How To Engine Brake Motorcycle? [An In-depth Discussion]

Riding a motorcycle is always thrilling. The thrill comes from the speed, and the love comes from riding it. The thrill is what we crave. When the motorcycle runs cutting the air, it gives us immense pleasure to be a part of nature through the speed given by God himself. 

Especially, when we listen to the sound of the first gear, our heart beams with joy. The engine starting with the gear is alluring but we do not feel alright if anything goes wrong. And in the long road of the states, we need to always take precautions. 

Sometimes a deer may come out from the woods. Or sometimes a passer-by at the road is crossing east to west. Whatever the case is, we always thrive for the thrill and enjoy the ride. But always remember safety comes first! And that’s why you must need to be an expert on using different types of motorcycle brakes.

Among all the brakes, Engine Brake has been discussed many times among bikers to find out if it is good or bad. Let’s shade some lights on it.

4 Simple Steps To Do Engine Brake On Your Motorcycle:

Engine brake is a brake that makes the engine get slow while the motorcycle is on run without using the disc brake. Engine brake uses the air vacuum created by the force used with a close throttle. The vacuum angers the engine and makes it slower.

Here are the 4 simple steps that you need to perform to do engine brake on your motorcycle:

1. First, you should start with the clutch. You need to pull it while you are performing the engine brake.

2. You should maintain the RPM level, as it plays a vital factor when it comes to motorcycles. Not all motorcycles are the same. Be careful to keep it under control according to the model of your beloved motorcycle.

3. Whatever gear you are in, you must slow it down to a minimum of one gear. If you are at the 3rd gear, slow it down to 2nd.

4. Slowly release the clutch with time. If you do not then it may make a hard jerk and you may find yourself left from the seat all of a sudden. After this, the speed will be reduced. And you break without any sweat.

What Happens During The Engine Brake?

The cylinder pulls in air and fuel fast if the throttle opens. While engine brake occurs then you are closing it. The piston in the cylinder is still trying to pull air. As a result, an empty place without the air is created which makes a power cutting for the bike. It makes the back wheel a lot slower.

While normal brakes work by disc and piston pressing, the engine brake uses a vacuum to compress the pressure and stop the speed.

How Effective Is The Engine Brake?

The engine brake is performed from now and then. Depending on the condition of your motorcycle, it can help you to brake more easily and smoothly. Some tests were done on modern double-disc motorcycles to find out how effective the engine brake is.

The engine brake stops the motorcycle minimum of one to two meters before the normal brakes do. As a result, it is more useful while braking in an emergency.

The Engine Brake System – Good Or Bad?

The question arose from different topics over different forums everywhere on the internet. While one group stands for it being bad, the actual answer is that it does not harm the motorcycle if your condition of the motorcycle is alright.

Using the statement may allow you to think twice about why is it important to think about the condition of your motorcycle. If you are using an engine brake now and then and mix it with a disc brake then you are allowing your motorcycle to work with two different kinds of brakes. 

As a result, the health of the engine brake systems gets better longevity. But in various states, it may be a problem for the engine and all over the motorcycle. Why should we not look into the matter?

What Are The Pros And Cons Of Engine Braking?

Engine brake is the process you use once in a while for smooth driving. The brake slows down the bike more easily than the normal brake and gives some advantages. Here are the pros of engine braking: 

• Vacuum Vs Pistons:

Breaking with the vacuum can put a little weight on your pistons and find out if they are working properly. This is very important while you think there may be a problem.

• Disk Resting:

Normal brakes use pistons and discs. As a result, the engine brake gives them breaks once in a while. As a result, their state becomes better from time to time.

• Overheating:

Overheating is a problem while you are using the general brakes all the time. This may create problems while it comes to the long-run health of your beloved motorcycle. 

With time, this reduces the health of the motorcycle a lot. But using engine brakes once in a while saves the engine from overheating. As a result, it is better to use sometimes.

• Corner Problems:

While turning corners or taking U-turns it can be an essential tool to follow. Engine brake creates power reduction and slows down the motorcycle within a short time which is very useful while turning corners. Even at U-turns, you don’t even need to put your feet on the ground. 

• Brake Pads:

Like the discs, the brake pads also get rests once in a while. That’s why it is very important to use engine brakes to keep your motorcycle conditions up to date.

