Anyway to sharpen up my brakes?

[Comfy Old Boots]

Its a 03 servo abs

I'm used to my other boxer. standard abs on that.

Don't want to take out the servo. Not yet

Just looking for a little more soft slow bite when coming up to the lights. maybe I'm not riding it properly yet. I seem to be using the brake to stop more on this bike and am finding the 'squishy' servo thingy a bit

Just want a little extra grip and bite on the discs with out the sudden WERE BRAKING HOLD ON effect I've had at traffic lights. It just isn't smooth. Like I said, I'm prob not riding it right. Yes I'll buy new shoes for her but the ones on her look ok - could use a bit of a clean I suppose.

I've read / heard about people using the back brake a lot to ride her round cities and close slow moving traffic - to counter act the lack of normal braking due the LINKED brakes? That's a new thing to me also.

Tell me to ride it differently please.

 

[Fanum]

Ride it differently please

 

[Comfy Old Boots]

Ride it differently please

i don't know. the brakes seem either on or off no sensitivity in them at lower speed. I;ll sit on the back brake or something tomorrow.

 

[sockpuppet]

If going less than 10mph I cover with the back brake. Don't touch the front unless I have to (e.g. e-stop).

Both times I've come off is becuase I've grabbed a hand full of front at about 4 mph.

 

[Comfy Old Boots]

If going less than 10mph I cover with the back brake. Don't touch the front unless I have to (e.g. e-stop).

Both times I've come off is becuase I've grabbed a hand full of front at about 4 mph.

I havn't grabbed it yet. I can see it's potential though.

Personally, I find it embarressing when I pull up and when I release the front brake the whole bike sounds like r2d2 and the bike visably sags when I've come to a stop - i.e. released front brake lever. That means i'm carrying too much speed to the stop. imo

I should get a service done. I hear it's easiest to change brake fluid on servo assisted brakes

 

[Lord Snooty]

Below 15mph you should only be using your back brake to come to a stop. This leaves you in control of your steering and eliminates dive when you come to a stop. You won't lose control of your steering should you be unfortunate to hit gravel, shit etc or hit a pothole that deflects your steering when coming to a stop.

 

[Timolgra]

If you want 'soft slow bite' you'll need to remove the servo.

 

[Steptoe]

Below 15mph you should only be using your back brake to come to a stop.

I've never laughed so much in a long time.

Sounds like another order from a an inflexable book of riding rules you must obey.

 

[Packer]

I have the same model. Use just one or two fingers on the lever, caress it don't crush it.

+1 for Lord Snooty, rear brake only below 15mph.

Avoid using both front and rear levers at the same time. Due to the front being linked to the rear as well you'll wear out the rear pads very fast, it took me a while to work out why it was happening but you'll find that the bike pulls up with great stability on just the front lever and then swap to the rear for the last bit as per above.

Also check that the pistons are moving freely in the calipers as they seize regularly in winter courtesy of the road salt. Lube them with a light smear of the correct (DOT4) brake fluid.

 

[Steptoe]

+1 for Lord Snooty, rear brake only below 15mph.

.

So all that time learning how to lock the front wheel and keep control of a bike on loose road surfaces has been a waste of time. I'll tell plumby and pavey to stop teaching it at the off road school

 

[Packer]

So all that time learning how to lock the front wheel and keep control of a bike on loose road surfaces has been a waste of time. I'll tell plumby and pavey to stop teaching it at the off road school

Don't waste your time Neil, they won't listen to you anyway I'm certain that technique is absolutely essential off road. Whether many people could react fast enough to employ it on a slick paved road is anyones guess.

It's surprising how many low speed "offs" and close calls are caused by loosing the front end when almost stationary, not so much with tele-lever though. Problems typically arise when people leave their braking very late and then when they are hard on the brakes a wet manhole cover suddenly is revealed below the vehicle in front and they have no time to react. If you plan to use the rear brake only you will leave more space and brake earlier and you still have the front brake available if needed, but nothing is cast in stone.

I'm sure that as you've ridden a mile or two you are more than able to make your own mind up which you want to use. For what it's worth advanced training and the associated techniques do reduce the liklihood of an accident considerably. Of course that's only statistics

 

[Timolgra]

This thread seems to have been side tracked

The reason for teaching how to lock the front wheel offroad and stay in control is to boost confidence in using the front brake and when to use it.

So back to the original question and this technique is much more difficult to master using servo brakes.

It follows that as Flatknuckles is concerned, then either removing the servo or developing his skills offroad (and using the rear brake) will definately help improve things, there's not really any other technical 'fix'.

You don't find that many competent offroaders falling through locking a front wheel on tarmac. (touch wood

 

[JohnnyBoxer]

This thread seems to have been side tracked

The reason for teaching how to lock the front wheel offroad and stay in control is to boost confidence in using the front brake and when to use it.

So back to the original question and this technique is much more difficult to master using servo brakes.

