Always informative -- I've been on motorcycles since 1971--had two blow outs one front tire the other a rear tire with a passenger on the back...How about a video on how to deal with a blow out...If you have already done one I must have missed it...After all these years on two wheels I still find something to learn from your videos..Keep up the good work....
@@valaudae1809 My front tire blowout was a Pierelli tire with less than 150 miles on it...Happened near the top of a hill on a gentle curve--I stayed OFF the brake-- my riding partner saw I was in trouble so he backed off on his speed and slowed the traffic that was behind me..When things settled down and my bike was somewhat under control I gently used my back brake (off and on) till the bike came to a stop..I should add that I tried to keep the bike in a straight path as much as I could...The second blowout I had a passenger on the back -- country road---did essentially the same thing but I did VERY LIGHTLY use the front and back brake (things did get a bit squirrelly) ..It was more by the grace of GOD than anything else that the instincts I applied worked out safely--I never had any instructions on what to do in that scenario...All you riders out there---ride sensibly and stay safe....
@@Logan-or5qw The pierelli tire was defective and let go on the sidewall--the rear tire had picked up a u-shaped nail (sharp on both ends)..The rear blowout felt like a tire that was low on air for about three or four seconds then let go completely..the front tire went from smooth riding to a blowout immediately..Really a few heart pounding moments..Two of my major concerns when I'm riding are deer and blowouts...Both happen suddenly and can be deadly..Stay safe out there....
@@jaimebatista675 Sounds like a braided staple nail that you put up barb wire on post fence with. Yeah, I could see that causing a major problem. Such an odd occurrence. Pireli tires are suppose to be a good brand. Glad nobody was hurt friend. Thanks for the reply.
Kevin, I completed my MSF basic course and we had our graduation tonight . They recommend ongoing learning including RU-vid... I asked who THEY (MSF instructors) recommend. First name that popped up was MCRIDER! I just smiled to myself knowing I’ve been watching your vids for months! Our instructor was tough as nails, didn’t crack a smile until the end of our last day. Thank you, I’m a dedicated fan. Keep up the great work helping us newbies be safe.
You set me into the habit of practicing my emergency braking. Thanks for stressing the need for it! The progressive squeeze is very important and effective. I'm a new rider and this was kinda scary at first. But with practice it becomes second nature. So important to learn. Thanks Kevin!
It seems that every time I get on my motorcycle, I am thinking of something you have taught us.....braking, cornering, awareness, Etc. Thanks for helping me in becoming a better rider.
I took a New Riders Course as a refresher, two weeks ago through Riverside HD / Total Control. Riding that Street 500, is much different than the Ultra! Now to work on more emergency braking and swerving on the Ultra. So looking forward to the next course in October! Your videos with practice were a huge help in the class. The object is to get as low of score as possible. With much thanks to this channel, my riding score was a perfect "0". Thanks for your help Kevin!
Thanks Kevin, Totally endorse your comments about braking while serving - maybe this might help someone: 3 weeks ago I was faced with a car coming towards me pulling out on an overtake into my lane (2 lane, 2 way road). I braked to let him clear and was faced with a second car pulling out and following him, so I braked a bit harder and swerved out to miss him. I honestly don't recall but think I was probably still braking through the swerve. It was very wet and I had to go onto the white line along the side of the road as I cleared him at the apex of the swerve. The front went very suddenly - couldn't believe just how fast that happened - and I went down very hard and slid a fair distance. I was extremely fortunate - just a dislocated thumb and bruising down one side that is still allowing me down. A lot of people helped me for which I am very grateful - but the 2 cars and the car & caravan (trailer to you I believe?) never stopped and no-one got their number (license), so I have a written off bike and my insurance picking it up. I must also endorse the correct gear - helmet took a knock I never even knew about, my long slide had no effect on me, boots were a bit abraded. The only effects on me were the knock from the fall. Thinking back - I had to go onto the white line, even in the wet, to avoid a head-on. But I should have released the brake as soon as it was apparent I was going past and not stopping - as I said I assume I was still holding it (2 fingers). The bike was a 20 year old ST Sprint so no ABS.
Good video Kevin. I've been practicing my emergency braking ever since I saw your first first video on it. Fortunately I haven't had to use it , but now it's there. Keep up the good work.
A great reminder to practice these skills. As a fairly new rider (only about 1.5 years in the Seattle area, so short riding season) I ways have every intention of taking another class or going to a parking lot to practice these skills. Guess how many times I've done either....yep! None. Just upgraded from a HD Street 750 to a HD Softtail Deluxe and had my first need for emergency breaking. It all ended well, but I think I may have skidded the back tire. I think that was from too much rear break and not enough front brake. Practicing would have helped me know how much rear break to apply. Another great video Kevin. Thanks for your HUGE part in keeping me safe this last 1.5 years!
Great refresher video Kevin your field guide is invaluable. I make it a point to use it as often as possible. Practicing these skills has become a fun activity to do on a weekend, or when I have a little free time and need something to do. I am a much safer rider because of you thank you so much.
