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Should the front and back brakes be applied simultaneously with equal pressure when stopping or should the front brakes get the most attention with the back brakes being secondary?

I called my braking techniques into question today. It was my first ride in rain in traffic. I approached a stop light pulled in the brakes and slid into the intersection. Now, the slick road caused the slide but the bike fishtailed somewhat. Fortunately I recovered and there were no cars in the intersection. I was able to push myself back to the white line feeling somewhat foolish and lucky at the same time.

Afterwards I was trying to analyze why I fishtailed. Would that have been caused by locking the back brake?

Joe wrote:

Afterwards I was trying to analyze why I fishtailed. Would that have been caused by locking the back brake?

Bingo. It is easy to lock the rear in the rain, especially at intersections.

If the tires lock, it is because you pushed too quickly and too hard on the brakes - most probably... The rule (as I was tought) is that 70% of the stopping power comes from the front brake while the rest from the rear. This means that in order to achieve 100% stopping power, you would need to apply both. The technique is to apply both brakes - more emphasis on the front - but squeez gradually and firmly without locking the wheels. Any sudden braking will cause the wheels to lock. On dry pavement, if the front tire locks it will shake and you would need to release it and reapply it gradually but firmly. If the rear wheel locks, do NOT release it. You will need to let it drag behind you until you come to a complete stop, as releasing it would cause the tire to gain traction violently and throw you off the bike (high-side.) In wet conditions, the risk of locking the front wheel and dropping the bike is higher so you need to be more carefull in applying it and pay more attention to how the wheel feels and release the front brake if it starts to slide to either side. Again, if the rear tire locks, keep it locked.
The best way to learn how to brake and how your particular bike handles in hard braking, is to go to a empty parking lot and practice. It would be wise to be completely geared and bring a friend to watch you just in case something goes wrong. You want to be prepared for that one time when you really need to brake to save yourself!

I hope this helps...Any other comments from others here?
Keep safe and enjoy
Ciao

Thanks for the feedback, this is great information. I will make a point of doing some practicing in an empty parking lot.

In a way I'm glad this happened to make me more aware of the potential for locking up the wheels.

the back tire most likely lockd up because the road was very slick from oil and other junk if it just started raining. i wouldnt use the front brake more in that situation like suggested, locking the front tire usually ends in crashing fast. start braking earlier give yourself alot more room to stop in the rain and youll be fine. also doing more engine braking might be helpfull for you.

also with the rear lock up ive been told to release and reapply not to keep preasure. ive lockd mine up enough times, the ones i left it lockd and tried to ride it out nearly ended up badly and fish taliling all over. letting off and reapplying quickly solves the lock up. not sure what is the proper way but from my exp letting off and reapply for front and back. i assume the risk with this is the back tire might slide out to the side and when you let off the brake it will snap back and possible throw you off. guess it depends on alot of things which is better...

allawybiker wrote:If the tires lock, it is because you pushed too quickly and too hard on the brakes - most probably... The rule (as I was tought) is that 70% of the stopping power comes from the front brake while the rest from the rear. This means that in order to achieve 100% stopping power, you would need to apply both. The technique is to apply both brakes - more emphasis on the front - but squeez gradually and firmly without locking the wheels. Any sudden braking will cause the wheels to lock. On dry pavement, if the front tire locks it will shake and you would need to release it and reapply it gradually but firmly. If the rear wheel locks, do NOT release it. You will need to let it drag behind you until you come to a complete stop, as releasing it would cause the tire to gain traction violently and throw you off the bike (high-side.) In wet conditions, the risk of locking the front wheel and dropping the bike is higher so you need to be more carefull in applying it and pay more attention to how the wheel feels and release the front brake if it starts to slide to either side. Again, if the rear tire locks, keep it locked.
The best way to learn how to brake and how your particular bike handles in hard braking, is to go to a empty parking lot and practice. It would be wise to be completely geared and bring a friend to watch you just in case something goes wrong. You want to be prepared for that one time when you really need to brake to save yourself!

I hope this helps...Any other comments from others here?
Keep safe and enjoy
Ciao

iwannadie wrote:the back tire most likely lockd up because the road was very slick from oil and other junk if it just started raining. i wouldnt use the front brake more in that situation like suggested, locking the front tire usually ends in crashing fast. start braking earlier give yourself alot more room to stop in the rain and youll be fine. also doing more engine braking might be helpfull for you.

also with the rear lock up ive been told to release and reapply not to keep preasure. ive lockd mine up enough times, the ones i left it lockd and tried to ride it out nearly ended up badly and fish taliling all over. letting off and reapplying quickly solves the lock up. not sure what is the proper way but from my exp letting off and reapply for front and back. i assume the risk with this is the back tire might slide out to the side and when you let off the brake it will snap back and possible throw you off. guess it depends on alot of things which is better...
Ciao

"Release and reapply" is only safe if you are in a STRAIGHT LINE slide, and then it is still 'iffy.' When you release the brake on a sliding wheel, you suddenly regain traction, which will cause the bike to try to straighten out which is MORE likely to cause a high side crash - VERY BAD - than end up okay.

You were able to maintain control, even though you were fishtailing.

The best way to apply brakes is to SQUEEZE, not grab them. Parking lot practice is one of the best ways to learn how your bike responds to sudden braking.

P

Plus, as I learned in pursuit school(automobile), apply the brakes just short of locking them up (takes practice) but as you slow down you can apply more brake (I suggest increasing the front, not so much on the rear because of the forward weight shift).

This brings you to a very fast stop if done correctly - can also apply to rain. Brake as much as you can, but add more as you slow down.

In my MSF course, I applied this. The standard Quick Stop from 15MPH is 16 feet. Without anticipating anything, I did 8 feet with no screeching.

Just out of curiosity, what are you riding?

Leave the bike in gear as well. The rear tire will be less likely to lock up and your engine will help slow you down. I tend to not even use brakes in the rain. Well, obviously when I really have to, but I usually stop at lights and stop signs using the engine alone, then hit the brakes at about 5 mph. But, to do this you must give your self more space and time, which you should be doing in the rain anyways. You definitely can not stop as fast this way.

Just out of curiosity, what are you riding?

I have a Suzuki Savage 650.