you more comfortable with it.
**NOTE: I'm not trying to start a debate about which one of us is right, because I really don't know if there even is a right or wrong here. It sounds to me like mostly a personal preference thing, but I'm curious about what most people do. I read Nelsonmd's response and though it was a good point, but I wonder if one way is better or if it's just preference, so I thought it'd make an interesting discussion.Nelsonmd wrote:I will disagree with Speed on one point, I don't use my engine to slow me down. The brakes are more than capable of handing the braking, and using the brakes is easier, and I think gives you more control (why put wear on the engine/transmission when you have brakes designed to do this, and they're cheap to replace/repair).
- I engine brake out of habit from driving a stick most of my life, and riding dirt bikes on sandy trails. In the deep sand, we use the engine because brakes will lock up easy and dump you real quick. That's not a problem on the street, though. As Nelsonmd pointed out, the brakes can easily stop you safely on the street.
- I don't know if I agree that it gives you more control under normal stopping. I wouldn't do it for emergency stopping, because that would be likely to slide the rear tire. For normal stopping, though, it doesn't seem really any different than just using the rear brake.
- True, it does put more wear on the drive train, but that seems minuscule compared to the wear it's getting just being used every day. It's far less stress on moving parts than any rapid acceleration, assuming your not down shifting and just popping the clutch, slamming everything around. However, it completely relives the wear on the brakes. I guess my opinion is that I don't think that extra wear of slowing down will make more than a few miles difference in the life of the bike in the long run, but it could mean changing brake pads half as often, or even less.
- The other thing I've noticed is that it seems to promote safer stopping (but that may just be for SpeedRacer's like me
). Engine braking takes longer than mashing the brakes, so when I do that, I'm forced to begin slowing down sooner than I might with just the brakes. I'm sure that's not necessarily true for everyone, but I know it's good for me. I don't drive unsafely, but I like speed, and this is one thing that helps keep me in check without having to think about it.- You guys know by now that I like to over-think things, so I'm curious. How do you do it? What's your opinions? What are we missing?