[IslandJeff]

Wow. Bookmarked.

I can't imagine the upper body strength those GP racers have, tipping from one knee to the other constantly.

Can you gear down/engine stop and/or rear-brake?

[taxed2death]

"Can you gear down/engine stop and/or rear-brake?"


Yup... that's for the brave. Most all race bikes and now increasingly more sport bikes have "slipper clutches"....which actually "slip" as you bang down gears... thus somewhat limiting rear wheel lock-up.

Rear brakes?

Whew, you gotta watch out or that dragon will bite ya and bite ya hard. Think about the weight transfer of coming down from 180+ like Rossie, you can see his rear tire come completely off the ground (2 to 3 inches) for hundreds of feet. What's a rear brake gonna do other than set you up for an impromptu yard sale trackside!

My Ducati (being a v-twin) has a huge amount of USEFULL engine breaking for the street...even with a new slipper clutch. It can be handy when riding in wet weather.