Many modern bikes have linked brakes - when you use the rear brake, the front engages too automatically without your input (including that Goldwing ;) ) and vice versa. So when you depress the brake pedal, you are already creating front preload as the front brake engages. Disclaimer - technology doesn't replace skills :)
I use every ride to practice a specific technique , but EMERGENCY BRAKING ; i practice it EVERY SINGLE RIDE! Every time i throw a leg on my motorcycle, i practice it in a empty road, not in traffic . I do that because without KEVIN at MC rider , i probably wouldn't hear about it at all ! So THANK YOU KEVIN
Hi Kevin, Thanks again for your weekly presentation, always interesting and informative. However in your emergency braking presentation you mentioned, when riding your 900 Yamaha, lifting the rear wheel meant you had to reduce the rear braking effort.... If your rear wheel is lifting you have applied too much pressure on the front brake, not the rear.
Alright its Friday and another motorcycle safety briefing! I've started practicing emergency braking on the street several times a day. If I'm coming to a stop sign with no one behind me, I practice emergency braking. I do need to practice the swerve more in an empty parking lot though. Thank you for all your help Kevin.
Covering the front brake with your index and middle finger helps to keep you from grabbing more brake than you should. Feels awkward at first but it's not long before it feels natural.
Braking is actually very simple once you get smooth with it. I'm now at a point where I can read the bike pretty well under hard braking. Definitely helps to have brakes performing as they should, though. If you have ANY doubts at all, get yours looked at and sorted. Mine needed a good cleaning and new caliper seals (brake dust gets EVERYWHERE if you don't clean it off the pistons before you retract them), though more commonly they need new fluid and a bleeding. Been trying for stoppies for over two weeks now, but my attempts remain thwarted by the ABS. Curses!
Sure - practicing quick stops/emergency braking is important. What is more important, is to practice this skill at the speeds one consistently rides. Practicing at 25 mph in a parking lot is valuable. Performing a quick stop at 60 or 70 mph is quite different. Motorcycle crash studies show effective braking and swerving are skills absent or weak on behalf of the motorcyclist. These two skills are also called "Lifesavers", for obvious reasons
Great tips as always. How about some more videos featuring you DCT Goldwing? Not as applicable to as many people but would be very helpful to those of us with a DCT.
Kevin, great video as always. Thanks. One question though, recently you've put out several videos on trail braking, and I would think, from that material presented there that keeping slight front brake pressure as you transition to the swerve portion of the brake and escape exercise would actually increase your available traction for the serve. Shorter wheelbase, larger traction patch, etc. It seems like the parking lot practice would be the exact place to practice that so that in a real emergency the tendency to death grip the front brake could be broken, and a real escape could ensue.
I recently purchased a transalp longer brake lever wider bars than my Versys 650 , using two fingers produces much less brake effect than using three fingers , the difference is marked . Realise when using only two fingers on the Honda TA that my left most finger of the two fingers is squeezing the curve of the brake lever ,not the straight part , so in reality only using 1 and a half fingers , so three fingers feels more powerful because 2 and a half fingers are squeezing the correct part of the lever . This isn’t the case on the Versys . So I need to consciously move my throttle hand lower on the bar end , which feels unnatural . Wonder if other riders notice this on wider handlebar bikes? Shorter levers may be the answer or narrower handlebars as I am a shorter person with shorter legs and arms . Or alternatively just keep practising sliding down the hand when using the brakes.
This is a bit off topic, but one of our IG subscribers wanted some advice about crossing railroad tracks. Do you have a video on this that I could forward to him? Thanks, Marc - Virginia Rider Magazine
Sad to report that a MC rider just 75 miles south of here was killed earlier this morning when a dump truck pulled out in front of him. It was a straight, mixed residential, light commercial area. I don’t know the details, but I know it was 100% preventable. We are so blessed to have your weekly training videos, Kevin. Thank you.
Hi Kevin - Big fan. Your videos are teaching me a lot. I'm about to take the basic rider course. Would a Honda Grom be a good first bike? Love to get your thoughts. Thanks again for the great videos.
What is your opinion on engine breaking at normal stops? Signs, lights, etc. I feel like it gives me more control but does it put to much stress on the motor?
Kevin is discussing emergency braking and engine braking is not an emergency braking technique. I use it extensively as well for normal slowing, but it is not an emergency technique.
I shift down but don't use engine braking during emergency braking. I want to be in first gear so I can leave fast when needed. I practice emergency braking regularly.
Marcel van Bodegom That is what most training courses teach, but I disagree with it. I have not seen any studies on this technique in particular, but I know from extensive pilot experience that every extra task you do causes the tasks already underway to take longer and be more error prone. I’ll bet anyone a steak dinner that you will stop shorter if you focus only on braking than if you focus on both braking AND downshifting. If I really need to make an emergency stop, then I want it to be as short as possible. The need to quickly accelerate after an emergency stop is probably a 1 in 100 or less probability, but stopping an extra 10’ shorter is useful in almost every emergency stop. So, I make the call to focus solely on braking and worry about downshifting once I am stopped short of the threat.
