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When hard braking, lay off the back break

3K views 29 replies 15 participants last post by  stefano 
#1 ·
Did my first hard/panic brake today. I had the tail wagging on my little Ninja. My husband and I had our BlueAnt comm devices on and he was saying "too much back brake!!!". I was able to stop OK at the light but you could hear the squealing for miles I am sure. I held it together fine but was a little shook up. Also forgot to get back into 1st so I stalled it when the light changed. Luckily you don't have to be in Neutral to start the 250 so I was able to start it quickly and go. Hopefully, lessoned learned.
 
#4 ·
Glad things went ok in the end. It might be interesting to find a safe place to do some controlled emergency braking and get more 'acquainted' with the brakes with different pressures applied. Thanks for sharing the experience.
 
#6 ·
Did my first hard/panic brake today. I had the tail wagging on my little Ninja. My husband and I had our BlueAnt comm devices on and he was saying "too much back brake!!!". I was able to stop OK at the light but you could hear the squealing for miles I am sure. I held it together fine but was a little shook up. Also forgot to get back into 1st so I stalled it when the light changed. Luckily you don't have to be in Neutral to start the 250 so I was able to start it quickly and go. Hopefully, lessoned learned.
No doubt it is hard to keep our wits about us when excitement sets in. At least you didn't lay it down, good job. Practice is the way to go. Most of us (myself included) need more of it. Do some bikes need to be in neutral to start?
 
#7 ·
There was good practice at the MSF ERC that I took but it was all low speed. I was probably doing 40+ when I decided I wasn't going to make the light. My hubby on the other hand stopped with NO drama whatsoever.
Keep practicing them. The only way to get better is to get accustom to how to use the front and rear in combination. That way the next time you'll have a better feel for pressure on each.

I remember the first time I experienced that. My rear tire started to slide out and I released it and got a big wiggle when it came back in line with the bike. :)
 
#8 ·
There was good practice at the MSF ERC that I took but it was all low speed. I was probably doing 40+ when I decided I wasn't going to make the light. My hubby on the other hand stopped with NO drama whatsoever.
Stop lights were a pain for me until I started picking a point of no return. I had the same problem as you making quick stops at lights because I didn't think I could make it. Now, when I approach a green light I start thinking about a point where I can no longer stop. When I hit that point and the late changes to yellow, I just speed up a little and keep going. If it is before that point of no return, I'm prepared to slow down. Of course, ya got to be ready for the left turners tryin to make the yellow also.

Practicing moderate speed stops 30-40 mph is also important. I try to practice these stops a least once a week. General start at 20mph and work my up to 40mph in 5mph steps. My goal is to stop as quickly as possible without locking either wheel.

BTW, good job keepin it up.
 
#10 ·
Keep practicing them. The only way to get better is to get accustom to how to use the front and rear in combination. That way the next time you'll have a better feel for pressure on each.

I remember the first time I experienced that. My rear tire started to slide out and I released it and got a big wiggle when it came back in line with the bike. :)
Yeah I was wondering if I would have just let off the back brake completely and it started to spin again, if that would have made the control worse. Hubby thought I was going to drop it. I felt the wiggle but I just held it and luckily didn't end up in the intersection. I was mostly embarrassed by the very dramatic squealing noise I was making.
 
#11 ·
Yes, unfortunately they do, I think it's unsafe. It is not too bad to start and then quickly drop down to 1st but trying to find neutral while you are sitting at a light with traffic behind you must suck pretty bad.
I've never heard of any bike having to be in neutral to start, unless you don't have the clutch pulled in. :confused:
 
#12 ·
Yeah I was wondering if I would have just let off the back brake completely and it started to spin again, if that would have made the control worse. Hubby thought I was going to drop it. I felt the wiggle but I just held it and luckily didn't end up in the intersection. I was mostly embarrassed by the very dramatic squealing noise I was making.
Screeching tires always get everyone's attention! :biggrin:
 
#14 ·
Did my first hard/panic brake today. I had the tail wagging on my little Ninja. My husband and I had our BlueAnt comm devices on and he was saying "too much back brake!!!". I was able to stop OK at the light but you could hear the squealing for miles I am sure. I held it together fine but was a little shook up. Also forgot to get back into 1st so I stalled it when the light changed. Luckily you don't have to be in Neutral to start the 250 so I was able to start it quickly and go. Hopefully, lessoned learned.
In the MSF course, during the speed stops, we HAD to shift down to 1st at the same time we stopped or they would take off points. They said in case you have to get out of the way quickly, you want to get in the habit of shifting to 1st when you stop. (Some of the stuff they taught us actually makes sense! Go figure!) :cool:
Glad everything worked out for ya!
 
