Braking | Riding in the Zone

Blog Archives

Front Brake or Rear Brake?

Posted on October 29, 2019 by Ken Condon — 2 Comments ↓

A lot of riders ask about which brake is appropriate for what situations. The short answer is that it depends on speed, desired maneuver and available traction. Here, I’ll discuss proper brake use as it pertains to various situations. Let’s…

Posted in All Things Motorcycle, Motorcycle Safety, Rider Education, Riding Technique & Tips Tagged with: Braking, Cornering, front brake, Motorcycle tips, trailbraking

Tips for Surviving Alpine Switchbacks on a Motorcycle

Posted on October 8, 2018 by Ken Condon — No Comments ↓

This article was originally published in Motorcyclist Magazine. Their names are infamous; Pordoi, Sella, Gavia, Gardena, and of course Stelvio. These are just a few of the mountain passes that snake up and over the mighty Italian Alps and jagged…

Posted in All Things Motorcycle Tagged with: Braking, Cornering, countersteering, Motorcycle tips, Safety, technique, traction

Top Ten Truths That All Motorcycle Riders Need to Know

Posted on August 23, 2018 by Ken Condon — 1 Comment ↓

Here is a list of the top 10 things riders need to know (but often don’t): 1. Traction management and direction control are directly affected by load transferring to the tires. 2. Timing of deceleration, braking, countersteering and acceleration directly…

Posted in All Things Motorcycle, Crashing, Motorcycle Safety, Rider Education, Riding Technique & Tips Tagged with: Braking, Cornering, crash, mistakes, Motorcycle tips, Safety, technique, traction

What you need to know about Throttle Blipping

Posted on June 25, 2018 by Ken Condon — 18 Comments ↓

What is Throttle Blipping? To execute smooth downshifts it is important to match the engine speed with the road speed. You can do this by slowly easing out the clutch (after you apply the brakes, please). But sometimes a rapid…

Posted in All Things Motorcycle, Rider Education, Riding Technique & Tips Tagged with: blipping, Braking, motorcycle, Motorcycle tips, Street Triple R, technique, throttle, Track Days

Will You Stop Your Motorcycle in Time?

Posted on March 4, 2018 by Ken Condon — No Comments ↓

Getting your motorcycle stopped in time to avoid a collision is one of the most important skills you can have. But, simply being able to apply maximum brake force isn’t enough (even if you have modern ABS). Here is an…

Posted in Crashing, Motorcycle Safety, Rider Education, Riding Technique & Tips Tagged with: Braking, crash, Motorcycle tips, reaction, Rider training, Safety, technique

Video Lesson: The Result of Poor Braking Ability

Posted on January 22, 2018 by Ken Condon — No Comments ↓

This is a clear demonstration of the consequences of not having proper braking skills. Take a look and then I’ll give you my opinion. I’ll wait. A shocking number of riders in this video’s original version blamed everything but the…

Posted in Crashing, Motorcycle Safety, Riding Technique & Tips, Video Tagged with: Braking, crash, mistakes, technique

Video Lesson: Intersection Crash

Posted on June 19, 2017 by Ken Condon — 18 Comments ↓

Here is another video posted by the rider who was involved in a crash at an intersection. See more video Lessons here. One thing different about this rider is that he is taking the time to self-analyze his role in…

Posted in All Things Motorcycle, Crashing, Motorcycle Safety, Rider Education, Riding Technique & Tips, Video Tagged with: Braking, crash, mistakes, Rider training, risk, Safety

Video Lesson: How to Manage Downhill Turns

Posted on April 20, 2017 by Ken Condon — 5 Comments ↓

IF YOU’RE LOOKING FOR THE ENERGICA REVIEW, CLICK HERE. SORRY FOR THE MESS UP. There is nothing like video to help demonstrate cornering techniques. Ride along with me as I explain cornering and the nuances of managing a downhill turn,…

Posted in All Things Motorcycle, Motorcycle Safety, Rider Education, Riding Technique & Tips, Video Tagged with: Braking, Cornering, mistakes, motorcycle, Motorcycle tips, Safety, technique, traction

Video Lesson: Cornering Finesse

Posted on April 7, 2017 by Ken Condon — 2 Comments ↓

There is nothing like video to help demonstrate cornering techniques. Ride along with me as I explain cornering and show some of the nuances of body position, cornering lines, countersteering and visual skills. This is the sort of cornering detail…

Posted in All Things Motorcycle, Rider Education, Riding Technique & Tips, Video Tagged with: Braking, Cornering, countersteering, motorcycle, Motorcycle tips, Rider training, riding, strategy, throttle

Tips for Getting Your Bike out of Winter Hibernation

Posted on March 10, 2017 by Ken Condon — 1 Comment ↓

This article covers the most basic maintenance points for getting a bike ready for another season of riding. If you’re a smart veteran rider who wants to elaborate, please add your comments below so we can all learn from your…

Posted in All Things Motorcycle, Motorcycle Maintenance, Motorcycle Safety, Rider Education Tagged with: Braking, Cornering, maintenance, Rider training, Safety

