Keep up what you have been doing as it seems to be working good for you! I have had my rear brake lock before and it seems like an eternity until the bike goes back straight. I have also locked my front brake before,...however briefly enough to just realize it and by the grace of god the bike stood back up with rear brake. I am not sure how to tell when is too much brake force except that you hear the slide. Be nice if there were a light or siren that would sound just before that point but by then I think it would not matter anyhow. Ride safe and ride often!!

 

Yes, indeed! Last week a guy decided, just the same, to enter my lane while I was in his blind spot (one of those situations when traffic is heavy). I honked, the guy stop invading my lane but started to give me some WTF signs, I couldn't help me to do the same when I turned my head to look what was going on in front of me and saw the traffic stopped. I slammed the brakes, heard some kind of noise like the engine was going to stall, applied the clutch and stopped one inch front the car in front.

I like how instincts kick in

 

I did the same about three weeks ago when a guy ran a stop sign. The rear wheel is actually very easy to lock up. That's not wrong. You probably kept your head up and looked forward and brought the bike to a stop safely and upright - that's right!

 

I did nearly the same thing yesterday. It was a slick intersection, but I would have locked up on good pavement as well. I was just starting to turn left when a car popped out of a parking lot from behind a hedge, I locked the rear wheel and slid the bike sideways for about four feet (at probably 12mph only!!!). I let off the rear, steered into the slide, and clamped hard on the front after the bike straightened out. Quick recovery and no danger of a collision, my braking was more dangerous than the surprise car.

I've slid the rear quite a few times, actually. Under normal circumstances you can use quite a bit of rear brake on a harley, but under aggressive braking it changes a LOT. I've been trying not to use the rear to stop at all at least half the time to become more habitual about front brake emphasis. The rear is more for control in turns and slow maneuvers.

Lazy braking = rear brake works great. Aggressive braking = rear is barely effective and dangerous if overused. You have to use LESS rear brake pressure in a panic stop than in a lazy stop, and thats hard to learn!

 

Actually, it's really a good thing to know what this feels like. Back in my sport bike days, I use to practice this in the rain (easy to skid) to get the feel of how the bike reacts. It's really not that dangerous and not scary once you've done it a few times. Of course you only want to do this when the bike is traveling in a straight line. The interesting thing is; the bike reacts the same whether you're going 20 mph or 100. The only difference is the faster you are going the longer the skid mark.

 

I hear ya....and agreed it is a good thing to know. Only thing is I had a hard time getting to the point where I could own this harley and it has cost me alot. Heck, it is taken me 2 years just to do the few upgrades that I have done to my bike. I would love to have the ***** (and the throw away cash) to risk putting it on the pavement to get the feel of sliding down the highway but I guess I am going to have to learn whenever doing so is unavoidable rather than choice. However,....if you would allow me to use your harley that would be great!!!!!
But you are totally right on the button. It would do us all good to understand the feel of the slide and what not to do when that happens. Ride safe and often !!

 

I have mid controls on my Dyna and a couple if times I locked up the rear brake in a panic situation, and like you, I managed to avoid an accident. After those two incidents, to try to avoid from going too heavy on the rear brake, I adjusted and lowered the rear brake pedal so it's just about even with the mid foot peg. Before that the brake pedal was a good half an inch higher than the foot peg. So now, in a panic sitation when my initial reaction is to hit it hard, because its lower I apply less pressure on the rear brake. Worked for me. Since then I have yet to lock up the rear.

 

I'd say you did good enough. Avoided the wreck and stayed up right. It's hard to do it "right" when it's really happening to you.

 

Maybe it wasn't perfect, but you avoided the accident and came out safe. A+ in my book.

 

As they say about landing a plane....if you can walk away it was a good landing.