BS37066 wrote on 12/31/69 at 16:00:01:I got my braking ideas from reading Nick Ienatsch and Lee Parks.
I've had braking ideas before too, but I became a firm believer in the MSF techniques after I took the course. They quickly dispelled a lot of my acquired bad habits....one of which, for me, was using the front brake too much.
It is never safe to rely on just the rear brake, and it is even worse to plan your braking in a curve rather than before...
The MSF technique is called "Slow, Look, Lean, Roll" which is what you'll see the pros do as they line up for a curve in a race. They Slow before the curve, Look where they want the bike to go, Lean into the curve, and Roll on the throttle to keep the forward power.
Just remember that any braking puts more force on the front wheel and less on the rear. That "lightens" the rear and makes the wheel easier to lock up. When you are in a curve, the inertia of the bike is toward the outside, which is why you lean. Then when you Roll on the throttle you also counteract that inertia by putting forward force on the rear wheel to push you through the curve.
If you are braking with the rear in a curve, the rear could lock up and that inertia will "low side" you off the road or across the other lane....and the physics is pretty much the same with the front brake, but a "high side" usually hurts more.
Now, I know that we all do it. We aren't pros and everyone of us has used the brakes in a curve for one reason or another. All I'm saying is that it is not a good practice to rely on that technique. Both brakes are best used together, and never in a curve.
BTW - ever watched any flat track races? Most of those bikes don't even have brakes.