There are also some disadvantages and problems that you may face while doing engine braking. Below I list the major cons of motorcycle engine braking:

• Problems When You Need A Little More Lube:

Lack of lubrication can cause problems to the engine if you do engine brake – claims like this have been bugging the community of bikers for many days. But is it true? Let’s look into the matter in depth.

The throttle valve is not doing any good or bad to the oil pump. So, although at the time of engine brakes the lubrication process is not being stopped. But if you are in any way doing a double stroke then it isn’t good for the double stroke’s health as oil and gas mix regularly.

• High-Risk While Speed-Reducing Only:

The engine brake while using only for speed reduction, it does not light up the backlight. This is a very important matter to know. 

If you are always using it for speed reduction, you must check your mirror regularly. Otherwise, a vehicle near you may strike without understanding. 

• I Will Be Careful. If I Just Use It For Slowing Down?

Even if you are always careful while using the engine brake, it is not recommended to always use it for slowing down. Because, if you do, then you are not in control of total speed. 

Then you are not in control of your bike. Sometimes while needed, you may use it but at first, take a look at the traffic around traffics.

What Are The Difference Between General/Gear Brake And The Engine Brake? 

General brake or gear brake is always being used by riders. It is the most efficient way of doing brakes. Without a rear brake, only the engine brake will not work. 

Now let’s see what these two types of brakes have different:

• The Working Process:

Gear brakes use your motorcycle’s braking pads and discs. While you are doing it right it will help you to keep your motorcycle in check. 

On the other hand, the Engine brake uses your motorcycle’s pistons and vacuum to slow down your bike. 

• Illumination:

The gear brake illuminates the rear light. As a result, while people are using gear brakes they do not need to worry much about the vehicles nearby as it guides others to slow their speeds too.

On the other hand, engine brakes do not illuminate the rear light while slowing down for speed. It is a problem and if not used carefully, may harm not only the rider but also everyone around him or her.

• Lubrication:

The gear break does not stop the natural lubrication system for the motorcycle. Even if it is a double-stroke motorcycle, the gas does not mix with lube. But it is not the same for engine brakes.

On a single-stroke motorcycle, it does not stop the natural lubrication. But on double strokes, it increases the chance to mix up with gas which harms the motorcycle.

• Overheating:

As we have mentioned earlier, the gear brake does overheat the engine sometimes. Using it repeatedly rather than mixing it with other types of brakes will overheat and give problematic responses from the motorcycle from time to time. 

On the other hand, if you use gear brake mixing with engine brake from time to time then the balance will be restored and the overheating problem will not happen again.

• Law:

A gear brake is just a normal break for a motorcycle. It is the natural form of braking. On the other hand, motorcycle engine braking is not compulsory braking. And if it’s done in the middle of roads with high traffic frequency, then sometimes it is uncontrollable to cause an accident.

That is why; engine braking is prohibited in many states. You should learn if it is prohibited or not in the state you are staying in or the state you are traveling to.

• Looking Cool:

Yes, looking cool – it is the real reason we ride bikes. The beautiful women have always loved bikers. They would never look back if it did not cool. Biking is all about looking cool. So, if you want to look cool, then you need to use the right brake at the right time.

When with your loved one, try to use the gear brake because it does not give that much jerk while not done right. But if you are doing engine braking then be careful while reducing speed, if RPM is not right, then it will give such a jerk that you may find yourself away from your bike. Use precaution always when with your loved and dear ones.

• Fuel Cost:

Although the engine brake does not look good on many levels, it is needless to say it saves fuel cost. When the gear brake is using more fuels, the engine brake is using air pressure to stop the vehicle.

It is very important for cutting the extra fuel cost you are spending behind your motorcycle every month. I think you got my point.

• Eco-Friendly:

Just not saving fuel cost, in this way, engine braking is eco-friendly. It even lets you brake smoothly at signals rather than braking gear just to stop. You can even go through waiting by not stopping the motorcycle fully. This is a very good advantage of the engine brake.  

Final Verdict:

Pros and Cons along with a comparison to gear brakes; you have just seen it all. Anyway, most riders always use gear brakes which is not a good practice. Mixing it with other brakes also increases the longevity of the motorcycle. 

So if you are looking to look cool on a very well-conditioned bike, then you should try to learn engine braking and mix it with gear brakes from time to time. And with an engine brake, you gain experience better than ever before.