Category: Uncategorized

8th August 2025 (updated 4.9.25)

1. Safe vehicles

• Are current vehicle regulations, as applied to motorcycles, sufficient?

1. ABS should be compulsory on A1 motorcycles too. These are what most riders learn on, and young riders use, so carry the highest at risk riders.

2. Automatic closing of throttle, either a thumb throttle or split throttle tube could save up to 1 second in reaction time, and achieve a 15 mph or more reduction in impact speed. Richard Cuerdon has the design concept for the split throttle.

3. There is a problem with ground clearance, particularly with cruisers, when banked. All PTWs should ideally be able to be banked at 45 degrees when fully loaded, without grounding. Lack of ground clearance will contribute to crashes on corners. (I’ve previously trained the St Ledger Harley Chapter – we had problems).

4. There is a problem with some ABS systems when the rear brake sets off the system for the front brake as well. This could increase braking distances and can be unsettling to riders. The Yamaha R9s we use have a setting where you can disable ABS on the rear brake, so it’s an industry known problem. It may be better to have linked brakes (rear brake operates front brake as well) or even to restrict ABS to just the front wheel. Testing needed.

5. There probably should be a maximum life for tyres – say 10 years? Tyres get noticeably harder as they get older and provide less grip. (I’ve just had a blow out on a 14 year old tyre on my motorhome. The regulations only cover minibuses).

6. Electric PTWs and those with automatic gearboxes, should have systems where the throttle closes automatically when the brakes are applied, and does not operate until the throttle is closed and reopened. This to compensate for the lack of a clutch. Needs testing and confirming.

2. Safe road users

• the training and testing regime for motorcyclists, both pre-test training and advanced training

2.1 Pre-test Training

1. 40% of young rider fatalities <19 years are underage. Unknown additional number have no licence, which could be circa 30% for all ages based on other country’s data. Public awareness program needed, on the dangers of riding without any training. 

2. Riders should be compelled to retake their CBT before upgrading to a 125 cc. See jump from 16-17 years old in casualty rates, and 50cc vs 125cc.

3. Emergency Braking advice from the DVSA is wrong. Apply the rear brake immediately.

4. ‘Thinking Distance’ is wrong. It’s not 0.7 seconds, it’s 1.5 seconds or more, based on TRL past research. 

5. Separation distance should be 3 seconds for PTWs, as Norway and NSW. PTWs are limited to 0.9g (they tip up), cars are now stopping at 1.2 g or more.

6. There should be a separate licence category for automatics as with cars etc.

2. Licence Testing

1. Hazard awareness is stressed, and tested – but there is no advice as how to react. This needs to be included in training and demonstrated on test. Slow, revise road position, cover brakes, use horn, plan escape route, accelerate smartly away when safe. (Always assume you are invisible).

2. Braking from high speed (58 mph?) to be included in training and testing. Use datalogging unit (or phone App). 

I’ve recently been working with Benjamin Smith from Bikeability. They will now be teaching braking’s ‘Square Law’ – twice the speed = 4 x the stopping distance to young cyclists. This is important to them (downhill) and to prepare young riders for PTW’s.

3. Bikeability also teaches smooth brake application (no snatch) and ‘covering the brakes’ which are skills transferrable to PTW’s. Young enough, and this should become ‘hard-wired’. Covering the brakes is currently not advised nor taught for PTWs, which I believe it should be. It just needs carrying over to PTWs, and to include the foot brake. As a minimum in response to hazards, if not as a routine.

4. Banking in corners (minimum 35 degrees?) to be included in training and testing. Use same datalogging unit (or phone App).

3. Post-Test 

1. Many riders > 50 years old will not have had any training at all. This still needs addressing – hence the higher collision rates. (see DVSA ERS data).

2. Official ‘DVSA Post Test Workshops’ should be considered in addition to Enhanced Rider Scheme assessments. I have one called ‘SharpRider ™‘ which was designed with Derbys CC and has been delivered since 2012 across most of the East Midlands and South Yorkshire. It is available to anyone FOC.

