We are offering 2 for 1 training days which reduce the costs per rider to below £200/day.
Training two riders together can work extremely effectively and is DVSA approved.
Riders are encouraged under guidance to assess each other’s riding, prompting interesting thoughtful discussions.
These help to change riding patterns by the joint identification of risks and the evaluation of alternative reactions.
This can also mean the process of rider improvement can continue well after the course had finished, with continued interactions and discussions between the two riders.
What do riders learn by experience – trial and error?
What is not learned by experience, for which additional training is needed?
Summary
The background is a 8% increase in PTW KSI’s and a recent 50% increase in young rider KSI’s. It’s currently aĺl going the wrong way.
There was also a 13% increase in fatalities from 2024-25.
The DVSA data below indicates that it currently takes around 25 years, on average, for 80% of riders to master riding a motorcycle competently.
Far too long?
In order:- ‘Cornering‘, ‘Planning‘, ‘Defensive Riding‘, ‘Use of Speed‘ and ‘Overtaking – were found as the major rider shortcomings
‘Braking‘ and ‘Filtering‘ also stand out as particular extra training needs.
We now know what additional training is needed, and where current learner training and testing is falling short.
The Enhanced Rider Scheme looks to be effective, well managed and subject to continuous improvement.
In contrast, no benefits were found from current ‘Advanced’ training. (Agilisys).
Government action should be considered to make DVSA ERS licensed training far more available in the interests of public safety. This could easily be achieved by making DVSA trainer licensing compulsory for all commercial trainers. This would ensure, that the training is properly and safely conducted, and focused on the priorities.
The charities working in the sector, with volunteers, should also all be working to the same official standards.
History
The DVSA Enhanced Rider Scheme (ERS) was launched in 2006. It was to provide additional safety training for licence holders, particularly those returning to riding in later years.
Up to 1989 the examiner stood by the roadside, so it is only after this date that examiners followed riders on their test.
Compulsory Basic Training (CBT) was not introduced until 1990.
Currently most riders over 50 years old will not have had any training, nor been subject to a ‘pursuit’ licence test, theory or hazard awareness tests.
Findings
This is the data supplied by the DVSA following an information request. The speed of the response shows that the DVSA have clearly been closely monitoring the ERS Scheme, on an ongoing basis.
This is, I believe, the latest 5 years of data. The first observation is how relatively few riders are attracted to the scheme. This is the only post-test training in the UK delivered by qualified licensed trainers. That it is such a small number of riders, is a concern.
The vast majority of post-test ‘advanced’ training is performed by volunteers, or untrained unlicensed trainers, mainly to Police Roadcraft standards, but also sometimes encouraging ’emergency response’ and racing practises, such as trail braking by commercial trainers.
(A recent review by Agilisys found no benefits from traditional ‘Advanced’ training).
There is no other published rider assessment data that I can find.
DVSA Data
The bar graph shows the number of riders who needed, or who did not need, additional training following their riding assessments.
Green is needed training, Red is didn’t.
If you compare ERS attendees to the population of riders by age, you get this:-
Young riders look neglected? These are at the highest risk, so it looks like an opportunity?
The ERS scheme was aimed at ‘returning riders‘ and has hit the mark.
Training needs diminish up to 45, where the number of riders peak, then increases again. Strange?
There are are also two large peaks in training needs. 17-30 and 51-65 years – the Red bars vs the Green bars.
Training needed by age
If you present the data as the percentage of riders, by age, requiring training, a rather odd profile emerges.
Having stared at it for some time, and initially considering it as two separate distributions, a ‘light bulb’ moment.
You might have come across Dunning-Kruger before. It’s the journey from:-
‘Unconsciously incompetent’ to ‘Unconsciously competent’
The theory has been applied across many different fields. In this case the ‘Y’ axis is ‘training required’ – incompetence not confidence. However, it does look like younger riders don’t seem to be looking for more training, so could be over confident?
If you flip the graph, competence is shown to peak at 41-45 years. It then deteriorates as we move into later life.
It maybe a bit misleading, as the scheme is aimed at ‘born again‘ bikers, who have a big experience gap. And these will be riders who mainly felt they needed more training.
The riders over 50 will likely not have had any formal training or a pursuit licence test, so are essentially a different group, who are mostly untrained.
Modules taken
So what additional training was found to be needed to get riders up to standard?
You can see there is no particular training needs identified. They are various. Training needs are across a wide spectrum.
‘Cornering‘ tops the chart, followed by ‘Planning‘, ‘DefensiveRiding‘, Progress and Overtaking.
This is where rider needs have been identified, that required extra training.
This identifies ‘Braking‘ as the main need – more than a third of riders, and nearly twice the demand of the next module. Braking from higher speeds is not part of the licence test – just from 30 mph.
Probably circa 50% of riders cannot meet Highway Code braking distances from higher speeds, and many skid and fall in an emergency. It is encouraging that this is recognised and is being addressed.
‘Filtering‘ is the second most popular training module, which is widely known to be hazardous.
Training vs Casualties (KSI).
If you add casualties by age (orange line), you now have a complete data set.
The apparent ‘lack of competence’ of older riders is reflected in the accident figures which are slightly higher. So there looks like there is a relationship between competence, as measured, and the risk of a collision.
Young rider vulnerability is very clear. 10% of riders but 28% of the casualties.
After 30 years of age, KSIs roughly follows the rider population, with a divergence from 40-50, where the accident rate halves, before moving back to a standard KSI percentage.
So is the 40 – 50 group showing the results of experience? Or the peak of physical or mental ability? How much are older new riders part of the problem?
The answer is probably the lack of compulsory learner training and pursuit testing for the older riders, which only became compulsory in 1990.
If you look at the downward slope of the orange KSI line, there is an upward bump at 50 years which coincides with the introduction of CBT. It then continues downwards at the same slope but displaced upwards.
It will be interesting to see if this bump moves further along in the coming years.
Conclusions
It’s difficult to draw firm conclusions, but the data seems to confirm the positive impact of CBT from 1990. The ‘bump’ currently at 50 years should move along year by year?
But that currently leaves older riders at relatively high risk, which still needs addressing.
The high level of KSIs for younger riders is graphically illustrated, with a steep circa 10 year learning curve which also needs urgent action. This surely should be the priority?
