Motorcycle Brakes

[a2396]

I have a Yahaha Mio which has a front disc brake. It is very sensitive & can easliy flip the brake if pressed to hard in a quick stop. I was advised to only use two fingers to manipulate this brake, which helps avoid this problem. But, it is a very unbalanced arrangement compared to the rear drum brake, which has very little stopping power. I have seen some MC's whith a larger sized rotor on the front. Does this have some usefull purpose or is it just for looks. Do you know of any automatic MC's that have a more even & balanced braking set-up?

[Moonfruit]

Motorcycle braking has always been two finger front braking and stomp on the footpedal rear brake.

90% of braking on a motorcycle should be done by the front brake, unless in wet conditions when it should be more like 60%.

Without wanting to insult your riding skills, i suggest you go out and play, practice and what-not before going changin the bike specs to suit your riding style. these brake bias figures are part of your nike test in the UK now and are there for a reason. A 50-50 Bias is ###### dangerous!

[MaiChai]

Sounds like you need to go see Somchai the mechanic. Brake pads are about 60 baht a set so its going to cost u much to get them checked out/fixed.

[dave_boo]

I have a Yahaha Mio which has a front disc brake. It is very sensitive & can easliy flip the brake if pressed to hard in a quick stop. I was advised to only use two fingers to manipulate this brake, which helps avoid this problem. But, it is a very unbalanced arrangement compared to the rear drum brake, which has very little stopping power. I have seen some MC's whith a larger sized rotor on the front. Does this have some usefull purpose or is it just for looks. Do you know of any automatic MC's that have a more even & balanced braking set-up?

You have already received good advice, but I'd like to suggest you go get your rear brake adjusted to provide more stopping power. A real mechanic would first inspect the lining which entails taking the drum off. If they don't do this from the get go, I wouldn't trust the rest of their work. Assuming everything checks out ok, simply adjusting the rod will bring it up to what you expect. Also, if they open up the front brake system for whatever reason, make sure they completely bleed it, or your lever will be mushy.

I wish I had the same problem with my CBR150, but it is in fact reversed. The front brake is rather vague, and the rear one locks up if you fart on it. plans are to install stainless steel hoses and possibly a larger rotor/caliper.

Larger rotors, if properly designed and not for "The Fast and the Furious" crowd definitely improve braking. Since they have a greater surface area, there is more material working for you when you get on them. Additionally, the larger area allows the rotor to take more time heating up and less time cooling down. This helps the material that your pads are made from. Note that this does add to your unsprung weight, which will affect both your acceleration and handling. Seems like all the big brake kits I've seen the Thais pimping their bikes with are for show. The fact that they seem to reuse the original caliper, which doesn't take advantage of the full surface area, along with the mounting point extenders which add a couple more points of failure in a system where you definitely wants as few as possible indicates something less than ideal.

[tropo]

I have a Yahaha Mio which has a front disc brake. It is very sensitive & can easliy flip the brake if pressed to hard in a quick stop. I was advised to only use two fingers to manipulate this brake, which helps avoid this problem. But, it is a very unbalanced arrangement compared to the rear drum brake, which has very little stopping power. I have seen some MC's whith a larger sized rotor on the front. Does this have some usefull purpose or is it just for looks. Do you know of any automatic MC's that have a more even & balanced braking set-up?

I've ridden the Yamaha Nouvo (rentals) for over a year. Apart from cosmetics it's almost identical to the Mio. I've found the disc brakes don't wear well on the Nouvo. Almost every bike I've used with over 10,000 km on the clock has a problem - usually caused by warping of the disc.

If you want to experience amazing stopping power and feel, invest in the new Honda Air Blade. The left lever operates the front and back brakes in unison at a ratio of 30 front / 70 back and the right lever is dedicated to the front brake (disc) alone. You can pull both brakes together as hard as you can manage and you'll stop very quickly without any skidding or losing control.

You should take one for a ride to experience just how superior it is compared to the standard brake setups. If you are really concerned about safety (sounds like you are), then I'm sure you'll make the trade.

[goldfish]

I have a mio with over 10,000km on the clock and the brakes work wonderful. It's simply down to maintenance. If I pull the rear brake lever I don't expect the front brake to come on. Anyone who is competant on two wheels will be able to stop faster using non-linked brakes

[tropo]

I have a mio with over 10,000km on the clock and the brakes work wonderful. It's simply down to maintenance. If I pull the rear brake lever I don't expect the front brake to come on. Anyone who is competant on two wheels will be able to stop faster using non-linked brakes

I totally disagree. I ride both Nouvos and Air Blades as I rent them and change over from time to time. The linked brakes are FAR superior and even a competant rider will stop faster on a Air Blade, and no skill is required at all.