3. Positioning to see and be seen. Once riders have a basic level of control and competence, then they need to consider altering the way they ride to increase their safety. Riders are taught to ride mid lane or to the left, as this is safer when you are learning. However, using the full width of the lane, with training, provides better visibility and potential escape routes. Good advice in Police Motorcycle Roadcraft, but the concept of ‘buffering’ from NSW should also be considered to be taught.

4. DVSA post-test data. Data acquired recently via FOI. We now have data on common riding faults with which to review pre and post test training.

The Importance of the Enhanced Rider Scheme for Motorcyclists – British Superbike School

That it appears to take 24 years for 80% of riders to become competent, needs addressing. As do young rider fatalities. We now have data on what is not taught effectively, to accelerate this. (Data acquired from 5,000 professional rider assessments, from probably over 100 trainers, covering all ages).

On the plus side, the data seems to show the success of introducing CBT’s and a pursuit riding test in 1990. A fixed shift down in fatalities which should now move forward every year.

5. Braking is the main issue, in an emergency. This is identified by riders themselves as a training requirement, but not trainers, as riders aren’t tested within the ERS scheme (it’s an assessment). Most riders can’t stop effectively from high speed in an emergency. Very easy to test and confirm, but no one is interested. Many skid and fall, or lack confidence to brake hard, or panic and don’t brake at all (YouTube).

I’ve presented and lobbied on braking at RSGB conferences, but been ignored by those who could act. Missed for >50 years?

I’ve been working on ‘Braking’ including reaction times, which are of similar importance to speeding. This is where I am so far:-

Ultimate Guide Emergency Motorcycle Braking

6. >50% of fatalities are thought to be on rural bends. There is now no official advice on cornering lines, (there was in the 1970’s Roadcraft) and worryingly the ‘Wall of Death’ method, going around the outside of every corner, appears in an old DVSA video, and is taught by some trainers.

This is our advice on cornering for post-test riders, which we consider to be ‘best practise’ from a variety of sources. I believe it should be standard official DVSA or Roadcraft advice, or changed and issued.

4. Advanced Training 

1. We now know there is no evidence that advanced training (non DVSA post-test training) is effective. See National Highway’s Agilisys report. Behaviour can be changed, as found, but currently is not for the better. The DVSA Enhanced Rider Scheme was not evaluated – which is very odd as data was available (see above).

2. The proposal is to enforce commercial advanced trainers to be DVSA licenced, for which I believe legislation is already in place. The Law says commercial ‘driver’ not ‘rider’ training requires licensed trainers, so has been seen as a loophole. The CPS definition of ‘driver’, is whoever is steering. The RPMT infrastructure and delivery has been in place for nearly 20 years. It just needs enforcing.

3. For the voluntary sector – mainly the IAM and RoSPA – the proposal is that they distance themselves from the police, who continually pass on hazardous ’emergency response’ behaviours. RoSPA uses current and ex-police examiners, who therefore set the riding standards. They should adhere to DVSA and Police Roadcraft Riding Standards. (Emergency Braking advice needs addressing).

4. Riders should adhere to the Highway Code ‘should nots’, and overtake only when necessary, or when at low risk. Riders should never be in a hurry. ‘Making good progress’ can conflict with safety. 

5. I am also now concerned that these ‘emergency response’ practices are being passed on via some police force’s BikeSafe courses, from recent feedback from riders. This should be addressed. I was a civilian assessor for Lincs BikeSafe, which I thought was a very effective initiative. This needs to be addressed or BikeSafe withdrawn, in the interests of public safety. 

6. I am sure the police have better things to do. Road policing is nearly non-existent. They were involved in training before WW2, as there was nothing else at the time. There are now DVSA riding manuals and DVSA licenced trainers for the general public. Police Motorcycle Roadcraft is good, (apart from emergency braking advice) but it should be relabelled as the DVSA post test riding manual, and the emergency response chapter removed.

