Two-Wheeler Braking: The Correct And Most Effective Techniques ExplainedTwo-Wheeler Braking: The Correct And Most Effective Techniques Explained

Tips & tricks | 18 Jun 2020

Two-Wheeler Braking: The Correct And Most Effective Techniques Explained

Front, rear, or both? Grab a handful, or modulate? Should you use different techniques for fast and slow speeds? What about while going uphill, downhill or on a flat surface? Should one brake differently on a cruiser bike as compared to a sportsbike? There are tons of questions that people have about the right technique to brake on their motorcycles. There also are a lot of myths that need to be busted and some really good tips that’ll help you brake better. Here in this article, we’ll learn all about how to use those brakes on your motorcycle in the most effective way. Let’s get going.

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To start off, as a rule of thumb, braking is always incomparably more effective up front, than at the rear. This varies with the stance of the motorcycle, and the amount of weight each wheel bears, but in general, front brakes, will always provide you a lot more stopping power than the rear brakes. Up to 80 per cent of your motorcycle’s braking power is concentrated in the front end. This percentage may go even higher in case of extreme racing bikes. So the first thing that you need to do is to learn to use the front brakes way more than the rear. Use that right lever more than the pedal in your feet while using a motorcycle.

An important aspect of braking and stopping safely is the amount of adhesion provided by the front tyre on your motorcycle. In some cases, while the brakes are powerful enough the tyre simply doesn’t have enough traction to handle the pressure, and it washes out. A well engineered motorcycle should not have such a problem, not in dry conditions at the very least. It’s important that you understand the limits of your front tyre’s adhesion well. Spending some time with your motorcycle and using the front brake more aggressively and in progression would reveal a lot to you. Practice using the front brake to the point where the front tyre won’t give way, and complement it with the rear brake. Remember, you shouldn’t rely solely on the rear brakes, ever. It’s the front that drops the anchor, the rear only aids it.

So what do you do if your bike’s front tyre isn’t capable enough? Well, replace it for starters, with a tyre that has good grip. It is exactly for such scenarios that the ABS was designed and built. ABS, or Anti Lock Braking System, as the name suggests, prevents the wheel from locking up, keeps it rotating and goes a long way in enhancing available traction, and boosting control. Remember, though, an ABS system will only work better with a tyre with good traction. It complements the tyre’s grips and control, and isn’t exactly a remedy for a tyre with bad grip. If a tyre doesn’t have good grip, it’ll eventually wash out under hard braking, even with ABS. Bikes with ABS do have a significant edge over their non ABS equipped counterparts in wet conditions, and in places where traction is lesser. It lets the wheel rotate, and keeps you in control. ABS equipped motorcycles almost always have a shorter braking distance and offer more control to the rider under extreme circumstances.

However, if everything is fine with your motorcycle, and it’s a front biased motorcycle with the front wheel bearing most of the weight, squeezing on to that right lever is the best bet you have. The first few moments when you grab a handful, the rear brakes are still relatively more effective as they are carrying a reasonable amount of load and have good traction. Using both brakes in conjunction, especially when you start braking is definitely going to reduce the braking distance. After those first few seconds, most of the weight of the bike, especially on a sport bike gets transferred to the front, and the rear doesn’t have much of a role to play.

Cruiser bikes, scooters and motorcycles which are rear-heavy, do utilise the rear brake a lot more. Such two-wheelers continue to have traction at the rear tyre, even when you apply the front brakes vigorously. The rear brakes on such two-wheelers continue to help reduce the stopping distance throughout the braking process, and not just during the initial few moments. Also, the percentage of braking power provided by the rear wheel is higher. It is, thus even more recommendable to apply both brakes on such motorcycles.

A note of caution here though – if your motorcycle’s wheels are not properly aligned, or if it’s not properly balanced, there is a good chance that using front and rear brakes together may lead to the bike losing its line and sliding in a specific direction. this will not be the case with a well-engineered motorcycle. However, you should be aware if your motorcycle behaves in such a manner and be able to modulate the brakes to use them most effectively. Different motorcycles behave differently under braking and a good way to understand your motorcycle’s braking is to see how it behaves under harsh braking from medium to high speeds. Practising and learning how your motorcycle behaves under harsh braking at an empty patch of road, or an empty parking lot equips you well with the skills to deal with emergencies.

Also Read:� TIPS TO KEEP YOUR TWO-WHEELER TYRES IN GOOD HEALTH

A rule to remember is that the wheel with more load or weight on it will always offer more traction, will not lock up and will help the two-wheeler stop more effectively. Imagine your motorcycle parked on the main stand, and let the wheel rotate freely as the bike idles. Even a feather touch to the lever would stop the wheel from rotating, or, in other words, lock it up. A wheel in motion with load over it, will not lock up so easily though. That’s one of the reasons why people who used the old geared scooters in India, with a major chunk of weight at the rear are still so used to only the rear brakes. And that’s exactly the reason why a linked braking system, like the Sync brake System or SBS on TVS Scooters is so effective in increasing stopping power. Make use of the wheel that has more traction. As an example, the rear wheel will have more traction while climbing steep hills.

Also Read:� RIDING IN YOUR CITY CAN BE A TRICKY RIDE: FIND OUT WHY

While there isn’t a ‘procedure’ to brake properly, as it’s a derivative of your motorcycle’s setup, the power of its brakes, the electronics on offer as well as the rider’s own skill – there are some tips that would help you brake more effectively. To start off, use the front brakes, and modulate if you think you’ll lose traction. Use the rear brakes along with the front, though you should be able to modulate or release if the rear locks up and skids you off the straight braking line, or induces a slide. If you are a skilled rider with good reflexes, downshifting as you apply brakes would bring engine braking into the picture and will reduce braking distance by some margin. If your bike has ABS, grab a fistful of the right lever to unleash the most amount of braking power. You have to act fast and drop the anchors at once in an emergency scenario, any adjustments are to be made based on how the motorcycle reacts – and as we mentioned before, how well you react will depend on how well versed you are with your motorcycle’s behaviour under emergency braking. So practice a lot, and you’ll get better and better at dropping the anchors in the most effective manner.

