Master trailbraking to stay alive on public roads, ride better in corners, master the curves and never get surprised again. ridelikeachampion.com/champ-school/ BretTkacs.com Patreon.com/Brettkacs/Join
Bret, I think that this is the best and most practical explanation of trail braking that I've ever come across. It's clear, not overly simplified, application oriented, and well illustrated. Thanks for your work.
Even the simple rule mentioned at the end: we're never riding faster than the apparent and visible braking distance available to us, has saved me too often when I've seen other folks get surprised. You're right : these should be the MOST basic fundamentals taught to beginners. It just sets them up with the best tools to stay alive. Good one, Bret!
Had a pretty bad crash about three years ago. Ever since I mastered trailbraking and use it even corners i can see thru. Dramatically changed and improved my riding. Im never taken by surprise and can make last minute adjustments with no drama.
I was taught that brakes in the corner = upright bike going wide. 25 years of riding and just learned something new. Thanks for this excellent explanation, will be practicing and applying this.
Best Trail Braking Explanation I have heard and seen. If you see only 1 this is it! Returning to Ride at 70 after a 6 year hiatus (hitting a deer at 60 miles an hour. Returning includes a lot of introspection. Airbags will remove "bad luck" of another deer darting in my way and breaking 6 ribs and a clavicule. Trail Braking will remove anxiety about "enjoying the twisties".NEVER BLOW A CORNER.NEVER COMMIT TO AN EXIT UNTILL I SEE IT. That's it...the secret sauce simply explained. Thank you for the best lesson on trail Braking
PostScript: Thinking about it this beats any book i read on the subject,any online course and sure beats spening several thousand going to champ school....So I paid for the advice with a Patreon Subscription.Keep enhancing our skills!
Hi from the chaotic, crazy streets of India! I cannot tell you HOW many times trail braking has saved my ass, especially when hazards have jumped out mid corner, no warning, no vision, just boom. And I was ready. And could shave speed instantly and swerve out of the way. It also keeps you psychologically prepared to react QUICKLY to potentially fatal incidents. Note on rear brakes: again, since we're all human and some long sweepers just don't allow you to trail the brakes beyond a point, or if you've over slowed corner entry: I've got on the throttle but kept a very light foot on the rear brake, and when the radius has surprised me, just a little tap on the rear brake has helped me tighten up the corner considerably without losing the traction that being on the throttle gave me and I didn't need to lean further. Just kept everything else constant and added some rear brake. Amazing. Oh and Champ U saves lives. Legit.
Nice explanation. The critical point, to me, is carrying brakes to the point where you can assess when you will not be needing them - when you can see the corner and, importantly, the condition it is in and whether there are hazards. I see many riders riding roads they know well, committing to a well known corner and they know their speed and line is appropriate although deliberately close to the maximum for them and their skill - which is great until it is not, and they have painted themselves in to a corner where they have little in the way of options - diesel/mud mid corner, a pothole or related gravel, a dead or live animal on the road, a stalled car. Even on the track committing to a race line in to a blind corner means you are relying on a flag Marshall to warn you of dropped oil, a bike or parts of a bike, or a rider in the path you are blindly Committing to.
Probably the best explanation for real world road trail braking out there. Love that you included “stop on your side of the road in the distance you can see” that is often misunderstood or never applied. IMO, one thing you have missed is having the correct gear selection prior to corner entry. If you are in the correct gear, then using throttle control instead of the brakes will also slow you down. Another tool to have in the belt Good work Bret
Using the throttle and appropriate gear to slow down results in significant weight transfer to the front and instability whereas trail braking loads the front end and maintains stability through the bend.
That was my thought also, I would take a line that keeps me closer to the outer edge before straightening up. Too big of a chance for meeting vehicles going out of their lane.
Right there at the end before the outro, you put down what was one of the most important rules of driving that my dad taught me when I was a teenager; never outdrive your line of sight. I teach people how to drive school busses now, and same thing, if you cant stop in the distance you can see, you need to slow down, and this applies to corners, but also other low visibility situations like weather events, or lighting problems in the dark. I've had a few close calls riding where keeping that rule in mind is very possibly the reason im alive today.