The most obvious risk, which could be quickly addressed, is in young riders moving from a moped to a geared 125cc motorcycle with no additional training, despite the significantly increased risk. From a 30 mph automatic, to a >60 mph geared bike.
After 30 years old, the graph shows a steady decline in KSI’s which is probably continuous learning by experience, but at a lower steady rate.
This would seem an ideal opportunity to review learner training and testing (which will be ongoing internally within the DVSA) to address identified shortcomings in training.
Inevitably, any major changes will have to be a political decision. This to balance the accessibility to PTWs, which are currently very high risk, with public safety.
The ERS scheme is currently poorly promoted and consequently very under-utilized, with far too few riders trained to likely have any significant effect. Only circa 1,000/year based on these figures.
The graph also suggests that ‘advanced’ training doesn’t currently fill the lack of learner training within older riders >50 years.
This would appear to support the recent Agilisys report, which found no benefits from advanced training.
Unqualified and unlicensed advanced trainers are currently allowed (probably illegally) to train riders commercially. This puts properly trained qualified and licensed DVSA trainers at a financial disadvantage, but more importantly potentially puts riders at risk,
The argument has always been that The Law states ‘driver‘ not ‘rider‘ trainers have to be DVSA licensed. However the CPS definition of ‘driver‘ is whoever is steering – by legal precedent I understand. This would include ‘riders‘.
This could be implemented today.
The Enhanced Rider Scheme has been around for 19 years and is collecting data which will be used to improve training. The scheme has trained, tested, qualified, licensed trainers. They have a syllabus and standards to work to:- ‘Ride – The Essential Skills’. They are also regularly check tested whilst delivering the training.
It only costs around £1,000 for a week’s training to obtain a DVSA trainer’s license.
Government action is needed to make this compulsory, in the interests of public safety. Motorcycle riders are the most vulnerable road users by a margin, so need the best training available.
The ERS scheme is established and proven, so just needs fully implementing, as I believe was always intended.
We now know what is needed to get riders up to standard, and what the priorities are.
Police BikeSafe assesses circa 7,500 riders per year, with 20% or 1,500 going in to take further training. RoSPA and the IAM also provide ‘advanced’ training by volunteers, although the total numbers are not published, nor any findings.
Are they focussing on the same identified rider’s priority needs to stay safe, and shortcomings?
And as only 1,000 riders/year are being been ERS trained, with a population of 1.7 million older pre CBT riders, we’re all just scratching the surface.
Feedback and opinion encouraged.
Mike Abbott MBA, RoADAR (Dip), DVSA RPMT 800699, ACU Coach #62210
You will need to be accompanied by a parent or guardian if you are under 18. You can start at 14 years old.
You can then start racing at club level and progress from there.
It is very expensive the further you progress, although you can start racing for a season for around £10,000 or less with a cheap bike like a Supertwin. This increases a lot as you progress, with a season in Nationals probably costing over £50,000 for a competitive bike.
If you are very successful you might be able to attract sponsorship to help with costs.
The chances of international success are very very slim, but racing is an incredible feeling, particularly when you win.
It will be painful at times as you will fall and be injured, hopefully not seriously, and there is a small risk of death.
This approach discourages riders from entering corners at high speed and high lean angles. The aim is SIFO – ‘slow in fast out’.
The crucial problem is you’ll cannot brake hard on a banked bike mid corner, so you probably need twice the distance to stop than if the bike was upright.
You enter corners on a wide line on a closed or light throttle. You are at a steady speed and a modest lean angle. You can turn tighter towards the apex when you see it’s safe.
The main fault we know from 14 years track training, is riders turning in too early and then running wide on exit.
When you can see a clear exit, countersteer to turn tighter, briefly increasing your lean angle. Pick the bike up again on a smooth, continuous throttle after the apex. This minimizes the chance of a slide or high side.
If you’ve misjudged the radius of the corner, or your entry speed, you can instantly just turn tighter earlier. You can also do this if you meet an unexpected hazard. Or just stay wide for longer if it’s safer. You have options and escape routes.
Use the rear brake if you need to. This will allow you to slow and turn even tighter, as a last resort, but it needs to be applied gently, and reduced as your lean angle increases.
Introduction
We are responding to the MCIA’s call for a new approach to motorcycle road safety. We have posted on ‘Braking‘ before. This seems to be the priority issue.
The second problem is ‘Cornering‘ on the roads. Riders can lose control on corner entry. They can also lose control mid corner and crash. On exit, the rear wheel can slide. This can cause a potential ‘High Side’ that throws the rider into the air. Alternatively, they might just run off the road.
66% of fatalities are on rural roads. 58% of crashes are reported as not occurring at junctions.
I started as a RoSPA volunteer civilian accessor for BikeSafe in Lincs. The police told me that they get over a dozen biker fatalities in Lincolnshire on corners every year. Not because riders were speeding, but that they were apparently unable to make the corner, panicking and crashing.
I’ve ridden on the road, cornering like this since I started racing in the early 90’s. When I did BikeSafe in 2008 I expected to be criticised for it. And again when I did my RoSPA training and their Advanced Instructor’s course. And again when I had my DVSA riding test to become a Post-Test Trainer. No one ever has. (My ACU Road Race Coaching assessment wasn’t a problem either).
I am sure many others ride like this. But many don’t, having trained over 500 road riders in the last few years.
The advice is ‘Slow in Fast Out’ – ‘SIFO’
Background
We organized a classroom session and an on-road training course on cornering in 2010. We had been delivering RoSPA ‘RideSafe’ courses for 2 years, subsidised by Notts CC.
Rupert Paul from BIKE magazine joined us, and gave the day an encouraging write up. The drawing below then appeared in his book ‘Pass the Bike Test and be a Better Rider‘.
This is ‘squaring off’, made popular by Noriyuki Haga 25 years ago. It’s also similar to Keith Code’s earlier ‘hook’ turn for track riders, which is more brutal. (Twist of the Wrist).
We’ve edited it to add the escape zones that this technique provides for riders, which are critical. These zones are available at any point through the corner.
In 2012 we moved to track-based training for cornering, as it was clearly safer, and started ‘The School’.
The Method
Finish your braking before the corner.
