Brake Check - Front First!

[Kidder]

You didn't read my post, both the ST1300 and GL1800 have incredible linked brakes and work very well wether you hit the front lever OR the pedal. It's a bad habi yes however on those two bikes it's okay, not so on the Tenre.

My bad. I missed the part about the linked brakes. That will teach me to read posts on my mobile device. I still say it's a bad habit on any bike to apply the rear first. I don't even touch the rear brake pedal unless I'm coming to a stoplight. When riding the twisties I use the front brakes only.

 

[bonzer2u]

Hmmmmmm,

I dont use the brakes, just downshift compression, then drag my heals, never changed brake pads either, but lot of bootoes......... ::015::

 

[fender5803]

I know to be careful using that front brake on gravel, especially in a turn!

+1. Boy do I know that too. Ouch. Lots of bad words follow .... Hope I don't do that again to the other collar bone.

 

[JonnyCinco]

I am the exact opposite.....coming from a pure street/track background...i relay heavily on my front brakes..I was slightly bewildered when I saw such small rotors on the front of this bike. Being as big and ehavy, i woudl think they would be much bigger.......

This goes opposite for the rear...heck, on my race bike, i have a shaved rear rotor to decrease weight (because it is easier than dieting).


Guess I need to introduce my foot to the rear brake more often.

 

[switchback]

For trivia sake, Honda uses 3 piston calipers on both the front and rear. When the front brake is applied the 2 outside pistons are activated up front and the center piston is activated in the rear. When the Rear brake is applied the 2 outside pistons are activated on the rear caliper and the center pistons are activated up front. Or so I read coincidentally in Motorcycle Consumer News yesterday.

As some have inferred, use the front brake on the XTZ for typical braking but don't discount the usefulness of the independent rear brake for the dirt, low speed turns like U turns and starting out from a stop (combined with appropriate throttle and clutch use). I practice the "Ride Like a Pro" police training techniques. It is amazing how useful a rear brake can be.

 

[toompine]

Trials riding taught me all about 99% front brakes and how to really feel what the front wheel was doing. Road racing was an extension of that with most of the work being done by the front, even trail braking to the apex. Rear wheel is light on race braking and has little traction, all the action happens at the front. That got me into the habit of little on no rear brake on the street which is good because my Multistrada had a POS rear brake that did pretty much nothing.

The Tenere has a really interesting linked system and works as I think brakes should work. Lots of front and a little rear. A little rear helps set the bike evenly (lowers the rear a bit) while the front handles all the stopping. Using the rear to hold the bike on a hill or to scrub just a bit of speed late in a turn without engaging the front is perfect.

Learn to "feel" the bike through the front and you will amaze yourself on the pavement or in the dirt on your ability to slow or stop the bike

 

[markjenn]

I'm another proponent of using the front brake almost exclusively, except in unusual situations. Bikes like the S10 and S1000RR are now smart enough to do the light feathering of the rear brake as needed which is just fine with me - one less thing to worry about.

When I asked Keith Code one time about use of the rear brake he said that he generally advises novice to anything-but-expert riders to think of it as an emergency brake to be used when the front brake fails. On the street, he advises almost never using the rear brake. That being said, I believe there are some situations, especially in the dirt, where it has its place.... for example to help rotate the bike by sliding the back end in the dirt, or when coming down steep inclines.

My basic philosophy about fast street riding is to reduce the variables and keep things as simple as possible to avoid errors. The biggest problem the bike faces in consistently negotiating corners at a good pace is the nut behind the handlebar. Do almost all of your braking straight up/down before the corner, then release the brakes at corner entry and get on the throttle - mixing trail braking into the equation may allow a little more corner speed and be ultimately faster (especially at the track), but it requires the trading off of braking traction vs. cornering traction in a situation where any significant error likely puts you on the ground without any chance of saving it (ABS might help, but has its limits in a lean). And corner entry is the place where being a little conservative and not being at the limit pays dividends when the corner doesn't work out exactly as planned, as many don't. I don't like diving into a corner knowing I need to scrub off more speed while in the corner. It's easy to add speed, hard to get rid of it.

And not using the rear brake allows you to keep both balls of your feet on the pegs, without repositioning your right foot at every corner - another thing that destabilizes the bike and is an opportunity for error. You only have three controls to worry about - throttle, brake lever, and pushing on the bar as required to get the lean you need.

All this being said, cornering and braking technique are not a one-size-fits-all situation and you need to find a system that works well for you individually. You need to be comfortable and relaxed. Very attentive and concentrating, but relaxed and not worrying.

- Mark

 

[3putt]

You guys need to revisit gravel with just front brake. I tried it after some slower speeds to be sure. I hit the brakes hard (front brake only) above 40 mph downhill in gravel on dirt and curves. The ABS just sort of throws a few rocks out of the way, no sliding, kind of like the TC1 setting on takeoff in gravel.

I never use the rear brake on any of my bikes unless very slow speed like in a parking lot. I really like the S10 as it links the rear when I use the front only.

The ABS on this bike is awesome and a very big deal to me, especially offroad!