so i took a trip around lake michigan clockwise starting in chicago. the machinaw bridge was gun (i am scared of heights). then took the ludington ferry westward and back down to chicago.

during these couple days, there were two things that i really had trouble with. the first was how my driving deteriorated during the day. i attributed this to just normal fatique.

the second, and more important, was howmuch trouble i have in consistantly coming to a nice controled stop.

there are times that i downshift smoothly, let the engine supply some of the stopping power, apply the front and rear brakes nicely, slow down real smooth, pull the clutch in, put the down the left foot and then the right foot and ease back on the front brake break. and open coffee could have been on the tank and not one drop would have been spilled.

other times, everything is fine until the last portion and then as the saying goes "everything goes to hell in a hand basket". the bike is wobbling, the pressure on the brakes is just wrong. usually i end up slamming on the front brake and nose diving to a stop with the bike not at the location where i anticipated it to be stopping.

i have watched other bikers coming to a stop to see any dynamics that were happening that maybe i just didn't realize. i have watched the cd about riding. i have done some practicing with stopping in the 'ol empty parking lot. i have tried to figure some kind of similarity to when happens - day vs night, traffic vs empty roads, slow vs fast, stop signs vs traffic lights, morning vs evening, beginning of ride vs end of ride, bike loaded vs bike empty, hungry vs starving, cold vs hot ............you get the idea.................and i have yet to find any relavant information............. and i don't drink at all when i ride so that is not an issue. i have been attempting to determine when coming to a stop if it was going tobe a good one or not.can'tdetermine it. afterwards i will try to say why did it go bad or what made it good.just really have nothing.

so .................
does this happen to anyone else
has it happened and then went away
is it like a golf game where 15 holes you play well but for some reason you screw up 3 holes, not always the same ones.

any suggestions or comments

i have an 07 ultra

 

Same thing happens to me at times. If I think about it and remember: head up, look straight, use only rear brake on last few feet of motion, its smooth as glass every time.

 

Brakes suck they are only for stoping and very over rated .....

seriously I have been dealing with a bad rear brake for 4 years now but may have it solved

 

Yup, same here, but to a lesser extent than you described.Especially when ridin with a passanger. I contribute it to balance. Some people have a better sense of balance then others. You did not mention how long you have been ridin, how many miles you have on the saddle. You might get better with more miles under your belt.
I like your comparison to golf. For me its 3 or 4 decent holes...I think I have finally got it all together! Then start thinking about what I did right, what I did differently, try to duplicate my swing and the game goes to hell!

 

You didn't mention how long you've been riding or if you've taken the MSF course but the key to proper riding is practice. You have to practice to the point where you don't have to think about any of the issues regarding controlling the bike. Then you can focus on the road, on hazards, on lane positionand enjoying the ride and the scenery.

 

One big difference I've noticed between a single and dual front brake setup is that the duals have great stopping power, while the single is noticeably weaker. I went from dual to single on my latest bike and it's been a learning curve. You can't stop as fast so you have to ensure you downshift to help slow you down faster. Without downshifting you'll end up, even with both brakes applied, skidding forward further than you realize. I try to apply most of the brake pressure with the front and gradually apply pressure to the back. The front gives you what 2/3s more stopping power than the back brake anyway. I usually start to slow down way before I get to the rear of the vehicle in front of me; this also makes the person behind me aware of my braking. The other thing I always always do issee what is happening as far ahead of me as possible to see what the situation is; a lot of times you can start to see people braking ahead of you and that'll give you the signal to start slowing down.

 

some other info
got the bike april this year - have around 6500 miles on it
first bike in 20 years, not much riding in those 20 years
rode my daughters sporster some (200 miles maybe) and don't really have the same problem
i also have one of those little gizmos that go on the throttle so you can rest your wrist on it instead of gripping the throttle - could this in anyway be causing a problem like keeping too much gas on and just giving the bike that little bit more power than i wanted
i was also thinking that just maybe i am not using the rear brake the same each time or something, forcing me to brake harder on the front.
i am the worst in stop and go traffic although i did okay if i was kinda draggin the rear brake when going slow
i can go like real slow without a problem of balance - like i could crawl faster - so its not slow speed balaqncd

whatever

 

If you use the brakes a lot in a short amount of time the fluid can heat up and cause brake fade. Don't know if that's what you are experiencing, just throwing it out as another thing to consider.

 

Sounds like its just like the golf thing you described. You almost just have to not think about it, it has to come natural. The more you have to think about your golf swing, the more you f**k up! Downshift, what gear am I in, front brake, rear brake, don't wanna stop here and put my boot in this oil spot, all those things goin on in yer head....It really sounds like ya just might need some more road time and eventually you will do it without really thinking about it.

 

Mark10: YES! That little gismo on the throttle is causing you to keep just a little open throttle while coming to a stop. The additional power at the rear wheel is degrading the effect of your rear brake. Go to a Dealer and get the electronic cruise control put on your bike and take off the throttle aid.

Then practice a great deal in a big parking lot coming to a complete stop by initializing the stop with the front brake then the rear brake. The slower you get, reduce the front brake and increase the rear brake as appropriate. End each stop with virtually NO front brake. And NEVER grab that front brake to stop abruptly as you first described or you WILL dump the bike some day when in the wrong place.

You might also get a set of Lyndall Brake pads for your rear disc only. I am betting that you don't need them at this time on the front discs. ..................... BC