Trail breaking explained perfectly. 73 years old, sold my bike 5 years ago, just bought another and I can tell it's all about practice, and if you don't do that every time your out you're not doing it enough. Drive defensively. I like the fact that you talked about using the rear break as well which I always did.
Bret, great video and explanation of trail braking. As a retired highway engineer I recognize many many times the curves we ride into are compound curves where the radius does change and for a motorcycle the problem is when the second half of the curve is tighter, smaller radius. Another reason for the trail braking, awareness, and understanding that the pressure applied might have to increase, alot, and quickly.
Great video. One point I might stress more emphatically is the consequence of getting off the brakes completely on corner entry and then suddenly reaching for the lever AGAIN mid-corner if there is a surprise in the corner... which can often result in an overly aggressive grabbing motion with the brakes thus overwhelming and washing out the front tire. You mention loading the tire & being able to react to surprises & such, but this point could perhaps be stressed more, PANIC GRABBING THE BRAKES MID CORNER CAUSES CRASHES, whereas easing off and back on the brakes while maintaining light pressure on the brake lever the entire time (trail braking) does not.
Champ School teaches you to apply light braking to load the front forks, load the front tire's contact patch and to get you ready in case there's sand, gravel, deer or a downed rider up ahead in the corner. With the front suspension and tire already loaded, applying more gradual braking pressure won't cause the front tire to lose traction. On the other hand, going from zero braking to full braking causes a sudden load on the forks and front tire and *will* cause the front to tuck. There's a great Champ School video that shows a tire being leaned over and pushed with varying amounts of force to simulate loss of traction.
I love how concise your videos are. Although I know and use trail braking, watching this video was a great refresher. Definitely worth 17 minutes of my day.
Hi Bret. Great topic. I have had a motorcycle license since 1979. I do on average over 25,000 km every year. I was taught the technique of trailbraking very early in my riding career. I guess I was one of the lucky ones. I have always thought however that instead of calling it Trail breaking we should be calling it dragging the break because essentially I feel that’s what is happening. Just saying. Again thank you for the video :-))
Great explaination.. We have such a downer in the UK on trail, mainly because we have few 90 degree + curves, and also because it's sooo misunderstood here. I'm glad I'm not put off by this attitude and your video helps me keep the faith.. Thank you 😊😊
I'm from the UK and agree 100%. There's so much dogma against trail braking. Many of the Advanced community are too hung up with IPSGA to entertain the thought that other techniques can be valid in certain situations. Fortunately my Advanced instructor had a more open mind and encouraged trail braking on steep tight downhill bends.
This technique is SO obvious on bicycle, e.g “10 speeds” with their caliper brakes. I say this because bicyclists pick it up almost instinctively. I did it during my basic rider course and of course was scolded. But I continued doing it after I passed the class. It was too me, at least as instinctive as it had been on my bicycle. On the bike we used to say we were “scrubbing off some speed.” We all knew it took a light touch and we all knew that a hard grab could lead to a broken collar bone. So guess what? We used 2 fingers to operate the the front brake.
Agreed, it's just a natural thing to do if you've spent any significant time riding bicycles, it's all about modulating the front brake. As a kid if you were smart you only grabbed the front brake once, I remember it well.
@@Kamel419 one thing that might relax you a bit - your ABS! Test it in the parking lot first, of course. But once you see how it performs, you can trust it when you panic. ABS does way faster than a human this “speed scrubbing” technique. Plus, anytime you hear the ABS “chatter” you know you have work on brake even softer. Don’t use ABS INSTEAD of trail braking! Only a handful of modern bikes have ABS that works in corners. But it might help you develop the confidence to work hard at developing your soft touch. PS; so does a bicycle, even a cheap, battered up one!
Thanks Bret . Very timely .. I thought I have been doing this for years but did not know what to call it ... Being a back road rider and on a lot of roads with gravel or sand mid turn I have practiced many different ways to get around problems and set a line that works .. As a ski racer as a young-un we learned how to stay neutral when hitting ice and how to get off ones edges till there was something to grab traction from .. I have worked at staying loose enough to reset my line in a curve on the bike when needed or stand the bike up if a pile of sand is mid curve .. Keeping the frame stable and the front wheel loaded enough to do its job can be a wonderful dance . Thanks for the clarity here ... All the best from New England ..
