FRONT BRAKES?

RideOnTwo said:
Four fingers is not proper technique. Preference or not, off road or on road.
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When I took the motorcycle safety course back in 1988 they absolutely taught us to use all four fingers on the brake lever. In emergencies you want to be able to provide a lot of quick progressive pressure, and four fingers are better than two for that. Plus it prevents the possibility of getting fingers pinched between the lever and grip which could hinder applying full pressure. There isn't always time to think things out in a panic stop, so minimizing the chances of an accidental pinch is good.
 
Right, I'm gonna throw a spanner in the works now.....


I've looked back at old trackday photo's and I've braked (and clutched) with 3 fingers!


I've now got gloves with the little and ring fingers connected together and use 4 fingers on track.

On road I generally use 2 fingers and forward vision to not need to brake hard.
 
Already contributed my opinion, but it's clear many of us have different views on the topic so I wanted to show why I use the brakes this way with some practical examples :)
 
RideOnTwo said:
Four fingers stronger than two! Not all roads are perfectly flat and dry without some sort of dirt, oil, sand or cracks filled by tar. Four finger grip will apply more force and thus be more dangerous in emergency situations.
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So why do people upgrade their bikes brakes then?

That's it, i'm replacing my brake pads with wood. There will be less force on the discs therefore it is safer
 
Its really hard for me to say what % of either front or back brake I use. Its gotten to the point now that I just know what brake to apply during situations that I just don't normally think about it. It honestly would probably be a pretty even my between the two. I am normally in areas that are 40mph on average and go up to 55mph so probably use the back brake a little more. And if I had to stop a bit faster its more so a evenly applies front and back.
 
ebiter76 said:
So. Front brakes pretty much terrify me. How necessary is it to use front brakes on a day to day basis for you guys? I've just started riding recently and as of now I really just make like a 5 minute ride back and forth to work, and I literally never touch them. I pretty much just always imagine myself going over the bars. lol Any advice or pointers would definitely be much appreciated. I've read to kinda start with the back brake then slightly use the front, like go 10% to 20% and so forth until you're at a full stop, but I still can't bring myself to decide when to use the front brake or if it's even necessary most of the time.
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I would second what so many folks here have already said. I would really encourage any rider to take a training course like the one MSF provides. Front brake is your stopping power and it is nothing like riding a bicycle where you can easily apply too much and flip. I have been riding for nearly 2 decades and still practice braking drills regularly in parking lots. Your back brake on a motorcycle is going to lock up very easily due to weight distribution. When I am doing hard emergency braking it is common for my rear ABS to kick in but I have yet to induce the ABS system even when progressive and really hard on the front.
 
The front brake is very very important. It is the thing that will save you. If you lock up the rear-brake the thing that controls how far the tail swings is the front brake. Like a lot of things on a motorcycle it is counter intuitive to what your brain says will happen. In off-road training I have worked on coming in really fast on loose surfaces and locking up the rear brake for hundreds of feet. The trick to controlling it is to actually apply front brake. The dynamics of the motorcycle work in a way that MORE front brake actually straightens the bike out.

That is just one example of how counter it is to our brains natural reaction. On the street I would go even higher and say really 90% of your braking should be with the front. If you are using the front properly so much weight gets transferred to it, it is actually hard to do any meaningful braking with the rear. Like other have said, smooth and progressively apply the fronts and get a feel for it. I would bet you money you could do whatever you damn want with the front and you won't go over the bars. Ask the stunters how easy doing a stoppie is. Most of them have adjust air pressure and such just to be able to get the bike to come up like that. Motorcycles are designed to stop, there is a reason the front brakes are much bigger than the rear, and often have multiple rotors instead of just the one small one in the back. They are built specifically to stop by using the front brakes.
 
SighBored said:
How do you even ride without even using the front brakes? Do you go at 20 km/h on your motorcycle?

Learn how to use the front brake properly otherwise you are just an accident waiting to happen.

Find an quiet and empty area to practice, use one finger or two finger to brake, NEVER use all four fingers on the lever.

