2008 ridgeback braking ability

[Ridgeback9040]

Hi everyone,

Me and some friends were riding up on US1 and suddenly some kids made a sudden u turn so my friend who is a very experienced driver riding a HD ultra glide had to make quick stop , and save himself, I was coming 50 feet behind so no issue for me .
Wondering if I was in his position would the ridgeback have stopped as efficiently and saved the day ...
I always try to keep distance and be aware of my surroundings ...

I don’t have that many miles on the ridgeback but I did practice emergency stops where my rear tire doesn’t get locked , is my rear tire supposed to lock up on hard breaking ?? Don’t think the 08 RB is equipped with abs ...

Any thoughts on how to efficiently stop these beauties??

Should I adjust my rear break to lock wheel when hard breaking?

Thanks in advance

 

[pknowles]

Hi everyone,

Me and some friends were riding up on US1 and suddenly some kids made a sudden u turn so my friend who is a very experienced driver riding a HD ultra glide had to make quick stop , and save himself, I was coming 50 feet behind so no issue for me .
Wondering if I was in his position would the ridgeback have stopped as efficiently and saved the day ...
I always try to keep distance and be aware of my surroundings ...

I don’t have that many miles on the ridgeback but I did practice emergency stops where my rear tire doesn’t get locked , is my rear tire supposed to lock up on hard breaking ?? Don’t think the 08 RB is equipped with abs ...

Any thoughts on how to efficiently stop these beauties??

Should I adjust my rear break to lock wheel when hard breaking?

Thanks in advance

You don't want it locking up if you can help it.

 

[knothead]

Try to never lock it up if u can help it....use front and rear brake in that situation if u can just make sure front wheel stays straight and diffently dont lock the front brake.....front brake is very very helpful but can cause i bad wreck...i got in that situation in florida and i got on the front brake little to much and about laid it down cause of sand on the road... both will slow u down pretty fast just be careful not to lock them

 

[Ridgeback9040]

The situation yesterday was pretty close ... so my friend locked rear wheel and also used front brake , he did not lock front wheel but still bike ended up sideways , he managed to stay in control though ....

Even if I wanted to lock my rear tire it won’t happen , is this set up correctly?

 

[knothead]

Most of the time they wont lock is cause of worn shoes and fluild level is lower cause of worn shoes so the fluild level isnt there to make them lock...and could be partly to do with worn rotors and possibly glazed over rotors from heat...i would check ur shoes and fluild level....possible air so u might want to bleed them and go from there...always keep a check on ur brakes its the most important thing on a bike...

 

[Ridgeback9040]

Most of the time they wont lock is cause of worn shoes and fluild level is lower cause of worn shoes so the fluild level isnt there to make them lock...and could be partly to do with worn rotors and possibly glazed over rotors from heat...i would check ur shoes and fluild level....possible air so u might want to bleed them and go from there...always keep a check on ur brakes its the most important thing on a bike...

Yep , agree with you 100% I will have them checked even though I had it all checked out 2 month ago...

 

[Nukeranger]

They are just heavy and take a longer distance to slow down. For example, my Crotch Rocket weighing less than 380 lbs stops in a very quick short distance. My Ridgeback at more than 680 lbs takes considerably longer distances to slow down at the same speed. Big Dogs have more momentum. I don't know how much a Harley weighs. Also, does the Harley have dual caliber front brakes for more stopping power?

 

[Ridgeback9040]

They are just heavy and take a longer distance to slow down. For example, my Crotch Rocket weighing less than 380 lbs stops in a very quick short distance. My Ridgeback at more than 680 lbs takes considerably longer distances to slow down at the same speed. Big Dogs have more momentum. I don't know how much a Harley weighs. Also, does the Harley have dual caliber front brakes for more stopping power?

I think weight should be around the same on that HD compare to the BIG Dog . Not sure about the double caliper though ...
He locked rear tire and went sideways ...

 

[41bigdawg]

That Harley Ultra weighs in at about 900 lbs in running order.

 

[knothead]

Yeah i believe my 04 ridgebacks weigh 631 if i rememeber correctly

 

[Nukeranger]

I think weight should be around the same on that HD compare to the BIG Dog . Not sure about the double caliper though ...
He locked rear tire and went sideways ...

Since my 2008 Ridgeback weighs 680 lbs dry, it’s a couple of hundred pounds less than the Harley mentioned above. It makes a difference. But the biggest difference is the rider and if he locks up either wheel, he has lost much of his braking ability. Then it is just rubber sliding around on the road. Experience is everything when it comes to braking. I’ve locked up my front wheel and back wheel before just to learn what each bike is capable of. I think my start with Motocross bikes when a kid taught me a lot. There is no doubt that the front can slow you down the best when you transfer all your weight forward and force the front end into the ground. Gravel on the road can make it like you are riding on marbles too!

 

[Mickeetwo]

First thing I noticed when I bought the mule was how much better it stops. Even at close to 1000 lbs it will stop on a dime. Dual front rotors and anti-lock brakes make a big difference. But....its not as much fun to ride either