PD Simplified | How To Use Your Brakes

Brakes are the most powerful controls on your motorcycle. Even more powerful than your engine. And learning how to use such a potent tool correctly will help you ride better. And one of the worst things to do is grab a handful of your brakes - that WILL do more harm than good. What you want to do is modulate your front brakes with two or one fingers, depending on how powerful they are. Braking transfers all the weight of the motorcycle to the front, and thus increases friction between the front wheel and the road. This also means your rear wheel has little to no traction and using the rear brakes hard can cause a rear-wheel lock-up or the rear ABS to kick in. On the other hand, if you have a pillion and/or luggage, you still have weight on the back, and you should use the rear brake in this case. But there's more to braking which Shumi explains in this episode of PD Simplified.

#PowerDrift

[namesake]

All RTOs should show this video to everyone who are opting driving licence. Also please make a video on how to use upper and dipper light, with more usage on led headlights, blinding upcoming traffic is getting unbearable now a days.

[sportstours]

I have a few more tips.
1. If the tyre skids, release the corresponding brake immediately. You have way less time to do this with the front compared to the rear brake.
2. If you grabbed the throttle hard and some obstacle came in front of you, cut that power with the clutch as you start braking.
Normally, you shouldn't pull in the clutch while braking, though.
3. Engine braking while coming down a hill gives a very good control, better than using only brakes.
4. Going uphill- use mainly rear brake.
Going downhill- use front brake.
5. Sportsbike, front heavy bikes- use mainly front brake.
Cruisers- use a mix of front and rear. Can go harder on the rear brake.
6. With a pillion. The braking distance significantly increases. Also, can use more pressure than usual on the rear.
7. Brake before a turn, unless you're an expert at braking in/ through the turn.
8. Reduce speed if you see vehicles bunching up ahead.
9. Don't overtake close to a bigger vehicle. Create a large gap if you can. Complete overtaking maneuver fast.
10. It is hard to respond to others braking suddenly if you're tailgating. Maintain distance.

[aniruddhavispute]

Practicing Panic braking also helps with your nerves and your reactions. Earlier I used to really panic and did not think of much things except for slamming the brakes. But now with practice, I'm calmer during such situations and can think of way more variables and be more aware of the situation and hence can make those split-second judgements with a calm mind.

[virud]

Hahaha! Learnt all this years THE HARD WAY 🤣
Thank you for this episode, I feel this is the most important video to be shared to people entering the world of motorcycles. 👍👍

[shimronalexander]

PD Simplified: Making better riders one video at a time.

[ClaicGse]

Is it only me, or you didn't know this but managed to get to the same conclusion(2-fingers for front disc brakes), just by seeing/feeling how your bike is reacting to your inputs?! Doing it for long time now and it is very smooth and feels right somehow...

[deepzdey]

Great information as always. I have spent hours arguing with my peers on how to make the apt usage of the front brakes. This is a topic which applies to everyone but a handful of us who give a thought about the dynamics. Theories like this should be made indispensable for anyone who rides a two-wheeler.

Request for a future video : proper handlebar gripping etiquette.

[narayanshikhar]

Great video.
Suggestions for the next video - Things to keep in mind while riding on hills (points to cover - Going uphill, coming downhill, braking and acceleration, corners, climbing steep roads, maintenance). A much needed episode for a lot of us.

[ashokvarghese]

The major advise i used to get about braking from old people, especially dad, was to rely on the back brake as they all thought that it was better to control the bike in case of a tyre lock or the whole sand slippery scenario (No ABS). And i continued to believe so.
Although later on, i relied mostly on the engine braking where i just gear down while slightly applying the brakes and this seems very good to control the bike.
Now i gotta try to learn with the front brakes as said.

[XchildofhateX]

One of the best videos I saw on this topic described braking as if you're squeezing a lemon. If you squeeze hard all at once, you'll squirt the lemon juice all around, but if you gently increase the pressure, you'll be able to collect all of the lemon juice in your tumbler.
I really love how you touched upon the concept of trail braking in this video.

[SpiderSid]

After crashing about 6 times on my Pulsar 150 (back in 2006), I learnt that there was something wrong with my braking.
My peers kept telling me to use the rear brake more rather than the front, and yet I felt more comfortable with more of the front brake.
Thank you so much for confirming the 80-20 / 70-30 principle!! 👍👍👍

[symtd]

Thanks a lot for the valuable infos. I recently completed my motorbike license in here in Germany and it was altogether a different experience compared to India.. What they emphasize here mostly is how to effectively use your brakes by testing how you evade at 50kmph, emergency stopping at 50 kmph, slaloms and so on.

[devil]

I don't believe this! Have been doing it since years now and my friends used to laugh on me when I shared these sort of things. I love you 💯💯💯.. Definitely nailed it 🎯🎯

[vikramwadhwani]

Been riding for over two decades now. Started with the RX 100s, onto the Shogun(which had the worst continued into the generation of Pulsars and what not. But I still watched this video till the end. And learnt some is a master of biking and to learn from him, whether it's through his magazine articles I've read over the years or through PD now, I always gain something new to apply on the road. Thank you is an understatement here 🙂 more power to you guys ❤️🤘

[neetesh]

Hats off Shumi, I really had to pause the video at 1.20 min to type this,

Am blown away by the way you explained friction, traction braking..

Now I know braking is lot more than just pulling/releasing the lever.

Thank you 😊

[sayanmukherjee]

Outstanding... These videos can actually save lives out on the road and thank you PD team and Shumi sir for creating this awareness....

[abhiananth]

PD simplified is one of your most practical and useful series ! loved the way it is being presented by Shumi sir.
Kudos to the whole team for making this with a better production value than just recording it with a webcam (no offense to the podcast series 😅)

PD has become a lot better since its launch .

[bluntrider]

I don't remember when was the last time I used rear brake 😂. 90% of the time, you just need engine and front brake
Really helpful tips in terms of corner braking. Thanks PD

[.]

Even after hard riding for almost 12 years and having clocked 80k kms I still consider myself an amateur.. And I know very well which is still the skill to master, which is braking. Thanks for speaking on the much under attended topic.

[thindriver]

This is excellent advice for newbies to the superbike category, the 800 cc onwards. My regular ride is a Himalayan and my first time on a ZX10R was nothing short of a dream!