The Front brake lever is on the Wrong side!

[Stig / Major Tom]

I've thought this before, several times. And again this morning.

When a car pops out at a side street ….and is still rolling....The Most Powerful Brake is in the hand which is already occupied doing something else - the Throttle! That split second delay of getting out of the throttle could be meaningful.
This is wrong.
The left  hand is free from other duties and can very, very quickly be brought to bear on what should be the most powerful brake - the front tire - while rolling off the throttle with the right hand.

Bing - Bang. And you're stopped.

As it exists now -  a sudden hard grip with the left hand will either lock your rear tire - or do a gentle not-a-lHELP-of-a-lot
if you have a drum brake back there!


I don't give a Rat's Patoot that the clutch is in the L hand on motorcycles - ….. I'm not riding a motorcycle.

Major Tom

[TBR125]

Also for anyone who goes back and forth between cycling and scootering, you may have an embarrassing flight over the bars on your first decent back on the bike. Yes, this is experience. I swapped the brakes on my bicycle but am considering swapping the scooter brakes. I usually have the scooter brake covered and operate the throttle with the the thumb and first finger pocket. I have a lights throttle setup on the scoot.

[klaviator]

I ride scooters, motorcycles and a bicycle.  I completely disagree, the front brake should absolutely be on the right side on scooters.  On bicycles it makes no difference but I have considered swapping mine to front brake on the right side.

So why should a scooter have the front brake on the right side?  For one thing an lot of scooter riders also ride or rode motorcycles and it could be confusing. 

More importantly.  The rear brake on a scooter is typically more important than the rear brake on many street motorcycles.  Scooters tend to have a lot more weight on their rear tire than motorcycles.  They also tend to have less powerful brakes than motorcycles, not always but often.

So, when you first start to brake on a scooter, your rear tire has more traction and potentially more braking force.  Many scooters with front and rear disc brakes have the same size disc front and rear. 

As you brake weight will shift to the front wheel and it now has the greater breaking potential.  Most scooters do not have the braking power to shift weight to the front tire as some motorcycles do.  On a sport bike or super moto you can do a "stoppie" and shift all of the weight to the front tire. 

Anyway, a common cause of accidents is grabbing the front brake to quickly and sliding out the front tire.  Many people like to start braking with the rear and then applying front as weight shifts and front tire can handle the braking force.  I like to apply both at the same time and then squeezing the front harder as weight shifts forward. 

I have only owned one scooter with a rear drum brake and it worked pretty good.  My Like and Majesty both have front and rear discs.  They would take much longer to stop if I used only the front brake.  Yes the front brake is more powerful but the rear brake is still very important.  My Like has a combined braking system so when I apply the rear brake it also applies some front brake.  I don't like the system but it does make that left lever more powerful than the right.

Putting the front brake on the same size as the throttle is better in that you are naturally likely to roll off the throttle as you grab for the brake. 



 

[TBR125]

All good points.

The issue with drum brakes like my agility is how well they are adjusted. Properly tuned the Agility's and almost any drum brake should be able to lock the rear wheel. I have grown used to only using the front brake as the rear drum on my scoot is out of round. I also prefer the front brake for its precision(being hydraulic). I had to do some brake tests right after I got the bike and in emergency braking the front will hold into a stoppie unless the front is on low traction pavement or is over the spec 17psi.

[john grinsel]

I have been riding long enough to know some hand shift bikes did/could have front brake on left handlebar.

Standardized controls are better.

Ride by paying attention ----and panic stops not required.

[TBR125]

My emergency brake tests were done in a controlled environment AKA closed course. The only time I have had to use maximum braking in almost 20,000 miles was when a Dodge Charger floored it in reverse out of a driveway for a J turn into the street. The idiot blocked 2 lanes in about a half second.

[klaviator]

All good points.

The issue with drum brakes like my agility is how well they are adjusted. Properly tuned the Agility's and almost any drum brake should be able to lock the rear wheel. I have grown used to only using the front brake as the rear drum on my scoot is out of round. I also prefer the front brake for its precision(being hydraulic). I had to do some brake tests right after I got the bike and in emergency braking the front will hold into a stoppie unless the front is on low traction pavement or is over the spec 17psi.

That's great if your front brake works that well.  What if the road is slick or you're on gravel?  Sometimes that rear brake is pretty important.

[TBR125]

Agreed, that rear brake is very important! I ride about 10miles of gravel a week and the front 12 inch wheel will barely track when turned much less have any brake force.

