4 ms·

Is the default behavior in motorcycle land really to just use the back brakes? When I rode a bicycle in a city I learned to use both, but primarily my fronts. I

Is the default behavior in motorcycle land really to just use the back brakes? When I rode a bicycle in a city I learned to use both, but primarily my fronts. I definitely had some panic stops where I was modulating to prevent the rear wheel coming off the ground. But maybe the calculus changes with motorcycles' higher speed, as maintaining steerability becomes that much more important? I'm actually kind of surprised a motorcycle ABS controller apparently doesn't include include sensors for the deceleration vector, bike rotation, the compression of the front shock, the weight on the rear wheel, etc. I'd think that a computer could reliably beat a human, given the right sensors.

ehaliewicz2 3y ago
It's possible that really high end bikes (either sportbikes, or fancy tourers like goldwings) do, but ABS isn't really about maximum braking performance. It is about maintaining maneuverability during emergency braking (given that tires have a limited amount of grip, this is opposed to achieving the minimum possible braking distance). >But maybe the calculus changes with motorcycles' higher speed, as maintaining steerability becomes that much more important? It's just a panic response. Everybody on a motorcycle (hopefully) knows that you should be using front brake to slow down as quickly as possible, unless you need to swerve of course :)
dharmab 3y ago
> Is the default behavior in motorcycle land really to just use the back brakes? there are a lot of old fogeys who think if you touch the front brake you'll flip over the bars. the MSF class specifically teaches that the front is 80% of your braking and to use both brakes, but a lot of motorcyclists never get a permit/license and learn from a family member or something, so myths persist