Let's be careful out there - 60' skidmark - no ABS

[not-fishing]

Well I now know I can survive a panic stop and I have no trouble locking up the rear wheel.

It was a bright, dry and sunny morning here in California.  I was an hour early to a meeting so I decided to tour a section of Sacramento that I had been in for a decade or so.  It was a Industrial and rough housing section of the city.

I was on a divided four lane expressway doing the speed limit, 50 mph, when I went over a little railway overpass.  It was a short hop of an overpass.  When I was at the top and looking ahead I happened to see cars crossing in front of me.  From where I was near the crest of the overpass trees had obscured the stoplights. 

I hit the brakes hard then saw the redlight.

The Griso's tail wiggled some so I slowly increased pressure on the front brake keeping her straight and expecting the front to lock up.

I stopped in the middle of the crosswalk.

We always know to be careful at the crest of a hill on a two lane country road.  Now I know to be careful in town at any sort of hill.

[canuguzzi]

Heading toward Arden from the 80 side (not the business route, the Reno one)? Catches people all the time as it did me once but in a car. You're lucky if that is the place, quite a few people end up getting plowed right there.

A fresh pair is easily stored underneath the seat. ;-T

[andrewdonald1]

Well I now know I can survive a panic stop and I have no trouble locking up the rear wheel.

It was a bright, dry and sunny morning here in California.  I was an hour early to a meeting so I decided to tour a section of Sacramento that I had been in for a decade or so.  It was a Industrial and rough housing section of the city.

I was on a divided four lane expressway doing the speed limit, 50 mph, when I went over a little railway overpass.  It was a short hop of an overpass.  When I was at the top and looking ahead I happened to see cars crossing in front of me.  From where I was near the crest of the overpass trees had obscured the stoplights. 

I hit the brakes hard then saw the redlight.

The Griso's tail wiggled some so I slowly increased pressure on the front brake keeping her straight and expecting the front to lock up.

I stopped in the middle of the crosswalk.

We always know to be careful at the crest of a hill on a two lane country road.  Now I know to be careful in town at any sort of hill.

Thanks for sharing the story and reminder for us all.

Andrew

[Arizona Wayne]

The Tonti Guzzis have a brake setup where if you hit the brakes hard the LF and rear brake are on the foot lever, the RF brake is on the hand lever.  Pretty much impossible to lock up the rear brake that way.  8) It takes a little getting used to but I prefer it.  Maxi-scooters are setup pretty much the same way.

Years ago in Wash. St. we(2up) were following a Guzzisti who was used to riding alone.  We(CX100) were in a group and we entered an intersection as the light turned yellow. It looked like he was going to go thru the intersection, so we were running his speed (55 mph). At the last moment the guy in front of us decides to stop.  ???   We were too heavy and too close to not rear end him.  I hit the brakes hard and had to swerve the front end as we stopped on his left about 1/2 way up his bike length.  :D  He was oblivious of what just about happened.

[rodekyll]

That can be a bad scenario at any intersection, but the part about stopping on the sidewalk is the scariest.  Our town is shaving the road surface and embedding some sort of rubberized white panels in the pavement for crosswalks so's they don't have to paint the stripes as much.  Those panels are like intentionally placed land mines.  Hit one with a wheel locked up, especially when it's raining or there is loose sand on it, and you ARE going to enter the intersection on your crashbars.

[canuguzzi]

That can be a bad scenario at any intersection, but the part about stopping on the sidewalk is the scariest.  Our town is shaving the road surface and embedding some sort of rubberized white panels in the pavement for crosswalks so's they don't have to paint the stripes as much.  Those panels are like intentionally placed land mines.  Hit one with a wheel locked up, especially when it's raining or there is loose sand on it, and you ARE going to enter the intersection on your crashbars.

No kidding. You know, millions will be spent on bicycle lanes (don't get me started) but to date, limit lines and crosswalks are still little more than traps to help you meet your maker? it is impossible or even impractical to paint them or otherwise put them in with a surface that isn't as slippery as a lubed glove during a prostate exam?

[normzone]

Good story. I would go look at it in Google street view if you could provide more specific location  ;D

[not-fishing]

Good story. I would go look at it in Google street view if you could provide more specific location  ;D

Here you go.  Funny I remember it as being a bit more downhill than the view shows --must be an age & sheer panic thing.

sPBeA!2e0" class="bbc_link" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">www.google.com/maps/@38.655183,-121.477233,3a,75y,282.41h,90.33t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1s1xKbaLnamHUFhyloI sPBeA!2e0

[Arizona Wayne]

That can be a bad scenario at any intersection, but the part about stopping on the sidewalk is the scariest.  Our town is shaving the road surface and embedding some sort of rubberized white panels in the pavement for crosswalks so's they don't have to paint the stripes as much.  Those panels are like intentionally placed land mines.  Hit one with a wheel locked up, especially when it's raining or there is loose sand on it, and you ARE going to enter the intersection on your crashbars.

