Rear brake pedal while standing downhill

[surfer-dude]

Some observations about my own setup are that when fully stomped my pedal is still a little higher than my lowback fastway peg. You dont need nothing fancy, just set it up and get used to it.
About technique:
I dont think you should ever stick your foot out sideways when on the pegs, it just sounds like your asking for injuries that way. just slide your foot back and then you also have those extra foot joints helping you with balance and bike control. I also forgot to stress, always be standing in the attack position, just like eloc was saying, stay in the attack position even up the steepest hills.
Im not a racer, but i still practice those turns, and ruts and stuff. I dont know why, i just do.
i just got done sanding burn residue off of my muffler tip, this is from being way back on the bike going down the big steep stuff:
Sometimes you cant go slow down hills like barrys video shows, cuz sometimes it’s necessary to jump down cliff faces to the transitions. But the slow stuff will build confidence.
One of my favorite things on any bike since i was a kid is doing big fast powerslides to stop and say wattsup!
?☠️?

[Goatse]

16 hours ago, digitalzombie said:

1) You should stand up

2) Put weight on the back of the bike, butt towards the rear like how a mountain biker would do a decent. This puts the arches of your feet on the back of the pegs.

3) You should run your brake pedal level with the foot peg.

When I took the Chris Birch Advanced Enduro class, he suggest a bit above parallel, and stated you have to be able to operate your rear brake without moving your knee (when standing). 

 

So to me, it sounds like if you move your pedal up a touch, and practice using your ankle more, it might be the ticket. I know that I actually started focusing on using my ankles more while riding (after the Birch course) and it actually has helped with more precise control. 

 

As for braking while sitting, you're actually not supposed to have your foot on the peg as well. Because if you're as far up on the tank/seat as you should be, it wouldn't even be possible to do so. Your leg should be locked against the side of your bike for stability and using your ankle again for feel. 

 

 

Just repeating what I've been taught, anyway. 

Edited November 20, 2018 by Goatse

[Dirtstache 556]

I just have to move my right foot to the arch vs. the ball when going down hill if I need to use the rear brake then typically "stomp" it more with my whole leg vs using ankle movement. I'll probably raise the pedal up a bit one of these days to make it easier so standing flat on the arch means brake is depressed about as much as I would want for good feel, then a little more to lock it. 

Pretty much same for me on the shifter. can't reach while on the balls, so when moving forward to the arch it puts my foot right under it then I lift my whole leg to shift and move back to the balls or just stomp it to gear down

[surfer-dude]

My big issue that I'm trying to correct, is when I pop wheelies to hop up & over stuff, I keep locking out my knees. This takes me out of the attack position, and for that split second, it also makes it harder to keep my brake in check. This also has potential to cause injury to my knees.

So since I struggle with it, everytime I go out I spend a few minutes practicing popping wheelies while keeping my knees bent. I even exaggerate the attack position! It's tuff, maybe eloc has a pointer for me....

All the sports I do require you to bend your knees, So when I extend them I lose balance and finese making it easier to tip over. Surfing taught me this, and it carries over to dirt bikes too. 

I keep telling myelf "Bend your knees kook..."

Video taping yourself helps you realize the weak spots in your riding, just like football players going over films.

Edited November 20, 2018 by surfer-dude

[Dirtstache 556]

1 minute ago, surfer-dude said:

My big issue that I'm trying to correct, is when I pop wheelies to hop up & over stuff, I keep locking out my knees. This takes me out of the attack position, and also makes it harder to keep my brake in check. 

So since I struggle with it, everytime I go out I spend a few minutes practicing popping wheelies while keeping my knees bent. I even exaggerate the attack position! It's tuff, maybe eloc has a pointer for me....

All the sports I do require you to bend your knees, So when I extend them I lose balance and finese making it easier to tip over. Surfing taught me this, and it carries over to dirt bikes too. 

Bend your knees...

Video taping yourself helps you realize the weak spots in your riding, just like football players going over films.

If you wear knee braces that have hyper extension adjustment put the most extreme one in that won't let you straiten your knee all the way. Won't be fun to walk around in but good for short practice sessions 

[Old Plonker]

15 hours ago, surfer-dude said:

So first of all, I wear the smallest size boot that I can comfortably fit my foot into. This can cause blisters if I run out of gas or have to walk any extended periods so I carry flip-flops. But it also keeps my foot from dragging the brake andbits less of a target to rocks ruts and roots.

Secondly I run my pedal really high so that when it’s pressed all the way down it is about level with my foot peg.

The third thing is that I ride on the ball of my foot, you can see the wear marks on my boot.

Then when going downhills i slide my foot forward so that i can reach the pedal and feather it. You dont wanna lock it up.

I move my feet around on the pegs alot and i also keep my shifter high and use my whole leg to shift.

I set the bike up to have control when doing wheelies and pivot turns. When i used to go to mx coaching i was taught to always squeeze my bike with my knees, but the enduro coaching ive had they tell me to open up a bit and give the bike more room to do it’s own thing, especially in the rocks where its ok to let the bike lean side to side for balance. The most important thing is to practice your balance, this will get you used to your controls, then ride some slow speed wheelies.

 

Im gonna do like firrfighters video says and do a brake snake and try bleeding more often because i do feel brake fade on long downhills. Probly gonna try those dp pads too.

 

?

 

 

This! All of it. (Actually, I don't know about the boot sizing. I've never been that fastidious.) Hard-won wisdom I'd guess, but practice is what you do if you want to learn bike-control. 

