Tried it. Do it all the time. I don't fall down. What am I doing wrong?

Trail braking works great. How does it do at bringing you to a complete or almost complete stop when you round a blind curve and encounter a stopped vehicle or some other hazard? For that, I'm jammin' on both brakes as hard as possible, just short of lock... and not falling down.

 

Practice. If you had released the front brake just prior to your complete stop, finishing up with just the rear, or using both when you straightened up the front end, you'd have stayed upright.

One of the hardest lessons to teach riders is when to *quit* stopping (or slowing down). Most people want to just grab and stomp on all the brake they can get. They get a death grip on that lever and can't let go. Some times it's better to jam on the brakes, then let them go so you can maneuver and keep going (or put yourself in a better situation to come to a complete stop)

Also... not in your case, but with others, I get the impression they think the front brake lever is a on off switch, rather than something which can be controlled to varying degrees of application.

 

bubba,, Metzlers suck, I put 8k on a set at 45 psi . the rear tire had 25 of the points ( if you will ) coming up and a 3in x 3in chunk gone in the middle of the tire. Down to the cords. warrantee you say??? NOOOO .... according to the manufacture they were underinflated so no warrante. they want no less than 50 psi in the tire. Mine was made in Brazil and the side wall said 42 psi cold. I will never buy or reccomend metz again. Also never use Best cycle parts inLas Vegas either hes an a** too. good luck with yours kkrommm

 

I agree with most of your post, but this part is really a shame. It is contrary to the msf's official teaching. You can't pass the msf without doing the panic stop, and you can't do that without getting most of your braking from the front brake. If you just use the rear brake the tire will just slide and you won't stop.

The weight shift puts most of the traction onto the front tire. That's why even cages have bigger brakes on the front.

When I see someone who gets only about 5k miles out of a rear tire, I always wonder about his braking habits. I know this isn't about cupping, sorry for off-topic.

$.02

 

Thank you Big Cholla, I lost track of this thread for a long time and never saw the questions to me. Good post.

May I add, possible out of balance?

Thanks again,

JB

 

Thanks for the advice. I've been carrying a gauge in my pocket for some time now, but I still forget to check as often as I'd like to. I do plan on checking much more often than I used to though after shelling out almost $400 (installed) for the new tires. I don't expect I'll get your RG kind of mileage the way I ride the Custom, but I'm hoping to improve it over the first set. Thanks for the reminder.

 

I don't think it's a good idea to try to simplify proper braking procedure by saying you should use more front or more rear. It's a complicated, dynamic thing that is different in every situation. I've been riding a long time and use both brakes all the time but in different amounts in different situations. I won't even try to say how much and when, it's just automatic to me now. It takes experience to learn how best to use the brakes. Beginners should take it easy and use common sense as they build that experience.

 

Had the same cupping issue with my front 21" AVON Venom AM41 MH-90 56H tire....While going along at 50mph, I let go of the front grips and allowed the bike to decelerate on its own...A wobble occured at 35-mph...It also had a serious up/down vibration at 95+mph. Replaced front tire when it wore out and had it balanced by an old friend....Did the same 50mph test and no wobble; repeated test from 85mph and no wobble....still haven't got the space to do the test at above 85mph due to traffic. Front steering cup bearings/races are fine, lower fork leg bushings are fine, wheel bearings/races are fine, tire pressure at 30-32psi.

Never checked the balance with the old tire but the wobble is definitely gone at 35mph. I'll get back with you when I get the space to go 95+.

 

balance and/or tire pressure.
Front braking (if you happen to lock-up the front brakes.)

 

before i rode to Sturgis i had my 15000 mile service done, I had new brakes and a new back tire put on. when i got out there my neck bolt was so loose the front of the bike had a really bad wobble and it ruined the front tire and also, as i was to find out later, the back tire, so be sure to check that area for loose bearings or neck bolt. all i can figure is my wrench loosened something and forgot to tighten it back up