I was wondering if anyone has heard anything bad about the brakes on the 09 Nightster, the reason I asked if because I locked up my rear wheel on the freeway by barely pressing down on the brake, ended up fishtailing and went down. So I'm wondering if I didn't realize that I pressed down to hard or there was some sort of malfunction with the brake system. Any thoughts?

 

Was it an emergency stop. I stick to front break and engine breaking otherwise.

 

Sounds like you pressed down too hard. What was the situation? Normal braking or slowing down quickly? Was it wet, damp out on the roads? Sand, rocks on the road?

I've locked up the back tire a few times without thinking I've pressed the pedal too hard, but it's usually just not realizing.

 

I was traveling on the freeway about 70 in the fast lane I was about 1 1/2 car lengths away from the car in front of me and I seen some brake lights so I started to brake. Road conditions were dry and there was no rocks or sand.

So I take it it is very easy to lock up the rear tire on the 1200 nightster with you having done it a few times.

 

No it was normal braking on the freeway.

 

It is indeed easy to lock up the rear brake on these bikes. The low weight in the back (and it transferring forward when decelerating) combined with the comparatively stronger muscles in your leg makes it easy to lock up. I always use both brakes when slowing down, but when I need to stop fast I pretend that my right hand and right foot are connected: as one gets tighter, the other has to get looser. The front is your main stopper, but if you do lock the rear keep it locked. To hell with the tire, it will prevent a high side fall.

 

So is it better to only use the front brake unless I need to stop super fast?

 

It's always best to use both brakes unless you're going very slow (parking lot) or on sand/gravel. Then its rear-brake only. When you slow down gradually apply more front brake and less rear. The weight shifts forward when you slow down, pushing the front tire against the ground harder.

 

So what causes the rear tire to lock up? I know its a dumb questions, but I'm trying to figure out how I could have avoided locking up the rear. Hearing that it is easy to lock up the rear on this bikes makes me think twice about keeping it.

 

It takes practice, that's all. Too much rear pedal will cause the lock up, plain and simple. It doesn't feel like you're pressing that hard with your foot when you actually are. I use the ball of my foot closer to my toes for better feel and modulation. Did you ever take Riders Edge or any MSF courses? If not, I'd suggest it, not only will it sharpen your skills, but it will teach good habits to get into.