Grumpy
Well-known member
I agree with you Jeff.........even if you are using the wrong fingers in the wrong places. However, this whole topic might come down to folks that first learned to ride in the dirt? IMO if there's any possibility of "squishing" fingers, it's time to adjust the amount of clearance so this doesn't happen. For me, riding in the mountains all the time, it's worth it to cover the front brake with a couple of fingers all the time. The difference in reaction time could be the difference between getting it hauled down in time or not? I recall the lovely Sunday morning where the wife and I rounded a blind....road lower than the surrounds.....curve and found a sweet little old lady dead stopped in the road waiting to turn left into the church parking lot........thankfully I had the front brake covered and was able to get it all stopped in time, with 6 or 8 feet to spare.I'll chalk this one up to another one of those "bad habits" that sets me apart from the crowd. I can easily activate the FJR's ABS with two fingers. I have no idea why I would want to apply MORE pressure.All four, all the time.
Any less is a really bad habit to develop. For all you one, two or three finger brakers, consider what you'd do in a panic situation. Would less than four fingers be enough? Maybe; maybe not. What about a panic situation that occurs WHILE you're braking with one or two fingers. Will you have time to think or reach with the other two or three fingers? Would you not agree there is a difference in the amount of force you apply to the lever depending on how many fingers you have on it? Sometimes you don't have time to THINK about how many fingers and you'll do what you're in the habit of doing. Develop a good habit of using all four.
Gotta step off my soapbox now and give someone else a chance
As far as a panic situation goes, I don't think. Instead I train, I practice, and I react.
jim
