Coming up over a hill today, momentarily distracted. I looked up to see tail lights. I grabbed the front brake with authority. I wasn't going very fast...can't say for sure how fast...15 or 20 maybe? but I managed to lay the bike down, it slid a foot or maybe two (again, I wasn't going that fast). No major injuries to myself or the bike. A sligh scuff along the bottom of the saddle bag, a little scratch on the crash bar and I slightly bent the rear rider footboard bracket (but I was able to just tap it back with my foot after I got the bike back up on two wheels).

It all happened so quickly I'm not sure what went wrong and how I managed to drop the bike. I use front brake only in pretty much every case..should I start using the back brake too? The road was smooth and I didn't see a lot of gravel or anything...but maybe I slid on something...Did I maybe tense up and jerk the bars at the last second?

It's hard to say, and I'm glad to have been able to just right the bike and continue on my way, but I think it's time to re-evaluate my hard stopping technique.

 

Yes, you need to learn how to use both the front and rear brakes in tandem. It takes a small amount of practice but it's fairly easy to adjust and master. In most daily situations I only use the rear brake or the engine to slow to a stop, only using the front as I come to a complete stop or for emergency purposes.

 

First, let me say congratulations for being a man and admitting that it's possible you did something to cause your crash. Too many people take the easy way out and convince themselves they did nothing wrong when it's clear to anyone they caused their own demise. If you don't call the dog a dog, he'll never come to you. So it is with the utmost respect that I offer the following.

Yes, you should use both brakes, all the time, unless we're talking about some very select circumstances. Say for instance riding on gravel there may be times where you'll only want to apply the REAR brake or doing tight turn work at very low speed (like maneuvering thru cones) would be a couple instances. Without using the rear brake you're losing as much as 30% of your braking capability; which increases stopping distance. Mind you I said stopping distance, not braking distance. They are two separate things. Stopping distance adds the amount of distance traveled between the time you see the need to stop quickly and the time you actually apply the brakes.

Here's where it gets a little technical. HOW you apply the brakes will determine stopping distance. The front brake should be applied firmly at the initial application and then increase lever pressure progressively harder while applying the rear brake as well. When you "grab a handful" of the front brake you transfer the weight of the bike forward onto the contact patch of the front tire. Grabbing the front brake hard from the initial application transfers that weight rapidly; so rapidly that the front tire contact patch has no time to become bigger as the tire flexes and becomes wider. The rapid weight transfer on the narrow contact patch overwhelms the available traction and the front wheel skids. It takes but a moment to wash out the front with a skidding front tire. The only thing you can do when the front tire starts skidding is to release the front brake and immediately re-apply it. Once you've felt the front wheel skid once, you'll know what it feels like after that.

So the idea is to apply the front and rear brakes, front harder than the rear and increase lever pressure in the front while keeping your head and eyes looking straight ahead. Do not look at what you're trying NOT to hit. Should your rear tire start to skid, do not release pressure on the pedal or pump the brake. You could cause a high side crash. I'll apologize in advance for omitted words or misspellings. The old lady has dinner on the table and I'm hungry

Way to man up. I hope it's your last fall.

 

Use both brakes!!! SJ Ron

 

That's one of the first things they teach you in the riders course; to use both brakes in tandem. My suggestion would be taking the class. If you were going 65 mph you could have been severely injured.

 

I was taught to use both brakes when I started riding and when I took my diving test for the motorcycle license if you didn't use both brakes you failed the test.

 

They taught us what to do in my MSF rider course. First always use front and back brakes in tandem. If the back brake locks up do not release the brake. However, if the front brake locks up then you should release it because you cannot control the direction of a skidding front tire. The MSF instructor actually had us practice locking up the front brake in class.

 

Both brakes it is. When I first started riding (20 years ago) what I was told (or should I say, the way I heard/understood what I was told) is that all of our stopping power is in the front brake and the rear brake can be dangerous to use as it has the tendency to lock up. Obviously I have taught myself to only use the front brake, and because of that, I lost control of my bike today. Nomadmax, what you describe about the physics of what happens when you apply the front brake too much too fast causing the front tire to slide is exactly what I believe I experienced today. I do appreciate everybody's advice and I will read up on proper stopping technique as well look into some additional rider education. Thanks guys!

 

Yes, absolutely you should.

 

Thank you for that great, thorough and well constructed response. It is exactly what I learned in the MSF class, and always good to be reminded. I actually practice this in Church parking lots about every other week or so. It is good to have muscle memory, so that when the need arrises you don't have to think about it.