Braking in a Curve …
Of course You Can!
James R. Davis ©The Master Strategy Group
You should establish your entry speed before you enter the curve.
That is, you have to eliminate all excess approach speed, with braking if necessary, while still traveling in a straight line and while the bike is vertical. You should ‘set’ your suspension before you enter the curve. That is, you should not have to deal with a changing center of gravity that results from weight shifts generated by changes of acceleration or braking while in a curve. You should have already established your entry speed at this point so your springs/shocks are resting at normal riding positions. But because you want maximum control of your bike through the turn, you want your front tire to be able to handle modest bumps and surface distortions without destabilizing your bike so you want to shift some weight to the rear tire. That increases rear tire traction, loads the rear shocks/springs somewhat more than the front, and increases over steer. Moreover, you want that attitude all the way through the curve so you maintain a modest acceleration all the way through it. All of which sounds like you should accelerate all the way through a curve.
However, not if you are on a decline.
To begin with, you know that you must lean the bike in order to make a turn. That the faster you go through a given turn, the greater the lean that must be used. Clearly, you can accelerate to a speed that is beyond your ability to negotiate a turn.
Thus, if you modestly accelerate all the way through a turn it must be that you established a low enough entry speed to allow it, and that you did not use excessive acceleration through the turn. Next, by virtue of being on a decline, you will accelerate without any throttle at all. If the rate of acceleration is high enough, there is no safe entry speed that would allow you to complete the turn safely (without some braking.) Because you are on a decline, there is already more weight on the front tire than you can safely shift to the rear via acceleration to give you the handling stability that is sought from acceleration without exceeding your ability to negotiate the turn. Finally, because you are in a turn you are, by definition, already accelerating! (Delta V - any change in velocity is acceleration - even if you are slowing down) Your shocks receive increased loading just because you are in a curve - from centrifugal force.
If you are on a decline while in a curve, you should not use your throttle to accelerate. Instead, you should use your brakes and/or engine braking either to maintain your entry speed or to allow only modest increases of speed. At the same time, you should have moved back as far as possible in your seat to shift weight to the rear tire.
… If you use yours brakes while in a curve to stop you should gradually straighten the bike up as speed decreases and gradually increase brake pressure until the bike is vertical. That remains completely true. If you are not slowing but merely maintaining your speed, then there is no straightening of the bike required
… Of course you can use your brakes in a curve. Brakes are not used merely to stop your bike, they are used to offset acceleration (i.e., to either slow the bike or to prevent it from accelerating as fast as it otherwise would go from gravity assist.)
Finally, if the decline/curve is long enough you should rely heavily on engine braking rather than just your brakes in order to keep your brakes functional (not overheated) should you need them.
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