I've watched a million trail braking videos and never really, truly felt like I understood it until this one. Fantastic explanation. I really appreciate that you applied the technique to street riding in an easy to understand and straightforward way.
Thanks Bret! I have been trying to get my head around trail braking for years, and as others have already said, this is by far the best instructional video. Really do appreciate your time and advice. Thanks again! 👏👏👏
I learned to ride back in the NEVER break in the corners days. I picked up trailbreaking about three years ago and my riding is like night and day. 100% should have been taught this form the jump!
This is the best explanation I have ever heard. I’ve actually been doing this for about 45 years. The very name trail braking is counterintuitive - we don’t ever talk about ‘trailing off’ the brakes elsewhere. You release them. My ancient 750 Bonneville loves this technique and I can ride her through the twisties faster than my bigger bikes, confidently knowing all is set up to feed her all 45hp on exit. The phrase “trail braking” kind of implies to my simple way of looking at things, the extensive use of the rear brake and we know that’s not always a good thing. But the rules don’t change: never ride into something you can’t see without making sure you can haul up before you get to that stationary van full of tourists taking pics around the blind corner! 👍🏻
Excellent video, Bret! I appreciate that you emphasize all riders, regardless of experience, should be using this technique. It’s interesting that when I went through the training course here in Washington, we were penalized for ANY braking in a corner. Speed had to be set before the corner and they drilled that into us. A friend of mine is a former instructor at the Yamaha Champions school, and he taught me this technique early on and told me to quickly forget what the Endorsement class taught me. It’s helped me a great deal. You explained it beautifully in this video.
@@BretTkacshere in Oregon I was taught slow,look, roll then press.. so you are rolling on the throttle even before pressing. They drilled into as absolutely no braking in the corner as well.
This is a very good explanation of trail breaking. I ride a lot in the alps, and use this in every serpentine. Even if it is not an emergency technique it is possible to increase the breaking a lot in a curve if something unexpected happens - an animal, dirt on road etc. If you don’t trail brake and grab the brake in a curve it is difficult to do a smoth break and it is difficult to increase the pressure on the steering smooth - to avoid the bike rising up and going straight…
A week and a half ago I had opportunity to put my trail braking skills to work when I was exploring the Black Hills of South Dakota. It made my ride so much more enjoyable and relaxing on roads I have never ridden before and completely unfamiliar with.
Good video thanks. In tight downhill twisties I'll trail break (usually just front but sometimes both front and rear brakes) through the curve. As a general rule slowly smoothly easing off the brake as lean angle increases (assuming no surprises) through the corner works well for me. If there is a surprise I have some brake applied and can just increase to slow further as needed. Accelerate only after I see and point the bike at the exit point of the curve.
From my experience - on a down hill turn ONLY use the front brake. Using even a little rear brake will result in a skid. You are already leaned forward going downhill, plus you apply the front brake which will compress the front shocks even more. So your rear wheel has very very little traction already. You apply the rear brake that rear wheel will lock up. I guess you could get away with it on a cruiser type bike but even a moderately leaned forward 'sportish' bike will lock up the rear wheel. I only use rear brakes when coming to a stop or slow speed maneuvers.
Excellent vid, I learned very early on how much I hate scaring myself by running hot into corners. This is so important for new riders to learn. Mastering this well before going on sporty road rides will save you some skin or worse.
Probably the BEST explanation of the entire process of trail braking & cause & effect. I would sooner make a mistake on a track than on a public road. Roads must be shared with all users, in all directions. Track time is the place to make your mistakes, correct & learn. Thank you Sir! Stay safe and keep up the excellent content. Signed: a 71 year old rider with 50 years of riding experience and some mistakes.🇨🇦
I’ve had two instructors and will go for my second license attempt in two days. Neither of those instructors gave me any instructions on using the front brake apart from emergency stops. Zero. I only learnt how silly it was using the back brake to slow down when a friend helped shadow my bike from strobe to my apartment. Trial braking is what I do in a car all the time, brake into the corner. It’s what gives race cars the grip to corner at all.
