<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (clarkjw @ May 8 2009, 10:09 AM)
<{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>Lex and Bab's, you've started an interesting discussion.
First, most riders trail (front) brake and load the inside front through the apex in TIGHT corners. They may come off a bit before tip in, but are back on as they approach apex. It allows them to carry more corner speed but stil get the bike turned. It's impossible to 'sweep' a corner without this. Without trail braking, their rear tires would be on the rumble strip. I actually looked specifically for this and saw it all race at Motegi (10 feet away).
I think the perception that Stoner trail brakes with the rear pre apex is not totally accurate. HE GETS THE BIKE MORE SQUARE before the corner apex/acceleration point. Heavily braking the rear at his initial braking point allows LESS front load before tip in and later braking (more front load during trail). We've all seem him use the brake to slide the rear before tip in, but he's well off it before the apex. Nicky sometimes uses the rear to square up AFTER the apex.
You'll notice how great Stoner is at and after the apex. None of that burn out powerslide after the apex like Melandri and Hayden sometimes did in 2006. I actually can't recall Stoner ever sliding POST apex. His rear is planted and his lean angle deep (more rear traction). He's front trail braking, making the rear a little wider so he can be more square at corner exit. With his heavy lean angle, he gets more traction and good drive. Notice how heavy and early he rear brakes.
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Valentino is complaining about the soft carcass front because it compresses too much under the extreme force of his trail braking. The front travel pre tip in can be adjusted, but once that front is loaded, he needs the hard carcasss to absorb his trail.
Pedrosa is a strange exception, but his style is very complex and the reason he doesn't battle very well.
I think Stoner squares the bike with the rear brake. Stoner runs with very little engine braking because it allows him to slow the bike with the rear end. If you remember at Mugello last year, the engine braking wasn't controlling engine deceleration properly and Stoner had to pull the clutch in during corner entry to keep from locking the rear in the braking areas.
I think Stoner squares the corner with the rear brake as the revs drop and engine braking loses its affect. He uses less front trail so a majority of the forces on the front wheel are used to generate centripetal force.
I'm quite certain a majority of the Ducati riders are experiencing difficulties getting feedback from the front. When they use the setting to create more forward bias and get feel in the tire, they find that they can't carry as much speed through the corners. When they use Stoner's settings they can't feel the front so they are timid when tipping it in.
It creates the illusion that the bike is impossible to ride. It is completely counter-intuitive for a rider to feel the front end washing out during entry and think "Hmmmm in need to go in 10kph faster next time". Instead they are trained to grab a bit more front brake or come in and adjust the settings to get more more weight/compression in the front.
I also think Stoner uses much less countersteer at the apex. If you look closely he lets the front wheel pull itself into the turn (like he's letting it tuck). But on a rear-wheel biased bike, letting the front pull itself into the turns is what creates cornering load at the front and eliminates the vagueness.
