Get Cornering

30/08/2026

BRAKING, CONTROL, DISTANCES

This is a detailed post because emergency braking cannot responsibly be reduced to a slogan. Please read it in full before commenting or changing the way you use your motorcycle's controls. It forms part of a paper, is subject to copyright laws and is submitted to the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency. dvsa.gov.uk for the development of rider training in the UK.

I want to begin with a practical offer: I am prepared to provide live demonstrations of how to stop a motorcycle effectively from speed, in both wet and dry conditions.

I am writing because I am increasingly concerned by advice telling riders to cover either the front brake or both brakes as they approach junctions. This is often presented as an advanced safety technique, on the basis that another road user may fail to see the motorcycle and that having the controls covered may reduce reaction or stopping time.

In my experience, this advice overlooks a critical part of emergency braking: the rider must first close the throttle positively and completely.

Why throttle closure matters - a motorcycle cannot achieve its best braking performance while the engine is still driving it forward.

When a rider recognises the need to stop, the correct response must begin with closing the throttle. Effective braking should follow immediately, with no unnecessary pause:
1. Close the throttle positively.
2. Apply the front brake progressively and firmly.
3. Apply the rear brake with appropriate pressure.
4. Increase braking pressure appropriately as the motorcycle's weight transfers forward.

These actions occur extremely quickly when properly learned and practised. Saying that throttle closure comes first does not mean introducing a deliberate delay before braking. It means establishing the correct control sequence so that drive is removed before significant braking force is demanded.

Throttle closure should therefore be a trained and automatic response - not something left to chance in an emergency. It is this that I’m prepared to demonstrate and coach as required such is its importance.

My concern about covering the brakes - during more than 25 years of coaching, amounting to approximately 70,000 hours in a wide range of conditions, I have repeatedly observed serious problems when riders are already covering either or both brakes.

When startled and required to stop suddenly, riders who are covering the front brake commonly pull the lever before they have positively closed the throttle. Depending on their hand position and control coordination, they may also:
• retain some throttle while applying the front brake;
• increase the throttle unintentionally as they pull the lever;
• close the throttle initially and then reopen it;
• grab the front brake abruptly;
• stand on the back brake
• apply the back brake first
• apply excessive pressure to the back brake
• apply insufficient pressure to the front brake
• leave the throttle wide open
• apply unbalanced pressure to both brakes
• sn**ch the front brake

The risk is especially concerning when riders are advised to cover both brakes. In a genuine emergency, the hands and feet may react abruptly together. The rider may grab the front brake while stamping heavily on the rear, rather than first closing the throttle and then applying each brake with the correct progressive pressure.

During hard braking, weight transfers towards the front wheel and unloads the rear. The rear tyre therefore has less grip available for braking just as an alarmed rider may be applying excessive pressure to the rear brake.

On a motorcycle without ABS, this can lock the rear wheel and produce a slide. The risk is greater in the wet or on loose, contaminated or otherwise low-grip surfaces.

ABS can help prevent wheel lock, but it does not turn an uncontrolled response into good technique. Riders should not depend on electronics being present, nor should they assume that every system and motorcycle will respond identically.

In my coaching experience, the incidence of these errors is high enough that I do not consider routine covering of either or both brakes on the approach to junctions to be suitable general advice. I am not suggesting that every rider will make every one of these mistakes. I am saying that the pattern is sufficiently common, serious and foreseeable that it must be properly addressed before brake covering is promoted to the general riding public.

The important question is not simply whether having fingers over the lever can reduce the time needed to begin applying a brake. The question is what the rider does with all the controls when genuinely surprised.

A fractionally quicker lever movement offers no safety benefit if the rider retains the throttle, grabs the front brake, stamps on the rear brake or applies the two brakes with inappropriate pressure.

What motorcycle technology tells us:

Modern motorcycles increasingly incorporate electronic systems designed to mitigate rider errors during emergency braking.
BMW's Dynamic Brake Control, for example, is designed to reduce drive torque when braking in an emergency and ignores actuation of the throttle if it’s accidentally opened to more than 5% of its open position. This assists in the bike coming to a rapid and safe stop in the shortest possible distance and counters the unintended consequence of the throttle being activated during emergency braking.