Select a lower gear before entering if appropriate.
Keep your foot just over the rear brake.
Set your speed so you can turn more tightly when you can see the road is clear.
Use a light or closed throttle.
Enter the corner on the outside of the bend for the best view – if it’s safe.
Look through the cornerand turn more tightly towards the apex, when you can see your exit line is clear.
Roll the throttle on smoothly afterthe apex, to pick the bike up
Take as much of your lane as is safe on exit.
You always have the yellow ‘escape zones’, at any time.
If you like leaning a bike, then this is your opportunity to do it safely. You can run as deep into the corner as you want. You can turn as late and as sharply as you want (within reason).
(You actually do this automatically by pushing on the inside bar – counter-steering).
Try and keep your head horizontal, but lean your body with the bike. It’s your eyes that contribute most to balance.
Accelerating on Exit
You need to be careful when applying the throttle on exit. A ‘High Side’ is more likely on the road due to a poor surface. You could run wide and off the road. Or into oncoming traffic even if you have traction control.
Always roll the throttle on steadily, as the revs build up. If you do lose traction, the bike will slide to the side. You should be able to correct it. You will snap the throttle shut automatically. The wheels should come back into line.
If you have the throttle pinned, the revs will rise instantly. This happens if the tyre loses grip. The revs may even hit the rev limiter as the engine climbs up the power curve. The bike will slew violently sideways. When you shut the throttle, the tyre will dig in, flipping you off the bike and into the air.
You could rely on traction control if your bike has it – but I wouldn’t. The danger is you’ll come to rely on it, and come unstuck on a bike that doesn’t have it. You’ll never learn to ride properly. On earlier bikes we’ve found it won’t necessarily stop a fall at high lean angles, but should prevent a ‘high side’.
If you have traction control, then on the road consider setting it at least one below the ‘race’ or the lowest setting. Like the ABS coming on, regard any activation as ‘rider error’.
Personally I never trust computers. When we went from analogue to digital in the last century, we were assured there would never be any errors…. It would either work or not.
God help us with AI (which is usually ‘machine learning’ – they’re not that bright).
Gear Selection
Consider changing gear before entering corners. Don’t be lazy.
Most rural corners are best taken in 4th gear on larger bikes, although you may need to go down to 2nd or even 1st just before a tight or hairpin bend.
This gives you more control and a better drive out.
You can pull the clutch in and blip the throttle, matching the gear and revs with your road speed as you’re changing down. (Sequential down shifting). This makes life easier on the clutch and gearbox. It was also essential when racing, before slipper clutches, to avoid locking the rear wheel.
You don’t need to do this if you have a slipper clutch. But do it anyway as you need the skill to ride bikes that haven’t. And it saves wear on the clutch. In any event, always let the clutch out slowly to avoid locking the rear wheel.
You brake with your left two fingers and blip the throttle with two outside fingers.
It takes some practice to get right, but it is very satisfying. And makes some more noise for those of us with louder exhausts. (My old KTM also pops and bangs rather satisfyingly on the overrun).
It’s also ‘good practice’ to do this when you’re slowing at junctions too, if done properly. It assures that you’re always in the most appropriate gear.
Yes, I know you were told to ‘block change’ as you came to a halt. It’s simply easier, but poor practise.
You may need to accelerate briskly away from a hazard, which you can’t in a high gear at low speed.
Rear Brake
It is sensible to have your foot ready over the rear brake. Press steadily down if you want to reduce speed at any time in an emergency. This will also allow you turn even tighter if you need to. You’ll need to steadily release it as your lean angle increases to avoid skidding.
Bear in mind engine braking will also be working alongside the rear brake. A big twin or single with higher engine braking will have more effect. They will have more effect than a large 4-cylinder bike.
You should be able to brake quite firmly up to around 24 degrees of lean (0.4g grip). This will vary dependent on machine, tyres etc. Leaning further will need you to gradually release the rear brake, to avoid a lock up. This is rear brake only!
Using the rear brake also transfers some weight onto the front tyre, sharpening the steering and providing more front-end grip. This will also help to tighten the turn.
Front Brake
Avoid using the front brake in corners as it straightens the steering and stands the bike up. And a front wheel skid usually results in a fall. However, a rear wheel skid can usually be recovered if the rider releases the brake.
You can use the front brake, but only in an emergency, leaving it on as you turn in. The bike will resist turning, and try to stand up, so you will likely run wide. Doing this routinely as racers do, puts riders at very high risk, due to faster corner entry speeds, a variable road surface, and no safety margin.
If you try using the front brake mid corner you will likely skid and fall, or the bike will stand up and run wide. The official advice is only use it if you have space to stand the bike up, brake and run wide. The problem applying the brake mid corner, as opposed to trailing it in, is the lack of weight and grip on the front tyre. So it needs a very gentle application and great care, or a skid and fall is very likely.
Using just the rear brake is safer.
Hopefully this method will avoid riders having to learn by experience (trial and error). It’s painful, usually involves visits to A&E, and lots of bits of broken coloured plastic – from experience.
This is the basis of cornering lines from our track training courses, on which the advice is based.
The advice is to consider using the green line.
The red line shows what happens when you turn in too early.
The yellow line tends to be the usual ‘fast riders’ line. The bike is at maximum lean for most of the corner. No room for error. No safety margin. You’re committed from the point of entry.
Cornering Issues
From experience, there are 4 main problems when cornering, which this method seeks to address:-
Misjudging entry speed – in too fast.
Turning in too early.
Taking RH corners leaning into the oncoming lane.
Failing to spot a hazard on the road surface, or having to avoid other mid corner hazards.
Misjudging Entry speed – intoo fast
Problems with corners often occur because riders misjudge their entry speed. They find the bend is longer, or tightens mid-corner. They try to brake and fall. Or simply panic and run wide.
There is a good section on judging entry speed using the ‘Limit point’ or ‘Vanishing point’ in Police Motorcycle Roadcraft. It is the furthest point of continuous tarmac you can see. A road hazard may be hidden in a dip. You might also be misled by looking at hedges, fences, telegraph poles, etc. You could wrongly assume they follow the road. Sometimes, they don’t.
