trail braking? riding brakes on the throttle

velocitygear
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velocitygear
Edited Date/Time 8/11/2013 12:00am
Hello,

Looking to see if anyone is familiar with "trailbraking", as I've heard it called; the practice of dragging the rear brake WHILE on the throttle in corners specifically. My front end works best while doing this. I've got an 06 crf450.. When I say in corners, I mean attacking them while trailbraking, not just putting around.

I have a set of forks with preloaded midvalves and some other stuff/concepts from SMART suspension. Looking to find out how tralibraking affects the chassis. Why do they work better when trailbraking? Whats going on with the chassis when trailbraking?
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Carlton_Fartman 7/29/2013 11:38am
7/29/2013 11:38am
Dragging the rear brake through corners allows the bike to corner more tightly by weighting the front tire. This only works in left corners if seated. Often riders stand up in sweeping right-hand corners so they can drag the rear brake.

I’ve never heard this called “trail braking”, though. In cars this term describes entering a cornering while still braking, which puts more pressure on the outside tires so you can enter a turn faster than if you did all the braking before you started turning.
partialperson
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partialperson 7/29/2013 12:29pm
7/29/2013 12:29pm
The chassis is staying loaded, locked in, increasing or maintaining contact patch, the rearend sliding out becomes less likely. The more throttle you apply the more forward bite you get. A similar theory is used for sand whoops or braking bumps entering a corner, dragging the rear brake slows chassis movement, making the transition into the corner smoother.
velocitygear
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velocitygear 7/30/2013 3:40pm
7/30/2013 3:40pm
partialperson wrote:
The chassis is staying loaded, locked in, increasing or maintaining contact patch, the rearend sliding out becomes less likely. The more throttle you apply the more...
The chassis is staying loaded, locked in, increasing or maintaining contact patch, the rearend sliding out becomes less likely. The more throttle you apply the more forward bite you get. A similar theory is used for sand whoops or braking bumps entering a corner, dragging the rear brake slows chassis movement, making the transition into the corner smoother.
Thanks for the replies...

So, is there anything specific one can do to the chassis to make the bike handle as well when "unloaded"?

The difference is so dramatic for me that I'm having thoughts of an auto clutch and a rear brake lever where my clutch is...

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velocitygear
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velocitygear 7/31/2013 4:19pm
7/31/2013 4:19pm
Carlton_Fartman wrote:
Have you tried dragging the front brake through corners?
Fishing? Actually, that's supposed to help keep a front tire "in" a rut, as opposed to climbing out. Not a technique I practice though...
Carlton_Fartman 7/31/2013 6:15pm
7/31/2013 6:15pm
Carlton_Fartman wrote:
Have you tried dragging the front brake through corners?
velocitygear wrote:
Fishing? Actually, that's supposed to help keep a front tire "in" a rut, as opposed to climbing out. Not a technique I practice though...
Try it, even if there aren't deep ruts. This helps the front tire bite in as opposed to pushing when exiting corners.
Randy_Nix
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Randy_Nix 7/31/2013 9:03pm
7/31/2013 9:03pm
I've never tried dragging the rear brake but I have tried dragging the front brake. It helps to keep the front end from climbing out of the second half of the rut. But it's kinda hard to drag the front break and twist the throttle to the stop lol
velocitygear
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velocitygear 8/9/2013 11:03pm
8/9/2013 11:03pm Edited Date/Time 8/9/2013 11:04pm
My issue is more about the entry just at the point before the apex. Exiting isn't really a problem, as I'm usually riding the rear end at that point. It's the transition just before the apex, I can't trust my front end. Especially on those mole hills they put on the entrance to corners, my front end wants to wash there...

I'm going to rip the forks apart again as I have a blown seal and put on some new rubber. I've been off the bike for over a year and my tires suck.

Any other additional input would be greatly appreciated...
slipdog
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slipdog 8/10/2013 8:40am
8/10/2013 8:40am
No offence, but your pushing problem is the preloaded mid valve set up.
velocitygear
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velocitygear 8/11/2013 12:00am
8/11/2013 12:00am
slipdog wrote:
No offence, but your pushing problem is the preloaded mid valve set up.
I appreciate the response, I've been riding on and off for over 15 years. The preloaded midvalve is the best fork I've ever ridden and it's not even a discussion. I'm trying to settle this last little handling issue, so if you have any input that may help I'd appreciate it.

I wouldn't be running it, if it wasn't WORLDS better than the standard design, at least for me. The front end has always been an issue and the preloaded midvalve made it so much better, that it's not even a comparison.

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