Motorcycle Track Days: What You Need to Know

Posted on November 1, 2016 by Ken Condon — 19 Comments ↓

What are Track Days All About? Track Days are the most exciting, fun and effective way to improve your riding skills…period! You will learn how to corner and brake with a lot more confidence and control. And you will have a…

Posted in All Things Motorcycle, Rider Education, Riding Technique & Tips, Track Days Tagged with: Braking, Cornering, motorcycle, Tony's Track Days, Track Days

And Yet Another Video Lesson: Surviving the Unexpected

Posted on June 29, 2016 by Ken Condon — 10 Comments ↓

In this installment of Video Lessons, we see this guy on an R6 cruising down the highway when suddenly he finds himself facing a big yellow foam tube that fell off the back of a boat. The rider is okay…

Posted in All Things Motorcycle, Crashing, Motorcycle Musings, Motorcycle Safety, Rider Education, Riding Technique & Tips, Video Tagged with: Braking, crash, mistakes, Motorcycle tips, Rider training, Safety, strategy

Video Lesson: Group Riding Crash Video

Posted on May 2, 2016 by Ken Condon — 11 Comments ↓

By now, you’ve probably seen the video of the guy who crashes trying to avoid his buddy who just hit a dog. The second rider doesn’t hit his friend, but almost gets creamed by an oncoming Tractor Trailer. A lot…

Posted in All Things Motorcycle, Motorcycle Safety, Rider Education, Video Tagged with: Braking, crash, mistakes, Motorcycle tips, video

Guest Writer: Why Street Riders Benefit by Riding the Track

Posted on September 21, 2015 by Ed Conde — 23 Comments ↓

Guest contributor Ed Conde shares his experiences about how track days have helped his street riding. The Next Level I came to riding late. I did not begin riding until I was pushing 50. I tried to make up for…

Posted in All Things Motorcycle, Guest Writers, Motorcycle Safety, Rider Education, Riding Technique & Tips, Track Days, Track Days & Racing Tagged with: Braking, Cornering, countersteering, Motorcycle tips, New England Riders, Rider training, Safety, shifting, technique, Tony's Track Days, Track Days, traction

Truths About Electronic Stability Control

Posted on June 23, 2015 by Ken Condon — 6 Comments ↓

The newest Ducati Multistrada has super sophisticated Bosch Traction Control and ABS electronics. These rider aids will make it a whole lot harder to crash! But, are they all they are cracked up to be? The Bosch electronics I tested…

Posted in All Things Motorcycle, Motorcycle Reviews, Motorcycle Safety, Riding Technique & Tips Tagged with: ABS, Bosch, Braking, Cornering, crash, electronics, Safety, traction, Traction control

How To Survive Mid-Corner Hazards

Posted on April 22, 2015 by Ken Condon — 5 Comments ↓

The vast majority of single-vehicle crashes occur in a curve. Many times these crashes are the result of an assumption that the corner will be easy to negotiate, only to find that it suddenly tightens or there is a mid-corner…

Posted in All Things Motorcycle, Motorcycle Safety, Riding Technique & Tips Tagged with: Braking, Cornering, crash, mistakes, Motorcycle tips, strategy, trail

Video: Ken Narrates a Track Day Session

Posted on December 9, 2014 by Ken Condon — 2 Comments ↓

Enjoy this video of Ken narrating a few laps of the Thompson Speedway, CT (Clockwise, short course) road course using a Sena GoPro Audio Back. Here is another from Thompson Motor Speedway in Thompson, CT Track day riders who sign…

Posted in Riding Technique & Tips, Track Days, Track Days & Racing Tagged with: Braking, Cornering, thompson, Tony's Track Days, Track Days

Visualization Can Save Your Life

Posted on December 1, 2014 by Ken Condon — 2 Comments ↓

Putting a Homo sapien on a motorcycle is just asking for trouble. You simply can’t escape the fact that we are all prone to doing really dumb things. Don’t bother denying it. You’re human and humans are fallible. I believe…

Posted in All Things Motorcycle, Motorcycle Safety, Rider Education, Riding Technique & Tips Tagged with: Braking, crash, motorcycle, Motorcycle tips, Rider training, Safety

How to Survive Downhill Curves

Posted on October 15, 2014 by Ken Condon — 5 Comments ↓

Cornering errors are responsible for at least half of all fatalities. And of those corners, downhill curves are the most challenging. But, with some knowledge and practice you can master these tricky turns. Before I describe how to deal with…

Posted in All Things Motorcycle, Motorcycle Safety, Riding Technique & Tips Tagged with: Braking, Cornering, countersteering, crash, motorcycle, Motorcycle tips, technique

The Power of the Quick Turn

Posted on September 17, 2014 by Ken Condon — 8 Comments ↓

Most motorcycle riders initiate lean in a somewhat lazy manner. In most cornering situations and at normal street speeds it is perfectly fine to gradually ease into a corner with light pressure on the handlebars. But, when the pace picks…