Anyone run rear drum only

[1974jh5]

Ashaman, it just takes practice. The first step is overcoming fear of the front brake and that's where practicing braking on hard pack clay or etc will really help. You get a feel for just how much 'squeeze' it takes to accomplish a certain amount of braking and how it feels when you are on the edge of skidding the tire.

Once you learn that on a slick surface, if you are on asphalt it's not real likely that you will encounter the same thing. BUT- and this is the important part- your brain will remember what it feels like and what to do if it does occur. This raises your confidence a bunch. That's why Kenny Roberts used that training method.

After that initial steep learning curve, learning how to apply in a corner is easy.

The other thing is line selection. Scott Summers used to say SIPE: Scan, Identify, Plan, Execute.

Scan the trail ahead
Identify possible obstacles or problems
Plan how to handle that obstacle
Execute the plan.

It works on asphalt as well as on dirt. For instance, if you see loose gravel or broken pavement in a turn be aware of it and have a plan in place.

 

[5twins]

That's why learning to ride a bike in the dirt will make you a better street bike rider. I was coming around a gentle curve right in the village here, 30mph speed limit on the side streets, and the rear end kicked out. Don't know why, oil patch or something. I simply steered into it and rolled on the throttle, negotiating the turn flat track style. A couple little kids playing in their front yard were jumping up and down cheering, lol. From starting and learning how to ride in the dirt, I knew instinctively what to do in this situation and, well, just did it.

 

[gggGary]

Yup no one should be allowed on a big street bike till they have spent a day or few messing around and falling over a few times on a small dirt bike. Nothing looks dorkier than some foot dragger scared to death of his huge ass street bike. Yes, we can see the fear, or worse the clueless lack of it.

 

[Ashaman]

Sounds like I should hop on the dirtbike and do nothing but brake in turns for a while. The thing that had me leery was something I read or heard a while back, which was that using the front brake while turning on dirt or loose surfaces will put you down flat quicker than anything. I did it a little in my dirt driveway when I was first test riding the XS and it did almost dump me, so I've been apprehensive since. I'm not afraid to use the front brake (been a mountain biker a lot longer than a motorcyclist), but I don't want to slide the bike through a corner on it's side, either.