Who rides motorcycles?

   / Who rides motorcycles? #941  
But always finish the stop with the rear only to prevent the dreaded nose dive.

Seriously?? Horrible advice! Use both brakes all the way to the end!
 
   / Who rides motorcycles? #942  
I rarely use a back brake, except on the Pan. Something about running an ugly cable down an 8"-over girder to a 3" dia 'chopper brake' that wouldn't stop a 250 Sprint. Enough weight on rear juice drum suits since I built the bike for Joe before his divorce in '96. Had to buy it to get back 'borrowed' parts.

btw, when I put the 3.00-21 and bolt-on hardtail on one of the Sportsters the cable wasn't going to do. My plan was to use an offset crank (think Triumph twins) but never got around to it. I quit wrenching bikes last Century and haven't ridden squat since moving here in '01 and accumulating tractors. Pics of the bikes I had in '81 minus a pair of Nortons and the 500 'Trumph' in a basket, or I didn't have 'em when Mike was little. (he's 41 now)

Clutchless shifting can remain a dirt/racing thing for me. Admittedly, my favorite car's one ding was the 4-speed. I got tired of clutching that except to start off in 1st. What always bothered me was when letting a friend ride alongside on one of my other bikes. When downshifting a Harley, say coming to a red light or stop sign at the end of a ramp, you don't slap the shifter all the way down to first while you're still doing 45 mph!

btw, I'm a 'very low' mileage operator. 3k mi oil changes on car may be a year apart, on a truck it's 2-3 years. I ride bikes a heckuva lot less/decade anymore.
 
   / Who rides motorcycles?
  • Thread Starter
#943  
Seriously?? Horrible advice! Use both brakes all the way to the end!

Like I said, we have some expert riders here on the TBN. I'm guessing you have never ridden a 900 lb HD Touring Bike loaded up with a passenger.. But do what you want, it's personal preference. But with linked brakes, as I stated, it really doesn't matter what lever you grab. Different techniques for different motorcycle types for sure. No one size fits all.
 
   / Who rides motorcycles? #944  
Like I said, we have some expert riders here on the TBN. I'm guessing you have never ridden a 900 lb HD Touring Bike loaded up with a passenger.. But do what you want, it's personal preference. But with linked brakes, as I stated, it really doesn't matter what lever you grab. Different techniques for different motorcycle types for sure. No one size fits all.

Well lets see, I have almost 100,000 miles on this guy that I ride with the wife all the time.. so yes I have ridden a two up touring bike! We've been from the Dragon and Blue ridge out east to the Moki Dugway (google it) out west, to Pikes Peak and Mount Evans in between!
Taken lots of classes and taught even more!!
Dang sure glad my bike does not have linked brakes, I want the control of them at all times! (and you should never "grab" them)
And why would you let up on the front brake while stopping?? You are losing about 70% of your braking power!

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   / Who rides motorcycles?
  • Thread Starter
#945  
Well lets see, I have almost 100,000 miles on this guy that I ride with the wife all the time.. so yes I have ridden a two up touring bike! We've been from the Dragon and Blue ridge out east to the Moki Dugway (google it) out west, to Pikes Peak and Mount Evans in between!
Taken lots of classes and taught even more!!
Dang sure glad my bike does not have linked brakes, I want the control of them at all times! (and you should never "grab" them)
And why would you let up on the front brake while stopping?? You are losing about 70% of your braking power!

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All I'm saying is ride your own ride and do what works for you. Like I said, no one size fits all. All bikes and riders are different. If you have never ridden with linked brakes why make assumptions? For me, on the HD Touring Bike, the last few feet of a complete stop is best accomplished with the rear brake to prevent the nose dive with the shift of the weight. It works well. The Kawasaki Concours with the linked brakes is a completely different animal. So by all means, do what works for you but don't assume other practices are not as effective with different types of motorcycles.
 
   / Who rides motorcycles? #947  
Here is a great video to what I'm referring to on the HD Touring Bike to complete the stop. This technique works great and gives you a much more controlled stop during the last few feet of a planned stop. But once again, feel free to do as you please.

This tip will help you stop a motorcycle with more control - YouTube

It makes absolutely no sense to release your front brake while stopping a 800+ pound bike.

And yes I will feel free to do it the correct way.

And yes, I have ridden a bike with the linked brakes.. part of my job was to ride sweeper on BMW factory rides, and I had my choice to ride any of their motorcycles.. and I rode a bunch of them over the years!

And if you are getting a "nose dive" I'm guessing you are going into the stop to hot.
 
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   / Who rides motorcycles? #948  
Takes a brave person with quick reflexes to ride a motorcycle today given the cell phone craze of, I must talk on my cell phone every time I am in my car.Then you factor in those who are also applying makeup and a poor motorcyclist doesn't have a chance.
 
   / Who rides motorcycles? #949  
Takes a brave person with quick reflexes to ride a motorcycle today given the cell phone craze of, I must talk on my cell phone every time I am in my car.Then you factor in those who are also applying makeup and a poor motorcyclist doesn't have a chance.

And its getting worse all the time. Good reason to take a class, it will help with situational awareness and things to look for, and things to avoid.
 
   / Who rides motorcycles? #950  
Interesting. I have heard of that technique, but I have never ridden M/Cs on the track. I wonder: would ABS on a street bike change when you braked on a curve?

To answer your question; no. ABS has no effect on trail braking, which is braking to the apex. If you are in danger of locking your front wheel while braking to the apex, you're not doing it right. While learning from a pro racer at the track, I was shown up close how much faster a bike can be moving at maximum lean while trail braking, compared to rolling through the turn at maximum lean without trail braking. It's a dramatic (almost comical) difference.

Most of this has nothing to do with riding on the street, since there's very little similarity in that environment, but some of the skills are helpful to have on the street, like being able to brake while swerving and dealing with surprises.

I have ABS on one of my street bikes, and it could be a lifesaver if there's unseen gravel at an intersection... or just a panic braking situation. I'm certainly not beyond making a stupid mistake, and ABS can be a good thing.

SPEAKING of gravel at intersections, why in the hooey do rural road departments put sand all over the road in winter weather? I can't stand that! For the ONE hour it might improve traction during an icing situation, it leaves a ridiculous mess and dangerous lack of traction on the pavement for months after. God I hate that!
 

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