Thinking about eliminating the front brake????

[xtremeridah]

I have seen a few customs that are without the front brake. Would this be a safe mod? I know my sport bike I had I generally used 80% front and 20% rear. I plan to do a cafe racer and really like the clean look of no front brake. What do you guys think??

 

[TampaSVT]

If all you have is a rear drum brake, I'd be hard pressed to think a bike is going to stop well with just a spool wheel up front.

Now, if you've got disk in the rear, there might be enough to consider it. But, it's a safety question that you'll have to ask yourself.


Rich

 

[retiredgentleman]

A bike with no front brake is totally unsafe if you plan to ride it at any speed over 30 mph or 50 km/h. Bikes without a front brake are for putting in bikes shows so people can say "wow look it has no front brake".

Real bikes are for riding down the highway at 100 km/h to 120 km/h with no fear of a "t-bone" at an intersection, or hitting a deer.

Just my thoughts, but maybe you will find someone to support your idea.

 

[badassjamie]

A bike with no front brake is totally unsafe if you plan to ride it at any speed over 30 mph or 50 km/h. Bikes without a front brake are for putting in bikes shows so people can say "wow look it has no front brake".

Real bikes are for riding down the highway at 100 km/h to 120 km/h with no fear of a "t-bone" at an intersection, or hitting a deer.

Just my thoughts, but maybe you will find someone to support your idea.

Absolutely right.

 

[jayel]

I have seen a few customs that are without the front brake. Would this be a safe mod? I know my sport bike I had I generally used 80% front and 20% rear. I plan to do a cafe racer and really like the clean look of no front brake. What do you guys think??

cafe racer and no front brake don't belong in the same sentence let alone on the same bike, but in the immotal words of Fernando Lamas (via Billy Crystal) "it's better to look good than be good" unless you really try to ride the bike over 25mph

 

[xtremeridah]

Thanks guys! Just figured I'd ask, I will be keeping the front brake

 

[CDNTX650]

Real bikes are for riding down the highway at 100 km/h to 120 km/h with no fear of a "t-bone" at an intersection, or hitting a deer.

haha, i still think that with all the brakes on the bike, and mine are all rebuilt and it stops good for an XS.....

I know for a fact, if i get cut off, this thing more than likely aint stoppin in time. Some of you should see what new bike brakes are like.


And i agree, cafe racer and no front is strange....speed handling and no stopping do not define a cafe racer...

 

[yamaman]

Nah mate, rip em off and chuck em out. They will only slow you down! Chuck all that other useless shit in the bin too - lights, horn, wiring that doesnt feed your ignition, mud guards, helmet, and whatever else you can think of.

Posted via Mobile

 

[Brother]

Second to the frame, nothing about a bike that is intended to be ridden should be more important than its ability to stop.

 

[retiredgentleman]

haha, i still think that with all the brakes on the bike, and mine are all rebuilt and it stops good for an XS.....

I know for a fact, if i get cut off, this thing more than likely aint stoppin in time. Some of you should see what new bike brakes are like.


And i agree, cafe racer and no front is strange....speed handling and no stopping do not define a cafe racer...

CDNTX650, I must admit that I used to have some doubt as to the emergency stopping ability of my stock OEM brakes. However, this past summer, a deer bolted out in front of me, and my stock brakes saved my ass, as I did some emergency braking. I still hit its back leg.

Having said that, I'm presently installing Brembo 4 piston calipers on the front and rear of my bike. OEM brakes get the job done, but they can still be improved upon, as you have mentioned.

 

[Beau]

The one thing I REALLY like about the bobbers coming out of Japan is the fact that they always keep a front brake. Even on most show bikes.

Brakes can look good, if done right. People are just afraid.

Try driving your car just using the e-brake.

 

[KeithB]

Most experts agree that roughly 70% of braking effort should go to the front wheel (which uses the hand lever on the right grip), and 30% to the rear (which is operated by the right foot pedal.) Front brakes require more effort because weight transfer from slowing down will shift the bike's balance from the rear wheel to the front, enabling the front tire to handle more load. When there's less downforce on the rear tire, it becomes much easier to lockup and slide that wheel, resulting in a loss of control... the front, however, is less likely to slip because of the weight transferred to that end.

http://motorcycles.about.com/od/commonquestions/a/how_to_brake_on_a_motorcycle.htm

 

[gggGary]

You must install ABS! No motorcycle should be legal without it.


OK not really BUT unless you have tried ABS on a bike you have no idea.

I put a few thousand miles on an ST1100 ABS and did some ad-hoc testing of the ABS system.
I am older and the reaction times aren't what they used to be but I have done track road racing at an effort level that required pad changes in a 6 hour endurance so I have at least an idea of what using brakes is about.
Unless you stay in practice with your hard braking you won't even come close to the braking ability that just grabbing lever will give you on an ABS equipped bike.
This is especially true with sketchy road conditions. IE gravel, wet, rough, dust etc.
Since there won't be many ABS equipped XS650s soon a regular practice session of hard braking should part of your "staying alive" routine. I do it on every bike I ride. An emergency is no time to figure out how to get the most out of your brakes.
OK lecture over, back to the thread..............
I'm sure ya'll know my opinion on running a front brake.

 

[pamcopete]

Most life insurance policies do not cover suicide....

 

[1974jh5]

I can't imagine riding a motorcycle that does not have a front brake, it's an essential. But not everyone feels that way. A buddy once said the only thing he used his for was to keep the bike from rolling backwards down the loading ramp.