[Urban_Nomad]

Originally Posted by Sojogator

Pothole Panic !

My query is about what should be done in case we spot a pothole all of a sudden.

I follow:
Brake till before the pothole -> release the brake just before hitting it -> weight on pegs -> ride over.

Now I have started to wonder. If I have braked before a pothole, I am already using some of the suspension travel. So am I not using the entirety of the travel if we then hit the pothole since I would have just released the brakes ?

What is the best way to counter one when the speed is on the higher side ?

Thanks in anticipation.

You are doing everything right bud. Only thing I would add is that if you cannot avoid the pothole, give it more gas to get the front end light. Might seem counterintutive, but works

Can; and does get hairy though when you have a pillion onboard

[Ricci]

Originally Posted by Sutripta

Treat that as an absolute fact, not just an opinion!

Still, it would be interesting to have the opinions of the biking stalwarts on the very particular question of best braking technique on an ABS equipped bike.

Regards
Sutripta

That's how I brake. Squeeze the lever with increasing pressure (about a second to get to max pressure) and hold it there unless it looks like the tyre is locking up. I do that on my Pulsar (no ABS) and Daytona (ABS).

ABS is an electro-mechanical device, it can fail and it can lag. Even with ABS, I have had a wheel lock (for a a fraction of a second, but it did). On a less tech-laden (read: built to a cost) bike, the ABS may be slower to react than the import SBKs , and that fraction of a second could still result in a fall. If in the midst of hard braking when you assumed ABS will save your skin, you'd be squeezing the lever too hard and lock instantly, when the ABS fails.

[MonsterTorque]

Originally Posted by Urban_Nomad

You are doing everything right bud. Only thing I would add is that if you cannot avoid the pothole, give it more gas to get the front end light. Might seem counterintutive, but works

I remember reading somewhere that the best way to tackle bad roads if you are riding without a pillion was to open the gas slightly just as you encounter the bump so that the front wheel looses weight and can be lifted off the ground to avoid the undulation.

[mithun]

Any tips 'n' tricks to improve emergency braking performance on front heavy bikes like Pulsar ?

Rear brake locking is a common problem among them.

[IshaanIan]

Originally Posted by mithun

Any tips 'n' tricks to improve emergency braking performance on front heavy bikes like Pulsar ?

Rear brake locking is a common problem among them.

Are you talking about the regular Pulsars or the RS? The regular ones are obviously front biased but not as much as a sport bike. There are many things you need to learn like how to brake properly, how much of which brakes to use for your bike and how to not be stiff on the front shocks. Depends what kind of bike you are talking about and this stuff you can find if you go through the thread properly.

If your Pulsar is a naked with raised handlebars and your main issue is the rear wheel locking up, one thing I can suggest from my very limited experience is to immediately shift your weight forward to move the centre of gravity more to the front wheel this way you will be able to maintain control of your bike even if the tail is sliding about.

[mithun]

Originally Posted by IshaanIan

Are you talking about the regular Pulsars or the RS? The regular ones are obviously front biased but not as much as a sport bike. There are many things you need to learn like how to brake properly, how much of which brakes to use for your bike and how to not be stiff on the front shocks. Depends what kind of bike you are talking about and this stuff you can find if you go through the thread properly.

If your Pulsar is a naked with raised handlebars and your main issue is the rear wheel locking up, one thing I can suggest from my very limited experience is to immediately shift your weight forward to move the centre of gravity more to the front wheel this way you will be able to maintain control of your bike even if the tail is sliding about.

Its the regular Pulsar 150/180.

Thanks for the advice. But leaning forward during an emergency situation is not an impulsive action especially for a bike w/o a forward stance!

[Nagato710]

Originally Posted by emperorofindia

Read more about this technique here : https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cadence_braking

And please buy an ABS equipped bike only.
Note : This technique will not work on surfaces with low traction (slippery). So be careful and ride safe.

Thank you for your link. I always wanted a Royal Enfield and got myself one. Sadly, no ABS for any model. Your link will help improve braking a lot. Thanks.