This technology should not be regarded as a substitute for correct technique. Nor should riders depend on electronics to correct poor control inputs. It does, however, show that simultaneous hard braking and unintended throttle input is a recognised real-world problem. The correct foundation remains the same: close the throttle positively, then brake effectively.

Front and rear braking:

On most conventional road motorcycles, the front brake provides the greater part of the stopping force during a hard stop. As braking begins, weight transfers forward. This increases the load and available grip at the front tyre while reducing the load and braking capacity at the rear.

The rear brake can still contribute to braking and stability when used correctly. However, teaching riders to apply the rear brake first during an emergency risks delaying effective use of the front brake - the control capable of providing most of the motorcycle's stopping force.

Heavy or poorly judged rear-brake application also creates a greater risk of rear-wheel lock on a motorcycle without ABS. That risk is increased on wet or contaminated surfaces, where the available grip is lower.

On an ABS-equipped motorcycle, premature or excessive rear-brake pressure may activate the system. ABS can help prevent the rear wheel from locking, but it cannot make excessive, poorly coordinated control input the best technique.
My position is not that the rear brake has no value. It is that rear-brake-first should not be presented as the safest universal emergency-stopping method, and covering the rear brake must not be allowed to encourage an instinctive stamp on the pedal.

Controlled stopping-distance experiment:

In a recent controlled exercise on a dry road, we measured stopping distances using three motorcycles. The tests compared rear-brake-only stops with stops using both brakes and applying the front brake first.

All speeds were those shown by the motorcycles' speedometers.
Indicated 34 mph

Motorcycle Back brake only Front first Difference
Benelli BN 125 20.65 metres 14.15 metres 6.50 metres
Kawasaki Z650 23.47 metres 11.95 metres 11.52 metres
BMW S1000XR 24.44 metres 9.7 metres 14.74 metres

The BMW S1000XR also stopped from an indicated 62 mph in 37.15 metres using effective braking. Its electronic systems assisted in controlling braking force at the rear while the front brake supplied substantial stopping force.

Add about 18 metres for Thinking Distance as I knew where I was going to start stopping the bike, it still brings the overall stopping to approximately 56 metres. For those interested in the Stopping Distances published in the Highway Code it is substantially shorter than the stated 73 metres at 60 mph. This was mightily impressive and felt like it too as the bike pulled up to a stop. Hats off to BMW on their immense braking system.

Something else we noticed is that the oft quoted saying, “if you double your speed, you quadruple your braking distance” holds true. The laws of physics are at play here. And well worth noting when considering our use of speed.

These figures demonstrate a clear result within the conditions of this exercise: rear-brake-only stops were substantially longer than stops using effective front and rear braking.

The exercise was not a scientific population study, and it did not compare covered and uncovered approaches. It should therefore not be presented as proving every aspect of the wider debate. What it does show is the importance of prompt, effective front-brake use rather than relying primarily on the rear brake or using cumbersome actions that get in the way of using the front brake effectively.

Reaction distance is only part of the equation

Supporters of brake covering may argue that having fingers already over the lever reduces the time required to begin braking. That proposition must be considered alongside the risk of incorrect control inputs.
The relevant measure is not simply how quickly some brake pressure begins. It is the total distance from recognising the hazard to stopping safely, including:
• recognition and decision time;
• positive throttle closure;
• movement to the controls;
• timing and quality of front-brake application;
• timing and pressure of rear-brake application;
• retained or accidentally reopened throttle;
• excessive or abrupt brake pressure;
• tyre grip and road conditions;
• ABS or other electronic intervention;
• Where the rider will stop, and
• the rider's stability and ability to steer.

A technique that saves a small amount of hand-movement time but increases the likelihood of retained throttle, abrupt front-brake application, excessive rear-brake pressure or unbalanced braking may not reduce the total stopping distance at all. It may instead destabilise the motorcycle and increase risk.