I've been riding bikes all my life from 1100 cc superbikes to 50 cc bikes, on and off road, and I do know how to use brakes.

The Air Blade's linked brakes are FANTASTIC, no question about it. Maybe you didn't know that the right lever is dedicated to the front brake alone, so you have full control over that. It's only the left lever that is linked.

Edited August 13, 2007 by tropo

[goldfish]

And here we have a perfect example of two people with different opinions. One can asks as many questions as one wishes, but the final judgement can only be your own. What you are more comfortable with is the best

[tropo]

And here we have a perfect example of two people with different opinions. One can asks as many questions as one wishes, but the final judgement can only be your own. What you are more comfortable with is the best

Intelligent braking systems are the best by far. It's not a matter of personal opinion and it's the reason most modern cars have various types of intelligent (linked) systems.

Emergency braking on motorcycles is dangerous and causes as many accidents as it prevents. Honda has the technology to do it right, and in the case of the Air Blade have excelled. A lot of people are afraid of new improved technology and prefer to stay with things they know...to each their own.

If anyone is sceptical about this, rent both bikes for a few weeks and experience this modern technology first hand.

Edited August 13, 2007 by tropo

[goldfish]

I do apologise, it appears I made a mistake. The final judgement is not your own, but is in fact tropo's. Please do not ask any more questions on this board but contact tropo directly as it is no longer a matter of personal opinion. Thank you, your decisions have been made for you

[tropo]

I do apologise, it appears I made a mistake. The final judgement is not your own, but is in fact tropo's. Please do not ask any more questions on this board but contact tropo directly as it is no longer a matter of personal opinion. Thank you, your decisions have been made for you

It's definitely better to put forward reasons why one system is better than another rather than make blanket statements that no one can be right and it all comes down to personal opinion.

Obviously linked brake systems are the way of the future for motorcycles which lag behind car brake system technology. Up until now motorcyclists have relied on rider skill for braking efficiency. Car brake systems operate 4 wheels with one pedal in a predetermined intelligent (ABS) manner. It's only the motorcycle that has been stuck with 2 seperate brake operations.

Now we have the opportunity to lose the clutch thanks to modern automatic transmission technology and place both brakes in a more favourable position (on the handlebars) and make them easier to link.

Get with the times; embrace linked brake systems to encourage their development and thereby save lives.

[warwick7735]

Hi All

Hondas linked brakes or the Combined Braking System (CBS) has been out since 1996, so its not new. It started out on ther Blackbird model then went through to there VFR and Pan European.

On my Blackbird I only use the front brake during normal riding as depending on how much force is applied this will alter the force applied at the rear. Do I find it any better or worse than conventional brakes, well not really. For someone who cant ride that well yes it can be an advantage, but it also has its disadvantages, say you enter a corner a bit fast, where you would apply gradual pressure to the rear to wipe off speed and tighten the line, with dual brakes this applies the front brake which makes the bike sit up on the corner aiming u for the outside hedge or wall, not an ideal situation.

So for beginners I'd say yes there is an advantage, for more experienced bikers I'd say I'd prefer a switch to turn it off (you can buy a system to de-link them for the bigger bikes).

Ride safely

Warwick

[madjbs]

Maybe they are better in cars but that doesn’t mean they are better in bikes, cars and bikes are very different. If you are the usual Thailand rider riding around on a wave or air blade then perhaps combined brakes are better as from various posts on this forum it seems allot of people have trouble operating motorcycle brakes properly. However if you can ride a true full size motorcycle and drive it fast and safely then separate brakes are much better in my opinion.

[Lickey]

Linked brakes as far as i can remember go back to the 1976 Moto Guzzi v twins, 70 front, 30 rear, from rear brake lever, and 100% from the front brake lever for front brakes, so without googling this, its not a jap invention, just another copy of european inventivness.

And if my memory servers me right, Mick Doohan smashed his ankle badly, and had a small back brake lever under the clutch lever on his NSR Honda, my experience of big fast bikes makes me use the back brake in connering to stop the back wheel skittering, keeping the wheels in line,

I dont think this info will help small bike riders much, but reading the road ahead will, ride defensifley, ive been riding bikes for near 40 years now, and sometimes i still leave a brown vapour trail behind me,

Happy biking, Lickey..