Sorry, Rk, you should know by now if you ever 'lay it down' it's because you never learned how to really ride properly.  :wife:

[lucky phil]

A modern sports bike will put you over the handle bars before it will lock the front wheel at ANY speed in an upright max braking dry road scenario.
I think the Griso would do the same.
The only way you will lock the front wheel and go down on a dry road is if you panic under max braking and try to steer the bike away from the impending danger at the same time. That happens quit a bit.
Ciao

[charlie b]

But my problem is with roads that are not clean and dry.  Crosswalk lines, oil spots, sand/gravel/mud, etc. 

And out 'smart' city has decided that brick crosswalks are 'cute'.  I hate those things.  Yes, you 'should' be stopped before you get to them.

[rocker59]

Sounds like someone needs to work on using more front brake and less rear.

A locked rear wheel is no help on pavement.

[Tobit]

+1 on the older Tonti linked brake system actually being a good thing.  On the LeMans IV the combination of the rear end dropping and weighting the rear tire when throttle is chopped closed in a panic situation, standing on the pedal and crushing the front brake lever is pretty effective.  I don't recall ever skidding the rear on dry pavement.

On my regular commute there is a traffic light about 50 yards over the crest of a hill after an interstate off ramp.  Lots of speeding cars lane jumping and racing up the hill.  I'm always aware that there may be a pair of taillights right over the crest out of sight, waiting for the light to turn green.  I turn right at that light so am slowing anyway and dealing with merging traffic from the off ramp.  The only close call I had was another motorcycle at night.  He had come off the interstate, raced up the off ramp and we almost met broadside.  A blast on the Fiamms woke him up but an escape route had already been identified.  Car to the left of me, car closing behind me (he was trying to beat us all to the point where the off ramp merged) the option was to accelerate and get in front of the car to my left, but be heading to the crest of the blind hill.

Be careful out there.

Tobit

[not-fishing]

A modern sports bike will put you over the handle bars before it will lock the front wheel at ANY speed in an upright max braking dry road scenario.
I think the Griso would do the same.

So what you're saying is that I need to visit a clean parking lot and do some more panic stops. 

I don't really like doing "stoppies" on two wheels.  I've done it with mountain bikes on ski runs many times and even a racing bicycle at the front of a racing pack (car pulled out). 

One of the reason I like the Griso is the handlebar is such that you can "brace for impact" which I don't believe you can do with ape-hangers or regular cruiser bars. 

[lucky phil]

So what you're saying is that I need to visit a clean parking lot and do some more panic stops. 

I don't really like doing "stoppies" on two wheels.  I've done it with mountain bikes on ski runs many times and even a racing bicycle at the front of a racing pack (car pulled out). 

One of the reason I like the Griso is the handlebar is such that you can "brace for impact" which I don't believe you can do with ape-hangers or regular cruiser bars. 

Not really advising just pointing out something most people arent aware of. If you know this is the case then you can brake to the max and the fear of a front wheel wash out is one thing you dont need to concern yourself with.
As long as the road is dry and relativly clean a decent correctly inflated fron tyre and you keep it vertical and dont counter steer it wont skid the front tyre.
You can also train yourself to forget about the rear brake on a sports bike, its for holding the bike from rolling at the traffic lights and correcting your line mid corner in certain situations. Useless for genuine hard braking.
This doesnt apply to cruisers though, they dont transfer enough weight onto the front during hard braking and the rear brake is still quite effective in this situation.

Ciao
 

[rocker59]

It's fun to sit along the braking zone for turn-3 at Hallett Oklahoma and watch the bikes carry the rear wheel.

Even my buddy on his 1998 model M750 Monster would carry the rear wheel braking into that turn during track days.

There is a lot more braking force in the front of a modern motorcycle than most people can imagine.

[Arizona Wayne]

There is a lot more braking force in the front of a modern motorcycle than most people can imagine.
[/quote]



If you don't already don't know this you have a lot to learn, grasshopper.  ;)  When you stop the majority of your weight shifts forward.   That's what your larger front brake/s are for to stop your forward weight shift faster.