Be one with your brakes

[gearjunky13]

Originally Posted by Speedo007

I use the rear brake more when I have a passenger as it reduces some weight transfer. I still use it all the time though, just less when I'm solo. I did avoid a deer last summer with heavy breaking both rear and front as hard as I could without losing it and agree with the importance of getting to know your brakes well cause when it happens, its all about conditioned reflexes. If you don't have the experience, the reflex will tell you to lock both wheels...and thats not good.

A verry true statment, braking in general is easy but when things go wrong you need to stop yourself from just grabbing a fist full of front brake and digging your right foot into the pavement, you need to adjust for conditions and wheel slip, its not easy.

[Call me knight hawk]

I have been riding on the street for over 25 years. When I first started I used allot of rear brake coming from the dirt. In the dirt you can use the rear brake to slide into a corner and it set you up good for the exit. In the canyons I tend not use the rear brake especial when there is dirt/gravel in the road. When I use the rear brake the most (at least cover the rear brake lever the most) is when I am splitting traffic. Anyone who has spent anytime splitting traffic on the 405 in L.A. knows you are going to need all the braking you have. That and cat like reflexes (I hate splitting traffic in L.A.)

[mano1192]

The MSF says that only professional riders have the muscle memory reflex to use both brakes at the correct ratio during an emergency stopping situation and everyone else just locks up one brake - the one there are used to using most. Im from dirt and tht used to be my rear, which is worthless on the street as 70% of your braking comes from the front. I had to retrain myself to use the front in case of emergencies. When you have an emergency stop do not worry about using both, just use the front and your ass will thank you for it!

In normal conditions I do use both, in twisties I will use the rear when pushing wide in corners to shave and tighten my line as the front will put you on your ass. There are many techniques to useing each brake in different circumstances and I would recommend everyone to go read a book by a pro racer for technique, if using proper technique even at low normal speeds it can help save your life someday.

edit- also know your staging for the front brake. Stage 1 - Stage 3 is what I use and i practice stage 3 every day to see how fast I can stop and to improve technique there. I also would highly recommend everyone to change out their shit ass stock brake lines. I got the 50-50 carbon / ceramic from Fren Turbo and it went from a mushy fucking mess to a solid instant stopping machine!

[Speedo007]

The most important is to understand the feedback the bike is giving you. When you lock one wheel you feel the bike swerving and you know you need to release some pressure. A few years back I even locked the front wheel on a deserted highway on purpose to see how it would react (not that I recommend trying this) but once you see how it reacts you realize normal human reflexes are fast enough to let go so the wheel gains grip again, unless you're in total panic and just hold a hand full thinking you have ABS :P But I agree that if you don't have enough experience, you can't go wrong with focusing just on the front brake (if trying to work both at the same time will mix you up), that's really where most of the work is done. The ideal is really to practice in a deserted parking lot, put frame sliders and see how your bike reacts under heavy breaking.

[Hoover]

I commented earlier in this thread about rear braking during spirited riding, now the topic has switched to emergency/panic braking.

Back when I was much younger and waaaay more foolish, I was riding too fast for conditions and too fast for the enviroment I was in.
A van pulled out infront of me as I was ripping through a city street (not his fault).
The only reason I am still alive today is I am a rear braker. Using nothing but instinct, I stomped on the rear brake pedal, got the bike into a slide and laid it down. End result, I slid under the van, which stopped dead when it saw me coming, and got a little messed up. Bike totalled, me alive but hurting.
Had I hit that van, which I would of done, even with max front/rear braking, I would not be here..no doubt.

If you look at some of the best drivers/riders in the world today, almost all of them have off-road, karting experience, which teaches the importance of rear control.

I am not even close to any of those pros, but I do understand and use the principle.

Again, in everyday riding, front 75%, but when you start to push, you had better cover your rear!

[Speedo007]

True that rear break IS important, was just saying that for a beginner that doesn't master it yet, in a panic stop, better to just use only the front then to get the rear sliding. In your case I believe it saved you, but just like in some cases some people not wearing a seat belt survive a car crash while they would have been killed had then been wearing it. In most cases, putting the bike on it's side won't increase your chances of walking away. That said, I truly encourage people to use rear brake all the time and practice, practice, practice. Cause the MSF course is really just an appetizer. You'll only know how good you are at emergency brakings when you're in a real life situation that requires it (and as we all know it's not a matter of if, but when). And the more practice you have under your belt, the better are your chances. I've ridden about 100000km in the past 5 years and I can recall at least 3 situations where proper control saved me a lot of pain (like deers crossing, a moose, even a turtle...)

[mano1192]

Moose and freaking turtles!! Im glad I live in Vegas were the only thing that may dart into my path would be the occasional bum

[Speedo007]

yeah we have bears, skunks, wild turkeys, deers...name it we got it hehe

[Hoover]

Our biggest threat here on the twisties are.....FARMERS
Most of the farms in Wisconsin, and there are thousands of them, have fields on both sides of the road and farmers frequently herd their cattle across the road at miking time and drive their shit spreaders leaving crap and mud all over the road.