7. National Highways via Bikertek are currently encouraging front wheel trail braking into every corner, from an ex-police rider, including when turning at junctions. It is obviously hazardous, makes no sense, and conflicts with both DVSA and Roadcraft advice – for all vehicles. Probably again from unwritten police emergency response or pursuit training. If nothing else, riders will be entering corners faster than otherwise, putting themselves at higher risk. I have asked them to remove the video, but they have refused. They have stated that they are trying to make PTW training ‘exciting’. I also pointed out the rider on their landing page is riding with his visor open. They have now pixelated the top of the picture in response to hide this. I believe they simply do not have the required competency in-house. The DVSA has, within the Dft. This is now with my MP to take to the Ombudsman.

3. Collision Investigation

1. Crash data is currently based in the Criminal Justice System. Prosecution, not collision prevention. Black box data from bikes and cameras is being ignored, I believe. Crashes are poorly investigated (despite long road closures) and there is a lack of coroner reports. I was told by a recently retired crash investigator that data protection meant that they could not acquire and use black box or video data (which can include accelerometer data). I believe this to be untrue, as it would potentially be criminal evidence.

2. The data would record response time and road position, speed, braking effectiveness, and changes in direction or swerving. And the force of the impact. Whether the rider tried to brake, or swerve, or both. Or tried to bank the bike. Or did nothing.

3. In addition, marks on the road would show if and where a rider had skidded and/or fallen. Sweeping everything into ‘Loss of Control’ is not helpful. The recent condensing of the categories into RSF’s, will probably make matters even worse.

4. This inappropriate and poor accident reporting system is hiding the root causes of most fatal crashes, which according to Bruce Wilson a forensic crash investigator from NZ, is mainly about braking, with half of riders skidding and falling (which should reduce as ABS becomes more common) or simply lacking the confidence to fully apply the brakes, or at all (panic).

5. Advanced and post-test training needs to include actual braking practice from speed. A new App is required (which could also be used for licence testing). The iAccel brake testing app is only now available on Iphone. An app with a faster sampling rate would be better for training. See KurvX datalogging as an example.

6. Circa 80% of crashes appear to be either at junctions or on rural corners, although again the system only reports ‘not within 20 metres of a junction’, so mainly on a bend has to be assumed. I confirmed this with the Lincs police over a decade ago. 

7. The prime problems of both braking and cornering have been hidden by poor crash reporting.

Mike Abbott MBA, RoADAR (Dip), DVSA RPMT 800699, ACU Coach #62210

Advanced Rider Coaching

Applewood

Old Hall Lane,

East Markham,

Newark

Notts NG22 ORF

Tel: 01777 818013

Mbl: 07939 041606

Official Advice

The official advice from both the DVSA and from Roadcraft is to complete your braking before the corner and apply a light throttle to maintain speed through the corner. This leaves all the available tyre grip for cornering, and balances the cornering forces equally on both wheels.

If you have to slow or stop, the advice is to close the throttle and/or use the rear brake.

If you need to stop more quickly, and you have the room, the advice is to bring the bike upright, and brake hard with the front brake.

It’s good advice. Take it.

Alternative Actions

You should always consider riding covering your brakes, which should save you over a second in reaction time.

If you believe you need to brake mid-corner in response to a hazard, usually caused by too high an entry speed or a tightening corner, the advice is to simply look around the corner where you want to go, rather than where you feel you might end up.

You should counter-steer instinctively, but you can also counter-steer deliberately with practice, pushing on the inside bar. The bike initially falls in the opposite direction to which the steering is pointed, and into the turn, helped by the gyroscopic effects of the front wheel, after which the rider will instinctively turn the bars back to stop the machine falling further.

A modern machine with good tyres and ground clearance (not cruisers), can be banked at circa 45 degrees or more on reasonable road tarmac.

