Rear tire lock up

[BluePill]

I lock my rear brakes all the time. sometimes for fun, sometimes because i keep forgetting how useless the back break really is for stopping power. on a hard turn i normally only use the back break in fear of my front tire slipping- no good. as far as im concerned that back tire can slip all it wants. when you loose traction from the front tire your face meets the ground. when the back tire looses traction theres room to correct the bike IMO.

I agree.
45 Years of riding, with many hours off-road riding. I don't think twice about locking up the rear, it happens all the time in the dirt. Because I switch between my FZR and my dirt bike so often, I tend to go too easy on the front brakes when riding either on the pavement. I have made it a habit to practice hard braking using mainly the front a few times at the begining of any street ride to help "set my brain". If I am in the mood to ride fast in the corners, I continue the hard braking excersize every few minutes to keep the brain in "road mode", as well as keeping the brakes warm (which makes them more effective and consistant).

The only way to develop "instinctive" or "automatic" skills is with repeated practice. I learned how to control a skidding car by going to empty parking lots when it was snowing and forcing the car to skid out. If you don't practice until it becomes a reflexive act, you can't wait for the first unexpected skid and hope that you'll remember the driver's ed advice to "steer into the skid".

Last week a husband and wife got killed when their bike slid into a train crossing gate in upstate NY. Maybe they were going too fast; maybe not paying attention; but my money is on poor braking technique.


I'll end my sermon with the story that many of you have heard already.

A somewhat lost out-of-town couple ask a native NY City resident, "How do you get to Carnegie Hall?"

He answers, "Practice, practice, practice".

RIDE SAFE

 

[ramflyer1899]

Lightly pump on the rear, firmly squeeze the front. (Please don't ask me for pix of this. )

That's what she said!

:rof:

 

[dannymac702]

Something else worth mentioning that many people may not consider, is that under hard braking conditions, the body naturally wants to continue moving forward (inertia baby!). This shifts more weight forward and off the rear tire, permitting it to lock up easier. The way to combat this is not to lock your arms, but rather squeeze the hell out of the tank with your thighs. This keeps your body back and behind the tank, and keeps your arms "relaxed" for maintaining control of the handlebars and controls.

Outstanding advice!! I haven't seen anyone mention dropping gears and using engine compression to assist in braking. In a panic stop situation I use the gears to prevent a lock-up of the rear wheel along with rear and lots of front brake. Takes some practice to get the most out of it.

 

[Diluted]

I haven't locked it up once...I do notice I have to press it quite hard for it to engage, perhaps I need to adjust it a little. I haven't done any intentional engine braking, I'll have to start working on that some. In the car I have that down pat.

 

[Funkmaxtor]

I have locked the rear tire a lot on my 6R. Sometimes on purpose to learn what it feels like. Once it happened to me going into a turn (not intentional). I kept it locked even as I went partially through the turn. I never felt like it was inconsistent on too touchy. I just didn't keep my weight centered on the bike like I should have. I have read online that people think our front brakes are a little weak compared to other sport bikes. I can tell you I have endo'ed the bike twice. One to avoid hitting a deer that ran out in front of me and the other to get a feel for the bike.

All in all I think the brakes are fine. Follow the MSF advice and you can keep it shiny side up!

 

[flyingminno]

Locking the rear is no big deal if you know how to handle it correctly. Just today on my bi-weekly adrenalin fixer ride in the mountains, I must have locked my rear under hard breaking before a corner almost ten times. Those riders who have never experienced it may get a shock from the feeling, but it can be controlled. One instructor at the MSF course I took a few years ago actually had us the students break until we locked up the rear to get that feeling into our system.

 

[vitrox]

Outstanding advice!! I haven't seen anyone mention dropping gears and using engine compression to assist in braking. In a panic stop situation I use the gears to prevent a lock-up of the rear wheel along with rear and lots of front brake. Takes some practice to get the most out of it.

not the best advice, unless the rider really knows what they're doing, this is an accident waiting to happen. The fz6r is not equipped with a slipper clutch, banging down through the gears and using engine braking can cause the rear wheel to lock up and slide.
I agree with the rear brake being easy to lock up. The problem seems to be that its mushy feeling and you can't really tell when its engaged. I think this could be solved partially by switching to braided lines. Although, it could be just the master cylinder that is the problem. I do know that the r1 master cylinder is a bolt on affair. I have to say, my r1 has a way better feeling rear brake than the fz.
I personally never use the rear brake, the only time I ever use it is when I'm sitting on a hill waiting for traffic, or i'm sitting at a stoplight in neutral. (which you shouldn't do). When I race I've tried using the rear brake during a stop from 140-70mph while partially leaned, all it did was upset the suspension and cause the rear to hop. Watch valentino rossi racing, his foot isn't even on the peg when hes slowing down.

 

[Roaddawg]

I'm still confused on why so many of you lock the rear up so much. It's not a dirt bike. If 80% of the stopping power comes from the front brake, why in the world would you ONLY use your rear brake to stop, even if it's a mild stop? You wouldn't take the front brakes out of your car and rely only on your rear brakes. I know the difference between locking your front vs. locking the rear, but if you use the brakes together and practice that ALL the time, you'll stop so much more efficient, thus when the emergency stop comes, you'll stop instead of skid your rear into the hazard. Like Vitrox, I use the front brake most of the time with just a little rear to keep things settled.

 

[Funkmaxtor]

I also use both front and rear brakes, however since I am human I tend to hit the rear a little too much every now and then causing the rear to lock. I by no means have that happen every ride but it does happen.

 

[dannymac702]

not the best advice, unless the rider really knows what they're doing, this is an accident waiting to happen. The fz6r is not equipped with a slipper clutch, banging down through the gears and using engine braking can cause the rear wheel to lock up and slide.
I agree with the rear brake being easy to lock up. The problem seems to be that its mushy feeling and you can't really tell when its engaged. I think this could be solved partially by switching to braided lines. Although, it could be just the master cylinder that is the problem. I do know that the r1 master cylinder is a bolt on affair. I have to say, my r1 has a way better feeling rear brake than the fz.
I personally never use the rear brake, the only time I ever use it is when I'm sitting on a hill waiting for traffic, or i'm sitting at a stoplight in neutral. (which you shouldn't do). When I race I've tried using the rear brake during a stop from 140-70mph while partially leaned, all it did was upset the suspension and cause the rear to hop. Watch valentino rossi racing, his foot isn't even on the peg when hes slowing down.

I referred to it as dropping gears-a little more subtle than "banging down thru the gears" Of course it takes practice to do properly but could make that little bit of difference in an emergency. We need as many skills possible to keep our riding safe.