There is one local junction where two riders I’ve trained ended up on the grass verge, luckily without falling. The hedge line is misleading, and the bend is on the brow of a hill at a junction.
The limit point starts to move around the corner as you approach it. With practice you can use this to judge the tightness of the bend and set your entry speed.
There is a tendency for some riders to want to go around corners as fast as they can. They assume that the faster they go in, the faster overall they will be. Wrong.
We see this on-track all the time.
We’ve nearly all been too enthusiastic at some time or another, or been caught out through not paying attention.
With this method you are already entering at a speed intending to turn in more tightly. You can do this when you can see the exit is clear. So a tightening bend, and most hazards, should be avoidable.
Turning too early
Turning in too early can lead to running wide on exit. It’s a problem both on road and track. It can also be a panic reaction when riders feel they are going too fast. Or due to a lack of confidence that the bike will turn in time.
The rider then cannot turn in as they are too close to the inside kerb. Or too close to the centre line on RH corners. Their view is also restricted.
As the bike gets to mid corner, it then starts to run wide, heading towards the scenery. Or across the centre line, possibly into oncoming traffic.
The rider now has to turn more sharply to stay in the lane. This is after they should have apexed and accelerated away. Dependent on speed, ability, luck and confidence, they may be unable to.
Leaning across the centre line on RH corners
The suggested method allows you to lean over into the opposite lane only when you can see it’s clear. But it’s safer to keep all of you and your bike in your lane. Never cut corners by riding over the centre line. It’s too risky generally and tends to become a dangerous habit.
If you are leaning into the incoming lane and a vehicle suddenly appears, you will be at serious risk. You have to immediately bring the machine upright, and then lean it back over again. There may not be sufficient room on the road for this.
If the rider tries to turn the bars to the left away from the oncoming vehicle, which they may do in panic, the opposite will happen and the bike will turn tighter into the oncoming vehicle (counter-steering).
Even if the rider has avoided the vehicle, they are still left heading towards the scenery. This will usually require the rear brake to be applied. You then need to get the bike back over again.
The alternative, only when the bike is upright, is to apply the front brake smoothly. If there is enough space.
Best keep within your lane?
Failing to see a Hazard
This can be a simple lack of attention. Or an unexpected hazard – pot hole, gravel, mud, diesel, oncoming vehicle cutting the corner, etc. etc.
Sometimes surface hazards are not obvious until you get close. A pedestrian or vehicle can also appear ‘from nowhere’. A horse may be just out of sight. A dog. A deer. A scaffold board from off a truck. An oncoming vehicle may cut the corner or run wide. The list is nearly endless.
It’s the ‘unexpected’ nature of the hazard that is often the root cause of crashes.
The suggested method should allow you to change course quickly to avoid hazards. You have options. Both ways. You will probably be in, or close to, the RH or LH car wheel track, which tend to be clear of debris. But you may have to avoid turning tighter towards the apex and stay wide if there is mud etc mid lane.
Or you may have to turn tighter earlier to avoid a hazard on your path. You are planning to turn tighter anyway.
Below are two illustrations from the New South Wales Riders Handbook regarding oncoming vehicles.
If you’re in the habit of entering corners as fast as you dare, you will have few options.
Leaning the Bike
Many riders are worried about leaning the bike, and the tyres losing grip and sliding.
On a fairly decent road surface, you can usually lean the bike to 45 degrees safely, with a 30% grip safety margin. 55 degrees is probably the limit for most bike and tyre combinations – (not cruisers which can deck out at 25 degrees).
In an emergency, you can probably lean the bike until something scrapes. This is usually the footrests, which are designed to hit first as a warning. They then fold up to prevent the wheels from being lifted off the ground. Many have ‘hero blobs’ under the footrests that scrape first, but are sometimes unwisely removed.
When you lean far over for the first time, many riders seem to confuse the suspension sinking under the centrifugal force, with the tyres sliding. We’ve often heard riders saying they ‘lost the rear’, when it was just the suspension compressing.
However, it’s not sensible to habitually ride at steep lean angles. 35 degrees is probably the maximum for the road, giving you a good safety margin.
If you’re not confident of leaning the bike, you are at high risk.
Don’t Panic
There are two usual mid corner panic reactions.
The first is to hit the brakes. If you snatch the front brake, you will likely skid and fall. Even if you have ABS, if you squeeze the front brake, then the bars will twist, sometimes violently. The bike will sit up and run wide.
If you stamp on the rear brake it will also likely skid and you may fall. However, with ABS or gentle pressure the bike slows allowing you to turn tighter at the same lean angle.
The second panic reaction is to think the bike is falling inwards or sliding, and the rider jerks the handlebars into the corner to bring the bike up. Again, you will run wide.
If you find yourself going too fast, or needing to turn tighter, just look where you want to go, not where you don’t. Press gently on the rear brake and push on the inner bar to counter-steer the bike into the corner. Practice this carefully until it becomes automatic in an emergency.
Official Guidance
There is a lack of diagrams from the DVSA, or in the latest Police Motorcycle Roadcraft. In the 70’s version, this was simply the largest continuous radius back to the centre of the lane.
But look carefully, and you’ll see the danger if the bend is longer than you thought, or tightens. You’ll have to brake or run wide over the centre line, or through the scenery.
Maybe this was why it was dropped?
If you use the suggested method, you simply stay wide at a slower speed until you see the exit. Then turn tighter and accelerate away. Your maximum lean angle is for a short duration at the apex. Not all the way around the corner.
The main difference is the faster rate of turn just before the apex in our suggested later turn in. You can do this simply because frames are stiffer, steering geometry more radical. Tyres are far grippier and engines far more powerful. You can be back up to the speed limit in a second or two.
Maintaining higher corner speeds, which was the best route on older slower bikes when maintaining speed was the aim, is still used in the lower capacity racing classes.
An old DVSA videos shows the ‘Wall of Death’ line, around the outside of the corners, again leaving little room for error.
Check your Lean angle
You can check your lean angle using a phone App or a data logger. We use the KurvX system, which displays your maximum lean angle shortly after the corner. The display goes to red if you’ve leaned over 35 degrees.
You can then play back your route and back check your lean angles on corners, which are colour coded. Best to stay out of the red on the road.