Any claim that covering either or both brakes is safer should therefore be tested as a complete control sequence under realistic surprise conditions - not merely as a measurement of how quickly a rider can begin pulling a lever during an anticipated test.

Why public advice matters

This concern becomes more serious when simplified advice is published on Facebook and other social-media platforms by police forces, training organisations or groups presenting themselves as authorities.

Many riders will reasonably assume that advice from these sources has been comprehensively tested. My understanding is that it hasn’t. Riders then, may see an instruction, from a source of ‘authority’ to "cover the brakes" in an emergency and begin using it immediately, without being taught:
• how to control the throttle positively during emergency braking;
• how to avoid retaining or reopening the throttle;
• how to keep the throttle shut;
• how to apply the front brake progressively and decisively;
• how much pressure they can apply to the front brake;
• how much pressure they can apply to the rear brake;
• how weight transfer changes the available rear-wheel grip;
• how much front brake pressure is appropriate and in what conditions;
• how much rear-brake pressure is appropriate and in what conditions;
• how wet or contaminated surfaces affect the motorcycle; or
• how their motorcycle's ABS or combined-braking system operates.

That is the danger of presenting one part of a technique as a simple safety instruction. Riders may adopt the visible action - fingers and foot poised over the brakes - without understanding or practising the complete emergency response and the consequences of incorrect application of the brakes.

Facebook may encourage short messages, but motorcycle control cannot always be taught safely through a slogan. If simplified advice produces foreseeable control errors, the fact that it is easy to communicate does not make it responsible.

Police forces and other organisations carry particular influence. Riders may accept their posts as authoritative and put the advice into practice without questioning the evidence behind it.

Those publishing such guidance must consider not only its intended benefit, but also how a rider is likely to implement it under fear, surprise and time pressure. Introducing a technique without being certain of its consequences may create a new danger while attempting to address another.

What riders should practise - emergency braking is a learned skill. It should be practised progressively in a suitable controlled environment, with attention to the motorcycle manufacturer's guidance and the operation of any fitted electronic systems. Your best instructor for this is an experienced and professional Direct Access instructor. There is no reason not to book a braking course with them.

The essential technique is:

Recognise the hazard, close the throttle positively, apply the front brake progressively and firmly, apply the rear brake with appropriate pressure, and keep the motorcycle stable while increasing braking force. The rear brake should be applied with control, not stamped on. Its useful braking contribution normally reduces as weight transfers towards the front, so the rider must avoid treating both controls as if they require equal pressure.
Riders should understand how their own motorcycle responds in both wet and dry conditions.

They should practise from realistic road speeds rather than assuming that ABS or other electronic systems will compensate for poor control inputs.

The aim is not to create fear of either brake. The aim is to ensure that the rider removes drive, uses the motorcycle's most effective brake properly, controls rear-brake pressure and avoids instinctive actions that can lengthen the stop or destabilise the machine.

A request to training organisations:

Police forces, training organisations and individual instructors carry a serious responsibility when publishing general advice to their readers. Guidance should not be promoted merely because it sounds simple or because one part of it - such as reduced lever-reach time - appears intuitively beneficial.
Before recommending that riders routinely cover either or both brakes on the approach to junctions, organisations should be able to demonstrate that the advice:
• reduces total stopping distance from the first appearance of a hazard;
• does not increase retained or accidentally reopened throttle;
• does not encourage abrupt front-brake application;
• does not produce excessive rear-brake pressure;
• does not increase rear-wheel lock, unnecessary ABS activation or loss of stability;
• does not promote rear-brake-first responses;
• remains effective in wet as well as dry conditions; and
• works for ordinary riders under genuine surprise, not only for prepared experts in anticipated tests.

This issue is too important for assumptions. Advice capable of changing a rider's instinctive emergency response should be supported by transparent testing that measures the whole event, from the appearance of the hazard until the motorcycle stops safely.

My position comes from extensive practical coaching and repeated observation of riders under varied conditions. I remain willing to demonstrate the techniques and control problems described here, at realistic speeds and in wet or dry conditions.
This debate should not be decided by badges, authority or personal status. It should be resolved through transparent testing, accurate measurement and techniques that riders can reproduce safely. Lives are at stake.

