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General Category => General Discussion => Topic started by: Vsekvsek on July 20, 2013, 12:03:55 AM

Title: One finger over brake riding at all times?
Post by: Vsekvsek on July 20, 2013, 12:03:55 AM
Curious if this is a bad habit? I am new to street. But raced mx and off road for 30 plus years. Because you can actually use front brake to steer as well as stop on a dirt bike my front finger gravitates there constantly while on fj too. So I constantly have a finger on front brake at all times when I ride. No matter how hard I try I cant break this habit. Should I even try and break the habit?
Title: Re: One finger over brake riding at all times?
Post by: rktmanfj on July 20, 2013, 12:06:28 AM
Quote from: Vsekvsek on July 20, 2013, 12:03:55 AM
Curious if this is a bad habit? I am new to street. But raced mx and off road for 30 plus years. Because you can actually use front brake to steer as well as stop on a dirt bike my front finger gravitates there constantly while on fj too. So I constantly have a finger on front brake at all times when I ride. No matter how hard I try I cant break this habit. Should I even try and break the habit?

FWIW, my front brake is two finger covered probably 95% of the time.

Title: Re: One finger over brake riding at all times?
Post by: Harvy on July 20, 2013, 01:00:50 AM
Quote from: Vsekvsek on July 20, 2013, 12:03:55 AM
Curious if this is a bad habit? I am new to street. But raced mx and off road for 30 plus years. Because you can actually use front brake to steer as well as stop on a dirt bike my front finger gravitates there constantly while on fj too. So I constantly have a finger on front brake at all times when I ride. No matter how hard I try I cant break this habit. Should I even try and break the habit?


NO.... do not brake the habit.....I find that probably 50-60% of braking I do with single finger, which is always on the brake lever just like you. The one finger can generate enough force to lift the rear wheel if i want to - 2 finger does it easy.

Cheers
Harvy
Title: Re: One finger over brake riding at all times?
Post by: Stainesy on July 20, 2013, 01:23:44 AM
I've ridden motorbikes for a living since 1991, was how I was trained and is how I pass requalification every two years.  Keep doing it.
Title: Re: One finger over brake riding at all times?
Post by: oldktmdude on July 20, 2013, 06:14:14 AM
Quote from: Vsekvsek on July 20, 2013, 12:03:55 AM
Curious if this is a bad habit? I am new to street. But raced mx and off road for 30 plus years. Because you can actually use front brake to steer as well as stop on a dirt bike my front finger gravitates there constantly while on fj too. So I constantly have a finger on front brake at all times when I ride. No matter how hard I try I cant break this habit. Should I even try and break the habit?
I've also been riding dirt bikes for a long time and find that i also have one finger covering the front brake lever 90-95% of the time and always when approaching an intersection or on-coming traffic. I also find that one finger is more than enough to stop the bike quickly. As the others have suggested, keep doing it.   :i_am_so_happy:   Pete.
Title: Re: One finger over brake riding at all times?
Post by: FJmonkey on July 20, 2013, 09:57:49 AM
I keep 2 fingers on the brake 100% of the time. Ones reaction time is identifying the threat, deciding what to do about the threat and then reacting to it. Quick direction change, do nothing, soil your pants etc... Moving your fingers if braking is required adds time to the equation. I like to keep my reaction time as short as possible.
Title: Re: One finger over brake riding at all times?
Post by: movenon on July 20, 2013, 10:56:05 AM
+ 1 on the fingers.. Can't hurt anything. That fraction of a second might just keep you alive. And for some reason it makes that decision to use your brake a little more often easier,  if that makes any since to anyone. Your fingers are already there, that's one coordinated move you don't have to make when short of time and an overload of input data running from your eye ball to your brain and trying to keep your bodily fluids where they belong  :lol: :lol: :lol:.

George
Title: Re: One finger over brake riding at all times?
Post by: Flynt on July 20, 2013, 11:27:33 AM
Quote from: FJmonkey on July 20, 2013, 09:57:49 AM
I keep 2 fingers on the brake 100% of the time.

Good Monkey...  I do the same, but with index finger only (great brakes are a great thing!).  It also helps that I need about 1/8th of a turn from my throttle to cover the range of power required for my normal riding. 

Frank