Unless you are taking up breaking your body parts for a hobby, in which case you need professional help, braking on a motorcycle is a vital skill to master. The problem? Crash investigators found that about 50% of riders skid and fall trying to brake in an emergency. 30% don’t brake at all! Other research has found that only 50% of riders can achieve Highway Code braking distances.
Riders simply aren’t trained well enough to stop in an emergency. They have to learn it for themselves. Compulsory basic training doesn’t include any high speed braking. Candidates ride out of training with a very rudimentary knowledge about how motorcycle brakes work and stopping is generally done at low speed. To pass a full motorcycle test, the rider only needs to do an emergency stop at 30 mph on an off-road tarmac surface. Is it any wonder that only half of bikers can stop within the distance recommended by the Highway Code. Also, those braking figures are generalised from DFT, TRL, Road Safety Organisations and Scientific Literature. Life on the road isn’t laboratory research, a scientific calculation, or a controlled study. There are a large number of factors that can confound research into a rider’s braking ability. It’s the rider on the bike, travelling on the road in whatever conditions the planet delivers, that may determine the outcome of an emergency. In other words, it is down to you, the rider, on your bike, that counts in giving yourself the best chance, of walking away from a riding emergency, unscathed.
Braking for Life Campaign
The Braking for Life campaign aims to get every rider to, in an emergency, brake safely up to speeds of 60 mph. The 1.2 million regular riders in the UK are either going to have to learn for themselves, or find a competent riding coach.
Self-learning
If you are a reasonably experienced rider and your bike has ABS brakes, you may be able to learn to improve your own braking on your bike. You will need somewhere away from other traffic, the iAccel app (we suggest the pro version) and somebody to watch your efforts. Mark out the practice course, using sand-filled juice bottles or old tennis balls cut in half, with the points at which you need to brake. Practice until you achieve the stopping distance needed. The graphic below shows how to manage the procedure. As always, don’t take any risks. Ride within your level of competence. Don’t become competitive, even with yourself. ALWAYS RIDE SAFE!!
Find a coach
Having someone else look at your riding can be both humbling and reassuring. You might not be as good a rider as you THINK you are. Having someone who is an experienced riding coach can help you understand any braking problems and suggest ways in which you might improve. Leave the attitude outside of the training session and focus on learning to brake quicker. Avoiding pain, injury and a broken bike, will not only save you and the NHS a hefty bill, but also leave you with more time to enjoy your riding.
Organisations that may be able to help include motorcycle training schools, RoSPA, IAM RoadSmart and many others. The key to your choice of help should be someone with a track record of training motorcyclists and a coach that is solely interested in helping you to improve your braking skills.
For some very well researched online advice and coaching, check out Kevin Williams’ library. He also provides on-road training for all kinds of riding issues.
Conclusion
There are many factors that affect braking a motorcycle in an emergency. The bike, the highway, the weather, other road users and the RIDER’S SKILLS! As you are the one perched between the bars and the pegs, then you may be able to control the outcome of an emergency. There are enough risks when riding without adding your own set. Whilst the most vulnerable riders are between the age of 17 and 24 (novice riders), or 45 to 55 (returning riders), EVERY rider needs emergency braking skills. Don’t be left out, get your own set to ride further, see more, meet more friends and have a lot more fun on your bike. Ride Safe.