[docmoya2007]

Great thread here. Downshifting before entering the corner is what I find it difficult. I still have the habit of braking and using the same gear(say 5th gear) in corner entry-till apex-and downshift/double downshift(4th/3rd) and open full throttle at the exit of a corner as in a car. I know it is wrong. But my question,here, is when you downshift before entering the corner, when will you open the throttle? At the entry, Mid corner, apex or exit?

[Urban_Nomad]

Originally Posted by docmoya2007

Great thread here. Downshifting before entering the corner is what I find it difficult. I still have the habit of braking and using the same gear(say 5th gear) in corner entry-till apex-and downshift/double downshift(4th/3rd) and open full throttle at the exit of a corner as in a car. I know it is wrong. But my question,here, is when you downshift before entering the corner, when will you open the throttle? At the entry, Mid corner, apex or exit?

Excellent question! Happy to share my experience with this topic. There are variations to this, but this is what you would largely do

Gear selection - Should be done before entering the corner. The reason you are not doing it is because you have not practiced blipping aka rev-matching. The only time this would not be required is if your bike came with a slipper clutch

Braking & throttle- Typically, you would be trail braking right up to the apex of a corner, slightly crack open the throttle aka maintenance throttle once you are at the apex and start rolling on the throttle once you have the exit in your sight; still leaned over. The idea is to move weight back to the bigger tyre i.e. the rear. You should however NEVER add throttle and lean at the same time. Usually doesn't end well. Think about it like this - In track speak : If you are not on the gas or brakes, you are losing time. Holds good for the street too, however you need to improvise based on your environment. For example - Post apexing, you see an auto wala lazily ambling along in the middle of the road. This will impact your line and therefore braking, acceleration and where you "pick up" the bike

Another situation that I have come across more than once unfortunately is the "reducing radius" type turn. Here your throttle control and vision play a huge role. True story - you are too busy having fun on an unknown mountain road. One of the turns suddenly tightens up on you and catches you unaware because you weren't paying enough attention. You are already leaned over quite a bit. In this scenario, my recommendation is to very gently roll off the throttle, add more lean and probably MOST importantly, keep looking towards the inside of the turn. This is half the battle won, trust me

My recommendation to you:

- Practice rev matching till you get it right
- Open throttle to maintenance once you have your intended line. On the street, this can be before apex as well, especially if you find that you entered a corner slower than you should have

This video might help too:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LrbZJbXwgrY

[docmoya2007]

@Urban Nomad: Thanks for the tips. I have been practising rev-matching/ blipping the throttle and downshifting before corner entry. I found my downshifting much more smoother than before. I love it so much that I intend to do even in slow corners. I started asking myself, "Have I been riding my bike the wrong way all along? Even cars? Is this the right way of downshifting even in cars?" Another question that comes with rev-matching/ blipping the throttle and downshifting is: "Will it affect my fuel economy? Because I am revving a bit harder before every corner entry?".

[maker_of_things]

Originally Posted by docmoya2007

@Urban Nomad: I have been practising rev-matching/ blipping the throttle and downshifting before corner entry. I found my downshifting much more smoother than before. I love it so much that I intend to do even in slow corners.

You should rev match more often (every time you downshift) and not only before a corner entry.

I started asking myself, "Have I been riding my bike the wrong way all along? Even cars? Is this the right way of downshifting even in cars?"

It is a better way of downshifting even in cars. Some high end cars also come with downshift rev matching built in so you don't have to worry about rev matching.

While we're on the topic of cars, they don't have a sequential gearbox like a motorcycle does so rev matching isn't the only thing required to do. The correct way of upshifting/downshifting requires a technique called "double clutching". More on that here.

Double Clutching

Another question that comes with rev-matching/ blipping the throttle and downshifting is: "Will it affect my fuel economy? Because I am revving a bit harder before every corner entry?".

Tiny bit, but nothing major. But you're also improving the life of your clutch as when you're rev matching the wear on your clutch is lower.

Rev Matching

[docmoya2007]

@ maker of things: Thanks a lot for the explanation and the videos. The second video is really informative.