wobble?? - part 2, wobble while stopping! / braking

situation 2: wobble when stopping - when does wobble occurs when you are almost slowing down?
some reasons are there, but what you need to know before hand is smooth stopping is related to:

a) slow speed control
b) bike stability management in terms of rear wheel gyroscopic force

reason 1. overuse of brakes! i.e. harsh braking; braking too late??; rushed braking?

> suspension dips! if u hard brake on front, front fork will dip down!
same thing - apply the rear brakes hard and the rear shocks will also dip the bike down!
this basically means that any of this harsh braking will result in upsetting the balance of the bike at low speed!

this will subsequently affect your balance and hence result in a wobble!

solution:
you do not need to use maximum braking force when slowing down. if there's a need to use harsh braking, that means you're braking too late.
key thing is: plan when you want to brake, and plan your time to brake!

* all that is required is engine braking by closing the throttle to slow down and applying the brakes with your finger TIPS so that u do not snatch the brake lever.
know your brake biting point! braking effort should be smooth and natural.
the next time you brake, make an effort to feel for the point where the brake lever starts to slow the bike - that is your biting point. this ability to feel the braking will be even more crucial during e-brake in 3.02. =D


* when to close the throttle? the recommended time if u are braking while in gear 1 or 2 is half the distance before spot u want to stop. (take note if in already in gear 1, remb to clutch in at the same time when u close throttle!)
of course, this may defer from person to person.

* one last thing is to know when you operate the brakes, u should reduce the pressure on the brake lever and the brake pedal gradually. this will reduce the sudden change in momentum and suspension that will result in the stopping wobble. (FYI: this refers to driving a car as well, not just motorcycles!)

>> **note that this is even more important when you pillion next time: this is for the comfort and safety of your pillion rider.



reason 2: rushing to land and put down your foot?
this is similar to when you wobble during moving off - your bike is moving relatively slow when you're almost stopping and the bike is now stable with minimum gyroscopic (upright force) from the rear wheel.

at this very moment before stopping, sudden movement will cause the bike to wobble.
don't rush to put down your foot! u will be stable the moment
if you can stop smoothly and have time to land that left foot. (surprisingly, this is usually coupled with anxiousness or kan chiong spideness with random snatching of the brakes.. see reason 1)

solution
a. momentum must be right when you put down the foot. not too fast, not too slow!
if too fast, you will rush to stop, too slow, your bike doesn't have enough momentum to stay upright and wobbbbble you go!
b. don't rush, feel for the moment when the bike almost stops while stable in a straight line*
c. keep bike in a straight line! *LOOK UP* while your doing so. (this actually leads to reason 3)
d. unfortunately, this needs practice. you need to learn to feel the bike momentum with your body and your butt especially to gauge how the bike is moving before you put down that foot.
e. this landing of the foot should be synchronized with your gradual release of brake pressure when your braking is almost complete.


reason 3. looking down when u brake?
as mentioned before, the eyes of the rider is the aiming device of the motorcycle.
this adage holds even when you're stopping and you decided to look down instead.. immediately you will lose balance and wobble!

"LOOK WHERE YOU WANT TO GO"
if you look down, and don't look up, u will upset your balance

i cant explain in detail why this happens sufficiently but somehow this is the dominant rule all riders had to deal with when learning.

hence the simplest solution is:
*LOOK UP and through the horizon when your almost stopped and keep it that way!
alternatively, if there is another rider stopped ahead of you, LOOK UP and look through his/her helmet.
this will ensure you fixate your gaze at the correct level.

if you fear not stopping at the correct spot before the stop line, and find yourself having to look down to gauge your stopping distance, this also means you have to plan your stopping ahead of time!
do not do panic stops or last minute stops! that is solely reserved for e-brakes!!

so now what? in summary - what to practice as part of your stopping skill sets
- before every lesson commence, always check the amount of braking pressure that you need to exert for different levels of braking pressure!
-  make sure you know your brake biting pt to avoid front wheel lock/skid or any jerks in your bike suspension when stopping!
- only finger tips only ! do not use your knuckle to brake!

- when braking, change down gear early, make full use of engine braking, look up through the horizon, make sure your handlebars are straight and not turned to the side!
- momentum must be right - feather the brakes or use light braking pressure, and not too slow on final stopping of bike!
-  know the moment when your left foot should stick out and land forward down before stopping that causes the least shift in the bike momentum at slow speed!

you might want to look at this link on braking, especially on staged braking (point 10)
http://www.webbikeworld.com/Motorcycle-Safety/braking-tips.htm

on a final note: avoid last minute braking situations. be aware of your surroundings and maintain good following distance. part of the accidents out there involving riders include wheel skidding and lost of control. as a class 2b trainee, your role is to learn the skills of bike control well so that you do not panic and make the wrong move under such situations. I'm saying that because i skidded my phantom and almost didn't make it.. so...

meanwhile good luck in your lessons and ill try to cover the the other wobbles that you will encounter during lane check / blind spot checking and during turning of your motorcycle!