How much use of the rear brake??

[Austin1302]

I took my msf a few months back and can now finally afford to get on a bike. My question is, during msf they of course taught you how to use both the front and rear brake to stop. I have heard though from many people that on a sport bike to not touch the rear or if you do very little because it is so easy to lock up. I was just wanting some opinions on that from some more experienced people than my self. Thanks in advance for the help...ride safe

[sqchram]

Order a copy of Sport Riding Techniques by Nick Ienatsch from Amazon.

Me? I use it when at a red light on a slope so I can take my hands off the clip-ons.

[Aero540T]

In the MSF they should have told you to use BOTH brakes at the same time always. I use both brakes on mine and sure the rear will be easier to lock up but you are losing braking power by using the front only. Do you still have your MSF manual? In the manual was a nice graphic showing the braking distance using the front brake, the rear brake, and then both brakes. Using both brakes will give you the best stopping power and is the best practice to start with as a new rider. THEY GAVE YOU BAD ADVICE...IMO.

[Ivan_markII]

Personally I use the rear brake in the wet and at red lights. I don't touch it at all at higher speeds. I've seen and read about a lot of experienced riders locking it up and sliding out in unexpected hard-braking situations.

I think it would be interesting to see a comparison between max braking using both brakes and max braking using just the front. My guess is that max braking using both brakes would add very little yardage compared to just the front.

[sqchram]

Its a highly debated subject - I read an article - wish I could find the damned thing again. Skilled motojournalists did that exact test and found that putting 100% of their concentration netted better braking results than splitting their attention on both the front for max braking, while focusing on not locking the rear up.

Course I'll get the obligatory flame job now.

[Guitar Man]

Originally Posted by sqchram

Order a copy of Sport Riding Techniques by Nick Ienatsch from Amazon.

Me? I use it when at a red light on a slope so I can take my hands off the clip-ons.

Interesting note in that book is to make sure your brake pedal is not adjusted too high so when you apply it you are less likely to lock it up.

I use mine is conjunction with the front brakes all the time. To me it's second nature now. I think it is dangerous to just rely on the front brakes alone. There's a reason that rear brake is on there and its not to just sit there and look pretty.

[UberGoober]

Why would you get flamed for reporting on something you read?

You should use them both. It takes a lot of practice and using them together at their fullest is a hard skill to master so a lot of guys just don't bother. They take the easy road and only use the front. They'll tell you its better, but its just common sense that the more braking force you apply the quicker you'll stop.

Do what MSF tells you. and get out there, practice, practice, practice. You'll be a better rider on the street because of it.

[LDS]

The rear brake is an absolutely vital component of low speed control. Of course, so many people ride around using their feet as outriggers, they'd never know...

With a good mastery of the friction zone, throttle control and rear brake, you can creep along at sub-walking speeds with your feet on the pegs.

[sqchram]

Originally Posted by LDS

you can creep along at sub-walking speeds with your feet on the pegs.

+1 when the speedo is showing a 2 or maybe a 1 - the slow creep. Cool as hell. Usually that type of rider just has overall good balance and is good at many sports involving balance; bicycling, rollerblading, skiing, etc.

I do the slow creep in the #1 lane in highway rush hour.

Then try the slow creep while checking corners/traffic instead of not gazing forward - much harder.

[Ivan_markII]

Originally Posted by sqchram

Its a highly debated subject - I read an article - wish I could find the damned thing again. Skilled motojournalists did that exact test and found that putting 100% of their concentration netted better braking results than splitting their attention on both the front for max braking, while focusing on not locking the rear up.

Course I'll get the obligatory flame job now.

I do hope this subject will become a mote point as more and more bikes come standard with ABS. Bikes, more than other vehicles, would seem to need ABS since they usually go down once they lock up the front.

I'd bet in the wet ABS bikes far exceed the ability of any rider.

[stamford]

Always use the rear brake. Especially under normal breaking situations like slowing for a car infront of you or coming to a stop. It will simply add to the stopping power of your bike at these traffic speeds and breaking "pressures(?)".

Also always use your rear brake in parking lot situations. In slow speed maneuvering try and use your front brake as little as possible. People sometimes tend to grab a hand full of front break at a low speed which results in you falling down and going boom .

And once you get a bike and get comfortable with all the controls, I suggest you should go and test it for yourself. You don't want to get in a situation where your rear brake locks up and you panic and do something stupid. So go get up to speed on an open road and apply both breaks and slowly lock your rear wheel up for a second and maybe 1 or 2 times more for a longer duration. All you will do is slide straight (if your originally going straight!!!). And you notice (depending on how fast you are going) the backend will fishtail slightly, but you will still remain relatively straight. And if you freak out just release the rear break and it will just pick back up and you will straighten out.

Oh and my experience in locking a rear wheel up doesn't exceed about 50 mph....so I wouldn't take my advise and do it going at highway speeds as I don't know how severe fishtailing will become. And I only have 2 years and about 30k miles on the street..so take my advise for what its worth.

[sqchram]

Originally Posted by stamford

Oh and my experience in locking a rear wheel up doesn't exceed about 50 mph....so I wouldn't take my advise and do it going at highway speeds as I don't know how severe fishtailing will become. And I only have 2 years and about 30k miles on the street..so take my advise for what its worth.

Highside baby!!

[jeepcoma]

Originally Posted by Ivan_markII

My guess is that max braking using both brakes would add very little yardage compared to just the front.

That's the difference between an "oh shit" moment and getting creamed by an SUV running a red light.

[DealsGapR6]

The MSF is extremely generic, and does not make a distinction between the differences in riding technique for different types of bikes. For modern sportbikes, maximum braking requires use of the front until the point that the rear wheel is unweighted or off of the ground entirely. Because of this, the rear brake is not needed for maximum stopping ability.

Now, considering this is the new rider forum and I'm talking about aggressive sport riding techniques, it does not directly apply to your situation. As a new rider, it is important to become familiar with all of the controls on the bike and to use them regularly. However, I do think it is important for anyone on a sportbike to be familiar and comfortable with the behavior of the bike under extreme front brake application. Whether you have an interest in race track style riding or not, the next panic stop could be right around the corner, and survival instincts taking over can get you hurt or killed. Being comfortable with a light rear wheel can prevent those instincts from kicking in and allow you to calmly negotiate a situation.

Back to the sport riding stuff, many people do use the rear brake. It has many functions such as controlling wheelies and trail braking, but slowing in a straight line is not one of those functions. If the rear brake is still useful to slow down you need to brake harder with the front. I don't personally use the rear brake for anything other than slowing down off road, such as when I blow a corner at a race track. These concepts are later down the road, though. Practice using both in different situations and at different biases. Find out for yourself what works to slow you down in a way that will allow you the best shot at pulling through a panic situation. What works best under ideal conditions is not always what will work best in real world, street riding situations.

[bumblebee]

I use my rear brake so much, I replace my rear pads 2 to 1 over the fronts...the rear will "settle" the bike down