Teach me the way of the rear brake

oldfart01 · Dec 2, 2007

slay2k said:
So let me get this straight... for those of you who actually use the rear during *maximum* straight line braking:

The only way that I see it making any sense is if you apply pressure to the rear at the start, and then as soon as the weight shifts to the front you let go almost completely... which literally would mean you have your rear brake applied for under a second and then the front takes over.

Am I wrong ? Who actually uses the rear during heavy front brake use ?!

If you practice, the rear pressure needed will become automatic, just be gentle front & rear as you apply. The rear is more sensitive to overbraking but is still usefull, especially in a panic stop. I learned how to ride in the dirt & you are constantly on both brakes with all kinds of different traction & it really helps you to do it on auto after a while. Also hurts a lot less if you fuck up when you're learning.:cheers

warlord385 · Dec 2, 2007

according to code the rear brake is a delicate tool to use because you have to be aware of the amount of traction available which takes skill and knowledge or your abilities as well as the bikes. Code also mentions that there is no need to use the rear brake in straight line braking in "track" situation or emergency stops. THis is because your aren't going for 80/20 or 70/30. The front brake can provide 100% of the breaking as evident by the motogp guys braking so hard that they can lift the rear upand around before the turn. The rear brake is useless in hard braking. Don't ask me. Ask keith code...and this is with bikes from the 80's so I know our new...hi tech bikes with bigger brakes and better tires are able to apply and use 100% of braking htein the front

reapser · Dec 7, 2007

warlord385 said:
according to code the rear brake is a delicate tool to use because you have to be aware of the amount of traction available which takes skill and knowledge or your abilities as well as the bikes. Code also mentions that there is no need to use the rear brake in straight line braking in "track" situation or emergency stops. THis is because your aren't going for 80/20 or 70/30. The front brake can provide 100% of the breaking as evident by the motogp guys braking so hard that they can lift the rear upand around before the turn. The rear brake is useless in hard braking. Don't ask me. Ask keith code...and this is with bikes from the 80's so I know our new...hi tech bikes with bigger brakes and better tires are able to apply and use 100% of braking htein the front

good point Don..

TheGeek · Dec 7, 2007

I think Code is full of shit on that one. I'll make it real simple. You lock the front, you're fucked either way it goes, and a skidding tire has less traction. You pull enough front brake to flip, and you're still fucked. So you're front brake has a hard limit. Just before you hit that limit, you've got rubber on the ground in the rear which can apply friction. So, your front brake can NEVER apply 100% braking force.

warlord385 · Dec 7, 2007

TheGeek said:
I think Code is full of shit on that one. I'll make it real simple. You lock the front, you're fucked either way it goes, and a skidding tire has less traction. You pull enough front brake to flip, and you're still fucked. So you're front brake has a hard limit. Just before you hit that limit, you've got rubber on the ground in the rear which can apply friction. So, your front brake can NEVER apply 100% braking force.

Skidding front tire does = less traction, but that only happens when you lock the front....solution don't lock the front

Front brake does have a limit, either its going to lock and slide or the rear is gonna lift it. The Code says and that bikes have been lifting the rear tire for about 20 years. Actual braking distances haven't changed in about 20 years also.

Basically if the front can provide 100% breaking evident by the bikes ability to use all the "available" braking and traction that causes the rear to lift off the ground. Because the rear can lift off the ground that means that the front can provide 100% of the breaking.

Now it is true that using both breaks can bring you to a "stop" quicker....but as code asks "when are you gonna stop on the track" Also the rear brake can be used in turns to provide some traction to the front but its rare when you need to do this. This is because quick steering sets your lean angle and turn in then its all about throttle controll to maintain that lean angle and corner speed in the corner.

Code is the shit

2k6gixxersixx · Dec 17, 2007

well, i grew up on dirtbikes so naturally i grew up sliding the back tire around. when i got my gixxer which is my 1st street bike, i had to make myself used to not using the rear so much but i do still use it. especially in straight line emergency stops i use both the front and the rear and i can stop very quickly that way.. quicker than when using just the front alone. i practiced emergency stopping for about an hour one day out in the country, just to see how fast i could stop if i ever needed to. i would advised all of you to go out and do this as you will learn what distance it takes you to go from a certain speed to a stop. i kept doing 60 to dead stop. i found that when i made my best stops the rear tire would be on the verge of sliding. on some stops the rear would slide very slightly but i could still tell the bike was stopping in a shorter distance than when using the front alone. i did this several times, using only front and using both front and rear.. and using both the front and rear is definitely better. it just takes practice to have a feel for how much pressure to apply to each brake. i know my experience in the dirt contributed to this alot, because when the back tire does slide a bit i'm comfortable with it because i'm used to the back tire sliding when i rode in the dirt.

Baconterrain · Jan 20, 2008

Traction of the front tyre is all about getting weight over the front wheel,the more weight over the front wheel the more grip your gonna have.
Thats why we are told to squeeze the brake lever,once that initial dive of the shock flattens the contact patch on the road(with a warmed up tyre)the brakes can be squeezed very hard and the rear brake will have little or no use.Trail braking into corners and filtering through traffic are where the rear comes into it's own.

wheelburns · Feb 7, 2008

desertegl said:
i was NEVER EVER and still am not able to lock up my rear (in a controlled environment, not on the street somewhere with traffic around...).

anyways to tighten the rear a lil?

try pushing harder i lock up my rear almost all the time sliding corners and stuff its like controling your pedal bike when you where a kid

Teach me the way of the rear brake

oldfart01

warlord385

reapser

TheGeek

warlord385

2k6gixxersixx

Baconterrain

wheelburns

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