Junction with a stop sign, a cyclist and a tram
You approach a four-way junction in a Bulgarian town at 40 km/h. Your road has a STOP sign and a thick solid stop line, partly worn. A tram runs on rails embedded in the cross road from your right to your left. A cyclist is on the cross road approaching from your left, about 25 m away, riding at 18 km/h. A car behind you is 12 m back and closing. Your front brake lever has about 15 mm of free play before it bites, and the road is dry. The traffic light for the cross road is green for the tram direction; your own signal head is dark.
1. Who has priority and what must you do at the stop line?
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The STOP sign and solid line put you under an absolute obligation to stop, regardless of whether anything is coming. A dark signal head does not cancel the sign; the sign governs.
Priority: the tram on the cross road has priority, and the cyclist from your left on the cross road also has priority over you because you are joining from a road controlled by a stop sign. You must stop at the line, give way to traffic on the cross road, and only proceed when the way is clear.
Because the line is worn, treat the marked position as binding. Stop with the front wheel just behind it, foot down, and look right-left-right before moving.
2. How does the car 12 m behind change your braking plan?
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At 40 km/h you cover about 11 m per second. A car 12 m back is roughly one second behind - far too close. If you brake sharply at the line, it may hit you.
Plan: brake early and progressively, using both brakes, so your brake light comes on well before the line and the gap behind grows. Do not rely on a late, hard stop. If the car does not drop back, keep a longer approach and stop smoothly rather than abruptly. Check your mirror before braking and be ready to release and move forward slightly if the car cannot stop, provided the junction is clear.
3. What does the brake lever free play tell you, and how should it affect this approach?
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About 15 mm of free play before the lever bites is excessive for a typical motorcycle; normal is a few millimetres. It means the first part of lever travel does nothing, so braking begins later than your hand expects and maximum force may be reduced.
On this approach you should allow for that delay: begin braking earlier, squeeze progressively rather than grab, and use the rear brake to stabilise. After the junction, have the lever adjusted or the system checked. Do not attempt a hard emergency stop at the line with a lever that has this much dead travel.