Recognise the hazard, close the throttle positively, apply the front brake progressively and firmly. Apply the rear brake with appropriate pressure without stamping on it. Practice until the complete response is controlled and automatic, in the wet as well as the dry.

This is not written to create conflict. It is written because public advice can change a rider’s instinctive response in an emergency. Any disagreement should therefore be addressed through evidence, transparent testing and practical demonstration – not status, badges, or slogans.

Paul Dickinson
Advanced Bikers UK
https:advancedbikers.co.uk

09/08/2026

Our ‘Right of Way’

It’s been a long time. I look back and it’s something like 70,000 hours of lessons maybe more, on road, classroom, no matter which way I think of it, it’s a lot.

70,000 hours of working out my tactical survival on two wheels and four, not just for me but for all those that have come to me for guidance. The last 24 years have been nearly all two wheels, day in day out, morning until the evening. All weathers, all kinds of roads.

What do I mean by tactical survival - it’s my strategy of what’s needed to survive on the roads in every conceivable set of conditions and circumstances in which I’ve found myself. There are days I have been exhausted, I go home and I just need to rest, to sleep for a while.

The energy needed to work things through, to think, to stay constantly attentive to the changing conditions and survive is considerable. Less when I’m riding on my own, but with clients/students, it’s demanding.

One of the tactics I’ve used to survive is to understand what ‘Right of Way’ means. We all have a right of way, don’t we? On the roads, at some point? Surely? What if I said that we don’t have a right of way in any circumstance? Would that change how you might see the roads, the situations, the potentially inflammatory moments that can occur for the nicest of characters?

One of my big contentions is with ‘the industry,’ the groups, the ‘advanced’ courses. I hear and witness riders and drivers being told it’s their right of way all the time.

The Highway Code clearly states the following: it is the principal paragraph at the start of one the main sections. It goes exactly as follows –

‘General rules, techniques and advice for all drivers and riders (103 to 158)
Signals, stopping procedures, lighting, control of the vehicle, speed limits, stopping distances, lines and lane markings and multi-lane carriageways, smoking, mobile phones, and sat nav.

'This section should be read by all drivers, motorcyclists, cyclists and horse riders. The rules in The Highway Code do not give you the right of way in any circumstance, but they advise you when you should give way to others. Always give way if it can help to avoid an incident.’

There we have it, there is no right of way for any of us. My tactical survival incorporates this into my whole way of riding my motorbikes and driving. I urge my client base to adopt this thinking, this tactic, to keep calm and safe.

Arguably it’s the most powerful phrase in the Highway Code. Understanding it changes how we see other road users, how we see ourselves. Highly likely it’s understanding this critical statement that’s kept me alive – so far.

Keep an eye out for my next topic.

Join our guided motorcycle tours for an unforgettable adventure across the UK and Europe with like-minded bikers.

29/07/2026

TRAIL BRAKING - YES or NO

I was riding in the mountains of the south of France. The road was wet, the air was drizzly, and the bends were arriving one after another, the bike almost constantly turning, the whole descent rolling away beneath me. I was riding solo, but the bike was still heavy.

There wasn't much room on that road. It was narrow, with no margin for error, no room to run even a little wide without the prospect of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. As I went from bend to bend, quietly challenging my own confidence and skill, trail braking was there when I needed it — steadying the bike, settling the suspension, helping the front tyre bite and hold its line. I've used it before. It's a technique that genuinely can work well in the right situation.

But before we go any further, if this is a new idea to anyone reading along, here's the simplest version of what trail braking is: You carry a little of the front brake with you as you turn into the bend — not grabbing it, just trailing it off gently as you lean in and the bike settles into the steering, your line, and onto the suspension. Sometimes a touch of rear brake is feathered in alongside it, to help steady the back end. Then, gradually, you ease the brakes off through the turn as the bike secures its line and you roll back to the throttle. Done well, it feels fluid and stable — almost like the bike is steering itself.