This is a few steady laps at Cadwell Park, but it’s also useful to be able to check your road riding. Really useful feedback for training on road or track.
Potholes are everywhere, mainly due to poor reinstatement by utility companies, and badly laid or worn out roads.
Gravel comes mainly from road break up, or driveways and accesses, or road resurfacing.
Mud from field entrances or from farms – watch out for farm signs.
Diesel is mainly found on roundabouts near fuel stations, and oil on the ‘sump lines’ at traffic lights – the centre of the lanes near the stop lines, where cars, buses and trucks drop their oil.
Worn Top Dressingand Overbanding you can see from patches or lines of shiny tar, which can be very slippery when it’s hot, as the surface can melt, as well as in the wet.
Braking is often a cause of crashes as riders panic. The advice is just relax – easy to say – and ride smoothly, just using your rear brake, not the front, and only if you need to slow.
Wet Roads are more slippery, but as long as you apply your front brake smoothly and carefully, there is usually enough grip to get the rear wheel in the air. However the advice is 70/30 front/rear which should be safer.
Applying your rear brake first in any situation can tell you how much grip is available.
A rear skid is usually recoverable, a front skid usually not.
Continuing with the theme that many motorcycle riders can’t stop, here’s some more research.
There are significant differences between machines dependent on the braking system fitted.
1. No rider braking aids
2. CBS. Combined Braking System – rear brake applies front brake – usually 50%. (Can also mean that the front brake operates the rear brake as well maintained for stability)
3. Independent ABS
4. Integrated ABS
5. CBS + either ABS system.
ABS was compulsory from 2016, with CBS an alternative for A1 125 cc machines.
(Early ABS systems don’t have tilt control etc so riders can still ‘capsize’ and skid when braking in corners).
The greatest effect of most CBS systems is the effectiveness of applying the rear brake goes from 51% to 70% of braking.
Independent ABS on its own makes no difference, but integrated ABS allows the rear brake alone to provide the highest rate of braking at 121% (of the braking provided by locked tyres). Adding CBS to integrated ABS makes it worse – back to 75%?
Do you know which system is fitted to your motorcycle?
Are you aware of the differences?
In emergencies, if you have your foot covering the rear brake and apply it immediately (which is against DVSA advice), you should stop in a shorter distance as your reaction time is far shorter.
If your bike has an integrated ABS system, this is even more effective as it doubles your rate of deacceleration while you shut the throttle and reach for the front brake lever.
The difference from 60 mph can be a reduction in impact speed of 15 mph or more, or best case stopping in time or a 40 mph impact.
I’m trying to get the DVSA advice changed, which simply looks historical.
This is 15 year old research, so newer systems may perform differently.
Citation: Anderson, B., Baxter, A., and Robar, N., “Comparison of Motorcycle Braking System Effectiveness,” SAE Technical Paper 2010-01-0072
PTW’s are limited to around 0.9 g as they tip up, so riders usually already have far more stopping power than they can use.
According to DVSA advice, engine braking should be used primarily on descents to regulate speed, not for braking as such. Engage a low gear before the descent.
The problem is the risk of skidding when changing down if you’re clumsy or don’t blip the throttle, although slipper clutches solve this.
So the official advice is instead to use block changing as you come to a halt, waiting to click down through the gears.
However, the problem is you’ll not be able to accelerate out of trouble easily in higher gears if you need to. Best to change down sequentially – but it’s not generally taught.
In normal braking many riders use engine braking – but it varies by machine. To have the greatest effect riders need to change down sequentially as they slow.
You need to let the clutch back out slowly to avoid jerking or skidding, or better still blip the throttle. It takes practise to perfect, is very satisfying, (particularly if your bike pops and bangs on the overrun) but riders need to appreciate the risks of locking the rear wheel and over-reving the engine.
This used to be standard racing practice, which uses all the rev range.
If you have a slipper clutch fitted, then the wheel won’t lock, and you can just stamp down through the gears. Some bikes also have auto blippers, but that’s cheating.
Sequential down shifting ensures that you’re always in the optimum gear, and saves wear on the brakes, but needs care and practise.
It’s not sensible to rely on in an emergency, as it loses effect as the machine slows, and also lifts the rear of the bike up, raising the centre of mass potentially reducing how hard you can brake.
In an emergency, using the rear brake, not engine braking, compresses the suspension, lowering the centre of mass, which means the bike is less likely to tip up.
The MCIA ‘Elite’ training provider and ACU-accredited British Superbike School (BSS), is launching a new national on-road coaching scheme delivered exclusively by professional DVSA licenced Post-Test Trainers.
The new training has been launched in direct response to recent reports by Agilisys for National Highways and others, which couldn’t identify any benefits from the current provision of ‘advanced’ training programmes. Instead, they found higher speeds, different crashes, and a greater tendency for riders to blame others, and to drop the bike.
The problem is that ‘advanced’ driving has been based on Police Roadcraft originating from the 1930’s, with motorcycles added in the 1970’s, and is often blighted by the focus on ‘making good progress’ via the passing on of unwritten hazardous ‘emergency response’ and ‘pursuit’ practices. It fails to understand that Police riders are carefully selected, intensively and continually trained, and ride 100’s of miles most days at high speed on a marked bike. This doesn’t fit civilian riders, who should never be in a hurry.
We now have the DVSA who are responsible for training and testing.
According to the Dft, motorcycle safety has not improved for over a decade. The latest figures show fatalities up by 13%. This is despite ABS being compulsory since 2016 and the new ARAS (Advanced Rider Assistance Systems). Over 2 years ago the MCIA’s CEO, Tony Campbell, quoted – “the definition of insanity is doing the same things over and over again, but expecting different results.”
The BSS’s new training scheme is based on solid science from Cossalter’s ‘Motorcycle Dynamics’, DVSA and Roadcraft standards, research, data, and coaching experience acquired over 17 years. It focuses on ‘machine control’, which breeds confidence, as panic is probably the common root cause of most collisions.
Once riders know how bikes really work, how best to corner and brake, how to react in an emergency, and have practised, maintaining control suddenly becomes a whole lot easier.
The training addresses common rider shortcomings and needs, identified by international research and from data supplied by the DVSA, collected via their ‘Enhanced Rider Scheme’.
