dc aka lowside;94551 wrote: Interesting post Trent. So have you taken a riding school before? So as you learned and became faster this year the trailbraking came natural to you? Maybe I just need to work on my overall smoothness which will result in more speed and maybe I'll just learn how to back it in when I get my speed up to where it's needed? I know the CRs can help me with this and they do a good job from what I've heard from other members.
No, I haven't taken a riding school. Next year, if funds permit, I'll do the Yamaha school of Champions. But that's taking a lower priority than race entry fees, tires, gas, etc..
Trailbraking will happen naturally as you push your brake markers further back. Beginners come down a straight, hit the brakes hard, release the brakes, and then turn in and corner. As you progress as a rider you'll learn to be very progressive applying and releasing the front brake. Naturally you will begin to brake while you turn in, in order to keep the front "planted." Tracks like Barber bring it to a whole new level. You're forced by the track layout to brake while leaned over with fast declining radius turns.
If you do all of your braking "straight up and down", releasing the front brake before you turn in, your front will unload before you turn in. This is quite forceful due to the springs and g forces involved. Although this effect is dampened by your forks rebound somewhat (as well as your rear compression), if the front unloads enough at the moment you are turning in, you WILL lowside because you have no friction between your tire and the track, and a very small contact patch on the front tire.
The best method is to gradually release the brakes VERY smoothly from the time you begin turning in until you are at the apex, then you crack neutral throttle and start feeding throttle back in. It's a progression from 95% braking to 0% braking as you increase lean angle. And it's very much a "feeling" thing.
You MUST have good body position by the time you start doing this, and you must use your lower body as much as possible, or your arms will be too tight holding your weight from braking. As Marshall Skloss put it to me, "you can't type on a keyboard while your'e doing pushups."
Basically the majority of your "riding habits" have to come in to place and be working right before you really start pushing it in the corners. Your body position, relaxation, and "smoothness" must really click before you "ramp it up a notch."
Otherwise you're setting yourself up for disaster.
I don't see much of a point to "backing it in", personally. My rear wheel is already skipping across the ground when I brake hard, I don't want it sliding out on me when 100% of the load is on the front and there's zero traction available to the rear. Touching the rear brake slightly to induce a rear end slide sounds like a quick way to get an ambulance ride to me.
Just remember we're not on dirt, we're on asphault (or polymer in some cases) riding with the best rubber compounds that mankind has ever known. There's a tremendous amount of traction waiting to bite you if you misjudge the rear wheel slide or throttle control even a tiny bit.
Then again.. there's a lot of stuff you see that may or may not matter, like Rossi's "hanging leg" crap. He was fast before he started doing it, and it hasn't made him noticeablly faster since.. so what's the point? I think it's more of a superstition thing.
