Trail Braking Talk With Bret Tkacs

[advrider]

Some topics cause a lot of controversy amongst motorcyclists, for reasons that aren’t entirely clear. Lanesplitting, for instance—I totally understand why some riders won’t or can’t, but for those who will and want to, why not? And today, we can see Bret Tkac’s take on another occasionally divisive issue: Trail braking. For some reasons, some riders think this shouldn’t be done on the street, or that it’s too advanced a technique for non-track riders. Bret, on the other hand, says this skill should be taught from the very start of a rider’s career.

What is trail braking? I would suggest you watch Bret’s video to get his actual definition and demonstration of this skill. On their part, Wikipedia sums it up as: “Trail braking is a driving and motorcycle riding technique where the brakes are used beyond the entrance to a turn (turn-in), and then gradually released (trailed off).” That’s more-or-less what Bret says, too.

Why would you want to trail brake? Two reasons: For many riders, it potentially allows you to “ride harder” instead of slowing down early to an arbitrary-but-safe speed for tight corners. This idea is what attracts public road Ricky Racers to the practice. However, more experienced and perhaps level-headed riders like trail braking because it also allows more control during cornering, particularly if you enter the corner unable to see the exit point. Probably not a problem in Nebraska or Kansas, but in mountain switchbacks, it’s a very real scenario.

As Bret says: “I never commit to an exit until I see it.” And “On the street, we never ride faster than we can see and stop,” Trail braking will help you control your motorcycle to tackle unknown cornering conditions.

How do you get this skill, then? Note that even Bret, who’s a very experienced rider, is willing to go to other experts to tune up his skillset, but if that’s not an option—maybe a few dozen safety cones to set up a parking lot course might be a start?

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