I have decided that the area where I need the most improvement this year is my braking. I know I can stop hard, but I have trouble smoothing that braking into the turn. So I tend to let off while completely upright, and then dive in. Yeah, it doesn't feel very smooth or fast coming off a straight into a sharp corner. So what is trail braking exactly, and should I start to experiment with it yet, or do I need to concentrate on other things right now? I run mid pack on an 06 R6 in "I" group by the way...
Trail breaking: going into a curve while using your breaks. Its not hard breaking but still breaking. It is something you need to get used to because you will be dealing with lean angle and using the front brakes. If you arent familiar with it you can lose the front. Nothing to be scared of but a lot of practice is needed for most people
If your mid group I, your best bet is to find a coach to follow you and see where your areas of improvement will be. Trail braking shouldn't be an area of concern yet. Its only going to put more in your head right now, which will only hurt focus on the basic skills. Troy
Trail braking actually helps the motorcycle turn by keeping the front end loaded and also with a minor change to the geometry by compressing the forks. The trick is not to have it help too much and overload the front tire's available traction. Just like everything you do on the motorcycle, doing it smoothly is the key. The first time you do it, don't brake later than normal. Just brake less hard than normal. Then you will naturally carry your braking into the turn. Just ease off the braking as you turn in and then continue to ease off the braking as you approach full lean. Once you do it, you will really see how much it helps the bike turn and you will want to keep doing it.
Definitely grab a coach and have them help you. It's tough to say exactly without watching you ride for a few laps. Or, you could spend an extra couple of bucks and do the pro school. That way you get 1 on 1 all day with a coach. That said..... You could start by doing your normal upright braking, then just leaving your fingers slightly on the brakes as you enter the turn. Yes you will actually go slower, but you will start to get used to the motions. Then as you get more comfortable, brake a little lighter while upright and drag it into the corner. Then, start braking later. One other thing, is you should make sure your front suspension is in good order if you are going to start really trail braking. Also that you have good tires on the bike
Definitely grab a coach and ask for some help! In the mean time, you can practice trail braking in a parking lot while straight up and down. To do this, have a mark on the pavement which represents your imaginary turn in point and another mark, 5-10 meters away (in a straight line) which represents your imaginary apex. Approach mark "A" as if your were braking for a turn. When you hit your mark, trail off your brakes, gradually releasing them as you roll to your "Apex" marker. as you hit your apex, transition to throttle and accelerate away. this is essentially what you are doing as you trail brake through a turn. keeping some pressure on your brakes will leave your suspension settled and slightly (not fully) compressed. This has the benefit of changing your steering geometry so that turnin is easier and settles your suspension from the hard braking while approaching the turn and moving off the bike. It's tricky to get the hang of and the drill I've described is the safest way to practice the mechanics of trail braking with a greatly reduced risk of washing out the front end.
I will definately be grabbing a coach on Friday and Saturday at Autobahn. I would love to do the pro school, but this is the first I have heard of it. Do I sign up for it at the track, on STT's website, or what? As far as suspension is concerned, it is stock on an '06 R6, but I just had my fork oil changed and I already have an appointment set up with Superbike Suspension first thing Friday. Tires are Power Pures with one weekend on them, so I should be good to go. Should be. I don't want to go diving into something I can't handle, but it does help to understand the concept first. When you talk about keeping some load on the suspension while entering a turn, that sounds like part of what I need to improve on. Thanks
"pro school" is only offered at *certain events, mostly Fridays before race weekends it seems. *I'm not an authority on this so your results may very.
Me too. it's something i've been working on for a while. the forum advice sounds sound. and the drill in a pkg lot is especially interesting. something to practice in june.
Funny you mention that, as I had to take my 08 Aprilia Tuono to the track (because of some problems with my track bike) and I feel I was definately able to enter the corners the way I wanted to, but I just chalked it up to the wide bars. Could be some suspension too I guess. TOO MANY VARIABLES! I'm getting with a coach again