How good are the brakes on your 'Nad?

[cyclecat]

I almost bit it a couple of nights ago. Coming up to a traffic light and I'm checking my rear views to make sure no one is changing lanes real quick before the light changes, like a lot of people do. Starting to slow down a bit, so I was going about 60kph (35mph) because there is truck in front of me and he's stopped at the red light. Check out the traffic beside me, check the two lanes opposite the light to see if they are stopping since the light in front of me has now turned green. Black pickup in front of me is not moving, the light is green, and I'm about 70 feet behind the truck. I check the light once more, yep it's green , trucks not moving, and no where to go because of traffic beside me. I'm now 50 feet behind the truck and he's still not moving. Time to hit the brakes. I grab both brakes as hard as I can and I now have both front and rear tires locked up and sliding, smoke is coming off both tires, and I'm not stopping. Slid to about a foot behind the truck and just all of a sudden stopped. The kid in the truck must of finally realized the light was green as took off just as I stopped.

It's amazing what goes thru your head in a 10 to 15 second time period. I won't say the bad words I was calling that kid in my head but I will say the main thought running thru my brain was 'for god sakes woman, keep her straight and steady, do not move or we're going down', and 'do not forget to put your feet down when Ruby finally quits sliding'. 'OMG, if I get slowed down enough and just bump his bumper, how much damage will my Ruby get, and will she still be ridable for Custer in a few days'. Now I've had this happen before, when I rode a 500 pound bike and was cut off in traffic, and the experience, although a bit scary, was much better on the Nomad. Those disk brakes, front and rear, really do a good job of stopping a 900 pound cruiser in a relatively short distance. I wouldn't recommend checking out how good the brakes are in this manner because it's really not good for the nerves or an old heart.

[schoeney]

Glad you avoided a hit and can tell us about it!

[ringadingh]

If the brakes lock up, thats as good as it gets. It was probably the pavement you where on causing the bike to slide easier. We have a couple roads here that have pavement like that.
I got cut off last season on the highway at 65mph, I hit the brakes and skid for a bit myself. That was one of my scariest moments and I cant beleive we didn't collide.

[cactusjack]

Mine are a hell of a lot better on the Nomad than they were on my Suzuki C50T. One front disc and a rear drum.

Glad you made it through that okay. I locked my rear brake up a couple of weeks ago, the first time I'd done it in a while. Light went yellow on me at 45 MPH and there was a red light camera at that intersection. I don't want or need a $190 ticket. Oh, and the red light cameras in Chandler also are speed cameras, so no sense trying to gun it through the light.

[dantama]

Cyclecat, glad you ended up ok, and didn't high-side and flip the bike down the road. I hope you don't mind me giving another explanation of braking. I haven't done if for a long time, and this might be a good thread to do it on.

When the tires are locked up, you aren't stopping as fast as the bike could. Locking up and smoking means that the tires are liquifying the rubber, and lubricating the the surface between the road and tire.

There is a point where a bike/car could leave a little rubber, but not smoke and be getting a good stop, but at the point of smoking you are going too far and not stopping fast enough.

At some point I posted about stopping in the safety forum, but I've given up on using the search feature; it has never worked for me, so I'll do it again.

At the beginning of an emergency stop, you can use a pretty good amount of front brake and rear brake. In a fairly linear fashion, you can progressively use more front brake, and less rear brake. This is because weight transfers off the rear of the bike, and onto the front.

As it transfers, it give the front more traction, and the rear less traction. The rear tire will lock up if there isn't less brake applied. But at the same time, you can give the front more pressure as more weight comes forward, without locking it up (as long as you don't over do it).

There is a point on the front brake where you will hear a slight rumble/growl, that is the point you don't want to go past. You are near locking up at that point and at maximum braking. It takes a very slight rear brake at that point.

It takes a lot of practice to get it right. I haven't practiced it enough in the past couple of years, and probably need to do it more again.

Do remember that even if you practice it a lot, you might muff it in a real emergency like yours. Back when I did practice it enough, in a real emergency I was surprised to find that I locked up the rear tire. When adrenaline hits, it's hard to not push too hard.

If you do lock it up in the rear, leave it locked all the way to the stop. If you are not completely lined up, letting off can cause a violent high side.

