Motorbike Braking For Dummies

So I'm running up on 60k + on the 08 Street Glide...which most of you know as "Tramp".  New brake pads are calling my name here.  Oddly enough, I have gone through 4 sets of pads on the rear but only two sets on the front.  Help me figure this one out.

So you say you can explain this?  Yeah yeah...You are about to tell me it's because I ride the rear brake and less favor the front brakes...right? 

Nope.  I pound on the front brakes way more aggressively than I do the rear.  After all, a good majority of your stopping power lies in those front brakes.  I have been told that the actual percentage is somewhere between 75 and 90 percent.  I believe every bike is different depending on all sorts of variables.  Some bikes brake different than others depending on suspension, tires and weight.  Every bike I have owned is a different gal who requires a different touch.  Do I know everything?  Oh hell no...but I do know what I know.  That's all I can offer up here.

I have endured the listen-in on heated debates regarding the proper way to stop a two wheeled doomsday machine.  Most of what I hear is complete bullshit.  I decided to put my two cents in and offer my experience to those of you who might be newer to the world of motorbikes. 

Before I go off and start offering my experience with motorbike braking, I have to tell you that I have never taken any of the safety courses offered.  I do have all written material provided for the courses and have studied them, but all I can do is offer what I have learned from old school coots, motorcycle racers and 30 + years of riding.  Do anything long enough and you become a valuable resource for info.  I don't give a shit about how much you have read, or what classes you have attended or how many videos you have absorbed through your peeps...if you don't actually hit the road and rehearse all that valuable information...then, you are about as well prepped as a dude in a martial arts competition, who's only training has been scavenged from late night viewings of old school kung-fu movies.  He is going home looking like a bruised banana that's a couple of weeks old...no doubt.

The MSF course only introduces you to the concept of operating a motorbike.  Some folks think they are experts after graduating from these courses.  The truth is you get just enough to hopefully keep you alive until you have mastered the real skills that will make you an expert rider.  (No!  I'm not discouraging anyone from attending the safety courses available out there and don't even let the thought enter your melon that I think these courses are complete crap.  Everyone should take the courses.  I intend on taking the safety courses one day myself.  I'm just being realistic here...the truth is simply the truth whether you like that or not.)

Alright...let's get into motorbike braking.  Here is what essentially happens when you pull back on the chrome reigns of your iron horse. 

The overall weight of the bike, tire condition and composition, environment, roadsurface and suspension all play a part in stopping your bike.  As you apply the brakes, the weight of the bike transfers to the front wheel and front suspension.  The front tire now has more ability to stop than the rear simply because there is more friction between the road surface and the front tire.  This would also mean that there is less stopping power in the rear because of this weight transfer. 

If you don't believe me then simply do this right now.  Take the palm of your hand and gently rest it on the table top.  Now slide your hand across the table.  Easy.  Now do that same thing except push down on the table with your palm as you try to slide it across the surface.  How did that work out for yah?

All this crap about "it's safer to use the rear brake" is simply a load of shit folks...in MOST situations. (There are exceptions.  I'll get to that later.)  You just proved it to yourself, so here it is in a nutshell.  While braking, your front wheel is the heavy palm and the rear wheel is the gentle palm.  There is no way to argue this fact.  Using the rear brake, or the front brake, results in less weight in the rear of the bike, so there is less friction to work with on that rear tire.  So let's get this straight and never talk about it again since we now know better:  The front brake has superior stopping power when compared to the rear brake.  It's just a fact.

How do you think these crazy-ass riders pull of those front wheelies? It's that weight transfer we were just talking about. And you say you are afraid to lock-up the front wheel? Don't be afraid...it's actually more difficult than it looks to lock up your front wheel on a good asphalt that's dry.  Yes...you can agrue that it's easier to lockup the wheels of a lighter bike than a heavier bike, but regardless, the front brake is always the winner under normal riding conditions no matter how light, or heavy, the motorbike is.

Under standard fair weather conditions, here is what I do when I want to stop my glide;  I apply the rear brake first to load up the front suspension.  In less than a second, I start to pull on the front brake lever and gradually increase pressure as I slow, at the same time releasing the rear.  As I start to roll to a stop, I gradually decrease the pressure of the front brake lever.  Just about the time I come to a complete stop, I apply the rear again and release the front brake while I check my rear view mirrors.  As you just read here, I only use the rear brake breifly at the beginning and the end of the stop...the rest is a fist-full of front brake lever baby.  (Keep in mind I'm downshifting this entire time.  By the time I stop, I'm already in first gear and ready to punch out at the first sign of carnage.  I also don't want my front brakes applied at the very tail end of the stop in case there is a oil patch lurking around.  I like to have my throttle available and at least one car length between my bike the cage in front of me.  This diligence has save me a few times.  I had to dart out of my lane, at a stop years ago, only to then watch the cage that was coming up behind me smash into the cage that was in front of me just a couple of moments before. )


Well...does this whole using the front brake work in all situations?  Oh hell no...I'll get to that next time, but it does work in ALMOST all situations.  I know my braking method does work because I can out-stop any rider I know.  (Do both of us a favor and challenge me on this one sometime.  No matter who comes out on top, good will come from it...you will either humble me or realize that I just might not be as full of crap as you thought I was.  If you go out to practice just so you can put me to shame, then I have done my job as well...right?)