Soften up the rear brake: its just to harsh

[sirgalahad3]

It is not possible to slow a motorcycle from speed quickly and in a stable manner only using the front brake. Why do you think they are fitted.
This is my last post on this but I am shocked at some of the posts. Good luck is all I can say to some of you.   

[noggythenog]

It is not possible to slow a motorcycle from speed quickly and in a stable manner only using the front brake. Why do you think they are fitted.
This is my last post on this but I am shocked at some of the posts. Good luck is all I can say to some of you.

Oh yes it is


 

[Exupnut]

Gotta agree with the above.... I hardly use my back brake apart from when its pissin down.... (Edited... Pissed waitin for footie)

[b1k3rdude]

How fast exactly were you going because mini roundabouts should not need banking over or both brakes.....

It was either slowing down enough so I could go around it (it being a 3x4ft wet metal drain cover) or risk going over it while lent over. At least going with the brake it gave me more control than I would have had on the drain cover. Wtf the council have put one that large, in the middle of the road, on a junction, on a bend is beyond me.

To all those that only use their fronts, you have obviously gotten used to doing that. The rest of us mere mortals forget to only apply the front when in a mild or not so mild state of panic, its called being human.

In the mean time,  I am going to adjust the brake pedal height, check the rear disk for straightness and change the rear pads.

[JoeRock]

It is not possible to slow a motorcycle from speed quickly and in a stable manner only using the front brake. Why do you think they are fitted.
This is my last post on this but I am shocked at some of the posts. Good luck is all I can say to some of you.

I'd have to agree with Noggy on this. Admittedly I'm on a sportsbike, so the geometry is different, but if I'm braking hard then I use little to no rear brake, as the rear wheel is only just in contact with the ground. That said, they are rather handy for slow traffic or U turns, but that's pretty much it. Obviously a different story with someone on the back!
I did use the rear brake a bit more with the Fazers I've had, but not having the same weight distribution as my current bike means I could use the rear more with it actually having some effect!

[dazza]

I personally use my rear brake more than my front, prevents my front from diving at lights and junctions and the front forks being compressed when hitting a fast bend. It's all about personal preference and how you chose to ride. There is no right and wrong and all your self righteous comments are seriously flawed.

[slimwilly]

I rub my foot on my back tyre, i find this helps 






Nah, as said , check operation of rear brake is correct,not sticking at a particular point.Then a good idea was to drop the rear lever a little bit,then trust the front much more,and practice it,try a handful of brake,,wet or dry ,you will learn how affective it is.careful now.

[Hedgetrimmer]

Times to use the rear brake.

On a steep downhill.
On loose surface.
In wet conditions.
For extra in an emergency situation.
When you've focced everything up going into a corner too late/fast and panic 

I try to stay off it for most normal riding, or when riding hard in good conditions, but there are times when a little dab can be useful. Gen 1 rears are very easy to lock!

[red98]

mmmmmmmm...well i was`nt going to reply to this thread but  .....i am surprised at how many of you dont use your rear brake...... i use mine lots,nick has a good list of when to use it,i also use it to loose some speed or to steady the bike whilst still having full grip on the throttle.......probs does explain why this site has so many "sticky/seized caliper threads " .......

[Camshaft]

When entering a roundabout or sharp corner I use rear brake along with a touch of throttle so when accelerating out the chain slack is taken up, then release brake and add more throttle for a smooth ride out.

[slimwilly]

I don't know the comparison of % effectiveness of front and rear brakes,


i guess with twin disks and much larger diameter up front the front must be about 90% compared to rear 10% rear effective braking,,straight line,


There is a reason for the front being so big and effective , its because that is where ther most effective area to use brakes.


In MOTO GP racing the rear is almost never used,,but Nicky Hayden was known for over heating his rear brake all said to be due to his riding background, which was dirt bikng.

[Camshaft]

Mick Doohan after destroying his lower right leg had his team install a rear brake lever on the left bar, for discussion's sake anyway!

[noggythenog]

My previous comments look a bit self righteous.......i was pissed up & waiting for the football to start ............i dont really know what im talking about....well i do...but only with regards to my own riding style........like i say i have locked up the front wheel twice now so i have some lessons to learn also but the fact remains that locking up the back brake all the time probably means you need to change a habit that has become ingrained.




& lowering the brake pedal was one of the best adjustments i ever made......it's like a 6 foot five person jumping into a nissan micra & pulling the seat fully in towards the steering wheel & then still expecting to have good clutch control.


Good luck, it must be annoying.

[Dave48]

When entering a roundabout or sharp corner I use rear brake along with a touch of throttle so when accelerating out the chain slack is taken up, then release brake and add more throttle for a smooth ride out.

Who taught you that!
Or are you saying your chain is too slack?

[VNA - BMW Wank]

It is not possible to slow a motorcycle from speed quickly and in a stable manner only using the front brake.

You what?  Must be something wrong with your bike bud.

