When im on my motorcycle i was taught to brake before entering a turn, which is what ive always done. i was also taught that if you try to slow down in the middle of a turn, your rear wheel will slide out from under you and cause a slide (ive seen it happen to a student).are there any techniques i can use to overcome my fear of sliding and brake during a turn carefully?
it allows it to run faster and smoother.it helps to reduce friction
Practice Slow down before the turn, this is correct. Slow down not only by braking but also shift down one or two gears, then as you come out of the turn re-engage the clutch and you will be in a position to accelerate out of the turn which allows you much better control You don't automatically slide if you brake in a turn but if you want to skid on purpose that is how you do it. Practice as much as you can out of street traffic.
You can brake in a turn so long as you don't jam suddenly on the brakes. You have to brake moderately. The trick is to slow down enough into the turn that you won't have to brake hard once in the turn. The whole skill is to size up the corner as you enter, scrub off just enough speed and downshift a gear, or maybe two for a really sharp corner. So you don't need to brake hard while you're leaned over in the corner (but you can brake -some-). Then, as you come out of the corner, as you come back up to vertical you only have to release the clutch and open the throttle to speed smoothly away. The skill is in making this whole process -smooth- and automatic. The more twisty mountain roads you ride, the better you get at this.
I believe most riders go through times when they become apprehensive about sliding out in a turn. It takes practice to develop confidence in the bike and your driving skills. Just braking in a turn won't slide out the rear tire: it depends on how hard you are braking, the angle of the turn, etc. What I've learned in years of riding and teaching rookies how to corner is to start with slow riding skills in a parking lot to get a feel for how far you can lean your bike before it falls. Then ride on open roads with sweeping curves to build confidence, finally going to tighter curves as confidence builds. As much as possible, slow before the curve, and accelerate (or hold a steady throttle) in the curve. The worst thing you can do it vary throttle and brake input up and down in a curve. That throws the bike's dynamics off. I've always felt is was better to have someone ridicule me for a slow rider in curves than feel badly for me as I lay broken at the edge of a curve.
