Motorcycle Safety & Driveability: those pesky linked brakes, police version, tight turn

Question
Pat...I don't want to beat a dead horse,however..if you will indulge me..In your new book I see Mark Brown on a gulp Gold Wing.Do they not have linked brakes,as well as the Police version of the ST 1300...Do those officers just feather the heck out of the clutch...or is there a degree of rear brake use that is safe and allowable in those tight maneuvers.And is my VFR brake system hooked up different then thse bikes?? Sincerely, Patt. M. Loo

Answer
Good questions. I don't know if Mark was using the rear brake or not, or whether or not that model had linked brakes. It was a borrowed bike. I recommend you ask him what technique he uses/used: motomark1@nc.rr.com

Certainly, a degree of rear brake use is probably safe in tight maneuvers even with linked brakes, as long as you know what you're doing. I find it easy enough just to feather the clutch. I imagine that perfecting the technique would require tons of practice and tons of time -- in a straight line -- before you even tried it in a tight turn like a U-turn. Probably not worth the effort on a bike with linked or integrated brakes -- you might be better off putting that time into learning to feather the clutch and balance at very low speed without applying the rear brake.

Pat