I thought maybe I just needed to wait until the pads were bedded in, but my rear brake has been pathetically weak since day one, and hasn't improved. I have to mash down on it very hard to get it to have much affect, and it is not possible to lock it up. Not that I want to, but I should be able to. What do others feel about the strength of the rear brake?
I like a weak rear brake personally.
It's easy enough as it is to lock up the rear wheel on the 250 (non ABS) on a slick road.
I generally use my rear brake for two reasons.
To stabilize the rear end when I need to stop fast & hard.
To keep the bike from rolling when I'm stopped on a hill.
I generally use the front brake only, most of the time. However, one should also become accustomed to utilizing what is available in the rear. It can be beneficial in some conditions. I'd prefer to steer the responses away from simply voting for who uses the rear versus front brakes, and more toward the actual strength and feel of the rear brake. Thanks for the replies.
Mine is weak too. I think it is like that. It feels like it is suppose to be weak. Does it work, yes. It will slow you down. But most if not everyone agrees that the front brake is the one not suppose to be weak. The front brake is the dominant brake. I use both front and rear. The only time I use the rear alone is when I am already stopped just so i can free up my right hand.
I also use the rear only when I use my right hand to "blip" on a downshift. The reason why I do that is because I don't have that two finger brake while blipping technique down yet. So I have to use my right hand on the throttle.
It's not pityfully weak. 70% of your braking comes from the front brake. The rest from the rear. Rear braking alone is more for slow maneuvering. Depending on the rear brake for the bulk of braking capacity is a mistake.
i love the rear brake is sufficient and i can make full stops with it and is highly controllable. also i love when i enter a turn way too fast i can use the rear brake slightly to control my curve and apex speed. Using the front other then straight line is dangerous
Too pity... That's funny. I might have to steal that.
I get what you're saying. Considering the incredible speeds the "too pity" is capable of, on a track the rear brake is more for show.
On a liter bike.. hell yes you want to use the rear brake. On the little Honda, it probably doesn't make much of a difference.
There's a little itty bitty tiny bit of difference between shedding speed from 80-90 mph and shedding speed from 150-160 mph for a 40-50 mph corner
Ahhh. I think you've nailed it. Everyone has different technique. Different preference. What works for one does not work for another.
This is what makes it impossible to help the OP without having another bike on hand to compare it to. What is weak for him might be perceived as strong by another.
I think mine locks up too well when it comes to an emergency stop... even with the almost 200lbs of me. I kicked the bike pretty sideways avoiding a car that pulled into my lane. Brought me back to the days of sliding to a stop on BMX bikes lmao.
mine locks up way too easy..in several panic situations so far I have locked the rear up (mash hard with right foot syndrome) i guess from a lifetime of driving cars....anyone know how to adjust it...I wish mine was much softer than it is...much much more so
when it starts screeching and the back starts sliding its own way a little bit..it takes all the focus away from me applying the front the way i should...in essence it ends up taking me much longer to stop than if it didnt lock up at all
This bike was also my first ABS equipped bike. When I took it out for a test drive and hit the foot brake the first time it seemed weird how the front end dipped, then I did it again, hard, and loved how the bike just sank into the road, with the added bonus of not locking up the back wheel. By the third time I was hooked.
Since then, a couple of times it has saved my butt when I had to use both front and back brakes - I am sure that my reflexes just wouldn't have been fast enough to adjust the pressure on the foot brake to keep it from locking up.
Yes, I like how when you do lightly brush the rear it sets the front up for the 'bury' of the lever and the bike is stable.
Its a very subtle pressure of just one of the 3 pistons in the front working.
Those without it are missing out and I read so much on here about how how abs will kill you and is no good... thats all BS (and sour grapes I think), abs Is great.
I always downshift when slowing down. Actually use vary little brake pressure. If going fast and have to brake hard I use both front and back togeather at the same time. Brakes seem fine to me but maybe its because if the way im using them
and that's a good thing. Rear brake is supposed to be the secondary brake where most of your stopping power is in the front. Having a rear brake too strong is a bad thing.
@ lil wayne oldman-
is just a joke
all i was saying is if the car in front of you is going the same speed , tuck and stay in the middle so you waste less fuel not tailgate a bumper
the queen doesn't let you guys have jokes anymore . i saw V for vendetta
don't tell me is getting like that over there too
i like your lil wayne raps , did the queen freestyle that for you , or did you make that one up all by yourself
(my uncle move to UK when he was young and was in the military over there back in the Nam , he would probably mess me up if he knew i was talking about his all mighty queen)
@ lil wayne oldman-
is just a joke
all i was saying is if the car in front of you is going the same speed , tuck and stay in the middle so you waste less fuel not tailgate a bumper
the queen doesn't let you guys have jokes anymore . i saw V for vendetta
don't tell me is getting like that over there too
i like your lil wayne raps , did the queen freestyle that for you , or did you make that one up all by yourself
(my uncle move to UK when he was young and was in the military over there back in the Nam , he would probably mess me up if he knew i was talking about his all mighty queen)
70% of your braking power is in the front wheel. The rear brake is desigined as an assist to work with the front. I think thats why it feels weak people are using the back brake alone. Use them togeather and the bike will stop with no problem
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Related Threads
?
?
?
?
?
Honda CBR 250 Forum
228.4K posts
21.1K members
Since 2011
A forum community dedicated to Honda CBR 250 owners and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about performance, racing, modifications, troubleshooting, maintenance, classifieds, and more!