Emergency braking

Z

zeta_immersion

Well-known member
Looking for some constructive feedback on the video linked. (turn the volume lower as the camera mic is wind friendly)

I think it was lapse in concentration. My shin hit the bodywork while pressing the back brake - cannot explain the acceleration though. Reaction time was slow - about 2s. View was blocked by the car in the front which most likely added to the surprised braking.

Happened while going back home from work on QEW (W at Kipling) - hate that 3rd lane with the crap in the middle.

[video]https://youtu.be/hbzMhPAHpVA[/video]

***** side note video *****
[video]https://youtu.be/etbCVqX7U6k[/video]
 
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I think you reacted well something I would add is that ride the left or right tire track that way you would of been able to quickly swerve incase you reacted slower and had to bail edit:a noob opinion
 
I think he wasn't riding the left tire track because of crap on the lane. I do the same thing when I'm on that particular stretch.

Sent from my LG-H812 using Tapatalk
 
Glad you didn't get in a wreck, here are the obvious points I saw.

1) following too closely (about 1 second). as you found out, that disappears damn quickly
2) In heavy traffic, I try to ride closer to the outside of the lane so I can see better and watch the cars way in front more than the one directly in front of me.
3) I try not to pull up beside a tractor trailer until I can actually get past it. a)The line could slow down and you could be stuck beside it b) it eliminates an escape path to the right c) he can't see a tiny bike for ***** and I don't want to be squished.
4) decent instinct pulling to the left to try to find an escape path. Always check behind you first to make sure the car behind you isn't also headed for the same path
5) it looks like you may have had some more brakes if you needed them. Practice panic stops on clear roads to improve/maintain instinctual braking. Be aware that cold vs warm tires can make a huge difference, try to practice with both conditions and see if it matters for your tires.
 
Follow too close
Also, stay out of the left lane. I find that since everyone thinks this is the "fast" lane, it often has a lot of accordion effect going on. From fast to slow in a short amount of time because everyone is trying to squeeze in.
 
Besides the following too close (which we all do in heavy traffic) I think you reacted really well.

Looks like you even checked to see if the car behind you was gonna drive up your chuff.

Kudos.

(I pooped just watching the video)
 
Not bad really. Didn't lock the brakes; didn't go down; got the the bike stopped; and the reaction was closer to 1 second than 2. Not sure about the revving, but we'll forgive you. :cool:

As mentioned you where following close; would have been a none issue with more gap, but all in all good job. Now you know to practice hard braking from time to time (something I still do after years of riding)
 
Thanks you guys. Will have to practice a bit of swerving (would have been a lot more useful in combination with brake slamming) and allowing more space (especially when tired after work)
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@simon - think pooping is the only time us men can reflect on us and the issues we face - that and showering with the hydrostatic flow of water where by molecules would follow and indeterminate path chaotic maybe ...... but i digress

I usually lock the rear tire a few times on the side street to see the left/right movement of the bike

For this bike the front and rear brakes are like pudding - very good, but the consistency is crap
 
The revving engine was simply a matter of not rolling off throttle when you reached for the front brake a common issue with newer riders.
QUOTE "Will have to practice a bit of swerving (would have been a lot more useful in combination with brake slamming)" Please remember you should not be trying to swerve and brake at the same time they don't mix on a motorcycle! Swerve or brake not both

 
taximan62 said:
the revving engine was simply a matter of not rolling off throttle when you reached for the front brake a common issue with newer riders.
Quote "will have to practice a bit of swerving (would have been a lot more useful in combination with brake slamming)" please remember you should not be trying to swerve and brake at the same time they don't mix on a motorcycle! Swerve or brake not both
Click to expand...

^^^ this 100%
 
You asked -

1. Reaction/braking was an obvious SUCCESS as you did not hit the car in front, nor lowside/highside fall.

2. Situational Awareness is an obvious FAILURE. Lucky that the driver behind you was paying attention. As mentioned above, following-to-close, lack of forward visibility. Limited ability to 'manage' the driver behind you with earlier braking.

3. Riding in the left tire track of the left lane makes you invisible to cars ahead in the center lane. A driver in the center lane may be wanting to change to the left - looking in their mirror, they will see a space in between the car ahead of you and the car behind you. As your lane moves up, they may start to change into what they thought was an empt space. SMIDSY.

4. Shorty levers? Two-fingering? Not sure if it's a result of reviewing post-act on video, but you seemed to extend your fingers and grab the levers rapidly. Ok for the clutch, but a rapid grab of the brakes may result in the tire losing traction early. There's a video on here somewhere (Nick Ienatsch) showing how a more even pull of the brake allows the contact patch to increase, with more traction for braking. Again, might not be the case here, but looks like it from the video.

5. With the shorty levers, you still have a lot of your palm and perhaps little fingers on the throttle. With the forward weight transfer, you inadvertently rolled the throttle on. Perhaps rotating the levers/controls downwards a little may make a better angle so your hand is at a more neutral angle?

6. All the GTA highways are sh1tshows. Even more so during rush hours. Go read note #2 again.
 
FLSTC said:
snip ....
Click to expand...

