60-0mph how important ??

[BIKEVIDDER]

Following my 0-60mph post I'm just wondering about bikes performance.
Many discover economy over time & performance is "tested" not long after a bike is bought.
How many go to a quiet road & thrash the brakes to see how well they work.
If I commute at 25mph & a cage pulls out my brakes will stop me.
If I legal limit tootle down a main road & the car in front slams It's brakes on for a reason I can't see my brakes will stop me ploughing into the back.
Honest theory for many ??
Do you check brakes to the limit or assume your guardian angel is riding pillion.
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GROWING OLD DISGRACFULLY

[Wafer_Thin_Ham]

[Rogerborg]

Knowing your ultimate braking performance is handy for track racing, sure.

But on the public roads, braking distance is largely down to the instant road conditions - surface, temperature, oil, water, ice, gravel, leaves, kittens - so any information that you got from your stoppies is largely moot.

Under normal riding, you'll slow down fairly gently. In an emergency, you'll haul on the brakes and either stop or not. In neither situation are you likely to say "Well, I think I can stop in X yards under full braking, so I'll delay braking until I'm X away from the hazard".

Of course, that doesn't apply to hoons using the public road as a racetrack, but then again I don't really mind if they end up inserted in a tree as a consequence of misjudging the braking point.
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Biking is 1/20th as dangerous as horse riding.
GONE: HN125-8, LF-250B, GPz 305, GPZ 500S, Burgman 400 // RIDING: F650GS (800 twin), Royal Enfield Bullet Electra 500 AVL, Ninja 250R because racebike

[G]

[BIKEVIDDER]

[Acemastr]

[G]

[banditjohn]

I've found it best to ride defensively and yes I know you still get them , but if you ride like that and within your limits your not asking for trouble. I take every driver as an idiot and there going to do the last thing you could possibly think of, and your be as safe as the next tw@t that pulls out on you .

[Kickstart]

[Rogerborg]

[G]

While I was going on about racers having the same thing, the majority of the time in dry conditions, it's purely a case of braking as hard as needed. Wet conditions are a mystic science that at club level at least very few are that competent at (based on me not being that amazing and at least on the SV not doing worse than normal in wet races .)

Getting used to what brake is achievable in good conditions doesn't take long at all and is very easy. Keep braking harder each time until you find the rear is no longer in contract with the ground .

[lihp]

I regularly try my brakes once per week, and do an emergency stop from 60mph.

I get on a quiet country road, and when it's quiet, I'll try it. It's not something you get to do all the time, and it's not something that is practice even on the test.

So I do it, as it may one day save you

[BIKEVIDDER]

Each distance is unique to each bike & rider combination.
Three true stories to make you cringe.
Years ago commuting 30 miles on an old MZ with OK brakes I had a near miss.
The front brake didn't work from cold so for a few yards I always rode with slight pressure on the lever, after that It was fine as far as MZ brakes go.
One cold morning I didn't, riding defensively I didn't use the brakes untill the last island with a lorry fast approaching from the right on the island. With the back wheel locked I mounted the islands kerb & stopped in the middle, to say I brown stained my pants is an understatement.
Second one was an article in a bike mag by one of the writers.
He left home on a sports bike, didn't touch the brakes untill it was a urgent, a plastic carrier bag was wrapped around the front disc rendering the brake useless, like myself no harm done.
The third is my first no brakes incident.
To save a long story I'll just say a lorry appeared in front of me & I hit the front nearside wheel resulting in a broken bike & not so broken but still painful body.
Yes I was scanning for danger in heavy traffic & that was the problem the lorry pulled out from the right behind another vehicle & the driver didn't know if the road was clear or not.
Reaction time was getting as far as thinking SH by then too late to finnish the word off.
I've often heard people boast of performance speed wise & only know the brakes performance by rocking the bike while stationary.
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GROWING OLD DISGRACFULLY

[G]

[Dazbo666]

When riding solo on a quiet road I occasionally "test" the brakes to have an idea of what they're capable of, and thankfully they're able to stop the bike significantly quicker than I normally would 99% of the time.

Obviously it's that other 1% that can make all the difference, but 20+ years of road experience and a healthy sense of self preservation means that the brakes are very rarely used to their full capability.
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1st bike (Sept'06 - May'10) : 1991 GPZ500S / Current bike (since Nov 2009) : 2003 Suzuki Bandit 600N
Word of the day : DILLIGAF

[The Shaggy D.A.]

[crackfinder]

[crackfinder]