| Author | Message | ||
     Clk92vette |
If you ever get the bright idea of using your two outside throttle fingers to lightly apply the front brake while leaving the two inside fingers on the grip, think again! I was just a little too hot in a sweeping left hander when I tried this maneuver. The fact that the back of the lever hit the front of my outside gloved finger before applying any real pressure to the front brake put me in the unenviable position of leaning through the gravel directly in front of the beginning of the guard rail, or off and down the hill to the right of the rail. I chose the hill and somehow managed to get to the bottom and stopped without going down. It was quite a ride and I almost made it back on the road under power, but I could not negotiate the last five feet as it was just too steep. Fortunately a semi driver saw me struggling and stopped to lend a hand. The bike and I walked away completely unscathed and I thank the good Lord for that! Thinking back, I can’t even remember what possessed me to attempt such a dumb maneuver. Oh well, that was a cheap lesson that I thought I should share. | ||
| Ratsmc |
Two-fingering the brake is totally legitimate - as long as you have adjusted the lever to the right amount of travel. Sort of like you should make sure the brakes work before you ride a bike for te first time. | ||
| Tbowdre |
i two finger brake all the time.... BUT I use my index and middle finger | ||
| Mountainstorm |
Nooooooooo. Index and Middle. Index and Middle. You got away without a scrape? Time to run out and buy a lottery ticket: you are damn lucky. | ||
| Jeepinbueller |
I don't know if it's correct, but I use my index and middle finger on the brake, leaving my ring, thumb, and pinky (and mostly palm) on the throttle. I've never tried it opposite. Oh yeah, and I'm glad you're okay! Definitely sounds like a pucker moment! (Message edited by jeepinbueller on August 05, 2010) | ||
| Dannybuell |
You have Angels looking over you! | ||
| Pizzaboy |
its odd that this thread be posted today, as i was contemplating which fingers and how many i use for the brake. ive NEVER used all 4, i occasionally use 3, and i swap between my index+middle or middle+ring otherwise. i was just debating it in my mind as to how much force and dexterity each combination has.. and wondering what some of my fellow racers would have to say on the subject. | ||
| D_adams |
1st 2 fingers, index and middle ones. Never more, never less. Just those 2 are enough to do stoppies with the front brake on this bike. | ||
| Geforce |
Take a close look at my fingers...this works great for me. Your results may vary.  | ||
| Dman |
Wow, glad it wasn't worse. Can't imagine doing it that way. I use one finger, whether motocrossing or on a liter bike, 2 fingers would be too much force for me (oh I'm sooo strong lol) and I think yrs of dirt riding, I'm used to having 3 fingers wrapped on the grip all the time, I do switch between pointing finger (usually) and index finger. Wierdest thing I see is the 3 finger brake grip, guys hanging on with just the pointing finger and the rest of the hand dedicated to pulling the brake lever. If you can't handle your brake with 1 or 2 fingers, you need a girlier bike. hehe | ||
| Captain_america |
  haha | ||
| Dannybuell |
I amy be completely wrong, I use thumb and index to circle around the grip. finger 3 is over the control and 4 jumps in to help with braking. Geforce - your photo speaks clearly to topic, I will give it a try. THX | ||
| Ridenusa4l |
one time i was goin up Mt. Lemmon in Tucson at night, and i came into a corner WAY to hot, because not only was i going to fast (for my skill level) but i found out that the corner just happened to be a decreasing radius corner (gets tighter) and the ONLY thing that saved my @$$ was that i was able to modulate the front brake AND throttle at the same time and by the grace of god make it through lol....needless to say it was a pucker moment lol Jake | ||
| Geforce |
As your skill increases and you get more comfortable with steering and body positioning you will inevitable begin trail braking. In order to do this you need to have good throttle and brake control. Keith Code's books have helped me to understand and refine riding skills on the track greatly. I highly encourage his methods and there are other coaches/riders/books/videos that echo the same principles. At the end of the day, no matter how your fingers lay on the throttle and brake so long as you can control the steering, throttle and brake without being too tight on the bars you are in good shape. Don't get flustered over placement until you get comfy with multitasking while riding. Track days with good control riders and classes help! | ||
| Cowboytutt |
A very good post, especially after what I saw today with some talented but very hard core riders on Skaggs Springs Rd. pushing their tires so hard they had no "chicken strips" at all. Speed limit is 30-35 and they told me later they were doing 70 in parts. I was doing 60 in parts and they passed me like I lost a cylinder. This road is almost one big armco barrier complete with empty and full logging trucks racing to and fro the coast. My pinky and ring finger have plenty of strength to work the throttle and my index and middle the brake. Again, DARN glad your allright. Thanks for sharing! -Tutt | ||
| Reepicheep |
9999 out of 10000 times, two finger braking works nice on a Buell, and gives you more control. 1 out of 10000 times, you have a bent rotor or boiled brake fluid or just replaced the pads, and need to pump up the brakes. In those cases you mash the fingers left on the grip, and pump up the brakes, having given up easily half the travel (meaning you are pumping twice as many times). | ||
| Drdorsey |
I use the OK method. (braking with the 3 outboard fingers) This allows me to brake and blip the throttle whilst mashing the shift lever. Then I am in perfect position to roll on the throttle. I heard tales of lore where there was a 1 armed racer. I bet he finds this thread interesting! | ||
| Boogiman1981 |
drdorsey i have and do used that method as well my single index finger lies in the shadow if you will of lever travel and never gets squished or interferes with braking and allows for continuous throttle control. the index and middle braking leave my ring and pinky to get squished and interfere with lever travel. | ||
| 99buellx1 |
This vid shows how I do it. First two fingers for the brake, and still no issues with blipping the throttle on downshifts. | ||
| Clk92vette |
I appreciate all the feedback. As others have noted in different threads, the first 25% or so of travel on my brake lever provides no real stopping power. Had my fingers been reversed I could have got into the last 75% and scrubbed some speed. I am really impressed the way the bike negotiated the run off area: reasonably steep grade, bumpy, and tall grass yet my suspension never bottomed out. | ||
| Jng1226 |
Valentino Rossi, the greatest rider of all time, riding the most advanced bikes of our time, uses 3-4 fingers for braking depending upon the corner. It's an individual thing. Glad you're OK. |
