Emergency stop w/ Monoblocs

[Curly]

Guys, a question on using the Monoblocs.

In MSF we were taught to brake with all four fingers.

When the Hypermotard Demo Truck came to town, they said "use two fingers and a breath" on the S Monoblocs.

As we were pulling out of the parking lot I grabbed much too much brake and almost lost it. The brakes were like nothing I have ever experienced.

From then on, I really did use two fingers and a whisper.

But say you're a newbie like me, riding along on a Hyper S, and someone pulls out in front of you and you need to stop as fast as you can. I feel like grabbing four fingers full of the Monoblocs would send me over the bars.

It almost seems dangerous to me. In a split second decision to hit the brakes hard, they seem almost too sensitive, too powerful.

Thoughts? How do you cope?

-Curly

[MongoWERA]

Well, I don't panic to begin with And while I applaud MSF, a lot of their rules don't work for me personally.

On any bike you need to practice some and see how they react in certain situations, then apply the proper amount of pressure for the situation. There is no such thing as brakes that are too powerful.

[vapor]

Originally Posted by Curly

Guys, a question on using the Monoblocs.

In MSF we were taught to brake with all four fingers.

When the Hypermotard Demo Truck came to town, they said "use two fingers and a breath" on the S Monoblocs.

As we were pulling out of the parking lot I grabbed much too much brake and almost lost it. The brakes were like nothing I have ever experienced.

From then on, I really did use two fingers and a whisper.

But say you're a newbie like me, riding along on a Hyper S, and someone pulls out in front of you and you need to stop as fast as you can. I feel like grabbing four fingers full of the Monoblocs would send me over the bars.

It almost seems dangerous to me. In a split second decision to hit the brakes hard, they seem almost too sensitive, too powerful.

Thoughts? How do you cope?

-Curly

It's been so long since I took the MSF course. I do remember they emphasize using four fingers on the front brake but that only works for bikes with single caliper/rotor single piston front brakes. Standard brakes on sport bikes with multipiston/rotor setups require no more than two finger front braking.

I don't remember if MSF taught you to apply more rear brake (verge of lockup) in emergency situations but that's what I do in emergency situations, get my braking done first before changing direction while applying more rear brake.

[johnchypermotard]

ciao vapor -

use two fingers on the monoblock fitted hypertard s front brake lever.

practice panic stops by riding at progressively faster speeds in a dry, clean, open parking lot, and squeezing the front brake lever more and more each time, as you get familiar with how much pressure will NOT lock the front wheel up.

of course, once you get the hang of not locking the front brake up on dry clean surfaces ... then you need to worry about real road conditions, with surface crap like; sand, dirt, oil, radiator fluid, and the worst ... diesel fuel spills.

[Dallara]

Practice, practice, practice...

The ol' "four-finger" rule is one nit I've always had to pick with MSF courses, and for multiple reasons - not the least of which is your dilemma. As one friend of mine once put it "MSF assumes everyone rides a Harley", i.e bikes with less than stellar brakes.

Most (if not all) road race schools teach using two fingers, and not just for the reason of pwoerful brakes, but also so that you still have your other two fingers still gripping the bars for control.

Personally, one of the very first things I do when I get a new bike of any kind is to go and find a big, deserted parking lot and practice, practice, practice panic stops with it. You have to learn each bikes limits... How much brake you can apply before lock-up, what each bike does as it approaches lock-up, how grippy is the particular tire on that bike, etc. I also go back to the parking lot whenever I mount a different brand or tread design tire so I know how it reacts to heavy braking. I can't begin to tell you how many times these braking practice sessions have saved my bacon, either.

Get the bike and then practice, practice, practice... And use two fingers.

Hope this helps!

Dallara

p.s. I was writing my post while Johnchypermotard posted his. I didn't mean to sound redundant. Seems he and I have the same ideas...

[AXE]

Like everyone is saying, practice is the key. You will develop a feel for the bike quickly enough. One, two, three, or four fingers is personal as long as you maintain a grip. Personally, I think if you leave a finger or two on the throttle, you run less risk of rolling the throttle on when you grab a handful of brake quickly.

Also, you need to adjust the levers so your reach is correct for hand/fingers.

Once you have managed braking in a straigt line, you need to also include braking while turning, as well as braking then evasive action (like a quick vere to the left or right).

I also use the rear brake in emergency situations, so learn to use it as well. They Hyper rears often come very soft in the rear. I had to pull my caliper and raise it above the rear master cylinder to bleed it properly. It now works great.

The bottom line, is that I would rather have a lot of brake that stops me, than not enough and doesn't. If you grab a handful and dump the bike, it might just be better than the other option. You can always fix cosmetics..........its just money.

Out!

[MongoWERA]

Remember with the rear if you're using the front to it's limit the rear will essentially be floating to an extent as the weight transfers to the front so practice doing both at the same time - rear only will be a different feel than rear with the fronts being used properly.

[breakdown]

Like others have said, the best thing you can do is just practice lots. Another option is to buy shorty levers. These only allow two fingers on the lever at once.

When I took my class 6 road test, the only point I lost was for braking with two fingers. The instructor kept getting mad at me saying that I needed all four fingers. His reasoning was that if I ever dumped the bike while applying front brakes in a corner, I would lose the fingers still on the grip.

I still brake with two fingers because it's easier to modulate and also easier to rev-match downshift with two fingers on the throttle.

[MongoWERA]

That instructor needs to be beat about the head an shoulders with a brake lever. That's about the dumbest excuse for four fingers I've ever heard

[breakdown]

Originally Posted by MongoWERA

That instructor needs to be beat about the head an shoulders with a brake lever. That's about the dumbest excuse for four fingers I've ever heard

Haha, I know. I just agreed with him because I wanted to pass and get the test over with.