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I been riding for a few years but never took a class just taught myself in parkign lots so probably developed some bad habits.
I hold my throttle with my thumb and pointer finger and leave my other 3 fingers either a little over the brake or extended near the brake.
I dont know the proper way but imaging it may be actually using my ring finger and pinky on the throttle with my middle finger and pointer finger ready to grab the break.
If you read some of the books that talk about riding technique, they would say you have the right idea but are 100% backwards. It's generally recommend to cover the brake lever with your pointer and middle (or just pointer if your brakes are that good), and wrap the index and pinky around the grip. The difference being that using the pointer means you're higher up on the lever and can finesse the control a bit more. Using the fingers farther down gains you more leverage overall, but you could inadvertantly hamfist the brake because of it.
The key, though, is to have the brake covered at all times. The microseconds it takes to move fingers out over the level could be all the difference. If you can get good throttle control and brake feel doing it how you're doing it, I wouldn't be too concerned.
I use my middle two fingers and my palm. I guess because it's comfortable for me that way..
Does your forearm cramp up ever?? I would think by using your thumb, it would..
occasionally the part of my palm on my thumb will cramp up. Overall though I feel much more comfortable and in control with that configuration than with my bottom two or three fingers on the throtle an my pointer nad or ring finger on my brake.
Do some breaks have more space between the break nad the handlebars than others? I have smaller hands, wondering if there' diff configuratinos. It seems asif sport bikes brakes tend to be closer to the throttle or handlebar.
Sounds as if you guys are saying whatever is comfortable. I was just wondering if one configuration will be a split second faster in an emergency situation.
occasionally the part of my palm on my thumb will cramp up. Overall though I feel much more comfortable and in control with that configuration than with my bottom two or three fingers on the throtle an my pointer nad or ring finger on my brake.
Do some breaks have more space between the break nad the handlebars than others? I have smaller hands, wondering if there' diff configuratinos. It seems asif sport bikes brakes tend to be closer to the throttle or handlebar.
Sounds as if you guys are saying whatever is comfortable. I was just wondering if one configuration will be a split second faster in an emergency situation.
The reach from the grip to the brake lever on most bikes is adjustable. The default distance varies bike-to-bike I'm sure, but even small hands should be able to get any brake setup in a comfortable range.
I don't think the worry with your method would be the reaction time. If your fingers are there, they're there. What I would worry about is your ability to control how much brake you're feeding in if you grabbed a handful in an emerganecy situation. The farther down the handle you grab, the easier it is for you to apply more leverage (torque) to the handle. You may inadvertantly grab too much. By grabbing up closer to the pivot point, you have to exert more effort to get the same results, resulting in more 'feel' overall. You're also using the fingers most people typically use for 'finesse' maneuvers (trigger finger, etc), so the feedback should be more intuitive.
Again, this is a fine point. If you have taught yourself to adequately control the amount of brake you use even by grabbing farther down the handle, you should be fine.
A lot of finger placement on the throttle will depend on your individual motorcycle. A heavy cruiser type bike would require hand positioning to allow quick access to the brakes. Something with gobs of torque and horsepower requires more finesse. With a high horsepower and lighter weight bike you have to adjust for the possibility of rolling on more throttle than you can control. If you wrap your fingers all the way around the throttle with the wrist tilted toward the front and you apply too much throttle you may find yourself trying to pull yourself up on the seat and applying even more power. An unintended wheelie can quickly turn in to a severe case of pavement rash. Too avoid this type of accident keep your wrist and fingers in line on the throttle. That restricts the range of motion of your wrist and prevents an accidental roll on to full power. On any of my Stroked Sportsters I had a special thumb lever on the throttle grip. This prevented an accidental application of too much throttle in a wheelie. I made my own. I don't know if anyone has ever sold them commercially and as far as I know I may have been the inventor of the idea.. It was definitely a good safety feature.
I ride a Goldwing, I''ve installed the throttle boss which really helps on long rides and reduces forearm fatigue. The throttle boss allows you to use the heal of your palm for throttle control, but for stop and go driving a good grip on the throttle goes along way.
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