Agree on all the points. - totally forgot about SMIDNSY, a good time for a refresher after a few years of riding

Some lessons learned (for other n00bs)

The reason I did not swerve was the left shoulder had accumulated enough garbage and pebbles and would have made it difficult to stop.
The other problem was 2 fold: 1 truck on the right which would have made the right tire track too close to it and the uneven asphalt with tar snakes and wholes in it.

Note: next time to hold back passing trucks when enough space allows safe passing (taught during safety course - complacency).
FLSTC is right - you need to adjust your levers to reflect your hands. I adjusted the clutch but not so much the brake lever.
Pay attention to your surroundings - BETTER BE SAFE than sorry. There will always be a next season if care is taken.
If tired try not to ride but if you must allow proper distance between you and the car at the front. My field of view was obstructed as such I was not prepared for braking as I was unable to assess what was beyond the car in front of me.

Thanks guys!
 
Try to watch the cars ahead of the car in front of you...from what it looked like, the car in front of you braked hard and fast (big nose dive) which meant he didn't have enough time, and gave you even less time to come to a stop.

Also once you get a sixth sense for these things, I find it helps to cover the front brake so you are ready for fast braking vs having to reach for it. I know they teach the opposite in the courses (one thing I disliked), but imo it helps when in heavy traffic or sensing a stop in the immediate future.
 
What you did right:
- Went strong on the front brake right away instead of easing in, yet avoided going so hard it locked up.
- You eased off the brake as soon as possible and steered left to give the guy behind more room to avoid you.

What you did wrong:
- Didn't look far enough ahead. You can follow close but then you need to be looking 1-2 cars ahead so you can react at the same time as the car in front of you, or even before they do. If you can't see that far up the road, give yourself more room.
- Didn't strictly follow a tire track, but given the conditions of the road surface that might be justifiable.
- Weren't covering the brake with your fingers. You had to raise your whole hand to get the brake lever, and it moved it into a position that twisted the throttle open a bit as you squeezed the brake. Luckily you clutched in so it didn't affect your braking distance. Not sure if clutching in is good or bad in itself though. I don't do it but maybe others know better?
 
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fastar1 said:
Luckily you clutched in so it didn't affect your braking distance. Not sure if clutching in is good or bad in itself though. I don't do it but maybe others know better?
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I know at slower speeds they teach you to go hard on both to remove stalling or accidentally adding power. Thinking about this situation, if it was a true 'oh #*#&" moment then I'd probably nail grab it as well. Engine braking could also help, but leaving the engine engaged leaves room for more cons than pros imo.
 
conundrum said:
I know at slower speeds they teach you to go hard on both to remove stalling or accidentally adding power. Thinking about this situation, if it was a true 'oh #*#&" moment then I'd probably nail grab it as well. Engine braking could also help, but leaving the engine engaged leaves room for more cons than pros imo.
Click to expand...

For a single panic stop, f the engine braking. Your back tire should be doing almost nothing anyway. Any thoughts wasted on changing gears would be better served with getting more braking out of the front wheel.
 
Panic braking you're supposed to pull the clutch in & slam on everything. No time for easing into the brakes. Only when they start to slide are you supposed to ease off of it.

As for OP I don't think you've done much wrong. Once you see the brake lights ease off from the throttle. Also your brake lever is really close to the bars. It almost seems as if your brake can touch the bars if you squeeze it hard enough
 
GreyGhost said:
For a single panic stop, f the engine braking. Your back tire should be doing almost nothing anyway. Any thoughts wasted on changing gears would be better served with getting more braking out of the front wheel.
Click to expand...

True. It's hard to sit in front of a computer and think of what you would instinctively do vs actually being in a situation to do it. Thinking back, if traffic is slowing quickly at highways speeds I 'think' I just brake fairly heavily in gear, but if an emergency stop of things are stopping faster than normal (vs just slowing quickly down), I'm 99% sure I pull both the brake and clutch....same in the car as well (since I drive stick).
 
That was a common emergency brake for a GTA highway. It's pretty easy to end up following too closely on a bike without realizing it. Been in numerous similar situations. You didn't roll off the throttle so the engine revved when you released the clutch. Braking was good. That truck may or may not know you're there since you're in his blind spot, very dangerous. Best to stay back and pass when there's room, the truck will block other traffic from cutting in and it will afford you plenty of time to stop safely. That Gardiner is a bloody awful highway with no shoulders. I prefer Lakeshore Rd.
 
Its funny, I literally just made a video discussing some motorcycle safety tips that could have been used here to help in these situations.
[video=youtube;yPIUzq01eKQ]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yPIUzq01eKQ[/video]

I agree I think you did the following correct:
1. You used your front brake just enough progressively and avoided a lock up.

What I think could have given you better options or avoided the situation as I discuss in the video above:
1. keep on the left or right tire track so you can SEE AHEAD of the car in front of you. This way, if an emergency does happen and you fail to brake to avoid collision, being on the right or left tire track you may be able to avoid the car altogether! I talk about this at 2:30 specifically for an example
2. You need to keep a bigger bubble around you, I know its harder in these situations!

Bullet number 1 is the key here, would have avoided the situation all together. Other then that, great save my friend. This could have ended up badly for more inexperienced riders.
 
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