Preventing rear wheel lockup

[TEW47]

I was having rear wheel lockup when braking hard and couldn't figure out why. Then I read an article on the MSF webb site about an instructor that had alot of students in the advanced rider course that had floorboards,had rear wheel lockup. He found the reason why!! They were lifting up their foot and stomping the rear brake. When you do so you are using not only you calf muscle but you thigh and inertia, thats a lot of pressure. His answer is to keep you heel on the floorboards and pivot foot to the brake leaver and brake with you toe or the end of you boot. It works!!! I have been practicing that procedure and it works. Try doing it and you will build up muscle memory and you will do it in an emergency. So far I have not locked up the rear wheel when doing this. Practice,practice, practice!!!! I hope this will help everyone.

 

tew47

[GigaWhiskey]

And your wheel stands will improve too!

[Yammer Dan]

Have to remember that I got my first set of floorboards.

[ventureblue]

Hmmm i locked my rear wheel up twice in the past 2 weeks. i never thought of this. I will have to work on this. Thanks for the tip.

[BoomerCPO]

That is a good tip for those who are unaccustomed to running with floorboards. The most important part tho is the PRACTICE!

 

I wonder just how many Riders actually spend any time practicing low speed manuevers or emergency stopping.......

 

Do we have any College folks who would get a Government grant and do a survey on this?

[philmartin]

I practice my slow speed maneuvering at our local state college. They give a motorcycle driving course in one of the large parking lots. It's white lined with figure 8's, typical U-turn widths and a lot of other fun paths. It would be great to set these courses up in other communities.

[MrRadi8]

That would be great. They do a course at our CC but they set up cones. Having it painted and ready to ride would be sweet.

 

Wonder if the mall would hate a little graffiti in the wee hours?

[Dooder1]

Ive been telling my Wife for months I cant figure out how all you guys are locking up your rear wheel cause I had never done it in the 4 yrs I have had my bike.

Well now I know cause I never lift my foot of the floor board to break. Must be habit from the 22 yrs riding my goldwing with floor boards never lifted foot there either. So hope everyone tries breaking with their heel keeping contact with the floor board and their rear wheel lockup probs go away.\

\

John

[AKRefugee]

Hey Tew47,

 

Thanks for the heads up. Locked it up a few weeks ago and ended up dumping it.

Will go practice this from now on.

 

BoomerCPO,

 

I go practice about every two weeks even if it only for 10 or 15 minutes. The parking lot for the course is about 10 min from me and they have painted the maneuvers. I will get this thing down to a 14' turnaround yet. Will add this to the exercise as well.

[cecdoo]

Ive been telling my Wife for months I cant figure out how all you guys are locking up your rear wheel cause I had never done it in the 4 yrs I have had my bike.

Well now I know cause I never lift my foot of the floor board to break. Must be habit from the 22 yrs riding my goldwing with floor boards never lifted foot there either. So hope everyone tries breaking with their heel keeping contact with the floor board and their rear wheel lockup probs go away.\

\

John

 

Yep me too?? Craig

[greg_in_london]

I was having rear wheel lockup when braking hard and couldn't figure out why.

 

students in the advanced rider course that had floorboards,had rear wheel lockup

Sorry - if that's what is necessary on an 'advanced' course then that's very worrying.

 

If you have a problem controlling your brakes, you need to work on it asap.

[TEW47]

I was having problem years ago when I had the'97 RSTD. After taking the MSF course I have not had that problem amymore.

 

tew47

[flb_78]

I lock up my rear wheel on purpose!!!! It's fun!!

[greg_in_london]

I like to drift the bike in bad weather conditions, but that's on purpose when I've got plenty of room, not when I need to be in control because of a stationary car in front of me getting rapidly closer .....

[SilvrT]

I wonder just how many Riders actually spend any time practicing low speed manuevers or emergency stopping.......

 

I practise emergency stopping every day at least once.... oh...wait a minute.... it's not practise.... it's the REAL THING!

 

[KiteSquid]

Do we have any College folks who would get a Government grant and do a survey on this?

 

 

Dont forget to include tire, brake pad, and diffret drivers involved.

 

 

This testing should be done in Hawaii.

 

I will look in my mail box for my buisnesss classs tickets.

 

Also you will need a BUNCH of new bikes!!!!!

[emack]

... and I thought it was the hard crappy OEM Bridgestones...

[GeorgeS]

Use your Front Brake!! Its, 80 percent of your Brakeing Power----

 

Anybody who is jamming on the Rear Brake, to stop, may not be aware of this

 

If you are afraid to use your Front Brakes, go back and talk to your safty Instructor

[emack]

You speak of roads with no sand! Where are these sand-less wonders!!

 

Use your Front Brake!! Its, 80 percent of your Brakeing Power----

 

Anybody who is jamming on the Rear Brake, to stop, may not be aware of this

 

If you are afraid to use your Front Brakes, go back and talk to your safty Instructor

[CrazyHorse]

You speak of roads with no sand! Where are these sand-less wonders!!

 

All over the country. Can't be afraid to use the front brake. Another reason they have linked brakes forces you to use some front. (Personally I hate them.) Have I gone down on crap surface with to much front (well maybe I have) but you gotta use that front especially in dry conditions nothing will stop you faster (unless you hit something cause you only used rear brake)

[Gray Ghost]

Sorry - if that's what is necessary on an 'advanced' course then that's very worrying.

 

If you have a problem controlling your brakes, you need to work on it asap.

 

Over here the bikes are furnished for the basic course, mostly 150s and sometimes 250s. All I have ever seen use footpegs. The MSF advanced course though requires you to ride your own bike and that is when the footboards start showing up.

[pegscraper]

I hear tell that if you have a car tire on the back, you get so much traction with it that you couldn't lock up the rear wheel if you tried.

[Dano]

I hear tell that if you have a car tire on the back, you get so much traction with it that you couldn't lock up the rear wheel if you tried.

 

You had to get them started, didn't you!!!!! :stirthepot:

[emack]

If you're hammering on the brakes that probably means you weren't paying attention to the road. At that point you should focus on looking further ahead rather than braking procedures. On the street I use the front brake a lot... but yank on that lever in the dirt and you'll go down fast than a white house intern.