Learn to use the engine

These two phases of the System of Motorcycle Control are linked, the speed can be adjusted without the need to change gear by using ‘Acceleration Sense’, also referred to as ‘Throttle Sense’. Using the brakes will usually require a gear change to occur when losing speed. Many people ride in a higher gear than needed, they use their brakes constantly and upset the balance of the bike. If you find yourself braking often going into a bend or corner, do you need to brake or is it comfort braking and not really necessary?

Learning Points - Speed & Gear Phases

• Slowly build on braking pressure until you fully understand how they work
• Use brakes independently to see what the different characteristics are
• Understand how to correctly use the brakes and gears to slow down 
• Practice using higher revs in lower gears 
• Avoid using the front brake at slow speeds, especially when steering
• Don’t use the front brake when the bike is banked over when cornering
• Never use the rear brake as the primary brake to reduce speed quickly
• You should avoid using the engine as a brake, ie changing down a gear to slow the bike down on the engine alone
• Never snatched or brakes aggressive, always progressive and smoothly