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Comments (96)

Sonuverma

12 May 2021

Good

Vinay

15 May 2021

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Suresh veera

30 May 2021

Very good

Hahim

01 Jun 2021

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Tanvir aalam

27 Jun 2021

Hii

Manish kumar

30 Jun 2021

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Manish kumar

30 Jun 2021

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Bhola Naskar

15 Jul 2021

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Rahul Batham

08 Aug 2021

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Rakesh kumar

08 Aug 2021

Rear break problem creat

M S Gopi

08 Aug 2021

Very useful, thanks TVS

dharmendra baitha

09 Aug 2021

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Muksid khan

13 Sep 2021

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Rahees saife

16 Sep 2021

Bike ki number plate

Rakesh Kumar

19 Sep 2021

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21 Sep 2021

Apache bike

Nasiruddin

01 Oct 2021

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08 Oct 2021

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Rajesh Verma

15 Oct 2021

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20 Oct 2021

10

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20 Oct 2021

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27 Oct 2021

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06 Nov 2021

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YASHWANTH DACHEPALLY

12 Nov 2021

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Sandeep Sharma

05 Dec 2021

Super

surajkumar

13 Dec 2021

Good

Rajesh Kumar

15 Dec 2021

Na

Rakesh Surve

17 Dec 2021

Breaking issue

Bitupon hatimuria

27 Dec 2021

I have back the light cover and the body so damege

Rajendra chauhan

01 Jan 2022

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Amit kumar das

02 Jan 2022

nice

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05 Jan 2022

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Shivam

11 Jan 2022

Ds break

Hemanth Kumar

12 Jan 2022

Bad

Shalu

13 Jan 2022

Kumar

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02 Feb 2022

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Parveen

06 Feb 2022

Rear break verry poor

Subham Rana

13 Feb 2022

Nice =M

Pramod gudi

20 Feb 2022

It's ok

Anjali Kumari

13 Mar 2022

Good

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13 Apr 2022

We require my servicing bill

Rahul Keshri

14 Apr 2022

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26 Apr 2022

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Raj

23 May 2022

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Rahul Batham

23 May 2022

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Aryaman

27 May 2022

Everything is OK only fuel meter is not indicating properly

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07 Jun 2022

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13 Jun 2022

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14 Jun 2022

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TANAS

21 Jun 2022

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21 Jun 2022

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02 Jul 2022

TVS ABS Very good

Makibul dewan

21 Jul 2022

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21 Jul 2022

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Venkatesh

25 Sep 2022

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Ajodhya biswal

16 Oct 2022

Super

RATAN SODARI

26 Dec 2022

I want to suggest.

Bijoy Chowdhury

18 Jan 2023

Good

MUHAMMED SHEMEEM N

20 Jan 2023

The Dime light is very poor and Mirrer position also not good.

Dnyandev kumbhar

23 Jan 2023

F

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27 Jan 2023

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AMAN kumar

28 Jan 2023

Break

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03 Feb 2023

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07 Feb 2023

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09 Feb 2023

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26 Feb 2023

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10 Apr 2023

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13 Apr 2023

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13 Apr 2023

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RAFIKUL Islam

13 Apr 2023

Nice

Tony

03 May 2023

Very informative. Thank you.

Peter Chulu

11 Jun 2023

Very useful guide

Dipak kumar Borah

20 Jul 2023

Your service person is not well trained person.They not done well during servicing. My scooty TVS NTORQ 125 XP ,but there is two mode , race mode & street mode, but race mode is not working & light also not working properly. It's doing like dreaper. It's bring from showroom 23-03-2023

RAFIKUL Islam

21 Jul 2023

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RAFIKUL Islam

21 Jul 2023

TVS

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21 Jul 2023

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MOHD HAROON

31 Jul 2023

Harpur govindpur district Deoria Uttar Pradesh

Parvez Kumar Saikia

31 Jul 2023

125 TVS Very Bad Brek

Milu rana

01 Aug 2023

Sarvice ishu

Santosh

07 Aug 2023

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10 Aug 2023

Break noise ishu my new antork

Md Naushad

11 Aug 2023

Md Naushad

Anvesh

14 Aug 2023

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Faseela

19 Aug 2023

TVS Ntorq 125 race XP is a worse,Two months before I bought that.Now It's censor is damaged when stand on it is telling stand is off when stand is off its like stand is on and I can't start the bike when in that condition.I called service centre nobody took the call.I regret now for I brought Ntorq!

Moosa

24 Aug 2023

9744163884

Praveenkumar

02 Sep 2023

Good

Amit patra

13 Jan 2024

Good

Kamlesh Chauhan

16 Feb 2024

Kothsana . Satlasan.ji-mahesan

DINESH DEBBARMA

27 Feb 2024

I need advise for how to control brake system of jupiter 125

Sonu sharma

16 Apr 2024

Good

Puran Subba

10 May 2024

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Narendra Kumar

03 Jun 2024

TVs

Brajagopal jana

06 Jul 2024

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Manbha Lamin Doh

10 Jul 2024

Till now no problem for my scooty

Pritam Shivaji Shinde

14 Jul 2024

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Semukuye Blasio

28 Sep 2024

My bike is weak on the hill