Quote:
Originally Posted by peekay
Bottom line I guess is learn to use 2 fingers for normal riding, but train / condition yourself to use full 4-finger-panic-braking for emergency situations.
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At the risk of being completely
I'll launch into the debate.
The problem with this theory is when do you know that an emergency is an emergency? It could happen that you are braking with 2 fingers but then the situation requires harder braking and you need all 4 fingers to do an emergency stop. In that situation, you would need to pretty much get all fingers off to wrap the 4 fingers back around to ensure full leverage of the brake lever...
The practice I was taught (rightly or wrongly) applies to 95% of the motorcycling population and it is be prepared for an emergency everytime.
When riding overland, and this is where I disagree with Ted (respectfully of course) is that you are on the road and it is unpredictable, this means that you don't have control of your environment. Keep following my logic... So unlike in a motorcross race where the traffic and conditions are controlled where you have a short brake lever for 2 finger braking to permit use of accelerator and keep bar control, on the road in normal touring mode this motorcross race technique is rarely going to help, and will not provide the security and stopping power in an emergency.
I think we've uncovered two different techniques and their applications rather than two schools of thought.
1) 4 finger braking for full length levers in 95% of on-road in traffic conditions
2) 2 finger braking for 1/2 length levers when riding motorcross or off-road
and to cover the 5%
3) Experienced off road riders who don't ever need emergency braking or who's technique is next to god like, you can use 2 finger braking.
Oh and for the record, when you use 4 fingers, you don't loose control of the bar because (thanks to evolution) we have an opposable digit called the THUMB.
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