Anyone ever have their rear brake lock up unexpectedly on a hard stop. Mine seems to want to lock up which causes the rear to skid a bit. Not sure if it just me or the bike. I do find it easier/faster to get to the rear brake then to grip the front, but I always try to apply the proper 70/30 pressure. For the record I have an 04 sportster with new rear pads. Any ideas or experiences?

 

Mine doesn't lock up unless I step on it too hard. My guess would be that you're not realizing how much pressure you're putting on that rear brake. Use that front one more, back brake is bad, and could lead to a high side...if the back locks up, the rear end of the bike is traveling faster than the front end...this could cause the rear end to slide around and could lead to disaster. MSF always tells you that if you lock it up, to keep the bike going in a straight line and not to come off the rear brake...problem is that if you unlock the rear brake, thre rear end tries to catch back up, again leading to problems.

I would say to try and use less back brake and see if the problem goes away. If that doesn't do it, then perhaps you have sticky brakes. What speeds are you traveling when it locks up? Does it lock up immediately or close to a stop?

Either way, be careful, it's bad ju-ju...

Mac

 

what Mac said..... Once it is locked ride that sucker out!

 

yep, that is my experience...you dont relize how much pressure your putting on the foot brake....with the hand brakeyou are pulling and have more control on pressure...ive locked her up a few times...

 

Yep, I have been guilty of doing that many times. I did it last night as a matter of fact. Just for a split second, locked up the rear, causing a really loud screeech. Scared the crap out of the guy I was riding with. I had to giggle at myself after doing it. I know better. Good thing I know how to handle that situation though. Just don't over react once you have done it.

 

Size 20 boats on that sucker...no wonder!

Mac

 

Back when I took the MSF course there was a group of guys who were having difficulty with the 70% front brake concept and one kept going on that if you do it will cause the back brake to lock up. After a long discussion, some board sketches and then some field testing it was determined that at least one of the guys would apply his back brake fairly hard (not quite lock up) and then grab the front brake. This caused the weight shift to go to the front tire and allowing the rear tire to loose traction....
This came to mind this weekend when I was guilty of riding around on SPI using my back brake too much and when a car lurched out in front of me I grabbed the front brake and the back tire squealed like a pig.... I let up slightly on the rear brake and kept the bike straight and all of the noise awakened the cage driver who got out of my way...
oops.... I screwed up, but no harm no foul and I learned....

 

I've locked up the rear a couple of times when having to avoid hitting a dumbass in a cage that's turned in front of me or stopped at a green light (WTF???).

Cheers!
[sm=icon_rock.gif][sm=icon_rock.gif][sm=icon_rock.gif]

 

I have PM brakes on my Softail and when I first installed them, the rear would occasionally lockup and the front would make a noise when it was applied. I was told that they are pretty "sticky" and need to wear down a little. so, after a few hundred miles everything was good. This may or may not help a damn, but I figured I would share my experience with new(aftermarket) brake pads..............