If all goes well this weekend I will be installing the new balanced brake system on my 06 Glide. Anyone put one of these on lately? I am kind of looking forward to some easy stops as they have on their video. I don't know how many hours are involved, their web site says 2 -4. but such estimates have never been very accurate for my stuff !

www.BalancedBrake.com

 

Hey Panhead - please post difficulty in installing and your overall like/dislike of the system. Been eyeballing that setup myself.

 

Will do, Al, but it will probably be not before Saturday that I get to it.

 

OK, Al, here is my report. Overall I am very happy. As best I can tell the install took me about 4 hours. I was at it for over 5, but was interrupted several times . They give a bound instruction book which has photos and drawings and is fairly foolproof.

The system changes some of the work of riding. Before I had made my 20th stop, (I have heavy intercity traffic) I found that all I needed to do was just use the foot pedal. Like in a car, the more pressure you put on the pedal, the faster the bikes stops. And I did not notice any front end dive or any other occurrences.
At first I was reluctant to press the foot pedal real hard, have locked it up before that way, but with each use I got more sure that I was going to stop before any lock up happened.

The highest speed I hauled down from so far is 70MPH, but I was real impressed how easy it was to just unload that speed.
The front brake has an independent line but now requires more hand grip to produce strong results. But I really don’t think I will be using it that much any more. Overall, well actually, it works just about exactly like they show in the video. Except for a good seat, this is the best money I have spent on the bike so far.

 

Interesting....very interesting!!!

 

Come on down FLA where we have sand pushed into a triangle where the side streets enter the main roadway. If you ride the keys there is a mix of coral & sand, like riding on marbles. If you do not slow down or see a turn you need to make without pre-planing (somewhat lost), you may have to go over/partly over this triangle. With your front brake on and hitting this patch your front wheel may lock up with minimal traction. What do you think will happen?


Spend your money on gas and experience and you will not need such gadgets, up to you. This is not ABS!! ABS keeps the wheel spinning and does not lock up! I am going to have to give this a BIG
as I already have the experience and scars.

 

How fast do you ride in sand and coral mixtures ?
If that is the pavement you want your brakes designed for, have at it.
This system probably does not work very well on dirt roads either.
But I don't ride a bagger there, or if so, slowly. I want a brake system designed for where accidents are likely to happen, on pavement.

If your touring bike is a dirt bike also, enjoy !

 

Howard, ABS does'nt help much either when you go over sand and coral. Up here [DC area] we have sand, gravel, dirt and the occaisonal slick fluid spill. True Story: The 9 of us were heading to Maryland for an Officers funeral. We were traveling on one of the major arteries doing about 40-45 mph. As we entered the intersection, hydraulic fluid was in the roadway. We could not see the fluid and thought the road was wet from the previous rain. I was in the number three position, all of us started to sway back in forth. If you applied the brakes, you would sway, if you throttle up, you would sway. All you can do is not panic and feather the brakes to slow you down. The last bike, riding in the 9 position, panicked and applied the rear brake. He went down but was able to think quick and separate himself from the motor. Luckily, he ended up in the grassy median. Abs are good, but not fail proof. Good riding techniques and the ability not to panic will keep you safe.

 

I have never owned ABS so I have no first hand knowledge but I have worked on many. There is a bearing in both front and rear with a sensor that tells the ABS system if the wheel is turning or not which prevents lock up. I do not anything is good in the situation you were all in with the exception of staying in bed.

In the case of either sand and coral found in the entrance of every sidestreet entering US #1 in the Keys. ABS will prevent lock-up but this system will not. To all others reading this post, I do not care what anyone else does with their bike. The post before this one is clearly does not address anything I have wrote. For anyone's information, the speed limit on US #1 in the Keys is a minimum of 45 MPH and this is not a dirt road.

 

I just think it is a bit much to whip out the big thumbs down picture on a system you have never tried.

Everyone knows that lose surfaces like sand and gravel are hard to stop on. Even with ABS, there is just no friction on those surfaces to grab. And, if you have worked on ABS systems you know that to work properly they require accurate wheel turn input, again something hard to get on moving surfaces like sand. Basically the only solution to riding on such like is to keep the speed down.

I don't know what scars you have picked up from riding, but since they were not on this system, or ABS either, I don't think they prove whatever your point was.

Basically I was asked how my installation went, and what my riding impressions were. I think this system is great, and I plan to keep it.
The technical details, for anybody interested, are all discussed on the Technical page of the web site where I bought my system, and I am not going to hash them all out here. They deal with under-braking, motor memory, etc.

Ride safe everyone !