Rear lock up during hard braking

[westmask]

Never noticed til the weather got colder [ in New England ]. I regularly practice "panic stops" from the davice of a very seasoned friend of mine. My FZ-6 seems to be barely controllable in the rear during hard braking.And that's during rehearsed straight - line stops.Would stiffenning/ softening rear or front suspension help ? I really wanna be prepared for the worse case scenario.Right now,my rear end is all over in hard braking. I believe in preparing for the worse & praying I never need to use it. westmask

 

[Kazza]

Not being rude, maybe it's your technique. Rather than just hitting the rear hard, why don't you try hard, release slightly, hard again. See if it helps.

I maybe talking rubbish, but try that.

EDIT: Don't forget to USE the front brake too - don't just use the rear brake when doing emergency stops...

 

[david223]

My suggestion would be to lay off the rear brake! Most of your braking, especially in a straight line, should come from the front. Practice using only the front (in a safe environment), then when you're used to it, add in some light rear braking until you get the feel for the perfect mix of the two, without locking up the rear.

 

[FB400]

Good idea on practicing panic stops. I did the same on the advice of vegasrider earlier this year. What I practiced doing was hitting the front and rear brakes in linear progression to create an abrubt stop. At no time should you lock your rear brake. If you do that might actually be good practice on how to handle it should it lock up. I found the FZ6 is pretty predictable when braking hard and this was on the stock 020 tires.

Now that you have given me the idea again, I will do this excercise again on my new tires - Pilot Road 2's

Good luck

 

[Anesi]

If you just slam the brakes, they will lock up on you about 100% of the time We were taught to hit the rear brake pretty solid, like 90%, to flatten out the front wheel. This will allow the front tyre to get much better grip, and you then apply the front brake in a quick motion without yanking it, while letting off the rear just a little bit.

It's almost the same motion only you need to apply rear brake just a split second before applying the front. Then as you squeeze the front brake you let off the rear a little, to avoid having it lock and fishtail due to the lesser weight on the rear.

It takes some practice to get right, but it works very well I think. Luckily I have only had to apply when it counted twice

Just my two cents anyway.

PS: Good job on practicing :thumbup: You made me feel all guilty as I havent been practicing all that much :spank:

 

[greg]

use the front brakes more, and progressively apply the back brake

expect it to take longer to stop if the tyres are cold, or the surface is slippery

i find the back locks up quite easily, especially if it's wet

 

[mcteague]

Unfortunately physics is having it's way with us. When you stop suddenly the vehicle's weight quickly moves forward, especially with a softly suspended fork, which makes the rear lighter. A short wheelbase makes this even more noticeable. With little weight on the back end it takes very little pedal pressure to lock things up. While practice is useful it's tough to apply gentle pressure on the rear brake in a panic stop.

Tim

 

[Azz]

Locking the back should only be an accident that happens when you're panicking, it definitely shouldn't happen when you're practicing your emergency stops, not that badly anyway.

Sure, get used to what would happen if you locked it, but don't make it a habit. Instinct takes over in a situation like that, if you get used to locking the back, more than likely it will happen in an emergency.

 

[robaho]

IMHO locking up the rear brake on a cycle is really not a big deal as long as you are not turning! That being said, your stopping distance is shorter if you ALMOST lock up the rear (slight, intermittent chirping). I have made a couple of E-stops, and have chirped the rear tire both times.
I did lock up the rear tire in a turn one time on wet pavement (was in a parking lot and a cager was coming towards me in my lane). I just straightened the bike up a little bit and continued on my way. It is very easy to lock up the rear tire on wet pavement with the stock Bt-20's.

 

[Red Wazp]

The FZ6 is one of the worst bikes I have owned for being able to lock the rear brake with very little pressure on the brake lever.
What really helped me was to move the brake lever down one or two marks on the shaft. Easy to do and may really help your rear braking to stay in control under those quick stops. Give it a try-you'll like it!

 

[Hoshiko]

I have the same "problem" After practicing for some time I can brake pretty good but I don't know what could happen on a real scenario.
I wish they had the FZ^ with ABS in the states.

 

[Disco]

Only ever had the back brake lock if I deliberately hit the pedal hard. (when playing)

Have made a few emergency/panic stops & yet to lock it even with all the weight over the front & forks fully compressed.

Im no riding guru but id be thinking the same as Kazza, sure its not technique.

 

[MightyMoose1833]

According to the MSF and Keith Code's School of thought you should be using your front brake for the majority of your stopping. Something along the lines of 70 to 75% of your stopping power can come from the front brake. It is easy to lock up the rear tire in an emergency situation and this can easily lead to a catastrophic highside if you don't get out of it quickly enough.

 

[tjhess74]

EXACTLY what red said! ^^^^

i too applaud you for practicing your braking. i do this nearly everyday in a parking lot i cut through on the way to work. usually from 35 mph down and sometimes coming up to intersections and on the interstate IF there is NO ONE around...gives a little more 'real world' to the practice.