QuestionI have been riding for 5 months. Having just read one of your answers about locking up the rear breaks, and this happens to me when I put too much pressure on the rear brake) I wanted to ask a related question. My Suzuki GZ250 will lock up when I hit the rear brake too hard. I have taken the safety class and know about applying both breaks evenly. Your response to the question I read appeared to imply that you should concentrate on the front brake.
Couldn't this cause you to nose dive and go over the
handlebars?
I know I'm a newbee when it comes to riding but I am a certified School Bus Instructor and I ride my bike with the same attention to detail as when I drive or teach driving to new employees. I just want to be as safe as possible and not put myself or others in danger. (And I don't want to pay for a brake job I don't need)
AnswerIt is almost impossible to unintentionally flip a motorcycle over forwards by using the front brake. And I would venture that it's totally impossible on a GZ250, intentional or not. What would more likely happen is the front brake would lock and skid, and the motorcycle would just go down.
The reason you use more front than rear brakes is due to weight transfer when braking. When the motorcycle is rolling along under power, the weight is distributed pretty evenly. However, when braking, weight shifts to the front. (For the same reason, if you slammed on the brakes on the bus, all the kids would fly forward out of their seats!)
This weight shift puts more pressure (traction) on the front wheel and less on the rear wheel. This will mean it's more likely for the rear wheel to lock and skid, but LESS likely for the front wheel to do so. The increased weight on the front tire means you have increased traction, which means you can brake harder on the front after the weight transfer has begun.
As you brake harder, weight transfers farther, further lightening the rear wheel and adding weight and traction to the front, which means, you can continue to squeeze harder on the front...and apply almost nothing to the rear. Of course, this applies more to maximum (emergency) braking. During normal braking, the weight shift is more gentle, and the braking distributed more evenly. Even so, during normal braking, you should be using about 75% front and 25% rear. During hard braking, you should be using about 90/10.
The ideal technique for braking is to start braking evenly with both brakes, then increase pressure on the front while simultaneoulsly decreasing pressure on the rear as the weight shifts forward. It's tricky to learn, like rubbing your tummy and patting your head at the same time that you're watching traffic and balancing a motorcycle!
The trick with the front brake is to squeeze (squeeeeeeeeeeeze) the brake lever progressively harder. Like you're squeezing the juice out of an orange. If you "grab" it, that will make the wheel lock up. Squeezing it allows the weight to transfer forward while you keep squeezing a little harder, a little harder....
Try it in an empty parking lot sometime and measure your stopping distances. You'll find that once you get good with the front brake, your stopping distances will be cut in half.
Good luck. If you want more information about the basics of riding and practice exercises to do after you've taken the BRC, check out my latest book "How to Ride a Motorcycle: A Rider's Guide to Strategy, Safety, and Skill Development."
Have fun, and keep asking the good questions!
Pat
PS Oh, and one other thing. It is my firm belief that motorcyclists RARELY have to come to a complete stop in an emergency. What braking does is buy you time and space to find an escape route, and reduces potential impact speed. If you're going to practice emergency braking, my recommendation is you spend some time practicing getting you bike safely down to 5 mph, where it's still stable and maneuverable, rather than 0 mph, where your options are limited more limited and you may actually be a sitting duck.
