Riding fundamentals

Braking and knowing how to perform an emergency stop is a fundamental skill that will help keep riders safe on the road.

But how do riders know what their skill levels are, and where can they go to learn, practice and further develop these competencies?

Emergency stopping is one of the skills taught by motoDNA through its rider training Digital Academy, who Bendix as a manufacturer and supplier of high-quality brake pads, has proudly partnered with to help boost the capabilities of all riders.

Along with emergency stopping practice, motoDNA has developed other riding drills under its ‘streetSKILLS 101’ program. The program replicates the most common real-world scenarios where accidents are likely to occur, and riders can negotiate the challenges but in a controlled environment.

The drills are also data-driven allowing riders to measure their skill levels compared to thousands of others.

streetSKILLS101 drills

The program consists of a series of drills beginning with the Figure 8.

Figure 8

The Figure 8 can tell a lot about a rider’s capabilities and it’s easier than it looks. The data reveals important aspects of the drill including how the rider uses the throttle, brakes and steering, as well as where and when they look and how they use and position their body in completing the manoeuvre.

Emergency stop

Most motorcycles can slow down at over 1G on the brakes, but our data tells us riders struggle to match their bike's ability. We've found only 10 per cent of riders can achieve the 1G level, making it crucial you practice the emergency stop. There's an important step before this though, which is making sure you have the best mechanical stopping power available, by choosing high quality brakes.

The Bendix Moto range of brakes pads have been engineered with safety and performance in mind and with its Ultimate+ and Street Road Track model lines, Bendix has most motorcycle types covered (cruisers, commuter, sports, trail and tourers), with options to suit many Japanese, European, American and Chinese bike brands.

Once have high quality brakes, practice the emergency stop regularly so you can achieve 1G when you need to.

Avoidance – straight

The third drill is avoidance in a straight line. This tests a rider’s ability to swerve safely to avoid a hazard and come to a stop.

Avoidance – corner

It’s also important to be able to take evasive action in corners, so the fourth drill provides practice in this corner avoidance. Many riders are killed or injured in head-on collisions which can be avoided. It’s a tricky manoeuvre, plus there’s a big difference depending on whether it’s a left or right hand corner.

Balance – slow speed

Balance and slow speed control is the focus of the next drill. These skills are essential for safe lane filtering and slow speed manoeuvres, especially when riding in congested traffic conditions.

U – turn

Drill six covers the U-turn. Gaining sufficient practice in a controlled environment is essential to mastering this skill.

Take off

The final drill is take off. It may sound simple, but it’s still important and fundamental to safe riding.

To discover more about the drills of the streetSKILLS101 program, and how you can get involved in advancing your riding skills, head over to the motoDNA website. And for quality braking solutions for your motorcycle, use the Bendix Moto brake pad finder to be matched with the correct pads for your bike.

Packed with information and an easy-to-use brake pad finder that allows you to search for pads by motorcycle make and model or by part number, Bendix Moto has everything a rider needs to allow them to ride with confidence.