Now, having said all of that, there needs to be a very big warning sign hung all over the Internet about trail braking. And here's why.
First, it's a technique best learned with proper guidance. The safest way in is on a track, at speed, with a skilled track day or race instructor who can read what you're doing, correct you in the moment, and put you in the right place to practise it without traffic, without oncoming vehicles, and without the variables the road throws at you.

Second — and this is the part that gets missed — on the roads, trail braking is not a one-size-fits-all technique. It must be used with great caution, for all sorts of reasons. Honestly, have a think about your own reasons. You can list them in the comments if you'd like to, and I'd be genuinely interested to read them.

I've raised the question of Trail Braking — Yes or No today because more and more riders are arriving at my Get Cornering courses already using trail braking for the bends. Get Cornering is a road riding course — designed to deal with the specific skills cornering on the roads actually demands, which are plenty. And riding on a track is not the same. It requires input from experienced track instructors giving feedback on your own riding, on your own line, on your own inputs. Road and track are quite different cornering experiences, and the skills that make one work don't always carry across cleanly to the other.

Trail braking, at its heart, is a racing technique. A very good one, when it's applied well. And a dangerous one when it isn't.
What's the outcome when riders turn up to Get Cornering already using it? Well, for the most part, they're much slower than they need to be. Their planning for the bends becomes inconsistent, because they're trying to plan for a trail-braking entry on every corner — even the bends that don't ask for it. And it's always a moment of relief for them when they realise that the how-and-when of trail braking they picked up from the Internet isn't well founded at all. The technique they thought was the answer turns out to be the thing that was holding them back.

The thing is, applying trail braking on the roads usually means carrying much higher speeds into bends and junctions, and that takes away the margins we need if things change in the moment. A pedestrian that’s decided to cross, a patch of diesel, a junction that wasn't there on the map, a car edging out, the farm entrance, the gravel, the off camber, the pot hole — the road is full of moments that ask you to stop, wait, slow down or change direction, not to be committed to a fast entry. Carrying speed in just to use a technique isn't always the right call, and the road will be the one to tell you when it isn't.

There are situations where it can genuinely help — downhill sections, where the front brake is the right tool to settle the bike and control your speed as you tip into a turn. But even there, knowing when and how much is the whole game.
If you're curious about trail braking, or you've been teaching yourself from clips and articles, please don't be afraid to ask for professional guidance instead. And, even better, get some coaching first — from someone who can watch you do it and tell you what's actually happening underneath you. The road isn't the place to discover the limits of a technique that was built for the track.

That's not a no. It's just a know what you're doing first.

04/07/2026

WHY SKILL DEVELOPMENT MATTERS
As a professional motorcycle trainer, and through my work as an Expert Witness in motorcycle collision cases, I’ve seen first-hand how much skill, awareness and decision-making matter.

Motorcycling is enormous fun. It brings freedom, enjoyment, friendship and unforgettable journeys. But it also demands respect, focus and continuous improvement - whether you ride every day, through the winter, occasionally, or only when the sun comes out.

Developing your riding skills doesn’t have to feel intimidating or overly formal. It can be enjoyable, relaxed and confidence-building - especially when it’s done in a friendly environment, with those who share the same passion for bikes, roads and riding.

Small adjustments can make a huge difference.

Tiny changes to habits, timing, positioning, observation or technique can transform the way you ride. Often, these are the things only an experienced eye can spot - the subtle cues that help unlock greater confidence, control and safety.

If you’d like to invest in your riding, there are a couple of ways to do that with me:

1. Book a professional advanced motorcycle training course.
2. Join one of my Advanced Bikers tours, where we combine fantastic roads, scenery and cultural sights with a relaxed Touring Workshop to talk through all that important “stuff” that makes riding smoother, safer and more enjoyable.

No pressure, no ego - just friendly, qualified professional support to help you get more from every ride.

Best wishes
Paul

29/06/2026

Touring with a difference! Great biking trips around the UK, and a couple to France and Germany in the next 12 months. Book a holiday, maybe it's your first ever biking tour? Maybe you're very experienced? Whatever your experience, there's a trip for you. Reasonably priced, great fun and great roads!