Many crashes have been caused locally, the Lincs police informed me, on corners where the rider could have got around easily had they had the confidence. If you’re not confident leaning the bike, then practice mid lane on an empty wide safe road, or try some on-track training where you can practice in relative safety.

Providing the bike is not banked at an extreme angle, there is a surprising amount of grip still left.

Practise

Practise is vital, to avoid the usual panic reactions, involving both braking and cornering.

It takes, in theory, 200 repetitions to achieve the required ‘muscle memory’, which means that your reactions in hazardous situations will be automatic. Panic is probably a major root cause of crashes, see ‘YouTube’.

So lightly apply the rear brake gently into corners and mid corner to feel how the bike reacts, and always ride covering your rear brake.

The Theory

This is the ‘Traction Circle’ for motorcycles, and looks like a fox’s face.

https://britishsuperbikeschool.com/2025/06/17/the-foxs-face-the-traction-circle-of-grip-applied-to-motorcycles/

You can see it’s a linear relationship between braking and cornering. The greater the braking force, then the less grip left for cornering. The fox’s ‘chin’.

Looking at front wheel braking track data logs, in practice racers can brake quite hard into corners, but the front brake needs to be released steadily and off completely at circa 50 degrees.

Racers trail brake as it reduces lap times and prevents competitors overtaking. It is also risky and the main cause of crashes.

When using the rear brake only instead, in theory, the rear starts to slide at around 30 degrees of lean with maximum rear braking, and again runs out completely around 50 degrees. And it’s only half as effective at reducing speed, which is why racers mainly use the front brake.

Road Riders – Emergency Braking Mid Corner

You have 3 options, in order:-

1. Close the throttle
2. Apply the rear brake
3. Apply the front brake

The effect of closing the throttle is to slow the bike and transfer weight onto the front tyre quickening the steering marginally. The effect depends on engine size and configuration, with big singles giving usually the highest rate of braking.

Using the rear brake has a similar effect, but instead pushes the rear suspension down not up (on chain driven bikes). The weight is also transfered forwards, but less than using the front brake.

Using just the rear as hard as possible, moves probably 75% of the weight forward, halving rear tyre grip (Cossalter).

The front brake is potentially the most effective, but can easily cause a skid, even with early ABS systems and at high lean angles. It also straightens the steering which can help (or not), and stands the bike up if applied heavily. This requires more room and/or a greater lean angle. Applying the rear brake at the same time makes a rear skid more likely, without ABS, due to weight transfer.

Bear in mind ABS will not necessarily prevent a skid and fall in bends, but ‘cornering ABS’ with lean sensors probably will. ABS will also not prevent the bike ‘standing up’ and running wide.

Rear Brake

It needs to be applied very carefully, as the weight is transferred off the rear tyre onto the front tyre, so has a double negative effect on the level of rear tyre grip.

However, the rear brake increases the ability for the bike to turn. The bike slows, squats and pitches slightly forward, sharpening the steering angle marginally,

The rear tyre is likely to eventually slip sideways, so the rear brake needs to be steadily released as the weight transfers forwards, and more so if the lean angle is increasing. This is an old race bike trick for quicker cornering. This is like ‘oversteer’ in a car or a ‘handbrake turn’.

In theory the rear brake needs to start to be released at 30 degrees of lean, and off by 50 degrees

Worse case the rear loses traction and the rider may fall, but it’s usually a ‘low side’, (unless the rider releases the brake fully after a wide skid, when a ‘high side’ is possible).

But in most cases, the rider will have time to release and reapply the rear brake if it locks – if they don’t panic.

The outcome from a rear wheel skid is probably better than a front wheel skid, as the machine will likely impact first, then the rider, rather than the rider being followed and struck by the machine.

The other alternative of a direct head-on collision with an oncoming vehicle, or stationary hazard, is likely to lead to a worse outcome.

