Author Topic: The Front brake lever is on the Wrong side!  (Read 1014 times)

TBR125

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Re: The Front brake lever is on the Wrong side!
« Reply #15 on: June 19, 2020, 12:46:37 AM »
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.

Today you have been proven to be correct. I barely applied the front brake at a stop sign after engine braking and the hard, stock front rubber, went out from under me. First rain on fresh pavement. 
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klaviator

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Re: The Front brake lever is on the Wrong side!
« Reply #16 on: June 19, 2020, 03:11:17 AM »
Today you have been proven to be correct. I barely applied the front brake at a stop sign after engine braking and the hard, stock front rubber, went out from under me. First rain on fresh pavement.

I hope you didn't get hurt and your scooter wasn't damaged.

I have had my front tire lock up under braking before.  Four of those resulted in crashes, two times was on dirt or gravel once on rain&oil on the road, and once on a wet wooden bridge.    I was a sport bike rider for many years and hardly touched my rear brake.  When I started riding off road my sport bike habits got me into trouble a few times.  Riding off road on less than ideal traction really helped me learn how to properly use my brakes.  Now I adjust how much front and rear brake I use depending on the bike I am riding and the road surface.

On really slippery surfaces I often use only the rear brake. 
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klaviator

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Re: The Front brake lever is on the Wrong side!
« Reply #17 on: June 19, 2020, 03:15:13 AM »

Most of us do not switch back and forth with motorcycles to scooters.

Stig

Most of the scooter riders I know do switch back and forth. 
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Neil955i

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Re: The Front brake lever is on the Wrong side!
« Reply #18 on: June 19, 2020, 09:34:54 AM »

On really slippery surfaces I often use only the rear brake.

Yep.  I think most of us have learned that valuable life lesson!
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Current garage:  Kymco DTX360 & Triumph Street Triple 675R
Past bikes: BSA C15. Honda S/wing (GL500). Kawasaki GPz750. BMW K100RS. Kawasaki GPZ900R. Yamaha FJ1200 x2. Sprint. Triumph Daytona 900. Kawasaki ZX-7R. T595 Daytona. Kawasaki ZX-9R x2. Triumph Daytona 955i. X-Town

eamartin

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Re: The Front brake lever is on the Wrong side!
« Reply #19 on: June 19, 2020, 11:27:10 AM »
"Most of us do not switch back and forth with motorcycles to scooters."

I switch back and forth between the two.  I've done it for years.  So for me, some consistency between control layout is good.

klaviator

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Re: The Front brake lever is on the Wrong side!
« Reply #20 on: June 19, 2020, 02:28:01 PM »
Yep.  I think most of us have learned that valuable life lesson!

That depends on how you define "us".  In my experience many motorcycle and scooter riders do not have a clue on how to properly use their brakes.  Probably the most common mistake is under use of the front brake.  There are many riders who believe the front brake will "put you over the handlebars".  Over use of the rear brake is also common as many people will lock up the rear brake and sometimes end up crashing from that. 

The dynamics of braking on a bike is not the simple.  It takes understanding the dynamics of braking as well as practice to get it right. 

I think I understand the dynamics and I also practice but I doubt I can get 100% out of my brakes except maybe my Like 150i which has ABS.  Actually, even with ABS I doubt I can get 100% because ABS generally isn't perfect either.   
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Kansas kymco

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Re: The Front brake lever is on the Wrong side!
« Reply #21 on: June 19, 2020, 03:13:24 PM »
I think most long-term riders have a good idea about braking and proper use. People who have competed in racing for sure.  I can remember doing stoppies on my Enduro at a early age, (balancing the bike on the front tire on a front brake stop).

The factor that comes into play between a motorcycle and scooter is weight distribution.  Way easier for the front tire to wash out on a loose surface.
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TBR125

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Re: The Front brake lever is on the Wrong side!
« Reply #22 on: June 19, 2020, 03:27:53 PM »
This may vary slightly from the topic, but what 120/70/12 tire has the highest gripping compound for wet or dry conditions? life span is not a concern as my front tire has very little weight on it and seems to last about 5-6 times as long as the rear.

To add to the topic, the knowledge of theoretic optimal technique for any skill never seems to be equaled by the level of practical understanding. Once we obtain the knowledge through study experimentation etc, true understanding(in the context of braking) as klaviator stated takes time and practice. Even the best riders(who's skills are beyond what I could ever dream of attaining) fall short of mechanical perfection. I believe all of us have room for improvement, but at some point near the limits improvement cannot be gained without reaching the limit which is not possible on streets and is therefore irrelevant to us normal scooter riders. I do agree that a very low percentage of riders have a thorough base knowledge or understanding of proper brake use. I will have logged over 20,000 2 wheel miles at the end of the month and although I have studied the theories of frictional values and mass vectors for several years I am now just beginning to see how little actual practical understanding I have.

I am looking forward to many more years of riding and hopefully learning along the way to become a better and safer rider.
Become the best you can with what you have.

klaviator

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Re: The Front brake lever is on the Wrong side!
« Reply #23 on: June 19, 2020, 04:13:10 PM »
This may vary slightly from the topic, but what 120/70/12 tire has the highest gripping compound for wet or dry conditions? life span is not a concern as my front tire has very little weight on it and seems to last about 5-6 times as long as the rear.

To add to the topic, the knowledge of theoretic optimal technique for any skill never seems to be equaled by the level of practical understanding. Once we obtain the knowledge through study experimentation etc, true understanding(in the context of braking) as klaviator stated takes time and practice. Even the best riders(who's skills are beyond what I could ever dream of attaining) fall short of mechanical perfection. I believe all of us have room for improvement, but at some point near the limits improvement cannot be gained without reaching the limit which is not possible on streets and is therefore irrelevant to us normal scooter riders. I do agree that a very low percentage of riders have a thorough base knowledge or understanding of proper brake use. I will have logged over 20,000 2 wheel miles at the end of the month and although I have studied the theories of frictional values and mass vectors for several years I am now just beginning to see how little actual practical understanding I have.

I am looking forward to many more years of riding and hopefully learning along the way to become a better and safer rider.

With your attitude you will become a better and safer rider.  There are some riders out there who think they have it all figured out and never get any better.  After 40 years and around 500,000 miles I am still trying to improve my riding skills. 

As for the best tire for traction, that's hard to say.  I'm a fan of the Michelin City Grip.  There are stickier tires out there in dry conditions but in wet conditions its hard to beat the City Grip IMO.
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TBR125

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Re: The Front brake lever is on the Wrong side!
« Reply #24 on: June 19, 2020, 04:18:35 PM »
Definitely seems like a popular tire choice. I will try them out for my next set.
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klaviator

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Re: The Front brake lever is on the Wrong side!
« Reply #25 on: June 19, 2020, 05:15:45 PM »
Definitely seems like a popular tire choice. I will try them out for my next set.

I have tried them on all my scooters.  My biggest problem with City Grips is they have never come in the right size for both the front and rear of my scooters.  I recently put Pirelli Angels on my Like.  They stick really well but don't ride as nice as City Grips.
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TBR125

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Re: The Front brake lever is on the Wrong side!
« Reply #26 on: June 19, 2020, 07:35:44 PM »
I will see what they have for 130 and 120/70/12.
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