Emergency braking is a critical riding ability that every motorcycle rider should be able to perform. Even the most expert riders who ride on the streets with extreme caution cannot fully account for what is beyond their control. A stray animal leaping from the bushes, a car swerving into your lane without warning, or even a pedestrian leaping onto the road directly in front of your motorcycle could all be signs of an emergency. As a result, it's critical to understand how to bring your horse to a halt in the smallest, safest distance feasible in the event of an emergency. It's also critical to educate your body and mind to go through the emergency braking procedure so that it doesn't appear to be an overreaction when the situation calls for it. This post will go over some helpful tips and tactics for bringing your motorcycle to a safe and rapid stop when the situation calls for it.
While emergency braking is an important ability to master, one should aspire to ride in such a way that it is never required. The key tactic should be to actively watch for risk and take steps to avoid any potential road dangers. So, before we get into emergency braking advice and strategies, let's go over some brief reminders on how to avoid such situations in the first place. Here are some simple suggestions for avoiding emergency braking situations on the road.
1. Maintain a safe distance
To give yourself enough braking distance and increase your vision, keep a safe distance from vehicles ahead of you and surrounding you. Aside from lowering the available braking distance, following a large vehicle reduces your vision significantly. Maintaining a safe distance from vehicles ahead of you and positioning yourself on the road in such a way that you can see far ahead and always have the bandwidth to stop or take evasive action in a timely manner is always recommended.
2. Be on the lookout for potential dangers
Maintain crisp and alert frontal and peripheral eyesight at all times. Make an extra effort to detect danger ahead of time. Passing through crossroads, populous areas, median cuts, or roads with restaurants, other residential or commercial facilities on the side should all be avoided. Keep an eye out for tiny vehicles, pedestrians, and animals. If you suspect that something mobile is about to come your way, slow down to account for their movement well in advance.
3. Maintain a safe speed
There are speed restrictions in place for a reason: they save lives. The streets of India are renowned to be among the most dangerous in the world. As a result, it is even more critical that you ride cautiously and account for our chaotic traffic and terrible road conditions while in the saddle. More importantly, be honest with yourself about your riding abilities and keep well below the limit, allowing for any unexpected events.
4. Be extremely cautious in damp weather
While Indian roads are treacherous even in dry weather, wet and foggy weather may transform them into a disaster waiting to happen. When riding in bad weather, be extra cautious and ride at a slower speed. In wet, foggy, and slippery circumstances, motorcycle braking efficiency is severely reduced. If visibility and traction are poor, do not hesitate to come to a rest in a safe location and resume once the conditions improve. Now that we've covered active safety precautions, let's speak about what you should pay attention to when you have no choice but to use the brakes. Here's what you need to know if you need to bring your motorcycle to a complete stop in the blink of an eye:
5. Make sure your motorcycle's braking system and tyres are in good working order
If your motorcycle's brakes aren't working properly, no technique will work. During emergency braking, an air bubble in the brake lines, worn-out brake pads, or inadequate brake fluid in the reservoir are all ingredients for disaster. Check your motorcycle's brake pads on a regular basis, and replace them if they've worn down past the safe limit. It's also important to keep an eye on the braking fluid and, if it needs to be topped up, do so right away. Make sure your motorcycle's brake lines are bled on a regular basis. In a nutshell, check your motorcycle's braking system on a regular basis to ensure that it is operating properly.
While the brakes offer stopping force, the tyres are ultimately responsible for bringing the motorcycle to a safe stop. Even the greatest brakes won't be able to safely lower the anchors if your machine's tyre lacks the necessary grip. Make sure you're wearing high-quality footwear with enough grip and tread to keep you safe even in the most extreme situations.
6. Maintain proper body position
Correct body posture has long been recognised as critical for good motorcycle handling and, as bike racers would agree, faster lap times. A good body posture on the bike not only helps you move faster through the corners, but it also helps you drop the anchors as quickly as possible. Make sure your upper body is relaxed and your elbows aren't tight and straight while riding a motorcycle. You must maintain the same level of control over the bike while braking as you do when riding normally. Squeeze your legs tightly against the motorcycle's fuel tank to keep your body from slipping forward when braking hard. Simply put, your lower body should hold your motorcycle. This will help to guarantee that emergency braking does not cause you or the motorcycle any discomfort. In order to avoid target fixation, keep your eyes and head forward and focus ahead at the aversion route rather than the obstacle.
7. Don't grab a handful, be smooth
Gradually increase the pressure on the right lever, modulating the braking force in accordance with the needed rate of deceleration and available traction. Allow the front end of your bike to fill up and squeeze gradually as the contact patch of the rubber increases, providing more and more traction. You can feel the front suspension loading up and the front tyre managing to deliver more and more grip to withstand the increasing load when you smoothly use the front brake. Remember to apply the back brake as well. While the front brake on a motorbike bears the majority of the braking effort, applying the rear brake helps to shorten the stopping distance. Sometimes the difference between a crash and a safe braking manoeuvre is just that.
8. ABS is beneficial
ABS, or anti-lock braking system, is a system that prevents the wheels from locking up when the brake pedal is applied too hard. The risks of your front wheel locking up and losing traction are much decreased when ABS is on. In practice, this implies that a greater force may be given to the front wheel, and your motorcycle's braking power can be summoned more quickly. ABS will allow your bike to stop faster and traverse a shorter distance if your front tyre is of decent quality. While the rate of braking force used on a motorbike with ABSmay be higher, it is still not recommended to grab a fistful. The notion of gradually applying the brakes still applies; but, with ABS-equipped motorcycles, this process can be made more quickly. A word of warning for newcomers: when the ABSactivates, some riders relax the brake pressure due to pulsations felt at the brake lever. Don't make that mistake. Practice emergency braking in a safe, private area to become acclimated to the pulsations on the lever. While emergency braking, gradually raise the brake lever pressure until the bike comes to a complete stop.
9. It's difficult to turn while braking
When the front brake is engaged, the front tyre is already under a lot of strain, and the available traction is used to bring the motorcycle to a stop. Simultaneously, if you undertake evasive manoeuvres, the odds of the motorcycle being thrown off are significant. If your motorcycle does not have anti-lock brakes, such movements are strictly prohibited. EvenABS-equipped motorcycles aren't designed to be driven hard under heavy braking. However, with a motorcycle equipped with a safety feature, the front washing out is reduced. However, some more expensive motorcycles come with cornering ABS, which allows the motorcycle to brake forcefully and turn at the same time.
10. Practice braking in and emergency
Emergency braking involves enormous forces acting on both your motorcycle and your body. It's not every day that you'll be confronted with these forces, as well as the worry and anxiety that comes with them. To attune one's body and mind to the sensation, one must practise emergency braking in a safe area. This also provides you a decent sense of how much progressive force you'll need to apply to the lever to bring the bike to a complete stop in the quickest amount of time. When your body and mind are dealing with the forces at action while braking hard, the experience will not come as a shock or surprise when you are forced to go through it. Rather than waiting for a risky situation to put your skills and nerves to the test, go for an empty length of road and practise emergency stops. Make sure you're dressed appropriately for the occasion. As you progress through the procedure, increase brake force and strive to reduce braking distance with each run. This will not only inform you about the limits of your motorcycle's braking capability, but it will also mentally prepare you to do an emergency braking manoeuvre successfully.
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