Many police riders trail the rear brake into corners, as it can provide feedback on the level of grip available, particularly in the wet and on urban roads, junctions, roundabouts etc.  The rear will slide first, which is usually recoverable when a front end slide is not.

You use the rear brake for low speed maneuvering anyway, so it seems just an extension of this, although unnecessary. It also appears to be sometimes used on high speed corners, which allows a higher entrance speed, and/or speed corrections into or mid corner.

I have no idea if this is part of police training or ‘custom and practice’. Having previously worked with the police, it does seem that their training varies by Force.

It also promotes ‘oversteering’, which can help at the limits of grip, puts more weight on the front tyre, and quickens the steering (covered above), without the risk of locking the front and falling. Too risky for the public.

Front Brake

Riders can ‘pick the bike up’ and brake if there is sufficient room and road width, but this tends to be a ‘last resort’. This is often a brutal panic response. This results from the machine being steered more tightly into the corner, which has the opposite effect from counter-steering. Applying the front brake when banked tends to stand the bike up which can help (or not).

Riders can apply the front brake with great care progressively mid-corner in an emergency, as long as the lean angle is not too extreme. It is potentially more effective than the rear, but the bike will try to run wide, and a skid is more likely. Not recommended.

The harder the rider brakes, the more weight is transferred onto the front tyre, but there is already enough grip for cornering. There is no extra cornering grip but less, as braking uses up more grip than it creates and on a poor surface, applying the front brake can make the bike more likely to skid.

An experienced rider already knows this, as they would avoid applying the front brake on a wet road when banked, more so on mud, gravel, or if there were signs of oil or diesel.

Because the centre of mass is to one side of the front tyre contact patch, the bike will tend to stand up, twist and ‘yaw’, which will make the bike tend to run wide. This requires some run off space, or the bike counter steered and leaned even harder into the corner to counteract this, using up cornering grip.

The greater the lean angle, the greater the effect.

RACERS – Trail Braking

This is what racers do, where the rider deliberately brakes later and enters the bends at higher speeds, with usually the front brake, and sometimes the rear applied, planning to reduce the speed through the corner.

It does not increase cornering grip, but the opposite. There is anyway already far more cornering grip on a good surface than you’ll ever need on the road and enough for the track up to circa 60 degrees of lean. You don’t need more.

Front wheel trail braking also tends to keep the steering straight as you try and counter-steer the bike to turn in, making it more difficult.

However, the tyre contact patch moves inwards as the bike leans, with the braking then tending to keep the wheel turned in slightly, dependent on tyre profile, lean angle etc. At the same, the gyroscopic effect of the wheel turning inwards, is trying to turn the steering in further to bring the bike upright, and the bike is trying to yaw, twist and stand up.

It just allows later braking, reduced lap times, and helps prevent competitors overtaking,

Front Brake

If you trail the front brake into a corner, as opposed to applying it mid corner, you have to tip into the corner already counteracting the tendency for the bike to ‘yaw’. It requires more steering effort as front wheel tries to keep in line with the bike due to the trail on the steering. And the more the rider leans, the more the bike wants to yaw, to which the rider responds by even more counter steering and more lean angle.

The weight comes off the rear wheel, allowing a racer to ‘back it in’, sometimes helped with some rear brake.

If you’re racing, you tip in on full front brake and gradually release it. As above, off at circa 50 degrees.

Completing your braking before the corner is obviously safer, but slower.

Some riders feel that trail braking gives them more grip for cornering, but it is an illusion. You already have all the grip you can use without any weight transfer, which runs out at 60 degrees of lean whatever you do.

Using the front brake keeps the steering straight(ish) and fixed, so it feels different.

BUT FOR ROAD RIDERS….

• You will be entering the corner faster, so any impact speed will potentially be higher and you’ll be less able to increase your rate of turn.
• So you will therefore likely take longer to stop.
• You’ll have less weight on the rear tyre which means if you apply the rear brake the bike is more likely to slide.
• If you need to brake harder, you will be increasing, not decreasing your braking as planned, which will have a negative effect on the steering, as the bike will try to ‘yaw’ even more. This has the opposite effect to you releasing the front brake as your lean angle increases.