It also draws on knowledge from KurvX data logging, revealing rider shortcomings, particularly high-speed emergency braking, which has not been consistently taught and is rarely practised, is not part of the licence test and has been bypassed by most ‘advanced’ training.
‘Attitude’ has also been found to play a big part, reinforced following a workshop with MIRA test riders last year. ‘Behaviour’, is determined by ‘Attitude’, but takes time for any changes to materialise. This is already embedded in the DVSA aspects of the training.
The 17 years of coaching experience have been acquired by training Blood and Fire Bike riders, Journalists, Test Riders and specialist Police Riders. Much has been on-track, where root causes of ‘Loss of Control’ have been examined and addressed. Research and testing are continuing in partnership with Cardiff University.
In short, the new BSS training intends to instigate a fundamental refocusing of old ‘advanced’ training practices onto addressing the root causes of collisions – panic and a loss of control – away from ‘clever’ riding towards ‘common sense’.
Coaches assess your riding and hazard identification (via radio, which is mandatory for safety reasons), correct your responses, build your confidence, improve your level of control, aiming to become the voice you hear when they’re no longer there.
ENDS
Image attached.
For further information contact Mike Abbott at British Superbike School 07939 041606 mike@britishsuperbikeschool.co.uk
(Please note this differs from official DVSA or Police Motorcycle Roadcraft advice – if in doubt refer to ‘Riding – The Essential Skills’ and follow that advice).
Consider riding not only riding at all times with your foot over the rear brake pedal, but also two fingers resting on the front brake lever whenever you can. This potentially saves 1 second or more in applying the brakes, which can make a significant improvement in outcome during a crash. Bear in mind it’s usually ‘the unexpected’ that will get you.
Always consider covering your brakes in response to any potential hazard, by placing your index and middle finger on top of the front brake lever, resting your foot on the rear brake pedal. Extend your your left hand index and middle fingers on top of the clutch lever.
If you have to brake suddenly, roll your hand forward closing the throttle, wrapping your fingers around the lever and squeezing, don’t snatch, the front brake lever applying increasing pressure.
If the wheel locks, immediately release and reapply more gently. At the same time press down steadily on the rear brake with increasing pressure, and again release and reapply more gently if the rear wheel locks. It will need to be gradually released as the weight transfers forwards and the grip reduces. Just initally dabbing the rear brake is an alternative, which needs less thought still.
You may not be able to fully close the throttle, if so pull in the clutch. The engine may be screaming, but it’s not important – stopping is.
The front brake is usually by far the most effective brake, but not so much with CBS (Combined Braking Systems or integrated ABS systems), which greatly improve braking just using the rear brake pedal. But on other mainly older machines, the front brake is the most effective.
If the ABS comes on, keep the brakes applied and let the system bring you to a stop. Only release some pressure if the bike tips up violently and the rear wheel leaves the ground.
Braking hard from speed is similar to doing a handstand for a few seconds whilst adjusting the brake pressures, and steering, balancing, trying to keep the machine straight.
It needs practice.
Introduction
These recommendations are based on basic theory and common sense, and minimises braking distances (Cossalter).
As a rider, if you think you will instinctively brake effectively in an emergency – please think again. You may be mistaken.
Forensic crash investigators have found that circa 50% of riders skid and fall trying to brake in an emergency.
Research has also found only 50% of riders can achieve Highway Code braking distances. With training and practice, many riders can stop in 80% of these distances. Braking effectively can easily be the difference between braking in time, and a serious impact.
You will likely be unaware of these figures, although the research is over a decade old. In some areas the police and others have been addressing the problem. Locally the Lincs police were running courses at Cadwell Park covering emergency braking with Hopp Rider Training. There are also other initiatives that we are aware of.
The problem has been hidden by the inadequate accident investigation system used by the police. They will likely be aware of the problem due to the evidence at the scene where a rider has fallen and slid into a vehicles at ground level, and the scrape marks on the road. There is no specific cause of ‘fell whilst braking’. It’s swept up in ‘Loss of control’ which isn’t particularly helpful. In addition, the failure to brake properly will likely be hidden as it may be unknown.
So this cause will likely end up being misreported in addition as ‘speeding’ or ‘failed to look properly’. There are correct diagnoses of speeding, where the injuries the rider sustained show that the impact was at above the speed limit. But the figures are probably misleading, not helped by a recent survey using traffic cameras that motorcyclists are more likely to be speeding than other road users.
We are often seen as reckless, and our own worse enemies, with some justification.
We’ll have to help ourselves.
Official Advice
None that I can find suggesting covering the front brake – but I might have missed it. I know it’s considered by some to make snatching the brake more likely, so it may have been deliberately ignored. I have seen no evidence to support this. With modern ABS it would make little difference, based on our recent tests with KurvX dataloggers. Initially applying the front brake with two fingers next to the pivot, should make skidding less likely without ABS.
DVSA
The current DVSA advice is to close the throttle. Then apply the front brake before the rear. This makes no sense. Applying the rear brake as you are closing the throttle turns on the brake light probably 1 second earlier. This can be a life saver, as riders are very vulnerable to being struck from behind. You’ve also started to brake, which makes an even bigger difference with linked brakes.
POLICE MOTORCYCLE ROADCRAFT
Closing the throttle first is missed (it was missed in the 1990’s DSA riding manuals as well). Both brakes is suggested, presumably at the same time. It also advises that you release the front brake and apply the rear as you’re coming to a halt. This looks to have been mistakenly carried across from normal braking.
Emergency Straight-Line Braking
This assumes you have ignored the advice above, and are not covering the front brake.
If either wheel locks, release that brake immediately and reapply with less pressure.
If the rear wheel lifts off the ground, release some front brake pressure to stop the bike tipping forwards.
Disengage the clutch as you come to a halt
When banked in a corner, just carefully apply the rear brake.
Dry Roads – the advice is 10% rear brake and 90% front
Wet Roads – 30% rear and 70% front due to less grip.
(Vittore Cossalter – ‘Motorcycle Dynamics’)
Emergency Braking in a corner
Be Prepared
You should consider rolling off the throttle at any time in response to hazards. Cover the front brake with your index and middle finger. This will reduce your reaction time and braking distance significantly. You can then apply both brakes at the same time.