Ride on the balls of your feet. Put the brake pedal where you can reach it while riding a long wheelie or doing a pivot turn. Legs loose to give the bike room to move. And practice everything: balance, pivot turns, braking going down hills, both sitting and standing (sometimes when sitting I would have my heel on the peg so I could pivot my foot for best angle on the brakes). You'll never find one perfect position for the brake pedal for all conditions, so,  like @surfer-dude says, set you pedal high and practice moving your feet around on the pegs as conditions change.

[arc2arc]

All of the above suggestions go out the window as soon as you need to brace with your right foot while navigating a tight right hander on the steep.  If you really feel the need to use the rear brakes on the downhill (I do) make it simple on yourself and instal a left hand rear brake.  Rekluse makes a very nice one that is super simple to instal!

[surfer-dude]

35 minutes ago, arc2arc said:

All of the above suggestions go out the window as soon as you need to brace with your right foot while navigating a tight right hander on the steep.  If you really feel the need to use the rear brakes on the downhill (I do) make it simple on yourself and instal a left hand rear brake.  Rekluse makes a very nice one that is super simple to instal!

 ummm,,, ummmm... PRACTICE!!! 

The only time I wish I had a lhrb is when I got stuck going up a vert cliff face and the bike was near vertical and I was off of it trying to wrestle it into a new line around the boulder that halted my ascent . But I just killed the bike and left it in gear then restarted after I got us into the correct line. Thanks to the beta 500's low seat height, center of gravity, and estart, we're both still here to talk about it without a scratch. My old crf450r woulda probably cartwheeled us both off that cliff. It's happened before on less of a cliff. If you've never seen your bike do a 2&1/2 thru the air off a cliff, and then another 6 or 7 tumbles down a ravine,  let me tell you, it's quite the spectacle that you'll never forget. Those hondas crf450r's are tuff soms a guns.....

Edited November 20, 2018 by surfer-dude

[Goatse]

53 minutes ago, arc2arc said:

All of the above suggestions go out the window as soon as you need to brace with your right foot while navigating a tight right hander on the steep.  If you really feel the need to use the rear brakes on the downhill (I do) make it simple on yourself and instal a left hand rear brake.  Rekluse makes a very nice one that is super simple to instal!

Kill the engine and use your clutch lever to modulate the rear like a LHRB. 

Edited November 20, 2018 by Goatse

[Lozinsx]

2 minutes ago, Goatse said:

Kill the engine and use your clutch lever to modulate the rear like a LHRB. 

This is what I do when faced with an extreme decent.

[firffighter]

Dave Wood is an expert Vet rider. Logs thousands of singletrack miles in remote Idaho each year. His tips are invaluable. Downhill steep switchbacks can be intimidating, but there's some simple techniques that are very useful.

 

[piltoyougram]

Practice makes perfect! You need to practice riding with the balls of your feet on the pegs and the toes of your feet off both peddles (Brake and shift) Does not take much effort to move toes to peddles when needed. Works for me.

[FORMA MOTO]

I cannot modulate my rear brake going down hill without having my heal planted. Not just touching, but planted.

If it's not planted, then the bike will drift to the right when you apply the brake.

So, I nearly always sit down going down a hill where modulation is required most of the way (skid turn, corrections, etc).

My pegs are lowered 20mm (knees, height), and so is my brake pedal. 

Yes my toes and brake pedal are thrashed...

[Professor Plumb]

Don't lean back, bend your elbows and crouch lower - it lowers your centre of gravity and your bent arms act as suspension if the front slips a bit. You'll get more grip that way.

[Dirtstache 556]

1 minute ago, Professor Plumb said:

Don't lean back, bend your elbows and crouch lower - it lowers your centre of gravity and your bent arms act as suspension if the front slips a bit. You'll get more grip that way.

yea I think you only need to lean back on downhills enough to just keep your weight balanced, not hanging off the rear fender. Main goal for me is to keep the front end from dipping too low and doing an endo

[Cullins]

From Dirt Bike a couple years ago. 

Wish I had pictures of the rest of it. 

[Goatse]

50 minutes ago, firffighter said:

Dave Wood is an expert Vet rider. Logs thousands of singletrack miles in remote Idaho each year. His tips are invaluable. Downhill steep switchbacks can be intimidating, but there's some simple techniques that are very useful.

 

Oh man. I need to ride there. 

[arc2arc]

The riding in that video series is impressive!  Love the "turn left to go right" on the downhill switchback. Never tried that.  Now imagine riding those switchbacks with a 25 lb chainsaw on the front fork and a 40 lb pack on you back.  If that's not hard enough consider that your authorization to ride the trail is contingent that a person on the trail 1 week out should not be able to tell a moto was on the trail.  That means if you skid or roost you have to get your butt off the bike and repair the trail tread.  Replace your divots riders!  Keep those trails open. 

I clear trail for the forest service and those are the rules that are defined in my Volunteer Agreement.  In return for being considerate with my use of the trail and providing a service to the district ranger, within the forest district I serve, I can ride on any trail I want.  It is not easy and it requires compromise but it is a sweet deal for all involved!

[66chad]

I have the Clake SLR it’s a fabulous lhrb with the recluse cx radius and have removed the foot brake completely. This I know is not for everyone but I absolutely love it. I have such rear wheel control with this system and can easily lock up the rear brake with one finger. I had several OMG moments for several hours but it’s absolutely automatic now I will never go back to a foot brake. I feel in control now even when I get out of shape on a steep down hill and have to dap my right foot down briefly.

[David McDirt]

or......get a Rekluse and a Clake LHRB setup. Problem solved. Like riding a MTB with a big motor. 

Have had that setup for so long now it’s the only way I can ride