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LexRider
L Plate Warrior



Joined: 07 May 2019
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PostPosted: 14:33 - 07 May 2019    Post subject: Newby Rider - breaking advice Reply with quote

Hey there, new rider and new to these forums!

I’ve been riding since December and I seem to have gone through a new set of brake pads in about 2k miles which seems like a very short lifespan

Are there any tips from experienced riders out there to get me out of bad habits? (Worst one is dragging the rear break when slowing down and cornering)

The instructor I had for my CBT didn’t actually get into much detail so I’ve booked a couple hours with a new training body with a really good rep to iron out a few things Very Happy

Any tips are more than welcome though because I didn’t realise the damage I was doing until my bike failed it’s MOT, only issue being the brake pads Brick Wall
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bhinso
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PostPosted: 14:41 - 07 May 2019    Post subject: Reply with quote

Advice on Braking or Breaking?
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ThunderGuts
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PostPosted: 14:45 - 07 May 2019    Post subject: Reply with quote

Front and back brakes, or just the rear ones? Are you riding with your foot resting on the brake pedal? If you are and it's dragging, you'll certainly wear your pads out quickly (and it won't do your fuel economy many favours either!).
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LexRider
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PostPosted: 14:54 - 07 May 2019    Post subject: Reply with quote

Just the rear, I don’t ride with my foot resting on it but it’s my go to brake to slow down in traffic and when I’m going around tight corners, doesn’t help that the first time I used the front brake I panicked and pulled it in fast and dropped the bike, kinda put me off using it as often as I should

The instructor I had never really mentioned how to brake properly, as long as I came to a stop safely he was happy and it just seemed easier but it doesn’t seem to be doing me any favours if I’ll be replacing the pads every few months, I’m wanting to do my DAS at the end of the year so ideally I need to get into good habits sooner rather than later hence the new instructor I’ll be seeing on Saturday Smile
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LexRider
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PostPosted: 14:56 - 07 May 2019    Post subject: Reply with quote

bhinso wrote:
Advice on Braking or Breaking?


Braking* my bad Embarassed
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Bubbs
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PostPosted: 15:10 - 07 May 2019    Post subject: Reply with quote

LexRider wrote:
Just the rear, I don’t ride with my foot resting on it but it’s my go to brake to slow down in traffic and when I’m going around tight corners, doesn’t help that the first time I used the front brake I panicked and pulled it in fast and dropped the bike, kinda put me off using it as often as I should

The instructor I had never really mentioned how to brake properly, as long as I came to a stop safely he was happy and it just seemed easier but it doesn’t seem to be doing me any favours if I’ll be replacing the pads every few months, I’m wanting to do my DAS at the end of the year so ideally I need to get into good habits sooner rather than later hence the new instructor I’ll be seeing on Saturday Smile


Get used to pulling your front brake! 80% of stopping power is in the front (source required)

Search for "twist of the wrist 2" on youtube! The full instructional video is on there somewhere, it's well worth a watch. It's incredibly cheesy and m'urican but it has solid info. Should help you no end with confidence.

Just don't go grabbing front brake while deep in a corner.
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bhinso
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PostPosted: 15:21 - 07 May 2019    Post subject: Reply with quote

^^ This.

Do all your necessary speed changes before you enter the corner.
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Confusion
Scooby Slapper



Joined: 02 May 2013
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PostPosted: 15:56 - 07 May 2019    Post subject: Re: Newby Rider - breaking advice Reply with quote

LexRider wrote:
Hey there, new rider and new to these forums!


Welcome.

Quote:
I’ve been riding since December and I seem to have gone through a new set of brake pads in about 2k miles which seems like a very short lifespan


Is it a Chinese bike? Based on my limited experience with a
Keeway 125, the calipers and pads are not very good. Pad
wear was rapid and uneven, so that the worn pads looked like a
wedge.

