Motorcycle Safety & Driveability: rolling, no motor, safety reasons, brake pads

Question
Hi, I'd like to know if rolling down a hill and controlling the bike with the brakes will damage the brakes, or wear the breaks out quicker than if it were in gear? There may be safety reasons for not doing this, but I'm mostly interested in knowing, technically, whether this wears the discs down quicker?

look forward to your reply,
Mike.

Answer
The answer is yes, the brakes will wear more quickly using that technique.

However, the alternative (engine braking) essentially puts the same loads of heat and friction on the bike but in different, more expensive places like the drivetrain, in particular, the top end.

It's a lot cheaper to replace brake pads than it is to replace top end components.

That's what brakes are for. Most riders would agree that ideally, it's better for the bike to use all brakes and no engine braking. That doesn't mean that most riders don't use engine braking, but if you're looking for a cut and dried answer, there it is: That's what brakes are for.

Cheers.

Pat