| Author | Message | ||
     Ztferrari |
I havn't had a rear brake on my '95 S2 since a few weeks after i bought it, and after a ground up rebuild of everything i decided to put it back on. Well, I think i was better off keeping it off. It provides minimal stopping power, even when i stomp on it. I was just curious to see how other bikes brakes compared...thanks! also...new crank, bearings, etc have been installed and the engines back in and running very nicely with a freshly painted frame. I made a mistake of painting it flat white as its a biatch to clean the grease off... live and learn. | ||
| Sandblast |
The back brake was designed that way to keep people (read:inexperianced) from locking the tire and crashing. I say leave it on, it is really useful especially in the twistys. You will get used to it and will like it after a while I think. | ||
| Firemanjim |
Bleed it well,sand off rotor and pads,get rid of the rubber line and you can always swap out the master cylinder for a different one.Used to be a note here somewhere on which one.Cap,I think was the one that worked it out. Or just graft on a different caliper. | ||
| Kevyn |
PM dual piston caliper will give the stopping power and feel you want. The alternative is searching the archives for the thread...Jim's correct, Cap had it worked out for less $$ than a PM replacement caliper. | ||
| Carguyinok |
Not being an azz here but....I drive a tow truck and clean up after thing go wrong. If for some reason your front brake gose out or your front tire blows out. That worthless rear brake is going to stop you ALOT faster then your feet can. PLEASE, if not for your own safty keep it for that of the others on the road. PS, yes I agree the rear brake is weak. Still better then none. Just my $0.02 | ||
| Kenb |
I would say it is higher effort but useless ? I don't know about that. I like the higher effort, keeps me from sliding the rear when I come in hot. I hear guys complain about the higher effort clutch also, I say get to the gym. | ||
| Al_lighton |
FMJ, Word has it that the Cap rear brake master cylinder conversion resulted in a lot of locked up rears...I have one on my S1W,it hasn't had any lockup problems. While it did provide additional force at the rear brake, it did so at the expense of excessive travel. I can't say I recommend the mod. Braided lines, different pads and/or rotor is a better bet for increasing the rear brake bite. Al | ||
| Kevyn |
...as a side note on braking, SportRider April issue has a nice article on the development/evolution of carbon/ceramic rotors. Apparently, BrakeTech has done the R&D and made carbon fiber/ceramic matrix rotors workable for street riding. Still a bit pricey but I'd expect to see them combined with radial calipers on high-end high performance bikes very soon(2-3years at most?) . As an added plus, they work fine cold and wet... | ||
| Djkaplan |
I got used to the rear brake. I may find other rear brakes way too sensitive now! | ||
| Ztferrari |
i should have said that my back brake is useless compared to the front....my bad. i come from racing dirtbikes where the back brake is definately your friend in terms of stopping, or at least for modulating rear tire slides. Not having a back brake got me out of the bad habit of using it more than I should, but now I have become 100% dependent on the front, good for track situations but probably not good for traffic/rain/etc... maybe one day I'll upgrade it, but not until after I go with a dual front rotor setup and maybe aerocharger(hah). | ||
| Rick_a |
Braided brake lines do wonders. Hit the rear brake while hard on the front and you can have fun sliding around all day long. | ||
| Djkaplan |
Where can one get a braided hose for the rear? | ||
| Rick_a |
Any Drag Specialties or Parts Unlimited dealer, or American Sport Bike...those are where I get most of my stuff. | ||
| Spiderman |
I got rid of mine LOL | ||
| Tom_b |
I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one who thinks the rear is a little to stiff. I been trying for two years to get it to ease up. four different sets of pads and two caliper changes and no difference | ||
| Randy_spann |
My 2000 M2 had the same non-existant rear brake, noticed the brake lever would actually touch part of the frame when applied hard. I took of the lever and ground it to allow more clearance - now have all the rear brake I need. | ||
| Captainkirk |
Buell actually designed the rear brake on the M2 to work only as effectively as it does. What I mean, is, if it worked as well as you might think it should, far more riders would be laying down the bikes due the the rear end locking up, or worse yet, causing high-side accidents. As it is the rear brake is just an "assistant" to the front brake...which is what you need to get used to using anyway. This was a hard lesson for me, transitioning from dirt riding. Always lead with the front. | ||
| S2pengy |
When I took the MSF experienced rider course one of the exercises is to lock up the rear brake with no front brake. I was surprised that with my S2 I could do it with the stock brembo single piston setup with stock brake pads.. | ||
| Al_lighton |
My wifes SV650 has a twin pot rear caliper. I ride her bike a fair amount, and always find myself locking up the rear. Rear braking is a lot more tricky on bikes with lots more rear brake. If you don't stop linearly (i.e. constant deceleration) and are using a fair amount of rear, you very much have to unload the rear brake as the same rate that you load up the front or it transitions into a rear lockup. I don't really even have to think about it on the Buell, but I do on the SV. We've got a kit that converts a Buell to basically the same setup as the SV, here. I haven't put one on my bike because I don't think I need more rear brake. If I rode in the wet or gravel more, I might reconsider that. Al | ||
| Kevyn |
Brembo!! Nice. When I was riding my Sportster with the PM dual pot caliper, it saved my bacon more than once. Apples to oranges, but once I became used to the feel of the rear brake it was easier to 'modulate' braking front and rear. When I first started riding my S1W I had to consciously put the right foot on a rear peg to keep from trying to use the rear brake and instead rely on the front for slowing. The Duc has a dual pot Brembo and it works fantastic! Again, I deliberately don't use it out riding in the hills(when I get a chance to ride!) but I do use it in the city when 'linear' stopping is the game. All in all, riding style, technique and personal preferences may play a bigger role in stopping and slowing than the equipment on our bikes at this point in mechanical evolution. |