Thanks for the clarification on what is trail braking. I’ve heard numerous versions. What you are describing is exactly what I have been doing for 25 years of riding two up exploring new to us roads in the Pacific Northwest and Europe. The technique works well.
I started off-road and then to Auto Cross, trail breaking was a no-brainer for me on my GSXR. It will fix fixation. You watch the corner leave you and fly off the road, or you can trim off the momentum.
I'm 64 years old and ONLY drive superbikes. I have never touched my back brake while leaned over in a turn in all of those 64 years and I'm still here. Yesterday I was doing 245 on "back roads" here in my twisty road Province of Nova Scotia, Canada. I have practiced using my front brakes while leaned over so much, that you could remove my back brake and I wouldn't notice it gone.
I’m with you! 64 years old as well, and never use the rear brakes after attending a California Superbike school decades ago. Granted, he does specifically address that, but I have an injury to my right ankle where I can’t even bend my ankle enough to put my foot above the brake pedal. I’m afraid if you teach beginners to use the rear brake in a turn that they will lock it up and the bike will go out from underneath them.
Trail breaking was perhaps the most important aspect of improving my riding, and should be taught in all "Basic rider courses". It will improve your confidence in cornering 10 fold, as well as adding that safety factor and when applied you have so much more control than engine braking especially when seconds count.
Excellent video👍 I live and ride in the French Alps and learning to trail brake has been a game changer in terms confident and safer riding for me. Every rider should learn this technique from the get go
One of the best "Trail Braking " video content. You have put a lot of effort into explaining and showing on the handlebar (throttle and brake levers). You highlighted very well the importance of "Rear Braking" as a secondary tool on the street. But a lot of professional riders on the race track use it as well (gliding technic). Congrats and have a safe ride. European Ninja 1000SX biker.
You are correct. Trail braking is the most important technique to be used in any 2 wheel vehicles, including bicycles. When I grew up, I did not know all this terminology , I just did it by nature and it works to my advantage as if I am really good in making turning in any corners. Until I learned the terminology, I started to realize I did it right. This must be taught at the beginning of learning skill so it will incorporate in the early skill and later will blend as one technique and skill as a second nature. I have been using it every time I am on 2 wheels. This is a great instructional video to anyone regardless of skill level. If you haven't done it or think it may be dangerous, think again, time to practice. By the way, where is the view you took it? Nice corner. I like to be in that kind of location from time to time. Thanks.
Great vid covering an essential skill set. This technique should be a critical part of basic rider training yet inexplicably along with counter steering it remains a gaping hole in the basic rider syllabus here in the UK. Yes they are covered in advanced rider courses but that's like leaving potty training until senior school! I use counter steering and trail braking in almost every corner and when I see new riders who have clearly not been taught these skills I feel so concerned for them. Great vid as ever Bret.
Excellent. One skill I'd swear by is looking far ahead and turning one's head into the corner coupled with trail braking. It can improve one's visual aids and response time and it's fun. :)
I've seen many videos about this topic but as some people already pointed out here this has to be the best explanatory video i've seen about it. This is the one I'll recommend to whoever needs it from now on. Thanks a lot for the great free content. Greetings from Germany :D
I’m currently in the process of practising this method. Haven’t attempted additional rear brake yet but will. I’ve found trail braking a real eye opener and really does work, although I’ve found it occasionally ‘ruins’ my line thru the corner bringing me nearer the inside line too soon - but that’s simply because it is such a proficient way to tighten your cornering. I’ve also risked entering corners that I know extremely well a little bit faster than I would do with the press n roll technique & found when adding the necessary extra small amount of brake pressure mid-corner (as you would upon discovering an obstacle/spilt sand etc), that the trail brake cornering method will definitely be a life saver on unknown corners that are possibly mis-judged. A lot of practising yet to go before I’ve perfected the overall method but it’s proving a fantastic way to give you that confidence in corners, both known & unknown.
I have never heard that term until today. Have never seen it in 50 years. Have never been told to brake after entering a curve. Makes a lot of sense, and I will practice on my next ride. Only change will be driving on the right side if the road! 😂
Love the description of rolling off the throttle while applying increasing pressure on the brake and carrying it through the corner that same way. Very intuitive.