@@LTVoyager to make things even more complex I also check my mirrors to check how everyone is coping behind me. I dont want to be hit by another vehicle from behind. I ride a lot in busy traffic and as a rule I don't trust the other drivers. You are right, I might stop faster not downshifting and not checking my mirrors. But i want to know my best option for survival. When there is nobody behind me braking hard can be the best option. But if there is another vehicle behind me, braking hard might not be the best solution. Maybe brake hard first, then swerve is the way to avoid colliding with other vehicles. So I want to be in gear to get out of the way. And that is why I practice a lot.
The braking standard we ask a new rider to meet in a basic rider class is not that high, and for a good reason. They are new at this so asking them to make an emergency stop would put them at risk. Knowing this I make it a point to remind each class that they now need to find the opportunity to practice more effective braking, and other skills, after they leave the class. I don't want them to feel that what they did to be successful in the class means they now know how to make an emergency stop. That will only come with more practice.
You have talked previously about trail braking, which as a result of loading pressure on the front tyre provides increased grip. Yet discussing the avoidance swerve here you are coming completely off the brakes before turning. Could releasing the brake potentially destabilize the bike if released too fast and too close to the turn? I appreciate that if the brakes are hard on you want to keep everything pointing in the direction of travel, but is there some middle ground where you have reduced brake pressure and can safely start the swerve?
Good question. Trail braking uses a gentle application of the brakes that is trailed off as you move into the curve. This exercise is stopping in an emergency, so you are braking at or near the threshold of traction. If you are braking at threshold and then add a swerve, which also requires a lot of traction, you will crash. Best to always separate emergency braking and swerving since each uses a great deal of traction.
I tried to add MCrider into the app suggested & I got multiple messages stating that MCrider was not found - no matter how I entered MCrider. Please assist
hey kevin its much easier to NOT lock the brakes when using 1 or 2 fingers im not an expert rider but for me using this technique helps me not to lock the front brake on my non abs bike. i use the pointer finger only and its always on the brake lever so i save time in emergency braking what say you?
Embarrassed to say that I just took a fall hitting my front brake last weekend coming back from a weekend trip. Plus I had watched your video on braking. Duhh.. Ive been riding for almost 40 years too. I went on this trip having a bad cold, taking advil with sudafed to help ease the symptoms, plus after riding most of the day back at an intersection that for some reason had a unusual steep pitch to it is where it happened.. It happened so quick I cant remember what I did wrong or what caused it. I was riding with two others who were in front and coming to the stop I may have had trouble with using my foot brake since my boots are stiff, not sure, but I was not straight I know that and I think I had a brain fart, not with the program and hit the front brake and I went down so fast I had no time to put my foot down either and hit the pavement so hard I broke my collar bone.. I am so upset with myself.. Let me tell you that pavement is hard, can imagine hitting it with speed.. Hardly any damage to my bike, just me. I was wearing a leather jacket with armor in the shoulders and elbows which may have helped but the slam on my shoulder pushed it in and with a crutch I heard the result, broken collar bone. 70 miles from home. So the lesson,, dont ride when you have a cold and dont feel good and start away from the front brake at stops! I still cant remember the details of what happened so I can learn from it better. I wish I was able to follow what you said.
You know how good your skill are when you have neck pain during braking. Really it is that hard. Nothing what schools say about it, no matter. How you get it? First, you hit on brakes as fast and hard you can. Your head try to continuing ahead cause pain. Then you release levers or you must learn keep pressure on brake levers high without lost control. After thousanths of braking practice you come good level. Difficulties begin when need estimates when and how hard it need to do. Icy road or dry road cause different handling. Bikes are also very different sorts of. Be careful.
"Practice" every professional sports star does it just about every day you name the sport. Motorcycle riding is a sport or at least a sporty hobby so practice braking it is the most important skill.
I love the training and exercises, but you shouldn't have the current title as you spent 95% of your time on HOW TO TOUR THROUGH THE FIELD GUIDE! Just a thought! P.s I'm very thankful for your training exercises even though I rode for 12 years straight ONLY on a motorcycle, but its been 15 years since I rode. Anyway thanks again!
Kevin jave you not stopped and hit something becuase alot of your videos like the last month has been about braking or stoping or emergency braking? lol
I found Patreon way too cumbersome and difficult to navigate. Spent about 20 minutes just trying to sign back in, before I gave up, changed my password and cancelled my subscription.
“No emergency is worth crashing for” - I call BS on this one, is much rather crash than roll into that intersection the semi truck just ran the light on. Or that cliff if rather crash in front of vs go over. First video of yours I e watched, but this seems like terrible advice?!
All motorcycles brake differently...... true but not absolutely true as in general all pocket rockets [ racing bikes ] will brake similarly and differently all goldwing types will. 'Use a trainer better to drop his bike than than your own' but that goes against the first message. If the bike you are on is not your own and not compatible with your own then the learning of how to brake the borrowed bike may bear no or little relationship with the braking of your own. That would be a waste of time and monies but could also be dangerous. Best ride your own and learn.