Quote:
Are there any tips from experienced riders out there to get me out of bad habits? (Worst one is dragging the rear break when slowing down and cornering)


Check the temperature of the front and rear discs after riding
the bike. If you find the rear disc is much hotter than the front,
you need to work on your braking technique.

Quote:
Any tips are more than welcome...


Are you riding too fast?

Keep your head up while you are riding and scan the road
ahead. Adjust your speed and position to avoid hazards
and unnecessary stops. This will save wear on brakes,
boots, tyres and will also reduce your fuel consumption.

Practice braking under various road conditions. Be
careful on wet roads or loose gravel until you
develop the necessary skills.

Quote:
The instructor I had never really mentioned how to brake properly


Get a better instructor.
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Ste
Not Work Safe



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PostPosted: 16:03 - 07 May 2019    Post subject: Reply with quote

Bubbs wrote:
Get used to pulling your front brake! 80% of stopping power is in the front (source required)

That.

Very much that.

The front brake is the one that will make you stop quickly. If someone slams their brakes on and so you need to do an emergency stop you avoid going into the back of them, your front brake is what has the necessary power

The back brake is just for slow speed manoeuvres, for (careful) braking when cornering and just for a bit of balance / aesthetics.

You need to get used to using the front brake. Smile

How come you want to put off your DAS 'til the end of the year?
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bigdom86
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Joined: 17 Jul 2015
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PostPosted: 16:15 - 07 May 2019    Post subject: re Reply with quote

I always start with rear brake as find it "stabilises" the bike a bit then I gradually squeeze the front and rear at the same rate, has seemed to be an OK technique for me the past 4 or 5 years london commuting, although unsure if that would be correct technique, i always ride covering the rear brake as once I did an emergency stop just using the front and the rear came right up and almost went over the front, another time I locked the front and went down, since using the rear first never had any issues
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LexRider
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PostPosted: 16:18 - 07 May 2019    Post subject: Reply with quote

Bubbs
I’m gradually getting there with using my front brake more, one issue is figuring out how to downshift when braking, but tricky to roll on and off the throttle when I’m using it though

Confusion
Yeah it’s a Lexmoto XTRS, reckon it will be possible to change the callipers on it or will the connections be specific to the factory ones?
I’ll check the disks as soon as I can! My bike is in the garage until the pads come in, didn’t have any in stock and my MOT is booked first thing Thursday morning

Ste
Going to sound odd but I’m actually pretty good at emergency stops, I use both brakes then, it’s just slowing down and stopping normally I struggle with using the front rather than the rear
And I just want to get more miles under my belt if I’m honest, I’m also going to book sessions on a bigger bike to get used to the power and weight before I jump on one for the first time when I do my test
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bhinso
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PostPosted: 16:30 - 07 May 2019    Post subject: Reply with quote

Best of luck, but I can't help thinking a good hard Teffing might be on the way...
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ThunderGuts
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PostPosted: 16:45 - 07 May 2019    Post subject: Reply with quote

You shouldn't be applying any throttle as you're braking, i.e. you should have already rolled off before going for the lever.

You mentioned dropping the bike from using the front brake - it's a case of being progressive with the front brake to allow for weight transfer to the front of the bike. If you're progressive (squeeze rather than grab) you'll be amazed how much braking force will go through the front tyre.
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Easy-X
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PostPosted: 21:28 - 07 May 2019    Post subject: Reply with quote

Think ahead! I have a similar bike... actually one that handles much worse I expect and I barely use the brakes at all!

Letting off the throttle - you slow down a bit. As you're slowing you can change down a gear - engine braking. Get the hang of that as you approach a junction - i.e. planning the optimum speed ahead of time - and you'll need the brakes a lot less.

Tips on front brake: max stopping power but only if you're going in a straight line! If you consider that you're effectively shifting the weight of the bike from centre to front, as you apply the front brake, the back wheel has slightly less grip which is not what you want when leaning round a tight bend!

