How easily does YOUR rear tire lockup
Tourer
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 348
Likes: 2
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RE: How easily does YOUR rear tire lockup
Paniolo is absolutley right. 70 / 30 at most!!
The biggest problem is when "the first response or reaction is to hit the rear brake". There ya go! If the rear is your first reaction, you had better practice much more. IMO Practice until the first reaction is to grab a hand full of fronts. Then you feather the rear to COMPLIMENT the stop, not CREATE IT.
If you can still see windshield on a hard stop, you haven't used enough front. If you start with the rears, you'll never catch up with the fronts.
Also, be aware that the bike will behave much differently if the tour pack is on or off or two up / one up. It all takes practice and time.
U
The biggest problem is when "the first response or reaction is to hit the rear brake". There ya go! If the rear is your first reaction, you had better practice much more. IMO Practice until the first reaction is to grab a hand full of fronts. Then you feather the rear to COMPLIMENT the stop, not CREATE IT.
If you can still see windshield on a hard stop, you haven't used enough front. If you start with the rears, you'll never catch up with the fronts.
Also, be aware that the bike will behave much differently if the tour pack is on or off or two up / one up. It all takes practice and time.
U
Tourer
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 295
Likes: 0
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RE: How easily does YOUR rear tire lockup
This guy is good with words, but better with his advice...good job!
The only other thing I can add is, practice braking on differant road surfaces, sure...wet or dry, but I mean assphalt, chipseal, concrete or even gravel.
The only other thing I can add is, practice braking on differant road surfaces, sure...wet or dry, but I mean assphalt, chipseal, concrete or even gravel.
ORIGINAL: Paniolo
Folks here have given some good advice.
In an emergency stopping situation, some ridersrevert back toI call "driving the car". They do on their bike what the do in their car, which is jam on the brake pedal and forget all about the front. Their instincts become more car, than bike. This can lead to rear wheel lock up. So I tell riders they should practice threshold combination braking. The application ofboth brakesright up to the thresholdof imminent lock up. I always use both brakes because the bike has two sets of independant brakes on them. Perhaps the rear only accounts for 20-30% of stopping power, but that's thats 20-30% more than if I didn't use them. And remember, when you apply BOTH brakes, the front, (which has over 70% of the stopping power), will cause the front end to dive andthe forks to compress. And as the front end gets heavier and goes down, the rear gets lighter and comes up. Hence the rear will have a greater propensity to lock up. So you need to be able to modulate your rear pedal to avoid the lock up. Of course the only way to become proficient at this is REGULAR practice. Make practice part of your riding routine. Factor in 10 extra mins before the ride to practice braking and other skils.
And like the others said. If you lock up the rear STAY ON IT AND KEEP IT LOCKED UNTIL YOU COME TO A COMPLETE STOP.
Folks here have given some good advice.
In an emergency stopping situation, some ridersrevert back toI call "driving the car". They do on their bike what the do in their car, which is jam on the brake pedal and forget all about the front. Their instincts become more car, than bike. This can lead to rear wheel lock up. So I tell riders they should practice threshold combination braking. The application ofboth brakesright up to the thresholdof imminent lock up. I always use both brakes because the bike has two sets of independant brakes on them. Perhaps the rear only accounts for 20-30% of stopping power, but that's thats 20-30% more than if I didn't use them. And remember, when you apply BOTH brakes, the front, (which has over 70% of the stopping power), will cause the front end to dive andthe forks to compress. And as the front end gets heavier and goes down, the rear gets lighter and comes up. Hence the rear will have a greater propensity to lock up. So you need to be able to modulate your rear pedal to avoid the lock up. Of course the only way to become proficient at this is REGULAR practice. Make practice part of your riding routine. Factor in 10 extra mins before the ride to practice braking and other skils.
And like the others said. If you lock up the rear STAY ON IT AND KEEP IT LOCKED UNTIL YOU COME TO A COMPLETE STOP.
Road Warrior
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 1,830
Likes: 8
From: Retired and living in the mountains of NE PA
RE: How easily does YOUR rear tire lockup
ORIGINAL: harry.b
When I first got the bike I was in a panic stop situation and stepped on the rear and started skidding. I grabbed the front brake and let off the rear with no mishap. I would say that the rear locks up way too easily. Never experienced that on another make of motorcycle.
When I first got the bike I was in a panic stop situation and stepped on the rear and started skidding. I grabbed the front brake and let off the rear with no mishap. I would say that the rear locks up way too easily. Never experienced that on another make of motorcycle.
Road Master
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 759
Likes: 0
From: Hampton, VA
RE: How easily does YOUR rear tire lockup
My rear tire never locks up unless I do it on purpose, and I have only done that once. I follow the information presented to me in the motorcycle safety course, I always use both brakes. I taught the MSF course for five years and I did the braking demos because my partner didn't like doing them. I taught for the Navy and used my bike for the class (a sportser and a superglide). One of the things I discovered in the old "controlling rear wheel skid" excercise was that if I used both brakes I had a hard time locking up the rear wheel. In the "maximum braking excercise" I used both brakes as hard as I could and the bike just stopped. It is my personal opinion that both brakes are there for a reason and while most of the braking power is applied to the front, in order to safely stop I need to follow the rules of using both brakes, head and eyes up and knees against the tank.
Tourer
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 302
Likes: 0
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RE: How easily does YOUR rear tire lockup
Lots of good advise here.
I did it within the first week I had the new EGC. Now I know where that point is and have not done it since but it happens. Even to good riders. Did I consider selling the bike as suggested above? Yea right.................
It is pretty hard to practice a panic stop without the panic but I'll grab a bunch of brake at a couple stop signs on the way home from work just to keep my feel for the system.
Stellar HDF Member
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 2,703
Likes: 95
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Rider experience would be if we're talking about riding all types of bikes - face it you tourer bigots - there actually can be something wrong with them. Listen to what experienced riders are telling you - in many, typically single up situations, probably OE Dunlops, etc. the rears are much more touchy than any other bike.
Last edited by nine11c2; Mar 14, 2009 at 09:12 PM.
Stellar HDF Member
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 2,703
Likes: 95
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Road Master
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 882
Likes: 0
From: Milwaukee, WI
I have only locked up the rear brake a couple of times unintentionally in 40 years of riding. I do, at the beginning of every riding season, lockup the rear tire on wet pavement. This gives me an idea of how much lever force I can exert before the tires locks up. I do this exercise around 30mph in an area with no traffic.
I always use front first followed by rear. Panic stops are really unsettleing.
I always use front first followed by rear. Panic stops are really unsettleing.