Conclusions

Using the front brake in corners needs very careful training and practice, so is probably best left to professional trainers on a race track, as opposed to trial and error, with training and advice to road riders restricted to just looking where you want to go, avoiding ‘target fixation’, counter-steering and applying the rear brake into or mid-corner in an emergency.

There is an argument that applying the front brake into corners is best, as additional braking is almost instant and so is potentially the ‘best practice’. But the problem is also that riders will likely be encouraged to brake later, harder and deeper as their confidence grows. For racers on the road, it’s frankly difficult to get out of the habit.

There is also the alternative option of trailing the rear brake into corners, but again entry speeds would be higher creating more risk, as well as for a rear skid.

But overall, the official advice is probably best, and gives the greatest overal safety margin.

As always ‘It Depends’.

Additional training in ‘trail braking’ into corners in an emergency could be of benefit to riders, which we cover at The School. But it’s an advanced riding ‘failure to plan ahead’. The bike will probably run wide, for which there might not be the space.

Most racers just use the front brake, but they plan ahead, knowing the bike will understeer and run wide at the limits of adhesion, which is not sensible on the road where you need a safety margin.

Racers consistently trail the front brake into most corners. They gradually release the front brake pressure as their lean angle increases, with the brake being finally released usually just as the throttle is opened at the apex.

This leaves no safety margin. It is totally unsuitable for road riders to use as a routine. But it can be a useful tool to have in an emergency. This allows the rider to brake hard and turn at the same time. This is particularly useful when a rider has misjudged their entry speed to a corner. Or has to avoid a hazard.

The difference between carrying the front brake into a corner and applying the front brake mid-corner needs to be completely understood. It is crucial to distinguish between these two situations.

Re-applying the front brake after you have started to turn, leaves the rider with initially only circa 50% of the weight on the front tyre, which is also doing the steering, making a skid and fall far more likely without great care. And the bike will suddenly try to stand up and run wide.

Again, if in any doubt, it is recommended road riders should just use the rear brake when banked, and only in an emergency as per the official advice.

Cornering on a light throttle leaves all the grip for cornering, wtih none lost through braking.

There seems to be a general misunderstanding that cornering forces add more grip, as used to be incorrectly stated in Roadcraft. It is an illusion. The suspension compresses when the bike is banked, but the cornering forces are always horizontal, not vertical.

Summary

The coefficient of friction, and the mass of the bike and rider determine the grip. The brakes or throttle determine the distribution of this grip between the two tyres. When this is equally distributed, you have the most grip for cornering, which is why at the apex racers are off the brakes and have lightly cracked open the throttle.

Mike Abbott, The British Superbike School. 12.11.25

A worn rear shock can be quite dangerous as the bike can bounce and the rear tyre leave the ground. Not great in a corner.

Springs can also sag over time allowing the forks to bottom out which can cause a skid on braking.

You can check the ‘static’ and ‘laden’ sag both ends with the help of a friend. Sometimes you can adjust the spring preload to compensate. Advice is widely available on how to do it.

You can check the rear shock damping simply by pushing the back of the bike down and then releasing it. It should gently come back up without overshooting. If you’ve got adjustable damping, add a couple of clicks to adjust it if you need to.

However, this all does mean your suspension has worn, so consider replacing it. Avoid cheap imports which could make it even worse. 

Take a deep breath and buy a decent aftermarket shock or get yours serviced by 9ne of the established companies – not someone you’ve never heard of. 

We’ve used KTech, Kais, WP (White Power – how did they get away with that!) and Maxton in the past, and there’s always Ohlins if you’re minted.

Any major established European brand should be OK.

Consider also checking your head, swinging arm and wheel bearings while your in your overalls.

It’s like having a new bike.