[peterdarby]

It's amazing what goes thru your head in a 10 to 15 second time period. I won't say the bad words I was calling that kid in my head but I will say the main thought running thru my brain was 'for god sakes woman, keep her straight and steady, do not move or we're going down', and 'do not forget to put your feet down when Ruby finally quits sliding'. 'OMG, if I get slowed down enough and just bump his bumper, how much damage will my Ruby get, and will she still be ridable for Custer in a few days'. Now I've had this happen before, when I rode a 500 pound bike and was cut off in traffic, and the experience, although a bit scary, was much better on the Nomad. Those disk brakes, front and rear, really do a good job of stopping a 900 pound cruiser in a relatively short distance. I wouldn't recommend checking out how good the brakes are in this manner because it's really not good for the nerves or an old heart.

Your right it is amazing how fast you can think during an emergency. I once had a car pull over on the interstate five feet in front of me and slam on the brakes. (She was ticketed for reckless driving.) I can recall about 15 seconds of decision making in about 1/3 of a second. To include thinking "sliding bad, rolling good" as I impacted the ground. Another time before dawn when I was very young and foolish I was passing two cars on the outside lanes of a three lane interstate. They were doing 60 or so and I was doing 120 or more. I was really surprised when a car suddenly pulled into the middle lane leaving me with no where to go. In the middle of my full lock up screaming stop which wasn't going to work I changed my plan of jumping onto the trunk to quick braking, start steering and lane split.

[chainsaw]

That will make you pucker up in a hurry.

[Cajunrider]

Glad you were able to stop in time without the bike washing out from under you. Good riding skills will keep you safe.

[Jared]

Glad you and your ruby are still here with us!

[chief]

Mine are pretty darn good. They have saved my bacon a few times. Properly applied they haul me down faster than any bike I have ever owned. Very pleased. Now my 01 Suzuki Volusia that I traded it for was terrible. It did go 50,000 miles with no problems ever.

[tazfl]

Mine are awesome, they saved my ass within the 1st week I had my bike. I work 2nd shift and was heading home at about 11:30. There was no one around me and I was rolling down baymeadows road at about 50mph when this woman in a minivan came off the expressway and shot across three lanes right in front of me braking as she came across. She never saw me. I hit the brakes hard and was able to avoid hitting her by inches. If I had been on my 1500 classic with single disc front brakes I would have creamed her.
I loved my 1500 classic but the brakes don't compare to the nomads.

[cyclecat]

Pucker up??? I don't think anything was puckered up, I think I almost lost everything and you know what you Mama said about changing your underwear every day in case you in an accident. But on the other hand, as Bill Cosby said, it really doesn't matter what you Mama said, 'cause first your gonna say it. then you gonna do it and the clean underwear ain't clean no mo. http://s2.images.proboards.com/grin.gif http://s2.images.proboards.com/grin.gif http://s2.images.proboards.com/grin.gif

[johnb]

Glad you avoided it. Just shows how quick things can happen and how we have to be vigilant and can't assume that traffic will move "as usual". It was good your reactions/skills kept you "up" and you didn't high side. Good news is that you handled it and I'll bet you're a bit more wary when you come up to a similar situation again.

[dabull]

You BPF (Butt Pucker Factor) must have shot thru the roof! I've never locked the front wheel up and can't image the sensation that must've created....glad to hear there was no impact;)

[dandolfn]

I now have both front and rear tires locked up...

I had my brake test on a two lane road when some idiot decided to turn left in front of me without a turn signal or any kind of indication that he was turning.

I hit the brakes and locked up the rear. I remember releasing and re-applying the front brake, so I think I was starting to lose it, regained my balance, and braked again.

Just slowed down enough that the car passed in front of me.

Went back to give him a piece of my mind and he came racing out to the road and couldn't apologize fast enough or often enough. Said he'd been looking at the house and hadn't seen me until he was already in my lane.

Anyway, here's the skid mark! The driveway by the mailbox was where he turned in.

:-)

http://geocities.com/fansgraphics/Skid-1.jpg

Cat, if you managed to keep the shiney side up, you did good!

[Cajunrider]

Wow Dan! Judging by the fence posts, that skid must be at least 80 feet long correct?

[cyclecat]

I was actually quite surprised at how stable Ruby was with both wheels locked up. The weird part about the whole thing is there was no skid mark, not on the pavement anyways. Brian was behind me and he said he was yelling at me to stop, like I gonna hear him at that point, pfft, silly man. He said I left no black mark on the pavement at all but there was smoke coming off both tires.

[dandolfn]

Wow Dan! Judging by the fence posts, that skid must be at least 80 feet long correct?

Not real sure. At least 50-60 feet, I think.

I was probably going about 55 mph when I applied the brakes.

[dandolfn]

He said I left no black mark on the pavement at all but there was smoke coming off both tires.

Again, you did good to keep the shiney side up.

And I wouldn't be the least surprised if you had skid marks elsewhere....

LOL!