Breaking - From drum breaks to disk breaks

[mchaggis]

Brake, not break.

One word: practise.

You should practise emergency stops regularly so that you're used to using your brakes hard and so that you know how the bike normally behaves when you do so. Anticipating that someone might pull out on you and having an escape route which doesn't just rely on using the brakes might also be handy.
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[Rik]

you should make your braking progressive i.e smoothly pull the front brake harder untill you feel you will stop in-time,just practice it, definitely do not snatch at it as in the dry you may get away with it but if it rains you'll have binned your bike!!

oh and i definitely wouldnt worry about the brakes warping or cracking due to heat from 1 emergency stop maybe on a track day when you get enough heat in them, then pour cold water on them!!!

and dont worry too much about doing a stoppie, there great fun


rik

[colin1]

as long as you only use the front brake when you are going fairly straight, you will be ok.

better to use the back brake at speeds below 20mph or when turning

If you are going in a straight line in the dry and you slam on the front brake, you will stop quickly and do a stoppie, where the back wheel goes off the ground.

Once you get used to the ability to brake sharply, you will find it handy
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[Josh|RD125LC]

Yeah I find the rear brake most effective at low speeds and going into corners as well, while turning. If you use the front while turning, you have a big risk of loosing the front end.
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[Simonbt]

You will find that if you pull the brake progressivaly and hold it on you wont have any problem. If it locks in a straight line just let off the brake for a sec and back then back on and you will be fine. Best practice is find any straight road and practice what the brakes feel like and how they react. It will surprise you how strong they can be. Oh and the wheel wont lock and grip and send you flying

[Simonbt]

Stoppies will come up resonably gently but it all depends on your speed and how much you pull the brakes (and how far forwards you lean)

practice practice practice practice practice practice practice practice practice practice practice practice

[Simonbt]

You cant really do power wheelies on them. I suppose if you had high enough revs and leant enough before you set off you would wheelie but i wouldnt recommend it. The boring thing is that unfortunatly 125 shocks arent built to take that sort of abuse (i know mine arnt!).