Riders of classic bikes with cable brakes should be aware of the risk of their little finger and ring finger getting trapped between the lever and the bar. This can happen due to cable stretch. So they should use all 4 fingers. Riders need to check there is clearance on all machines so their outside fingers won’t get trapped by the lever.
This could save circa a second or more in front brake reaction time in an emergency. It makes locking the front wheel less likely, as the rider starts with two fingers near the pivot. They can then be joined after by two more fingers further away, which can offer more power if needed.
Consider lightly touching the rear brake to operate your rear brake light if there is another road users close behind in hazardous situations. Watch the front wheel of cars at junctions for the first sign of them pulling out in front of you.
Consider riding while cruising with two fingers (index and middle) resting on top of the front brake lever. This lets you apply it quickly if needed. You will also close partially at least the throttle as you stretch your fingers forward to grasp the lever (not automatics without a clutch).
However, dependent on the design, it can make it difficult to fully shut the throttle. Pulling in the clutch smartly will ensure it doesn’t affect braking. Yet, it could leave the engine racing.
This should significantly shorten braking distances as the front brake is applied immediately. However, if you haven’t practiced, the front brake might be snatched. This needs to be balanced against stopping far more quickly.
Research has shown emergency braking competence is not related to rider experience. If riders are not taught properly, many will probably never be able brake properly, putting them at high risk.
Practice using a Phone App
You can use a free phone App such as iAccel Lite to test your braking ability. It shows initial speed, distance to stop and average braking g force, which should be 0.67g minimum to meets Highway Code braking distances. The theoretical limit is 1g after which most bikes will start to tip up. The best riders can stop in 80% of the published distances.
PRACTICE USING A DATA LOGGER
These are graphs from a KurvX datalogger from a test day at Blyton Park. The Kurvx system can also be used for cornering feedback and training.
This has the advantage of being able to see the braking force applied by the rider through the braking cycle, and where improvements can be made. You can see from the second graph that the rider failed to apply the brake hard enough initially.
Practise, Practise, Practise
If your bike doesn’t have ABS, do not practice alone due to the risk of falling.
It is vital that you practice emergency braking repeatedly to create the required ‘muscle memory’, so your response become automatic. This should avoid an uncontrolled panic reaction, which currently means circa 50% of riders in an emergency lock the front wheel , skid and fall.
Even with ABS, many riders can simply fail to apply the brakes firmly enough, usually due to previous or current experience on bicycles.
If the ABS activates, the rider has braked too hard, or more likely initially too harshly. There is no evidence that ABS actually minimises braking distances, although it is a vital safety aid.
If the ABS does activate, releasing and reapplying the brakes will probably increase the braking distance.
We’ve tested the latest ABS technology, and it’s far better than it was. You can brake with the tyres screaming. But it’s better that your technique doesn’t activate it. You may ride a bike without ABS in the future, and will need the skills.
Gradually build up, braking harder as your confidence grows, always ready to release the lever immediately if the front wheel locks. Once the forks have compressed, and the weight has transferred, which probably takes around a second, you can usually squeeze the lever as hard as you can without the wheel locking.
In theory it takes 200 repetitions, after which the memory and reaction becomes permanent and automatic. This is easier to achieve safely and quickly on a track.
As most of the speed is lost at the end of braking, the difference between the best and worst rider as tested, is the difference between stopping in time from 60 mph, or a 40 mph potentially fatal impact.
Most track riders and racers already have this built-in, as it only takes a day’s racing or a trackday for this to become embedded into the rider’s behaviour.
If you change your bike, consider practicing again, particularly if it is an older machine without ABS.
Why this sequence?
It’s important to brake as quickly and hard as possible to avoid collisions or minimise impact speeds.
The rear brake should be applied first (or together with the front brake if you can). This is because the rider’s foot is usually positioned directly above the rear brake pedal. The foot can also be slid forward and down in a single movement.
This operates the brake light immediately while the throttle is being closed.
Applying the rear brake also compresses the rear suspension, lowering the centre of mass. This will allow the front brake to be more effective. What limits a motorcycle stopping is it will tip up.
The rear brake usually only provides only around 40% of braking. It’s important to apply the front brake as soon as you can.
The rear brake starts the braking process right away. It also initiates the crucial weight transfer onto the front tyre. This maximizes the braking. This makes locking the front wheel less likely. It also squats the machine down, lowering the centre of mass which also helps.
On bikes with linked brakes, this also activates the front brake, giving you circa 70% of the available braking.
The front brake initially provides about 60% of braking. This can increase to 100% as the weight transfers forwards.
The best ration of front to back braking is probably circa 90/10 for most machines. This keeps the bike lower, allowing it to stop more quickly. 70/30 in the wet as there is less grip.
Applying the rear brake first means the bike is already slowing as the rider reaches for the front brake lever. This probably takes circa 0.5 seconds = 44 feet at 60 mph.
The rider should be prepared to immediately release the rear brake if the rear wheel locks. This is not vital unless the machine slews to the side. The situation differs with linked brakes and the style of machine. Notably, cruisers have a more effective rear brake. However, the basic advice is the same for all types of motorcycles.
At the same time, the rider needs to sit up and release the throttle. They should extend their fingers and grasp the front brake lever. Next, they must straighten their arms. Then, apply steadily increasing pressure to the front brake lever. This action transfers more weight forward onto the front tyre. It is crucial to do this without losing front wheel traction. This requires a high degree of skill and practice.
Riders need to be prepared to immediately release and reapply the front brake if the wheel locks. This is usually caused by snatching. Riders need to release some front brake lever pressure if the rear wheel leaves the ground. This can happen particularly as the vehicle comes to a halt. This also requires skill and practice to recognise and respond to.
Wet Roads
Wet roads need more care. Apply the brakes initially more gently. Once the weight is transferred onto the front tyre, it is unlikely to skid unless there is standing water. Again, 70/30 front/rear braking is suggested.
Braking Mid Corner
Firstly, the advice, if you believe you may need to brake mid-corner in response to a hazard usually caused by too high an entry speed or a tightening corner, 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 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 turned, 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 when the rider could have got around easily had they had the confidence. If you’re not confident leaning the bike, then get some on-track training where you can practice in relative safety.
