The Mod 1 Emergency Stop: Technique and Common Skids

#What the manoeuvre demands

You ride a curving line through a marked corner, accelerate towards a measurement line, hit at least 50 km/h before the line, then brake to a controlled stop when the examiner signals. The signal is usually a raised hand or a verbal command depending on the centre. Speed is measured by speed gun. Stopping distance is observed by eye against painted reference points.

The whole event takes about six seconds from corner exit to wheels stopped. The actual braking phase is around two seconds. There is no time to think on the brakes. The technique has to be reflex.

#The brake split

On dry tarmac with cold-but-warm tyres, the rule of thumb is 70 percent front, 30 percent rear, applied progressively over the first half-second and held firmly for the rest of the stop. The front brake provides the bulk of the deceleration. The rear keeps the bike planted and prevents the rear wheel from skipping.

You squeeze the front lever, you do not grab it. A grab will lock the front wheel, especially if the suspension has not had time to compress. A squeeze pulls the weight forward, plants the front contact patch, and gives you the friction you need.

#Tyre warm-up

Cold tyres do not stick. The first time the examiner sees you do an emergency stop will be the third or fourth time round the manoeuvring area, by which point the tyres are warm enough. But your very first attempt at speed in your test session might catch a slightly cold tyre, especially on a wet morning.

The official advice is that the bike should be warmed up before you arrive at the speed measurement line. In practice, your warm-up lap (the slow ride and the slalom) is sufficient on most days. If conditions are very cold or very wet, ask the examiner if you can do an extra warm lap. Most will accommodate it.

#Hitting the 50 km/h target

The speed gun is set to 50.0 km/h. Even 49.9 is a fail. The honest target is 53 to 55 km/h to leave a margin for instrument variation and for the gun reading slightly low if you brake right at the line.

Most A2/A test bikes (Honda CB650, Yamaha MT-07) hit 50 km/h in second gear at around 5500 to 6000 rpm. Practise on the actual test bike so you know the rev range that gets you there. Looking at the speedo on the run-up is a fail in itself, so you ride by sound and feel.

#Body position during the stop

As you brake, the bike pitches forward. Your weight wants to slide onto the bars. The technique is to brace through the legs (squeeze the tank with your knees) and keep your arms relaxed so you do not over-steer the bars. Head up, looking at the stopping line, not at the front wheel.

Your left foot comes down at the moment of stopping. The right foot stays on the rear brake until the bike is fully stopped. Do not put both feet down at once: it makes the bike unstable in the final fraction of a second.

#Common skid faults

Three faults cause most failures.

• Rear wheel locked and skidding: too much rear brake, or rear brake applied too quickly. The fix is gentler initial pressure and progressive build.
• Front wheel chatter: rider grabbed the front lever too fast and the suspension could not compress smoothly. Fix: progressive squeeze, not a snap.
• Long stop: rider was too gentle with the front brake, often because they were nervous. Fix: practise harder front brake application until the firm squeeze feels normal.
• Wide stop (off the painted line): rider braked while the bike was still leaning slightly from the corner. Fix: stand the bike up fully before braking.

#Drills to build the technique

Build emergency stop competence in this order. Ideally on a closed road or a quiet industrial estate.

• Stationary practice: mount the bike, squeeze the front lever progressively until you feel maximum static load
• 20 km/h stops: brake from 20 km/h, focus on body bracing and progressive squeeze
• 40 km/h stops: introduce both brakes together, focus on the 70/30 split
• 50 km/h stops on a closed area or training school: full pace stops with the speed gun if possible
• Cornering plus stop: chain a corner exit to a 50 km/h stop, mimicking the test sequence

#What examiners forgive and what they do not

A short, smooth stop with a small rear-wheel chirp is usually marked as a minor fault, not a fail. A long, ugly skid is a fail. A stop where the rear wheel breaks loose for more than a moment is a fail. A stop with the bike straight and balanced, both wheels turning, smooth pitch, is the gold standard.

Front wheel lock is much more serious than rear wheel lock. If the front locks even briefly, most examiners will mark it as dangerous and end the test. The lesson: build front brake feel through practice. Never grab.

#After the stop

The examiner waits, you wait. They will signal you to ride round to the next manoeuvre, which is usually the hazard avoidance. The full sequence and the rest of the test flow are covered in the Mod 1 manoeuvres guide and the hazard avoidance guide.