[Camshaft]

When entering a roundabout or sharp corner I use rear brake along with a touch of throttle so when accelerating out the chain slack is taken up, then release brake and add more throttle for a smooth ride out.

Who taught you that!
Or are you saying your chain is too slack?

Chain is in spec, I mean the snatch from a closed throttle to just a little, I find this method useful particularly on a wet roundabout.

[slimwilly]

I personally use my rear brake more than my front, prevents my front from diving at lights and junctions and the front forks being compressed when hitting a fast bend. It's all about personal preference and how you chose to ride. There is no right and wrong and all your self righteous comments are seriously flawed.

Dazza, when you are sat on your bike, are the handle bars infront of you or behind you?

[PaulSmith]

Here are some excercises that someone wiser then me was kind enough to share. I still do them but probably not often enough.

The aim is to be smooth and deliberate.

Go find a carpark with a decent surface, pick a marker and practise passing it at - exactly - 25mph. Do this two or three times so you know how it feels, it is not as easy as you might think. When you are comfortable that you have the speed under control, you are ready to begin.

As you pass the marker, pull the clutch and hit the back brake. Try not to lock up, but still stop as quickly as you can. Two or three attempts and you will have the lockups under control. Note where you finish up (drop a coin or bottle top on the ground) and try to stop the bike a bit sooner.  You will quickly find that releasing your brake stops you faster then letting it lock up.

Do the same excercise but don't pull the clutch this time. Deliberatly let the bike stall a couple of times until you know exactly how it feels, then try using the clutch at the last possible moment to prevent the stall. Note where you can stop consistently.

Same speed, same marker, pull the clutch and apply pressure to the front brake slowly.
Repeat, pulling the front brake harder and harder to shorten the braking distance until you feel the front lock up. Don't worry, you will know when this happens because it scary and very fucking distracting. So do it again and again until it is scary but not so distracting that you can't do something about it like ease the brake enough to release the lock. Try to keep the front on the edge of locking up all the way to a stop.

Now try again without pulling the clutch. Things will be happening quickly now so when you get a chance, double check you are still passing the marker at - exactly - 25mph. Try it in a higher gear and a lower one to feel the difference it makes. 

Now try again using the back brake as well (this is the excercise I find hardest). Not locking the rear will take a few tries as if you are loading up the front leaving very little weight on the back wheel to stop it locking. Try this a few times and you will probably find your self pulling front and rear together, but the rear frimly and front softly, easing up on the rear to avoid locking while firming up the front as the weight transfer gives it more grip.

Take a breather before trying it all again from 30mph.
 

[bigfootpete]

if anything the back brake should, if used at speed be applied BEFORE the front......just a dab really...enough to load more weight to the front so that the front can get more stopping power.

Errr, you won't load the front by applying the rear brake...

[noggythenog]

if anything the back brake should, if used at speed be applied BEFORE the front......just a dab really...enough to load more weight to the front so that the front can get more stopping power.

Errr, you won't load the front by applying the rear brake...

Yes you will...the weight transfers forward when you apply the back brake and that makes the front end dig in more coz the more weight on the front the better.

[dickturpin]

I use mine at the end of  half mile, 70mph wheelie.......yeah right!

[DekF]

This has got to be up with the most idiotic ideas ever posted on focu. Only a loop fruit would want to reduce braking efficiency. Learn to ride to the conditions, have a full understanding & knowledge of the the limits of the controls available to you & ride accordingly. If you're regularly locking up alter your technique because it's crap.
Noggy, if bfp is correct why does my front wheel come down when I dab the rear brake doing a wheelie

[noggythenog]

Ha ha ha ha ha




Fair play chaps...i dont take anything too seriously & it is a treat to be quoted from one of my earlier pissed up foc u moments....how i managed to actually type that in the first place ill never know....however............




Some of the limited shit i know has come from trial & error...so it is like..baby talk i suppose without any technical jargon or cool bike speak...i prefer this type of talk.


But every so often i do get caught up in some article that i seen somewhere & think yeh that sounds like real sense that does......one such article was before i even passed my bike test...a part of it was about braking...always stuck in my head.



http://www.lazymotorbike.eu/tips/braking/



For the record ive tried the dab of the back brake before the front and it does make you stop faster.......do i do it regularly.....no i don't ever do it when i need to...coz im a twat & too focused on panic braking with the front only.....still here for now though....but that isnt the point is it....i also cant focus on back brake mid corner but id love to some day master these techniques....just because i cant does not make them wrong.

[b1k3rdude]

@DekF

So you missed statement I made where in my B12 dosen't lock up the rear? and now that I think about neither did my ZZR1100. The rear brake on the fazer 600/1000 has always been overkill, plain and simple. I have been making a concious effort to reduce the amount of rear brake I use, but slagging of my or someone else's riding skill is pointless. There is no way to gauge how long it will take for said 'concious effort' to translate into emergency situations, if at all.

In the meantime I still need to get around to moving the lever, checking the brake disc for true and changing the rear pads.

[slimwilly]

If you have a center stand this will help make it easier