One thing I always think about with the tighter canyon-y types of turns is what gear am I coming into the turn with. That way the neutral throttle naturally provides a constant bit of engine braking through the turn. I also find that small changes of throttle in the turn allow me to fine tune my lane position easily, and when I hit the exit point I just need to twist a bit more, usually at the point where I'm letting the brake go. I might be full of crap, I'm in no way an expert rider, but it seems to be working for me.
Fantastic video as always, best I ever seen... some guys did like 50 videos of trail braking, too long and confusing (won't say the name), but you do it so clear and to the point! You and Canyon chasers are top notch !
Appreciated the repeated point that trail braking is not just for high performance riding. Really appreciated that first example corner too--it helped illustrate how trail braking is the logical option for making it through the corner.
It reallyyyyy does feel like a super-power once you've got it down. Just being confident in breaking well into a corner, and being cognoscente of your 100 points of traction means you are just in so much of a better position when inevitably something unexpected happens in a curve and when it's not an ideal situation.
"Never commit to an exit till I can see it". Absolutely right. Or, as us older guys used to say: "In slow, out fast". And, as he says, and as the UK police riders manual says, you must be able to stop on your own side of the road in the distance you can see to be clear, by day or by night.
Great video Bret. The difference in how the bike feels and performs with this technique becomes very apparent in an environment such as the Great Smokies or West Virginia where the curves come rapidly and are tight and/or have a compound or decreasing radius.
Best video with explanation of Trail Braking I have ever seen on RU-vid. Well done! I use it while riding in Europe as well: the Ardennes in Belgium and Luxemburg, The mountainous regions in Germany, Austria, Switserland etc. They should teach it as soon as possible to new riders. It will save so many lives.
Totally agree this is level one school stuff. When you think about how the steering geometry changes through the turn it really makes sense. Thanks again Bret.
First time I’ve heard the qualification… more than 90 degrees or downhill. This puts trail barking in a more practical context. I’ve found that, except when going downhill, engine braking with a closed throttle overrides any braking. It’s tempting to keep on a bit of throttle to release the engine braking while apply a bit of trail braking to get the added control.
Hi Brett! I really enjoyed this. It helped me think about trail braking in a different way and I'm looking forward to practicing the next time I'm out. Well done, thank you.
From a safety standpoint I consider trail braking to be one of the most important skills I've developed. It's saved my bacon on more than one occasion when Ive misjudged a curve. I'm always shocked at how resistant riders are to learning the technique. I'm usually told that it's a technique to be only used on the track by highly skilled riders. It's actually very easy to learn. I practice it all the time even when I don't need it. Next time you're going around a corner at an intersection in your car pay attention to your braking. You'll see that you do most of your hard braking as your approaching the corner then you ease off the brake slightly as you start making the turn and finally let off completely as you feel comfortable with your exit. Trail braking on your bike is exactly the same.
Getting back to riding after a serious crash with a deer. Currently practicing trail braking with the car. Riding the motorcyle in my head.(Like the vietnam pow playing gulf in his cage)
It seems so many have been taught 'only brake straight, never in the corner'. As long as your pace is very slow that practice can work, but always at the risk of the blind corner that is too tight for even that practice. Thanks for educating riders!
I started practicing this on the way to the Dragon. I think that’s how I kept up with my father-in-law while staying safe and within my comfortable level of risk. Great video!
love the way you explain trail braking.. always wondered why i wasn't trail braking enough and now i know becoz not all corners are trail braking corners. Thank you.
thanks for providing me skills to keep me riding another day. This trail braking instruction sunk in. Hey Champ School: thanks for sponsoring Bret. I'll be registering for a course soon.
"live to ride another day" that is an excellent thesis statement. I enjoy your videos and the in person training for the adventure bikes in GA. keep it up and stay on the throttle. BTW let Paul know he looks good on his GS even on street tires.
Oddly, I didn't even know this was a specific technique until seeing this video. I've done this since I first started riding, particularly in unfamiliar corners. Always seemed to me I always had much more control and stability with a mix of brakes, throttle (rarely), and lean to adjust my angle dynamically. Now I know the importance and will continue to use this in my toolkit. Thank you.