Also, to keep control, you don't want to squeeze the front brake like you're trying to strangle someone. Ease into it so the suspension starts to compress (taking some of the weight that is shifting forward) and only then squeeze some more. Remember, if the back wheel lifts off the deck you've f*cked up!

For the rear brake, yes it will slow you down some but nowhere near as well as the front brake. Keep it in reserve for slowing around bends - if you really need it. Also, if you're shifting down from say 4th to 1st (you can see the lights ahead have just changed) in rapid succession you'll probably be tempted to hold onto the clutch for a while but ofc then the bike isn't under the engine's control! So if you must be naughty on the downshifts this is the point where you'd drag the rear brake Smile

Use the front and rear brakes a lot? New brakes every month Sad Go OTT on engine braking? Shortens the life of the clutch. Lot's of hard and unnecessary acceleration? More engine wear, regular oil changes...

tl;dr think ahead, slow down by easing off the throttle, ride more conservatively!
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Teflon-Mike
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PostPosted: 22:08 - 07 May 2019    Post subject: Reply with quote

I cannot believe that 'propper' braking wasn't covered on CBT, there's a whole bludy sub-element on the topic, A-N-D, the 75F25R in the dry, 50F50R in the wet, ALWAYS front before back, is a bit of lore that is repeated oft and loudly in not just CBT but, the training manuals and I think even the HWC!

Fact that you suggest coming off having grabbed a big fist of front.... is not suprising... that happens when you grab a big fist of front! But, tends to suggest that you have mind-blacked a lot of the lesson... pain has that effect... and are doing what you feel happiest with, not touching the front brake, not doing what you were taught or told, using BOTH brakes, which is a stressed bit of the CBT script.

So... at least half your braking comes from the front brake; which you aren't using.... this DOES trhen sort of suggest that to get the same amount of slowing... that braking effort has to be being got at the back... hence prematurely worn pads! #Sort of makes sense doesn't it?

Next? Newbies tend to be rather reactive on the brakes; braking far more often than needed, and far harder than needed, 'cos they aren't watching so far ahead or predicting what's coming.

Mention of sussing down changes, suggests another common newbie issue, that of short shifting, shifting up too many gears too early, begging down shifts you dont actually need, as well as denying throttle response and slowing on the revs, begging more brake still.

So.... stop short shifting... ride for response, use the revs not the gears, and use the front effing brake FFS!
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Nobby the Bastard
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PostPosted: 08:07 - 08 May 2019    Post subject: Reply with quote

The more doubt you have that the surface will give you grip, the more you use the rear.

On dry clean roads, up to 100% front.
Wet roads, anything up to 50/50
Grit and gravel strewn roads (typically whilst filtering where you are approaching bollards and using a bit of the road other vehicles don't use) uo to 100% rear because you are likely to lock the front

The rear is easier to control without dismount with tuck and pike, the front is more powerful.
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BTTD
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PostPosted: 08:53 - 08 May 2019    Post subject: Reply with quote

I'll second everything Nobby has said, although I have recently started using my back just a touch when braking in the dry and it does make the bike feel quite a bit more settled.
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winz
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PostPosted: 10:37 - 08 May 2019    Post subject: Reply with quote

Can only agree with the above.

Plan ahead and scrub off speed before a corner. Not sure what your engine braking is like, but it usually slows me down enough before a corner, little front if needed while in a straight line, then power on when you can see the road is clear.

If I'm going into a corner a little too quickly a little back brake will help lean the bike over a little as well as slow you down. I only really use the rear for slow riding too.

You'll get the hang of changing down gear and braking with the front, just need to do the miles and it'll come.
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Easy-X
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PostPosted: 02:38 - 10 May 2019    Post subject: Reply with quote

Just had another thought today while on the way to work: get your lines right.

That's taken me a while! The line for my car is nothing like the line for my motorbike which is nothing like the line for my ebike!!!

I'm actually glad the weather's been shitty lately as I really don't mind pissing rain on a motorbike but I always felt miserable on the ebike... at least the electric shocks kept me alert though Wink
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