Visit

22/06/2026

BRAKING – A Call for A Review
With around 70,000 hours of full-time rider training experience behind me, I have had the privilege of engaging with thousands of riders. The exposure to risks as a professional rider trainer on a daily basis is substantial – dealing with those risks safely, riding solo or with riders learning their craft, and without drama, is my work.

Recent social comment about braking techniques has caused me considerable concern for the safety of bikers. It is important to address it, notwithstanding that there is yet another year-on-year increase in rider fatalities.

To the issue then: I believe some braking advice currently being circulated in the motorcycle world deserves careful and urgent review.

This matters because, in a genuine emergency, riders do not usually rise to the occasion - they fall back on what they have practised repeatedly. What becomes habitual can become instinctive, and that has real consequences when time and traction are limited.

Riders who successfully complete Module 1 have already demonstrated that they can stop a motorcycle effectively in a range of controlled situations, including emergency stops, controlled stops into the junction area, and hazard avoidance exercises, in both wet and or dry conditions. During training they will also have learned that premature covering of the brakes can create problems with balance, control and decision-making.

For that reason, any departure from sound braking fundamentals should be approached with great caution. Questions have to be raised as to why proposals to depart from sound braking principles are even part of a conversation.

Techniques that affect a rider’s emergency response should not be adopted simply because they are familiar, widely repeated, based on personal preference, or because they've become popular social comment. They should stand up to clear testing, scrutiny and real-world practicality. The Module 1 test does that, even if the rider is yet to gain further experience.

My concern is specifically around some guidance being given on covering the brakes as a general practice, on approach to junctions for example, and the likely outcome of the emergency braking response by the rider.

If advice has the potential to influence rider survival in a critical moment, it must be open to challenge and, where necessary, change. Irrespective of who might be giving that advice.

This is not about attacking individuals or organisations. It is about encouraging honest examination of methods that may affect rider safety and real-world outcomes for motorcyclists.

Over the coming weeks, I will be sharing demonstrations to show the issues as clearly and practically as I can. My hope is that those involved in post-test / advanced rider training will reflect carefully on the advice they give and be willing to revise it where necessary, always in the interests of rider safety.

Stay with this series on BRAKING and watch the forthcoming videos.

21/06/2026

BRAKING - Important riding safety guidance

There is a great deal of advice being shared at the moment about how riders should approach braking, particularly at junctions. Some of it, in my view, risks creating confusion at exactly the point where riders need clarity, good habits, and control.

Look at how modern motorcycles are designed. On large-capacity bikes, manufacturers such as BMW, Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki, and Yamaha fit substantial braking power to the front wheel, while the rear brake is far less significant once the bike is moving at road speed. That is not accidental. It reflects how a motorcycle behaves under deceleration and where the majority of effective stopping power comes from.

For that reason, riders need to be very cautious about advice that overemphasises the rear brake, encourages unnecessary brake covering at junctions, or promotes responses that do not reflect how riders actually behave under pressure. In a real emergency, small errors in sequence, timing, and control inputs matter.

Another point to be considered here is that the road surfaces are fairly uneven, generally at least. Controlled braking is essential.

A rider faced with a developing hazard needs a method that is clear, repeatable, and based on how the machine is engineered to stop. That means closing the throttle, applying the front brake progressively and decisively, and using the rear brake appropriately to support stability rather than relying on it as the primary means of stopping.

This is not just a theoretical discussion. I have seen riders become less effective, less stable, and less safe after adopting braking habits that do not stand up in real-world situations. That is why this matters.

Professional training is not about opinion, ego, or whoever shouts loudest. It is about giving riders techniques that work consistently, especially when the pressure is on. Good advice should help a rider simplify their response, not complicate it.

If you are unsure about your braking technique, do not rely solely on what is being repeated online or passed around socially. Get it assessed properly, on the bike, in context.

If you would like help understanding braking technique in a practical and structured way, get in touch.