Rear Brake
It needs to be applied very carefully, as the weight is transferred off the rear tyre onto the front, so has a double negative effect on the level of grip.
However, the rear brake increases the ability for the bike to turn as weight is transferred onto the front tyre, which is doing the steering. The bike slows, squats and pitches slightly forward, sharpening the steering angle marginally, The rear tyre is likely to slip sideways, which is an old race bike trick for quicker cornering. This is like ‘oversteer’ in a car.
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 the outcome 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.
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 panic response. This results from the machine being steered more tightly into the corner, which has the opposite effect from counter-steering. Or from applying the front brake when banked, as this pushes the bike outwards (yaw).
Riders can apply the front brake lightly very lightly mid-corner in an emergency. It is potentially more effective than the rear, as most machines are designed with a slight front wheel weight bias. However, it affects the steering, straightening it, potentially ‘sits the bike up’ which can make the bike run wide, which can be more risky. The rider will need to push on the inside bar at the same time, counter-steering to stop the bike running wide. This increases the lean angle so uses up even more grip.
It is an opposite situation from the rear brake. The more front brake, the greater the grip as the weight is transferred forwards, but it needs a very smooth application.
Using the front brake in corners needs very careful training and practice, so is probably best left to professional trainers on a race track, 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 mid-corner in an emergency.
Using the front brake carefully in a corner has potentially the greatest effect, but requires a high degree of skill and practise.
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.
Trail Braking
Additional training in ‘trail braking’ into corners in an emergency could be of considerable benefit to riders, which we cover at The School. But it’s an advanced riding ‘failure to plan ahead’.
Racers consistently trail the front brake into many corners. They gradually release the front brake pressure as their lean angle increases, with the brake being finally released sometimes just as the throttle is opened on corner exit.
This leaves virtually no safety margin. It is totally unsuitable for road riders to use as a routine. But it is 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 situations. When you enter the corner with the front brake applied, the extra weight is already transferred onto the front tyre, so it already has the ability to produce significantly more grip.
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 very careful application of the front brake.
Again, if in any doubt, it is recommended road riders should just use the rear brake when banked.
Always take care, and keep within your capabilities and confidence limits.
Good to see data analytics being promoted, and the establishment of a new Road Safety Investigation Branch, who hopefully will be looking at ‘black box’ data.
Great to see training and testing being reviewed. Hopefully emergency braking from 60 mph will be included. According to DVSA figures it currently takes 24 years for 80% of riders to become competent, so room for improvement? Young riders are at very high risk.
It would be good to see technology address reaction times with auto closing or trigger throttles (and heel and toeing for cars etc). Could reduce impact speeds by 10-20 mph.
Good to see a Road Policing Review. Enforcement is next to non-existent so good to see this being addressed. Maybe using traffic cameras to warn drivers or riders of their behaviour?
Sad to see E-Scooters still being considered after >50 deaths and probably >1,000 serious injuries. 80% were avoidable as they are 5 x more hazardous than any other form of transport (TRL and WMG reports).
No recognition of young rider issues. 40% of fatalities <19 are underage, more won’t have a licence. Very steep learning curve.
National Guidelines and Lifelong Learning welcomed, and supporting THINK!
Interesting to see new Safety Performance Indicators (SPIs), however the obsession with ‘speeding’ continues, despite it being only a factor in 16% of collisions.
Speeding appears twice, as it’s an overall SPI as well as being specific to motorcycles.
‘Dangerous riding/driving’ is completely missing, despite being a recorded factor in 33% of collisions, twice as high as speeding.
The government’s current ‘hidden strategy’ for motorcycles is currently outlined on National Highway’s BikeTrek website, having employed unlicensed trainers from an unapproved company to encourage ‘Track to Road – Push your Performance’ riding (from their advertising), in flagrant breach of current official advice from the DVSA and NPCC via Roadcraft.
Hopefully this will now be taken down, commonsense will prevail, and the licensing of all commercial motorcycle trainers enforced to stop these and ‘emergency response’ and ‘pursuit’ behaviours from being continually passed on to the public.
This is a short summary from a number of proposals from MAG, BMF, MCIA, NMC etc.
A link to the Government paper is below, while consulations continue.
Simplified Licensing:
Lowering age thresholds for A1 (125cc) and A2 (35kW icenses, potentially from 17 to 16 for A1, and from 19 to 18 for A2,
Training Focus:
Moving away from repeated CBT renewals towards a more progressive “CBT Plus” system, ensuring skill development
Assessment Over Testing:
Replacing some tests (like Mod 1 & 2) with practical assessments, potentially after two years on a license, for upgrades.
Direct Access (DAS):
Reducing the Direct Access age from 24 to 21 for a full A license.
E-Scooter Integration:
Introducing a new license category for e-scooters and small electric vehicles for 14-year-olds.
Why These Reforms?
High Fatality Rate: Motorcyclists are disproportionately represented in road deaths (21% of fatalities for 1% of traffic)
Complex System: The current system is seen as complicated, hindering access.
COMMENTS
Overall, very welcome and sensible, making PTWs more accessible, along with parallel changing in training.
Emergency braking from 60 mph needs to be included in training and testing for A1 and above.
All commercial motorcycle training needs to be regulated, as with all other vehicles. Excepting only the most hazardous form of transport from regulation and oversight makes no sense.
Very worrying to see step on E-Scooters included, not banned, despite >50 mostly avoidable deaths and probably >1,000 avoidable serious injuries, and damming reports from TRL and WMG commissioned by the last government. Common sense needs to prevail here.
E-Scooters are flawed by design, take twice as long to brake than the Highway Code standard, cannot mount a 100mm kerb, cannot carry shopping safely – a back pack makes braking more difficult and hazardous. They also use more energy than an E-Cycle which you have to pedal, which can achieve standard braking distances, carry shopping safely and mount a standard kerb, and have a greater range.
Fatal collisions start at only 9 mph, although a simple fall can be enough.
E-Cycles would be 300% safer according to the research. Adding trigger throttles avoids having to pedal, and would allow riders to ride cover their brakes at all times, like cyclists, reducing reaction times by circa 1 second, potentially avoiding many collision or achieving a 10 mph reduction in impact speed (No need to close a twist grip throttle before braking).
British Superbike School 