Slowing down before a turn


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fz6rowner

New Member
I could use a few suggestions on how to use the combination of engine braking, front brake, rear break, and clutch to slowdown before taking a turn? If you are on a 45 mph speed limit road in 3rd or higher gear, and need to take a right turn at the traffic light, how far ahead do you shift down or start applying front/back brakes? Slowing down too early seems to run the risk of a car rear ending, and too late seems to require harsh braking and thus slowing the turn itself.

In general, to slow down for a turn, what sequence do you use? Initiate with front brake, add feathering back, then apply both, and then clutch full-squeeze to downshift?

After reducing speed with engine braking and front/back combo braking, lets say from 45mph to 10mph, fully disengaging the clutch has the undesirable effect of the bike abruptly gaining forward speed, say to 13 or 15 mph, as it is no longer under the effect of engine braking. This requires another round of application of front/back brakes to bring it back to slowing speed, in this case under 10mph. How best to avoid this bump in speed when squeezing on the clutch for downshift or is the clutch being applied too soon here?

On suburban parkways with traffic lights, do you slow down shifting all the way to 2nd or 1st? Typically, I only shift to 1st if I have to come to a complete stop with foot down, otherwise take the turn in 2nd. All my driving appears to be evolving based on the need to keep up with the moving cars.
 
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moizanator

New Member
I usually rev match downshift while slightly pressing the rear brake and then use the front brake if needed for a full stop. Im sure everyone has different techniques
 
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nismos14

I'm movin on
Elite Member
You have to rev-match when releasing the clutch in order to avoid the lurch.
 
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Spanky's Monkey

New Member
Rev-match downshift to 2nd doesn't require a lot of room but I start braking and signal early to indicate my intent to make the move. As for keeping up with traffic the FZ6R is quicker then everything I've been on the road with so far. I don't go smoking soccer moms or farmers but you should never have a hard time setting the pace in traffic let alone keeping pace in traffic.
 
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onetrack97

New Member
Get Help From The Pros

fz6rowner said:
I could use a few suggestions on how to use the combination of engine braking, front brake, rear break, and clutch to slowdown before taking a turn? If you are on a 45 mph speed limit road in 3rd or higher gear, and need to take a right turn at the traffic light, how far ahead do you shift down or start applying front/back brakes? Slowing down too early seems to run the risk of a car rear ending, and too late seems to require harsh braking and thus slowing the turn itself.

In general, to slow down for a turn, what sequence do you use? Initiate with front brake, add feathering back, then apply both, and then clutch full-squeeze to downshift?

After reducing speed with engine braking and front/back combo braking, lets say from 45mph to 10mph, fully disengaging the clutch has the undesirable effect of the bike abruptly gaining forward speed, say to 13 or 15 mph, as it is no longer under the effect of engine braking. This requires another round of application of front/back brakes to bring it back to slowing speed, in this case under 10mph. How best to avoid this bump in speed when squeezing on the clutch for downshift or is the clutch being applied too soon here?

On suburban parkways with traffic lights, do you slow down shifting all the way to 2nd or 1st? Typically, I only shift to 1st if I have to come to a complete stop with foot down, otherwise take the turn in 2nd. All my driving appears to be evolving based on the need to keep up with the moving cars.
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From your question, it sounds like you're asking more about basic street riding as opposed to performance/riding the twisties. Here's the place to go for both.

Check out the RideLikeAPro videos & book. Being able to do these exercises will give you confidence and skill in street riding. I bought it to help my wife and I was always interested in the slow speed competitions and how they did it. I've got 20 years of riding experience on dirt and street. It's done an amazing job with her capabilities and mine too.

Also, go buy the book "A Twist of the Wrist II" by Keith Code. This book takes the slow, look, lean, roll to a whole new level. It teaches you the physics of riding the track or twisties, smoothly, efficiently, and safely.

As far as your braking questions, some things to remember. Rolling off the gas is the same as applying the rear brake. If your coming up to a curve and you need to slow a little, rolling off the gas and applying a little front brake is the same as applying both brakes.

I don't recommend using the transmission at this point to slow the bike. Use the appropriate amount of front and rear brake to slow the bike. You need to plan to be off the brake before you turn. As soon as you lean, you start rolling on the gas and you continue to roll on the gas through the entire turn. Much more detail in the Twist book.

If you're making a turn on a city street, same thing except downshift to the appropriate gear so that you can accelerate through the turn. Typically, it's either 2nd or 3rd. If the ground has gravel on it, wet, leaves, other debris, lightly drag the rear brake and be very smooth. Don't touch the front brake. If you've done it right, you should be accelerating or at least not decelerating in the turn.

There is a Twist of the Wrist II video on youtube also. But to see the whole thing, you may have to put up with subtitles in another language. The video isn't anywhere close to being as good as the book but does have some good parts.
 

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