Q&A for How to Brake Properly on a Motorcycle

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  • Question
    When I stop, is there a specific foot I should be using to rest on the ground - like should I keep my foot on the brake, or clutch?
    Community Answer
    Put your bike in first gear, hold the clutch with your left hand and you can put both feet down. Use the right hand to apply the front brake if sitting on an incline.
  • Question
    Can we apply brakes directly on a higher gear?
    Community Answer
    Yes. Apply both the brakes and clutch and promptly bring the gear to the lower position. The gear may be further shifted to neutral while you are standing.
  • Question
    Which motorcycle brake do I have to press first?
    Community Answer
    You should apply the rear and front brakes simultaneously. Do not apply the front brake with too much force, as it could flip the motorcycle over the front wheel. Remember that the front brake, when used properly, provides upwards of 70% of your stopping power, but you should get to know your motorcycle before applying the front brakes too forcefully.
  • Question
    Is it good to apply the clutch or not?
    Community Answer
    Yes, you should apply the clutch if you intend to slow down significantly or the engine may stall, causing the rear tire to skid.
  • Question
    What is the best speed and gear when in stop-and-go traffic?
    CrayFish715
    Community Answer
    First gear, and the traffic will dictate the speed. Motorbikes are different from cars in the sense that they have a wet clutch instead of a dry clutch. You can ride a wet clutch without too many problems, so riding in traffic at half clutch, those stop start situations wont hurt your bike. Just don't rev it too much.
  • Question
    Why does my motorcycle stall when I stop?
    Community Answer
    If you're not moving in any gear except neutral and not holding the clutch, your bike will stall.
  • Question
    Does the clutch need to be applied with the brake?
    Community Answer
    Only if the speed is reduced significantly and down shifting is needed. If not, applying the clutch is not necessary.
  • Question
    Should we apply clutch to brake or we can apply brakes only?
    Adam Monk
    Community Answer
    If you are coming to a complete stop or emergency braking, then bring in the clutch. If you are just slowing then there is no need for it.
  • Question
    How should I apply the front and back brake on an emergency stop?
    Community Answer
    Do the following steps simultaneously: squeeze the front brake, squeeze the clutch, step on the rear brake, and quickly gear all the way down to one.
  • Question
    How do I stop when I'm going fast and the roads are wet?
    Mitchell Hyre
    Community Answer
    When stopping on wet roads, it's necessary to favor the rear brake more than the front, as this will greatly increase your stopping distance. Use the front brake, but keep the pressure light and be ready to release it in a nanosecond. If you lock the front wheel, you're going down.
  • Question
    Why do I fall when I apply the front brake at 60 mph?
    Community Answer
    Inertia. Go to first gear, have the clutch on, slow down and don't brake so fast.
  • Question
    Which brake should be used while going through a turn at 40 kmph?
    Community Answer
    You will need to use the back brake, as the front brake slows the bike down significantly and also makes it hard to complete the turn.
  • Question
    I'm confused with one thing. How do you got down to first gear when slowing down? Do I have to roll off the throttle, hold the clutch, and constantly do that until I'm all he way in first?
    Community Answer
    Just hold the clutch let all the way off the throttle, and then brake until you are at a stop, then shift to first and and ease on the gas and let the clutch out.
  • Question
    How do I know if my wheels have locked up?
    Community Answer
    If the front wheel locks up, you won't be able to keep the motorcycle up for long. Release the brake or you're going down. If the back wheel locks up, you'll hear a loud-pitched squeal and the bike will likely fishtail.
  • Question
    How do I prevent wheel lock while braking?
    Community Answer
    The best way to prevent wheel lock is to brake more slowly. If you are front braking, like most people do, apply a little bit of back brake when the front wheel locks. If the back wheel locks, do the opposite. If that doesn't work, but a bike with ABS to make your life easier.
  • Question
    Today I was taking a U turn in a tight road. Suddenly a bike came and pressed the front brake and fell down. How can I avoid falling during a tight turn?
    Edwin ng
    Community Answer
    Lean your bike slightly lower when making a tight turn, and then lean back to the center.
  • Question
    How many gears and brakes does a tuk tuk have?
    Tiffany Walaski-Cayce
    Top Answerer
    The tuk tuks are manual transmission. The 'handle bar' style steering has clutch/gear shift on the left and throttle on the right side. There is a foot brake and the reverse gear is a lever on the right side of the driver's seat, like an old style handbrake.
  • Question
    When I am riding on an uphill road, suddenly I have to turn and change to a normal road, how should I react in this time?
    Tiffany Walaski-Cayce
    Top Answerer
    When riding uphill, your bike should be in a low gear so you can maintain the proper RPMs necessary so that your bike doesn't stall. If you're in a higher gear such as 4, 5 or 6, then you're going way too fast. Safety is everything when riding motorcycles. You shouldn't be riding uphill at such a fast speed where you encounter the problem in your question. Riding in a low gear up a hill gives you plenty of time to slow down to take that turn on a normal road without any problems.
  • Question
    When to use clutch after applying front and rear brake? Both or after applying rear brake first or front brake first?
    Tiffany Walaski-Cayce
    Top Answerer
    You should anyways start braking first them pull in your clutch. Alternate between using your front and rear brake whole simultaneously down shifting to slow your speed or come to a stop.
  • Question
    Is engine braking good or bad for my bike?
    Tiffany Walaski-Cayce
    Top Answerer
    When braking, alternate between your front and rear breaks while also downshifting/engine breaking. If you downshift correctly, you can come to a complete stop but it will take a longer distance to completely stop than it would if you use both your brakes and downshifting at the same time. Engine breaking is not bad for your bike if done correctly.
  • Question
    When driving a motorcycle, can we wear motorcycle gloves?
    Vassily Knigge
    Community Answer
    You are allowed to wear motorcycle gloves when driving it is helpful to also get grip and protect your hands, although this is not required.
  • Question
    Why can I take a right turn perfectly but have difficult in cornering a left turn smoothly?
    Community Answer
    Keep your handle bar and attention to the left. Don't forget to press rear brake when cornering turns. This will help you take any turns smoothly.
  • Question
    Can I completely stop at third gear and move on with the same gear?
    Community Answer
    You can but if you are going too slowly, then you might stall out when disengaging the clutch.
  • Question
    Should I apply the front brakes or rear brakes first when stopping? Should I apply the front brake or the clutch first when stopping?
    mishablade worgen
    Community Answer
    You should apply the front brakes first slowly, then the rear brakes, and finally, use the clutch.
  • Question
    Should I hold the front brake lever in order to do fast braking on my motorcycle?
    Community Answer
    No. Gently squeeze the front brake lever and apply the rear brake simultaneously whilst also applying your clutch, ensure that your throttle is closing. This will reduce the speed of the motorcycle. If you hold the front brake lever only, this will cause your motorcycle to flip over the front wheel.
  • Question
    When I am downshifting and coming to a stop, do I need to release the clutch with each gear downshifted or can I just keep the clutch held in and downshift to each gear as I slow down?
    Community Answer
    Either way works, depending on how soon you start to slow down. If you see traffic slowing down way ahead of you and start to slowly decelerate, you can use the clutch to downshift one gear, ride in that gear for a bit, and then downshift to the next gear, etc. However, when quickly coming to a stop you normally just pull in the clutch and hold it in while you quickly downshift through all the gears.
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