Motorcycle license

[Googooboyy]

Well congrats on the license, but remember that whatever you do, the bike is just a machine and machines break down every once in a while.

So my free tips: Monthly maintenance & proper clothing while riding. You've got only 1 life. Protect yourself sufficiently. Enjoy the ride~

[whispers]

Id have to second that.. Ive been in 2 accidents.. and a leather jacket helped me SOOOOOO Much.. saved me from TONS of road rash ..

Also if you ever are to ride in a "PACK" there are certain rules you will need follow/learn as well..

[WannaBe_80z]

I will be riding with my step mom probably once in a while- no packs.

[justice strike]

my point is NOT that using the back will help you out of n "ENDO" (never even remotely suggested that).. Im saying using BOTH front & rear will help this NOT to happen..instead of using the FRONT ONLY or MAJORITY

most of the stopping power may COME from the front brake.. however apply them equally wont give any kind of "ENDO" scenario..


and I can 'foot' race him if he wants.. I have no brake lights at the moment..

your rear brake has absolutely no influence on doing a endo or not. You can use your rear brake and front break and still do an endo.

anyway, we fundamentally differ in opinion. My experience is different from yours, and in my experience, using the rear brake equally results in fishtailing of the bike. Perhaps it's just the difference in riding a Harley and riding a proper motorcycle.

as for gear. Always ride with proper gear. That doesn't mean the jacket only, it means jacket, gloves, pants, boots and helmet. Even for in the summer there are loads of options too choose from without resulting in a heat stroke. like kevlar jeans, meshed jackets, etc... don't go riding with your slippers, shorts and tshirt, it's just asking for injuries.

[Loyal Rogue]

the rear brake should NOT be used equally as the front. 80% of your stopping power comes from your front brakes. your rear breaks are as good as useless when braking, and will block your rear tire when applied equally. Causing you to skid. Your rear tires really have the tendency to block really soon. That's the main reason that emergency breaking is done with the front brake only. Because your rear brakes are just too dangerous to use in such a critical moment.

Actually JS, what you said is a mix of good statistics and bad information.
I'm willing to bet you are an experienced rider who never took the MSF course.

If you had taken the course you would have practiced doing emergency stops using the rear brake only.
In a normal stop you use both brakes equally, and 80% of your stopping power comes from the front brake.
In an emergency (panic) stop the last thing you want to do is take a chance of locking the front brake which is an instant uncontrollable wipe-out that you cannot recover from.
On the otherhand, if you lock the rear brake and keep the front brake free to steer, you will create a straight and controlled skid which is basically just dragging the rear tire behind you in a straight line.
The only time you can't do that is when you are in a turn, in which case you are supposed to use both brakes equally without locking either.

Next time you are getting ready to replace your rear tire go to a parking lot, get going in a straight line about 20mph and practice some full rear wheel skid, panic stops.
You will be amazed at how much control you are able to keep over the bike as you skid to a stop.
That was the most fun part of the course for me, and it's something I've actually been forced to use on the road.

[whispers]

but he "CLEARLY" stated... it only applies to: "proper motorcycles"

[justice strike]

Actually JS, what you said is a mix of good statistics and bad information.
I'm willing to bet you are an experienced rider who never took the MSF course.

i'm Dutch. All motorcyclists in the Netherlands are required to be pro efficient at 8 exercises consisting of:

3 braking exercises:
precision stop
full stop
emergency stop

3 swerving exercises:
emergency swerve
high speed swerve
low speed swerve

2 bike control exercises:
riding an 8 in a 3 by 6 meter box
turning a street within a 2 meters box

I've seen the msf basic rider course exercises. I can't recall any of them right now, but I remember that the exercises weren't that hard as some of the exercises I had to do for my exam (the bike control exercises)

And then there is the difference in size. I did my exercises on a large bike (500+cc) because i needed to get my license for large bikes. Most MSF courses are done on a 250cc light bike. It really is a difference

If you had taken the course you would have practiced doing emergency stops using the rear brake only.

Why no rear brake?

It is very difficult not to slam the rear brake in an emergency situation, and especially to let the rear brake go in time. If your muscles get tense in such a situation, the tendency is to push the rear brake hard with your foot.

That will result in a locked rear wheel. If you are lucky, it will slide from left to right and back, and if you are less lucky, the rear wheel will move passed the front wheel.

In an emergency situation, you don't want that.

That's the reason for the advice not to touch the rear brake in an emergency stop.

As a bonus, the bike will stay upright, because the rear wheel will keep turning. A turning wheel has resistance to move sideways.

emergency braking with rear brake only would have gotten me a big fat F for failed on my exam

In an emergency (panic) stop the last thing you want to do is take a chance of locking the front brake which is an instant uncontrollable wipe-out that you cannot recover from.

you really have to do a hell of a lot to lock your front brake AND have a uncontrolled situation

Next time you are getting ready to replace your rear tire go to a parking lot, get going in a straight line about 20mph and practice some full rear wheel skid, panic stops.
You will be amazed at how much control you are able to keep over the bike as you skid to a stop.
That was the most fun part of the course for me, and it's something I've actually been forced to use on the road.

I can control a rear wheel skid, it's just not useful. The moment you skid any of your tires you loose a hell of a lot of braking power and you loose the ability to swerve around a obstacle, or even have control to change direction. I'd rather use my front brake then skid my rear brake.

Actually, there are a lot of people who don't even use the rear brake for anything other then tight slow speed corners.

anyway as I said before it might just be a difference in opinion. Emergency braking is a hotly debated topic. However i can tell you that applying both front a rear brakes equally is a recipe for disaster, as is using the rear brake only for emergency braking.

[justice strike]

but he "CLEARLY" stated... it only applies to: "proper motorcycles"

it's a well known fact that Harley riders spend more time on the side of the road then on the road because of the parts they are loosing they don't need brakes on the side of the road, just a pile of rubble to hide behind in case of a crash

[Loyal Rogue]

Fine, JS, we can agree to disagree based on the different way that motorcycle proficiency is taught in our respective countries.
Our way would earn an F in your country, and your way would earn an F in ours.

I will add one thing from my own experience,... that the improper braking techniques I used before taking the course were largely responsible for my accident and me now having a metal rod from my knee to my hip along with several screws and 9 months of recovery.
Since taking the course I have been in several other emergency riding situations without another accident, and I mainly credit the techniques I learned from the class.

My advice to WannaBe is take the course, listen to the instructors, learn from the exercises, and then after passing and getting your motorcycle endorsement, take the advanced course.
Don't rely on the information you get from a bunch of faceless people on an internet forum for something as life or death as motorcycle riding techniques.

[CVO Chris]

I await Wannabe's first "check out the photo's of my gravel-eroded flesh" thread

[justice strike]

Fine, JS, we can agree to disagree based on the different My advice to WannaBe is take the course, listen to the instructors, learn from the exercises, and then after passing and getting your motorcycle endorsement, take the advanced course.
Don't rely on the information you get from a bunch of faceless people on an internet forum for something as life or death as motorcycle riding techniques.

Indeed, don't listen to us. And another good advice, when you get a new bike, always do the exercises as you learned them from your instructors (on a parking lot, not on the public road). Every bike feels different, and you do want to know what your bike is going to do and what it is capable of doing.

[WannaBe_80z]

These are the kind of people who shouldn't be allowed on bikes in the first place.

http://www.videosift.com/video/Burnout-Deluxe