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jstark47 wrote:Y'know maybe it's a "cruiser thing". I read these stories folks post about locking up rear brakes. I've even seen it happen in real life. But I couldn't lock the rear brake on my Bonneville if I jumped on it with both feet with all my weight, and my V-Strom's not much better. I don't know how y'all do it. Now locking the front brake on the other hand, that's idiotically simple - just grab a big handful with all four fingers.

I think it may be partially an HD thing. The rear brakes on both my sporty and vrod are terrible and it's easy to lock them up. After some fish-tailing situations at pretty good speed, I've gotten away from using the rears except in slow manuevering situations where there's no quick-stop necessity.

SCGurl, my advice is to try to use the rears less and the fronts more. I've never locked up the fronts on either of my bikes and have grabbed them more than i probably should have on a number of occasions.

SCgurl ... I hear grass is worse than wet pavement. Grass is really slick (i think).
I read somewheres (David Hough i think) that a rider uses a three second squeeze ... really. When one sees a problem in the making one covers the clutch and brakes and slows waiting for the problem to happen. If the problem happens then one takes three seconds or less to apply full preasure to one's brakes. Point is (David Hough's) ...don't slam, jab, hit, the brakes ... if one can help it.
But three seconds probably won't be much help on grass ...??? .. like a lawn I mean.
All the posts say you did good... very good... humbley I agree.

My R took some getting used to. For riding slow I lean right when turning left and/or feathering the clutch, throttle, and rear brake to control speed. I choose not to discuss the topic of u-turn.

Robert

@ koji - I think you might be right about the rears on HDs. I was chalking it up to the weight of the bike. I thought mine was supposed to have Brembos though? I need to check and make sure of that, I thought mine was the year they had them stock on the tourers.

@ redwing - I was on the pavement, grass shoulder to the right of me. Sorry for any confusion about that. I swerved from the left side of the right lane to the right side of the right lane and then (tried to) stop. However, they had just repaved this stretch of road-I wonder if that contributed. In grass, I actually would have been tempted to lay it down. Nice, soft landing in the hay that lines the roads here.

When I practice quickstops, I do the 3 count. I just didn't have either the time or presence of mind to do both maneuvers and actually do the 3 count.

Another note: I checked the air pressure in my suspension this morning. It was in the low end for my weight range. I'm going to add a few PSIs to it later-I have another hypothesis.

SCgurl wrote:@ koji - I think you might be right about the rears on HDs. I was chalking it up to the weight of the bike. I thought mine was supposed to have Brembos though? I need to check and make sure of that, I thought mine was the year they had them stock on the tourers.

@ redwing - I was on the pavement, grass shoulder to the right of me. Sorry for any confusion about that. I swerved from the left side of the right lane to the right side of the right lane and then (tried to) stop. However, they had just repaved this stretch of road-I wonder if that contributed. In grass, I actually would have been tempted to lay it down. Nice, soft landing in the hay that lines the roads here.

When I practice quickstops, I do the 3 count. I just didn't have either the time or presence of mind to do both maneuvers and actually do the 3 count.

Another note: I checked the air pressure in my suspension this morning. It was in the low end for my weight range. I'm going to add a few PSIs to it later-I have another hypothesis.

I have brembos on the vrod. Still terrible. I agree with everyone else on here...you did good not going down. I know how you feel though with fishtailing. I've done it a few times and at over 60 mph...it's scary as hell. I've even skipped the rear at over 60 using the "cruise control" (throttle lock) when i didn't know what i was doing. It's probably more luck than skill that kept the rubber to the ground.

Try to use the front brake more for quick stops and the rear as "help" AKA very lightly.

SCgurl wrote:
Hehehe, I just realized the curse filter changed "dumb@$$" to "crazy donkey"

I never heard that one before......In your original post I thought you meant to say crazy donkey....

Your post made me laugh.....

Crazy donkey. It has a certain ring to it. It could catch on.

Crazy Donkey sounds like what happens right after a Dirty Sanchez....

jstark47 wrote:Y'know maybe it's a "cruiser thing". I read these stories folks post about locking up rear brakes. I've even seen it happen in real life. But I couldn't lock the rear brake on my Bonneville if I jumped on it with both feet with all my weight, and my V-Strom's not much better. I don't know how y'all do it. Now locking the front brake on the other hand, that's idiotically simple - just grab a big handful with all four fingers.

I do a lot of riding, but the only time I locked the rear brake was during the MSF course on a cruiser. And I know I'm not the best rider out there.

Maybe it is related to the strength of the brakes and weight ratio front/back that causes to be more common on cruisers?

RhadamYgg

BuzZz wrote:Crazy Donkey sounds like what happens right after a Dirty Sanchez....

Ewwww.... And I'm not entirely sure what a Dirty Sanchez is... oh wait no I do know.

Yuck!

RhadamYgg wrote:

BuzZz wrote:Crazy Donkey sounds like what happens right after a Dirty Sanchez....

Ewwww.... And I'm not entirely sure what a Dirty Sanchez is... oh wait no I do know.

Yuck!

I had to go look it up. (What can I say...I have been sheltered)

After reading what it meant..... eeewww...ick.ick....