Yes I took the MSF course butI never had a problem with feel or locking up my rear, but that day I was wearing some timberland boots and I don't get much feel with those boots they have a really thick sole. Any suggestions on boots? Also would better tires have helped? If so what brand(s) should I look into? I have the stock ones on.

 

as you break, the weight shifts forward, putting a lot of the weight on the front tire, giving that tire most of the grip, where your back tire will have less weight and less grip.
with it having less grip its easier for the wheel to stop spinning, therefor locking up.

also, did you pull the clutch while you hit the breaks?
this will also remove any motion from the rear tire, which combined with rear breaking can cause it to lock up.

this all comes with time n experience. iv locked up lots of times. looks like we both learned the hard way.
faceplanted the floor lol
thankful for a fullface helmet

 

it might be worth finding an empty parking lot, getting up some speed and practice emergency stops and controlled stops.
experiment with with different combinations of breaks and different pressure on breaks.
get to know your breaks and what works best for you.
id rather find out on a parking lot than on a busy freeway

 

sounds like its a combination of the your boots , inexperience and the initial stamp on the brakes ,
i had a nightster and under very hard braking i could lock the front up for a fraction of a second , so i think **** rubber may also come in to it as well ,
everyone brakes differently and will give you different advice on what you should and shouldn't do( i prefer about 70% front brake to 30% rear ), but experience is the best teacher when it comes to motorbikes ,
Harley's are not the easiest bikes in the world to ride , there over weight , handle badly and in general have poor brakes and components , so they can be a bit of a handful ,
if you want to make it safer and better to ride then add braided brake hoses , progressive front and rear springs and some new better quality branded tires (dearer is generally best ), try boots with a little more feed back as well & leave a bigger gap between you and the car in front
good luck and ride within your and the bikes limits

 

I already have progressive shocks in the rear guess I'm going to add them to the front also. I think I'm going to change out the tires, how is Avon? No more thick sole boots and I'm going to give myself at least 3 car lengths for now on. I'm sorry I'm kind of new to all this so how will braided lines help and can I get them in black? Thanks!

 

Operator error

 

nothing wrong with being new , we all were once

i like Avon tyres and Ive used them a lot in the past , but google reviews for whatever tires you like , some brands suit different bikes better , thats what i do now , and the feedback from other riders is pretty good ,

braided brake lines do not expand like the cheaper rubber ones , they come a standard in black braided on my fat bob , there just covered with black plastic but firms like Goodrich do black anodised which look really nice as well ,
braided lines give a much better feel , more progressive & you don't get the grab when the rubber line stops expanding because the steal braiding doesnt expand , well thats the theory any way ( it does work )

3 car lengths may be enough at very low speeds , but that wouldn't even be your reaction time above about 30mph , give as much distance as possible , if I'm on a motorway doing 70 mph or above , I'm looking at about 100 ft if I'm cruising , obviously less when I'm overtaking ,
a big part of riding safely is expecting something to happen , because it will , there are loads of blind ******* out there .
have fun and be safe

 

i also have a 2009 nightster, i have 16,000 miles on it from new and no issues other then i need a new rear tire! this is my sixth brand new sportster and i think the brakes are great, much better than the old stuff! i don't think i've ever locked up my rear brake. cheers from montana!

 

Leaving myself 100 plus ft on the freeway sounds good to me and I plan on doing that for now on. I also think apart of it was me being OVER confident and from which I hear that happens alot, but after reading all the post I believe I have a better understanding on how I can ride safer.


Braided lines will be added to my bike, so hopefully the adjuster says if can be fixed and doesn't total it out. I really think fixing it is going to be the case because all the damage is on the left and 90% of the damage is cosmetic other then the shifter and bars, ZERO damage to the right side. It started right up when I tried to start it, but I can't get to excited until he sees the bike so I'm going to keep my fingers crossed!

 

Glad to hear you haven't had any problems!