Why not to ever use four fingers? Because once you get used to that, in an emergency you WILL use four fingers to grab the brake and that will most likely cause you to flip over the bars (your #1 fear) or instant lock up the front tire, unless you have ABS to save it. If you practice with 2 fingers and are used to it, in an emergency your reaction will be to use 2 fingers and it won't have as much grabbing power as 4 fingers to instantly cause a lock up, even with 2 fingers you can lock up the front but it won't be as instant on applying the grabbing force of 4 fingers.

Modulate or feather the brake lever when you practice and you will get the feel for your brakes and how they work/feel when applied.

As a beginner I would say just ignore the rear brakes, only use it when you are filtering thru really slow traffic, or slowly approaching a red light, otherwise just focus on the front.

Never fear the front brake, it is probably the only thing that can stop you well enough to avoid a bad situation.

If you need more explanation on braking, you can see this. (remove the spaces)

https:// youtu.be/ 9OZsaz4QdHo
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Thank you for your comment and for sharing your knowledge on how to use the front brake properly while riding a motorcycle.

Using the front brake is crucial for safe motorcycle riding and it's important to use it correctly. As you mentioned, using all four fingers on the lever can cause the front tire to lock up, which can be very dangerous. Instead, it's recommended to use one or two fingers to modulate the brake lever and apply gradual pressure.

Practicing in a safe and empty area is also a great tip, as it allows riders to get a feel for how the brakes work and how to modulate them effectively. It's also important to note that the rear brake should not be relied on solely for stopping, but rather used in conjunction with the front brake.
 
I see there is a lot of great tips on braking.

Here are a few thoughts -

I suggest to practice panic braking but use a bicycle first several times. For those that have ridden the old style bikes with the pedal backwards to engage the brake will know locking the rear wheel when stopping from a fast speed is a great way to show off for your friends. Sliding up all cool - Who knew we were really practicing how to ride out a rear wheel skid?

Then once you are used to panic braking on a bicycle, try your motorcycle.

Out of the hundreds of thousands of miles I have ridden over around 30 years on a motorcycle of miles I never had a front brake lock up no matter how hard I pulled down the speed. That include single and double disc wheels.

I have had rear lock up a couple times times on rear drum brakes and once on a single disc.

Then I went to ABS on the last two bikes.
 
R-Rated said:
I see there is a lot of great tips on braking.

Here are a few thoughts -

I suggest to practice panic braking but use a bicycle first several times. For those that have ridden the old style bikes with the pedal backwards to engage the brake will know locking the rear wheel when stopping from a fast speed is a great way to show off for your friends. Sliding up all cool - Who knew we were really practicing how to ride out a rear wheel skid?

Then once you are used to panic braking on a bicycle, try your motorcycle.

Out of the hundreds of thousands of miles I have ridden over around 30 years on a motorcycle of miles I never had a front brake lock up no matter how hard I pulled down the speed. That include single and double disc wheels.

I have had rear lock up a couple times times on rear drum brakes and once on a single disc.

Then I went to ABS on the last two bikes.
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Hehe, every once in a while I slam on the rear brake on my Vulcan 800, causing the rear to lock up and slide out a bit. It's good fun, and prepares me for what'll happen if/when I need to stop quickly on the open road :D

I've had my ABS kick on on my Harley a few times, always interesting.

-John
 
Drakhen99 said:
Hehe, every once in a while I slam on the rear brake on my Vulcan 800, causing the rear to lock up and slide out a bit. It's good fun, and prepares me for what'll happen if/when I need to stop quickly on the open road :D

I've had my ABS kick on on my Harley a few times, always interesting.

-John
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My last two Harley's ABS does not act like a car with gentle pulses of the pedal. It feels like a clunk as the module wakes up and shouts "REALLY?"

No lock up, just a chirp from the tire to the module confirming it worked.
 
R-Rated said:
My last two Harley's ABS does not act like a car with gentle pulses of the pedal. It feels like a clunk as the module wakes up and shouts "REALLY?"

No lock up, just a chirp from the tire to the module confirming it worked.
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Yep - that matches my experience too. I bet it has to do with the weight difference between a bike and a car.

-John
 
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