| Author | Message | ||
     Littlebuggles |
Good story, and nicely written, thanks for sharing. I found myself riding a road with snow slowly encroaching on the asphalt. I finally got to a point where i decided to turn the bike around rather than continue the adventure. Coming back down I very quickly learned the advantages of using the rear brake exclusively. I'm generally biased towards using them equally, or a little more front but in slick, slippery conditions the front wanted to wash out. We had a guy on here in the far distant past who used to argue that the rear was the only one to use, course he rode in the snow all the time... I finally saw his point, but it's a skill I'd prefer not to practice that often, and one I hope to need even less. | ||
| Crusty |
Please stay off the rear brake!!!! You should go to the Springfield Mile and tell the Riders that. | ||
| Cityxslicker |
front brake no worky well on dirt, gravel, hard pack peas, muddy mucky jungle love pudding. wanna slow down, rear brake, roll of throttle, up shift , body english, appropriately.... it all changes when the pavement goes away. | ||
| Pwnzor |
I never use the rear for stopping. It's my "gradual speed reducer" for when it's time to exit the freeway. | ||
| Jaimec |
The rear brake is also very handy for very tight, slow, parking lot type maneuvering. | ||
| Fresnobuell |
Okay guys, I will change the title of this thread to "Stay off the rear brake (unless you are riding offroad, in a parking lot or the Springfield Mile)." Is that better? | ||
| Ezblast |
lol - I'm on your side - my rear brakes are all original pads and practically no wear - EZ | ||
| Danger_dave |
Nope - it's not better. Optimum braking requires the use of both brakes. In any circumstances. | ||
| Fresnobuell |
Optimum braking requires the use of both brakes. In any circumstances. That sounds great, but reality doesn't follow. | ||
| Danger_dave |
Nah - it's absolutely true. There are time you can over apply either, but the shortest stopping distance is by using both, (properly) no matter what surface or conditions | ||
| Fresnobuell |
I agree the shortest stopping distance is using both brakes. Done perfectly. Reality is most riders don't brake perfectly--especially in an emergency when they have to hammer the front while modulating the rear to prevent lockup. IMO in an emergency situation, more bad things than good arise from using the rear brake. I prefer to use the concentration spent on modulating the rear brake and spend it on something else. | ||
| Ezblast |
Concur! | ||
| Danger_dave |
Sorry - entirely disagree. Use both. And if you can't do it instinctively then find a large flat surface and practice till you can. | ||
| Fresnobuell |
Sorry - entirely disagree. Use both. And if you can't do it instinctively then find a large flat surface and practice till you can. Thanks for the advice, but I have managed to avoid plenty of sticky situations with the front brake and have no desire to add a potentially counter-productive element to the mix...but if you feel like you are a better, safer rider (and obviously you do) using both brakes then good on you. | ||
| Wikid_intent |
+5 Danger_Dave | ||
| Zane |
Had a hairy encounter tonight on the way home from work. Traveling about 65 mph on a 4 lane divided highway out in the country. It was State Route 60 just west of Mulberry for all you Tampa Bay types. Some old inbred moron riding a rusty bike down the road looks over his shoulder, right at me and decided it's time to pull out across the road. I had to swerve and brake hard to miss him. Very hard. Felt like I was about to do a 65 mph stoppie. Missed him by no more than 2 feet. Scared the ever livin' crap out of me. Pucker factor was off the scale, high. I used both front and rear brakes. That was what I was taught in my MSF course and it worked today. | ||
| Ratbuell |
Use both. They're there for a reason. If you don't know how to use them PROPERLY, take Dave's advice and LEARN. This shouldn't even be a discussion. If you're doing something, take the time to learn to do it right. Period. If you're not willing to do that, keep your trap shut about it and don't try to convince others that your way is "more right" than the proven, accepted norm. Food for thought - its entirely possible that a lot of those "sticky situations" that have been "avoided"...might not have even occurred in the first place and needed to be avoided at all if proper technique was being used instinctively. | ||
| Fresnobuell |
Food for thought - its entirely possible that a lot of those "sticky situations" that have been "avoided"...might not have even occurred in the first place and needed to be avoided at all if proper technique was being used instinctively. So you are saying if I use the rear brake, I won't get in sticky situations? Wow. That's worth it right there. Actually, another benefit of not using the rear brake is being able to get on the balls of the feet and shift weight around. That can get you out of more "sticky situations" than the 5% extra braking you might get if you modulate the rear brake perfectly. } | ||
| Malott442 |
I use the hell out of my rear brake for wheelies..... | ||
| Jaimec |
I LOVE these guys who seem to think the manufacturers put a rear brake on their bikes by mistake... FWIW, even million dollar MotoGP bikes have a rear brake. It's there for a REASON. | ||
| Sifo |
How silly does it sound when it's put this way? Thanks for the advice, but I have managed to avoid plenty of sticky situations with the | ||
| Paint_shaker |
Nearly all motorcycles are equipped with front and rear brakes. Various situations will dictate when to use either or both. Sadly, there are a LOT of riders riding who are not fully aware of the proper use of brakes (front, rear or both). (Message edited by Paint shaker on April 27, 2011) | ||
| Cpeg |
JMO, but I have noticed that noobs at riding have brought their cage driving habits to the bike. The natural instinct of cagers is to stomp on the brake with their foot, not grab a handful and coordinate the foot. When in a panic mode, old habits are hard to brake. | ||
| Cyclonemick |
I almost always use both brakes! Only time I use one over the other is, using rear in slow tight tunrs (parking lot) or possibly to scrub off a little speed if to hot in a corner! "USE Both Brakes" It makes a Big difference on stopping distance! | ||
| Rainman |
80 percent of braking power up front + 20 percent braking power in rear = 100 percent braking power. Practice every ride. Practice swerving and cornering every day, too. Don't practice swerving and cornering with cops behind you. Don't ask how I know that one. | ||
| Spikey |
Don't some of the bigger high end bikes come with linked brakes? If you shouldn't use the rear why would they do this? I come from a motocross background and have learned to apply the brakes as conditions present at the time. | ||
| Fast1075 |
I would use my rear brake more if my bike had a slipper clutch. As it is, it is very difficult to "modulate" the rear brake with all the engine braking that is available. Early on with the XB...I had a few Oh! Crap! moments sliding the rear around..I do use the rear brake often, but mostly to settle the suspension and if there is questionable front wheel grip. Back when I rode 2 smokes mostly, I used the rear brake more. The whole point of this thread is to learn to USE the brakes...too many people exclusively use the rear brake...it just marks the space between panic and impact...and it is impossible to stress enough how important practice is...if you don't have your braking response imbedded in muscle memory....welllll it's too late to think about it when you need it most... (Message edited by fast1075 on April 27, 2011) | ||
| Fast1075 |
Don't some of the bigger high end bikes come with linked brakes??? Yes, and so does the new baby CBR Honda (as an option). | ||
| Iamike |
A Harley riding friend of mine was killed running into the back of a stopping car. One time he told me that he was afraid to use the front brake because it may cause him to crash. | ||
| Fresnobuell |
FWIW, even million dollar MotoGP bikes have a rear brake. It's there for a REASON. Reasons being either backing it in or off course excursions. On our bikes I can see the use in the latter for 99 percent of mortal riders ie the other 1 percent using the rear to steer } |
