Can I just say one thing, Brakes are for stopping, Gears are for going!  You should be using the brakes to slow and selecting a gear that is suitable for the speed you are doing.  Engine braking is alright in small doses, in the right situation, such as steep hills, but shouldnt be relied on for other things.  That was also said in a recent article on riding in a couple of "respectable" bike magazine by a very experienced instructor, before anyone wants to kick off   Driving anything that has passengers without seatbelts, such as an ambulance, bus or even a HGV with livestock on is a different skill altogether.                                                                                                                                                                             

you should always use the gears to slow you down too frag, other wise you will be going through brake pads more than petrol !!!!!!!!!!!                                                                                                                                                                             

Agree with you Ian , i normally use front brake ..gearing and body position for normal slowing down , its a matter of riding style and training i guess .                                                                                                                                                                             

I said "Stopping"  and if you are in the correct gear for your speed, slowing can be done on the throttle, but if you are riding smoothly with enough forward planning then only minor speed adjustments should need to be done.   Oh I have done 36,000 miles on the ZZR and I have only used one set of pads so I cant be doing too much wrong.  but if you want to stop at a junction using only your gears fine, I prefer to slow on the brakes on the approach to the junction, go down a few gears and then if I have to stop, go into 1st.                                                                                                                                                                                

me too, i use my brakes, mostly front , but when approaching a junction,use my gears to slow down then brakes to stop....simples..                                                                                                                                                                             

cool, so we agree then lol!    There is a "school of advanced motorcycling" that says using your brakes on an approach to a corner means you are failing to ride correctly.  And although its a good thing to read the road correctly it isnt always possible, we are after all human, and I personally would prefer to brake than try a corner faster than I would ideally want to.  Engine braking is not as precise as brakes, but is a valuable aide in lower grip conditions as long as you can do it smoothly, which is an art form with a V-twin. As is maintaining front brake pressure whilst blipping the throttle.   There is also the "point and squirt" method of riding, which is good on unknown, low visibility roads.                                                                                                                                                                             

when it comes to corners frag i stick to my motto...slow in fast out...cant go wrong                                                                                                                                                                             

I was advised by my instructor through all my lessons to allow the engine to break for me rather than just your brakes.   Its easy on a 125 ... lol as Ian says it almost comes to a complete stop as soon as you back off the throttle  ... so am hoping that when I up to the SV its not gonna be so much of a shock.   I agree with whats been said tho, I fell in love with the SV the 1st time I sat on one 3 years ago when I went with ian to look at bikes, but due to my shoulder couldnt think about doing lessons or getting a bike till now & it still feels like it was made for me.                                                                                                                                                                             

I just do slow   I have just realised, we dont actually have a riding hints and tips section of the forums and its pretty obvious we have a lot of experienced riders here.   MMMMM may have to have a word with Matt.                                                                                                                                                                                 

i have only been riding for 20 years                                                                                                                                                                             

As long as you dont go down the gears too quickly and lock the back wheel you will be fine.  Its the old matching gears to road speed thing.  Always making sure you are in a responsive gear for the speed you are going in, ie when you close the throttle the bike slows and when you need to accelerate you still have some revs in reserve.  SV's bury their noses into the tarmac if you get it wrong and are pretty easy to lock the rear wheel if you go down the box too quickly.  Taking it easy until you know the bike is the best advice I can give anyone.

ditto Ian, I wish you hadnt said that, I had to think about it and I now feel old                                                                                                                                                                              

Hah, spring chickens 37 years and I still haven't quite got the hang of it!!                                                                                                                                                                             

LOL prof ... sounds like someone I know that does                                                                                                                                                                              

fraglette/Ian,

I think it would be a great idea if you start a technical section for experienced people to share information. I've been riding 2 months after 20 years out and still have loads to learn and questions to ask as i'm sure there must be loads more of us out here
                                                                                                                                                                             

there was quite an interesting and amusing thread along those lines i think started by arf not sure, maybe kwak knows                                                                                                                                                                             

thanks rk.....but it just makes me feel old lol