[souzamoto]

Those of us that have spent time aggressively riding sport bikes on our favorite twisty roads and on the race track, are familiar with riding with one finger, sometimes two,  on the front brake lever along with working the throttle. Upon corner entry, instead of grabbing a handful, you apply lightly the front to set the suspension, transfer weight to the front therefore increasing front contact patch. And at the same time trail braking the rear upon corner entry and apex. Good riders do this on track and street with no problem

[Kansas kymco]

Rode dirt bikes for years and use to the front brake being on the right hand as well. I would be messed up if it was on the left hand.

[Stig / Major Tom]

All interesting points taking in the obvious exceptions.
However -
Most of us ride a scooter only on pavement.
Most of us do not switch back and forth with motorcycles to scooters.
Most quick stopping is needed with the scooter in an upright position.
The rear brake is best for slow speed maneuvering, and low speed braking...the rear , with a disc, can lock first on heavy stops.
The front wheel is the king of serious braking - even on a scooter - see the twin front discs on big, heavy scooters.
When a scooter has single wheel ABS - it is on the front wheel - always.

SAFE BRAKING ON A SCOOTER

for years, this guy has been my go to guy for scooter advice.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=oEVAiVEFmTg&feature=emb_title

Stig

[TBR125]

I was watching his lessons 3 years before I got the scooter. I enjoy thoroughly learning new skills more than just about anything. Total Control 2nd edition by Lee Parks was the best technique source I have found. It made me feel like I was on the wrong bike though.

[Kansas kymco]

All interesting points taking in the obvious exceptions.
However -
Most of us ride a scooter only on pavement.
Most of us do not switch back and forth with motorcycles to scooters.
Most quick stopping is needed with the scooter in an upright position.
The rear brake is best for slow speed maneuvering, and low speed braking...the rear , with a disc, can lock first on heavy stops.
The front wheel is the king of serious braking - even on a scooter - see the twin front discs on big, heavy scooters.
When a scooter has single wheel ABS - it is on the front wheel - always.

SAFE BRAKING ON A SCOOTERUsing your same logic People who ride both scooters and bikes would in a panic situation would be grabbing the rear brake instead of the front. Think of it as switching the brake and gas pedal on a car and the resulting Kaos, ingrained memory (I know poor example of throttle and brakes). I'm glad they are standardized. Of course I have yet to do a stoppie on a scooter.  I don't know if it's possible with anti-lock brakes and the weight distribution favoring the rear. All the Xictings and People S have dual caliber brakes which have some serious braking ability with rear disc brakes as well. Even my little Lambretta Uno 150 has front and rear disc.

[klaviator]

All interesting points taking in the obvious exceptions.
However -
Most of us ride a scooter only on pavement.
Most of us do not switch back and forth with motorcycles to scooters.
Most quick stopping is needed with the scooter in an upright position.
The rear brake is best for slow speed maneuvering, and low speed braking...the rear , with a disc, can lock first on heavy stops.
The front wheel is the king of serious braking - even on a scooter - see the twin front discs on big, heavy scooters.
When a scooter has single wheel ABS - it is on the front wheel - always.

SAFE BRAKING ON A SCOOTER

for years, this guy has been my go to guy for scooter advice.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=oEVAiVEFmTg&feature=emb_title

Stig

While the front brake is by far the most important in heavy braking in most situations, I don't see why means it should go on the left lever.  You claim you could apply the front brake quicker if it was on the left lever.  I don't see why that would be.  Also, applying the front brake too fast can result in sliding the front tire and that's generally much worse than skidding the rear tire.  Generally it's best to apply both brakes at the same time and then increase pressure on the front as weight shifts.  Also, even if you don't ride on gravel, you may end up on pavement that's slippery for some reason and then braking from the rear wheel becomes more important.

I think that switching the brake levers would be bad for most riders.  Maybe it would work better for you.  I'm sure there's a way to make the switch if you really want it.

[Neil955i]

Whatever floats your boat I guess.  I do regularly switch between my scooter and my motorcycle, so I'll stick with a RH Front brake lever. 

As an aside, I well recall just after starting scootering and returning to the bike after a lay-off, hitting the clutch instead of the rear brake on the approach to a fast bend! NOT recommended and very nearly change of underwear time.  These days I rarely use the rear brake on my scooter to de-wire the neurons that caused that heart-stopping moment.