How much front brake do you use ??

I'm still very very inexperienced with all this biking stuff and am keen to take in as much advice as possible.

I have one particular question:

How much front brake do you use compared to rear ?

I am probably still cautious from my teenage years of riding a bicycle and going arse over tit on numerous occasions due to too much front brake action. I realise that riding conditions probably have a big impact on what is considered suitable breaking using the front wheel. I do though seem far too cautious of using it and wondered what your oppinions were ?

During my bike lessons earlier this year I was told to apply roughly 75% front compared to 25% rear in an emergency stop situation but to reduce this front use in the wet.

I would appreciate any comments on this subject as I'm sure I'm being far too wimpish with my breaking technique.

:Sport:

Sorry About Caps...my Computer Is Acting Up And I Cant Turn Them Off...now Annoying. O caps are automatically removed..clever programme!!

Anyways, I Have A Bad Habit Where I Always Apply Rear First But Only Gently Then I Use As Much Front As Necessary To Stop And Apply Rear Harder Than Front (and Then Release Front) Just Before Coming To A Stop. People Always Say 50-50 For Both In Wet And 70-30 For Front-rear On The Dry...this Is Just A Guideline And You Will Only Get To Know How Much Brake To Apply Once You Practice With Your Machine.

what these bikes have a rear brake
i used to race downhill Mtbs and you soon learn that the front brake is your best friend and the same applies to my riding on a motor bike, i use the rear brake for balance in corners and to settle the suspension after i do all my slowing/stopping with the front. The S2's front monoblocks only need 2 fingers, i have already had the rear wagging like an overly happy puppy from 80mph, then the rear brake is useless and locks up way to easy causing a slide which is even more dangerous i know i should use more rear brake but old habits die hard and i use about 90% front and 10%rear and maybe 75% front and 25% in the wet.
somebody here mentioned stopping on a line from various speeds to ensure you can stop, try the same thing with the front brake only make the distance shorter each time and keep the speed the same 20mph to atart with, to learn how the bike feels as it unweights the rear, do not grab the front brake or use it as an on/off switch this is a recipe for disaster which i learnt the hard way, squeeze the brake progressively until the front tire/suspension loads up at this point you can start to apply maximum brakes as you have max grip, keep your weight back on the seat and as you come to the corner/stop, start to slowly release the brake as long as you have scrubbed enough speed, then apply the rear gently to balance the the bike and settle the suspension and begin the corner, this works for me and not for everyone so practice is the key learn your own limits but do not fear the front brake its all about balance.
one last thing brake in straight lines only, braking through corners is not good unless you have mastered the art of dragging the brakes, to much front and you can wash out as the front tuck s up under the bike, to much rear and you start to slide and possibly high side, both resulting in either a saved bike and new trousers moment or an expensive trip down the road.

hobbit said:

what these bikes have a rear brake
.

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Thanks mate... some quality info there. I've a few days off this week so gonna try and polish a few techniques I've been trialling recently.. I figured that I wasn't using the front to its full potential after seeing a video recently of some breaking action at cadwell park ... The guy had the rear wheel off the ground at times because he was breaking that hard

I probably won't go to that extreme though ... not yet ....

:thumbup:

make sure everything is up to temp including the brakes and take it slowly you will soon learn how far you can go have fun and ride safe

even though this sounds squidly, practice doing stopies or at least on the verve of doing them. and do it from higher speeds that you normal use (like highway speeds). it helps you get a feel of what you can and cant do/learn the bikes potential, etc..

ped said:

even though this sounds squidly, practice doing stopies or at least on the verve of doing them. and do it from higher speeds that you normal use (like highway speeds). it helps you get a feel of what you can and cant do/learn the bikes potential, etc..

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Stoppies sound a bit advanced for a man of my limited ability mate
I'll try anything once though

hobbit said:

what these bikes have a rear brake

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that's what I thought, to me the rear brake is practically useless. it locks before it offers any real stopping power. I do use both brakes but the front brake is the meat and potatoes of your stopping power the rear is a little more than garnish.

I was raised a poor black child and never had a bicycle with handbrakes, so I was using the front brake on FZ6 from the start; in fact, it wasn't until I took the MSF course that I started using any foot brake at all ('cept for starting from a stop heading uphill).
The part I still can't quite figure out is, I have no idea if my braking force is 25% from the rear brake; my muscles in my hand vs. my foot are completely different, I have no idea how they are relating to each other.
Think Hobbitt and Ped have the right idea, just keep practicing with each in a safe area until it becomes natural.

Now if it would just stop raining so I could ride...

The front brake is the meat of your braking system. The rear feels like garbage to me , and I've locked it more times than I care to mention. I still use it every time I brake, but I don't rely on it at all.

Botch said:

I was raised a poor black child

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thats from "the jerk" right?

LOL...some quality answers there fellas. .....

If I go somersaulting down the road tomorrow with my new "Leo Vince" cans on (thought I'd get that one in) then its all your fault !!!!!!

The rear brake is good for 2up and track riding........................once you're in the grass that is.
________
Pamelabigtitsx live

sportrider_fz6 said:

thats from "the jerk" right?

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Yeah, but I think I misquoted, I think it's "born", not "raised", d'Oh!

ya that movie is a classic!!!

Rear brake is very usefull (and should be used) for slow/low speed maneuvering, such as anything under 20Km/hr. It's less "abrupt" than the using the front brake and give the rider the ability to "feather" the brake along with the clutch in slow speed maneuvering like in a parking lot or slow traffic. I find this works well and is what they teach in MSF courses.

The majority of riding you will baiscally only use your front brake as it has about 80% of your stopping power anyway. Adding rear brake to that does increase the rate of which you stop. I've been experimenting with adding more rear brake when stopping and it does make a notciable difference. Yes it is easy to lock up the rear brake and is actually a good thing to practice. It's good to feel and find out how your bike reacts when you lock up the rear. Your bike will usually only 'slide out' in the same direction each time it locks up.

I would play around in an empty parking lot and experiment with your braking. Try stopping with just the front, then add some rear. Then try just rear. Find the point where your rear brake locks and get used to where that is. Practice locking it up, then easing up off the rear to un-lock the rear tire. You will soon find what works best for you and your riding style. However, nothing replaces time in the saddle and the more you ride, them more you will learn.

rear lock

when I first started to ride I locked my rear brake a couple times braking for a red light, causing a skid. Pretty dangerous.

I lost a smidge of control w/ the front brake once, my rear did lift a little bit but I sure didn't skid!

I guess the only advice to offer is to take things slower in the city.

Anyone out there ride a bike w/abs? like a vstrom, bmw etc...I'm interested in how well that works for people

I agree with everything said. I've locked up the rear in a panic situation and the back end slid around. Its good to have some dirt riding experience. I've often wondered why the manufacturers don't put ABS on the rear only to prevent that.

Regarding braking in a turn. Its best to do most of your braking in a straight line but braking in a turn is called trail braking and can be a useful skillset to learn.

Glenn

philrose said:

Anyone out there ride a bike w/abs? like a vstrom, bmw etc...I'm interested in how well that works for people

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The Fazers here in Greece have ABS as an extra option but it costs about 500 euro = 800 bucks more.


Don't the US Fazers come with ABS??

Can get ABS in the UK too ... sadly I opted for the "without" option

Been out practicing today and you're all right ... That front brake is excellent and I'm using it much much more now !!

I even hit my limiter today ..... I think it was about on the red line in 3rd !! I was whipping it like a racing horse ...... From 130ish the breaking action was sweet .... It was all in a controlled environment I may add