Asked a question in dyna section and got served. My question was why the need for dual front brakes. I go thru back pads about every year and have yet to replace front. Was told I don't know how to brake. I get stopped when I want to and I use front brake just not heavy on it. Someone teach me how to brake.

 

Go to a big empty parking Lot, mark a line, hit that line at 50 mph and use only the rear brake to stop as fast as you can. Measure it.

Do the same with front brake, do the same with both brakes.

Practice that drill a few times and get back to us with the stopping distances.

You do not know how to brake the best to your bikes abilities yet.

 

Front brake should be 70% of stopping. Not a expert but you must be heavy on that rear brake. I'm sure you've heard this before.

 

This is what I was told in my riders class. Your front brake is about 80% of your braking power. But, if you brake to hard, you could dump the bike (it happened to someone in the class). What the instructor said was to use your rear brake lightly to prevent the forward motion. Right after you put pressure to the rear, use your front to stop. That's the basics.


Their are more ways to use your brakes and Im sure more experienced riders will chime in.

 

your front brakes are the most effective means of slowing you down, because of weight transfer. if you aren't running into **** when you stop, you are braking correctly. I use my front brakes a lot more than I use the rear.

 

You probably get "stopped when you want to" because you're a slow rider and rarely, if ever, have to make panic stops. When it comes to collision avoidance, you usually don't have time to think, and have to use your reflexes which come from repetition, IE: how you always ride. Being in the habit of not using the front brake can get you killed. You should take a rider course, and tell the instructor that you want to work on your braking. Most street bikes have dual front brakes because they are more efficient than a larger single brake, just like a single disc brake is more efficient than a drum brake.

 

You should get in the habit of squeezing both breaks when coming to a stop. This will help you in a emergency stop.

 

The ONLY time I use my rear brake only is at parking lot speeds. In normal traffic and speeds over 15-20 mph I will use both brakes with more pressure on the front. As stated before, the front brake is your primary stopping power.

If you use your front brake at parking lot speeds (10-15 mph or less) and your handlebars are turned to one side, there is a good chance the bike will go down. This effect is more noticeable the slower you go.

It was mentioned earlier:
1. Take a MSF basic rider course AND
2. Go to a parking lot and practice your braking, to include emergency stops

 

Can watch that right here.

 

This is my first bike with a front brake that I didn't take off. My '75 shovelhead had one but I put a wide glide frontend on it, with no front brake. Now, I don't know how I got along without it.

I feel like I hit the rear brake harder than the front, only because I don't want the front wheel to grab and slide...no having an ABS, I have that fear.

As for duel front brakes...I don't know why they're on a bike. I don't see the point. I'd much rather have linked brakes.