It follows that as Flatknuckles is concerned, then either removing the servo or developing his skills offroad (and using the rear brake) will definately help improve things, there's not really any other technical 'fix'.

You don't find that many competent offroaders falling through locking a front wheel on tarmac. (touch wood

Yep

Last weekend in Wales (ably guided by this man) we encountered lots of shale and loose shale offroad and the only way to control the bike on the downhill sections was to use the front brake.

Locking the front at times was obligatory, but no real drama.................if you use some body lean to counteract this and I didn't need to go to the OffRoad Skills course to learn this

 

[Timolgra]

Yep

Last weekend in Wales (ably guided by this man) we encountered lots of shale and loose shale offroad and the only way to control the bike on the downhill sections was to use the front brake.

Locking the front at times was obligatory, but no real drama.................if you use some body lean to counteract this and I didn't need to go to the OffRoad Skills course to learn this

Quite right mate

 

[Taff]

... Just looking for a little more soft slow bite when coming up to the lights. maybe I'm not riding it properly yet. ... It just isn't smooth. Like I said, I'm prob not riding it right.

I have an 05 GSA with servo brakes and know exactly what you mean. Even though I've had the bike about 3 yrs, its only recently I've managed to get to a smooooth stop. Its as if there's very little braking at the start, then they bite. What I've found is that its best to apply the front brake gently (you can feel it grip) and then put more pressure on. It's difficult to put into words, but you will know when you get it - if that makes sense.

Below 15mph you should only be using your back brake to come to a stop.

Firstly, when riding does anybody think that logically? Secondly, its not what I was told. I was taught (by an ex Class 1 copper) that you should aim to come to a stop using the front brake, put your right foot down (so obviously you can't be using the rear brake) and keep the left foot on the peg ready to engage neutral, 1st etc.

.... I've read / heard about people using the back brake a lot to ride her round cities and close slow moving traffic ...That's a new thing to me also. Tell me to ride it differently please.

Over the last year, I have made a conscious effort to avoid the rear brake as much as possible, except for slow speed manouvering. I did use the rear brake, but when I needed to do an emergency stop (it was the Baskerville Hall weekend) all logic went out of the window and instinct kicked in. Sadly however my instinct was to use the rear brake, which in the cold light of day we all know isn't the one I should have used. I'm ashamed to say it, but I hadn't even touched the front brake. My braking technique was shite and when the brown stuff hit the fan (and I literally had a split second to react) my crap technique was exposed. I was lucky (it was a right hand bend and the Armco was at an angle) but if it had been a left hand bend and I'd hit a car / lorry / bus coming the other way, I probably wouldn't be here today. Since that day, after making a real effort to use just the front brake my instinct now is to use the front most of the time - as a pheasant on the Abergavenny - Brecon road will testify.

 

[(RIP) Kaister]

Below 15mph you should only be using your back brake to come to a stop. This leaves you in control of your steering and eliminates dive when you come to a stop. You won't lose control of your steering should you be unfortunate to hit gravel, shit etc or hit a pothole that deflects your steering when coming to a stop.

what if your back wheels in the air ?

PS real answer is either change the pads for more low speed bite or re-bleed the brake system

 

[Timolgra]

Firstly, when riding does anybody think that logically? Secondly, its not what I was told. I was taught (by an ex Class 1 copper) that you should aim to come to a stop using the front brake, put your right foot down (so obviously you can't be using the rear brake) and keep the left foot on the peg ready to engage neutral, 1st etc.

Over the last year, I have made a conscious effort to avoid the rear brake as much as possible, except for slow speed manouvering. I did use the rear brake, but when I needed to do an emergency stop (it was the Baskerville Hall weekend) all logic went out of the window and instinct kicked in. Sadly my instinct was to use the rear brake, which in the cold light of day we all know isn't the one I should have used. I'm ashamed to say it, but my braking technique was shite and when the brown stuff hit the fan (and you literally have a split second to react) my crap technique was exposed. I was lucky (it was a left hand bend and the Armco was at an angle) but if it had been a left hand bend and I'd hit a car / lorry / bus coming the other way, I probably wouldn't be here today. Since that day, after making a real effort to use just the front brake my instinct now is to use the front - as a pheasant on the Abergavenny - Brecon road will testify.

What we're taught and what we actually do are often entirely different things, my point about developing the skills offroad is that your 'instinct' will be to take the 'correct' action.

You were lucky as I'm sure you know using the front brake hard in a bend will either cause an unrecoverable skid or stand the bike up. North Wales dry stone walls and armco on left handers dressed in flowers bear this up

I would have a serious think about your decision to instinctively only using the front brake.
For an emergency stop you will definately stop quicker using both brakes correctly, and will your instinct allow for changing road surfaces? ( I demonstrate this to students several times a week, having said that, for test only we often advise not really using the rear brake if the student has a tendancy to lock it, causing a fail).

 

[Onwalkabout]

Solid front brakes like this...

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[MattW]

Remind me not to buy his bike off him

 

[Comfy Old Boots]

Interesting read. Thanks folks.