#15 ·
In the MSF course, during the speed stops, we HAD to shift down to 1st at the same time we stopped or they would take off points. They said in case you have to get out of the way quickly, you want to get in the habit of shifting to 1st when you stop. (Some of the stuff they taught us actually makes sense! Go figure!) :cool:
Glad everything worked out for ya!
Normally I do shift down to first but when my bike started to slide I was focused on just stopping without dumping the bike.
 
#17 ·
Shifting down with rear locked up would serve no purpose any way. Downshifting when braking serves two purposes. #1 so you are in a usable gear if the need to power out occurs. #2 So that you use the engine to assist the brakes in slowing.
 
#18 ·
Normally I do shift down to first but when my bike started to slide I was focused on just stopping without dumping the bike.
...and we're glad THAT didn't happen! I catch myself in that situation on occasion too. Basically, the last thing I do is start hitting the shifter to get down there. You done fine...for a newbie! :)
 
#19 ·
glad you kept the bike up and a little shaken up is all that happened.

Practice with a partner, just like the msf, do emeergency stops when you dont know when it will happen, get a parking lot and a partner and have them radomly yell stop no matter what you are doing

if in a turn straighten up and apply brakes.

The more you practice it the better you will feel when it really happends.

I had one bad emergency stop situation - it was going to be a hard stop. I did it perfectly - Not too much rear brake, jsut the right amount of front, came to a stop, car behind me barely stopped but did, then BANG within 2 seconds I got pushed by the guy behind me cause he got nailed by some *&^%$ on a cell phone

lesson is, have eyes everywhere and be ready to move


As for bike starting with neutral only - might be true - but its VERY unsafe. I too have never heard of such a motorcycle ... does that mean only the electric start or can you not start it in gear even if you roll start it?

I had an ATV that would only start in Neutral - I overrode that wire and made it so it would start in any gear - but before that - it could still roll start in any gear

kenny
 
#20 ·
I've never heard of any bike having to be in neutral to start, unless you don't have the clutch pulled in. :confused:

My Yamaha V-Star Classic is like this....and they always have and still are like that as far as I know.

Wont start unless its in neutral.....clutch does NOT have to be pulled. If you put it in a forward gear with the kickstand down it will die.

I would disable it in a instant if I knew how.....its annoying as hell.
 
#21 ·
when i did the q ride thig here which is the equilvent of your msf course the instructor wouldnt let us use the back brake at all doing the emergeny stops. He said this " because there is so much weight transfered to the front tyre this is where your braking power is. Using the rear brake when there is so little preasure on it really is not going to decrease your stoping distance. When the back tyre locks and skids this distracks the rider from braking and increases the stoping distance.

when my brother done the q ride course he had a different instuctor. this instructor let them use the back brakes. However it went like this first run was back brake only. second run was front only third run was both front and back. Surpisingly enough 80% of riders actually increased there stoping distance using both brakes over the fron brake only.

Of course this was all straight line braking and corners need to be handled differently.
 
#22 ·
Surpisingly enough 80% of riders actually increased there stoping distance using both brakes over the fron brake only..
That is not surprising at all. We were taught to use both brakes in most situations. I always use both. In some cases like a tire blowout, you'd want to use one over the other (depending on which one blew out) and I think you are supposed to only use your back break in gravel.

But now I know to squeeze harder in the front and use less in the back.
 
#23 ·
That is not surprising at all. We were taught to use both brakes in most situations. I always use both. In some cases like a tire blowout, you'd want to use one over the other (depending on which one blew out) and I think you are supposed to only use your back break in gravel.

But now I know to squeeze harder in the front and use less in the back.
no, it's a known fact. The hard part for cage drivers is to learn not to mash the right foot on a motorcycle.
 
#26 ·
It is the ONLY control that is similar to a car. Everything else is sort of backwards from cage driving.
yeah, but that's what makes it dangerous. Most are used to ham-footing the brake in their car, especially if they have ABS on it. Gets you into trouble quick on a bike.
 
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