Is it just me?

[Show]

My Ridgeback doesn't brake worth a damn! Yesterday I laid it over and up it up under a car that was stopped in front of me. Now I am almost 40 and have ridden motorcycles since I was 10. This was not the first time I have locked BOTH wheels up in a skid. Yes, I do ride it hard but yesterday I was go super slow. I was getting ready to come to a stop at the stoplight. Road was wet with humidity. I scrapt up the forks and fender and turn signal on the left side. Lucky I wasn't going very fast. (Like, 2mph) But I have noticed that I have to give myself a ton of room now to stop this damn thing.

So, is it just me or do you guy notice the decrease in stopping power as well? Below are a few pictures of the damage.

 

[Thumper]

Sucks that you laid her down. I say check the obvious, brake pads and air in the lines.

 

[Show]

Well, it's not that the brakes aren't working. They are working fine. Just that the wheels lock up and the tires slide very easily. (I think) Thanks for the thoughts though.

 

[Lone Dog]

That sucks man. With the road damp and the tires locked your stopping distance will dramaticly increase though. I can't speak to the suseptability of one bike over another regarding brake locking. Glad YOU didn't get banged up.

 

[BIG HOUSE]

Sorry to here about the wounds to the dog glad your ok

 

[slowrower]

Your not the only one ..

Show this has happened to me a few times, in FL with all the gray hairs around one never knows what there going to do. I have had to come to a quick stop a few times and the dog will skid more so than my HD.

I read somewhere the issue is shape of the patch (the rubber making contact with the road) contributes to this. The big tires have a wide (side-to-side) patch with a narrow (font-to-rear) patch - the forward motion on the narrow tires will cause them to flex more resulting in the larger patch size in the direction of travel makes for a more controlled stop.

For our big tires, the patch shape being wide as opposed to long (as in a smaller tire) results in less contact and it wants to travel in the direction of the patch shape which will be sideways.

The next issue is the tire composition, to keep its shape the big tires need to be much stiffer which translates into less flexibility which makes them easier to lock up during hard braking.

That said, its not the brakes, its the big tire so keep lots of distance between you and the lead dog.

 

[ChuckRB05]

Lots of distance and engine breaking helps. I tested my stoping distance with different PSI's in both the front and back tire. I had a more controlled stop when I had the front at 40 and the back at 38psi. It's a rougher ride though.

 

[jwoolf]

It's true. None of these bikes stop well and if you have a 300mm tire, they don't turn well either. If you have a rigid on top of that, they turn worse still.

It's no fun being in a situation where you need to avoid something being on one of our bikes for sure.

They do ok but, when comparing to most other bikes ( not chopped bikes ) they fail miserably. IMHO At least my pitbull does.

That's no dig on the bikes per say, I knew what I was buying. After all, we're not trying to be like everyone else.

Glad you're ok and, the bike can be fixed.

 

[Oscar Maldonado]

You def. need some time to slow it down. Glad to hear that all is o.k. with you. Remember - Bikes can be fixed or replaced, We for the most part can't return or replace ourselves.

 

[kickstart]

Tire condition and air pressure are the key, glad your OK :up:

 

[BDMCHOPPERFREAK]

Worthy of a note......

Worthy of a note: I hope you were in the tire lane of the vehicle ahead of you. Cars stopped at intersections will leave a oil residue in the middle of the road. Add a little moisture and you have an oil slick that will put you down. I always ride in the tire tracks. Left or right depending on the situation. I thought this worthy of a note.

 

[skully]

well maybe its me or just because i have owned three choppers, but I've never had any proplems with stopping. i never had any sliding problems either, not unless i really jab down on the pedal. i will say this, i have found it easier to ride the k-9s than the prostreet models. for me the choppers turn better at the slow speeds with less wheel flop.
dave

 

[LamboV12]

It's you - just kidding. I know the front brake on my K-9 sucks - At first I had a problem with the pm caliper pistons not going out (stuck) - and even after the repair it was still weak. When these pads go I'm going to look at a different rotor and different type pads.

 

[Shredder]

This is why I changed from Avon's to Metzlers, much bigger contact patch.

Shredder

 

[Show]

Thanks for all the input guys. I came off of the VTX and that big hoss stops pretty damn good. My Dog, on the other hand, needs a lot more distance to stop. And the Dog is lighter. My X was over 800 pounds.

The wife is not happy, argue: ) but I'll get the bike fixed up and press on. I sure felt sick to my stomach knowing I hurt it though. :angry: :bang:

But is definately one of the comments I make when I talk to people about my bike. This thing doesn't stop for shit!! LOL

Do the Metz last as long (or longer) than the Avon's?

 

[GDOG_PITBULL]

After growing up sliding around the roads in Melbourne, I am of the opinion that the FL roads are just fckin slippery. The humidity or the oil or whatever seems to be an issue!
G

 

[BBChopper]

Dude that suck's!:down:

 

[Show]

Not to mention most of the roads are made from seashells because they are cheap and we have shitloads of 'em. That makes the roads slick as well. Someone give me some input on the differences between the Avon's and Metz. Thanks

 

[Gas Man]

Show.. man I feel for you... I definately do!!!

The tire master is clearly Ray.

I have no problems stopping. I have always commented that the dog stops REALLY well.

Check your tire pressure. Check to make sure you don't have some cupping or glazzing on your frong tire.

on the brakes themselves... you already have the stainless braided lines which is top notch. They come dot 5 fluid which is great. The 4 pot PM calipers is perfect. And I don't think there is anything wrong with the master cylinders. So what's left... pads and rotors. Make sure the rotors aren't glazed and then get some LRB pads. Should cost about $100 for the set.

 

[lee]

glad to hear you're ok show - i've not had too many issues stopping but my dog doesn't stop as well as my harley - i rarely touch the back brake on either of them because they seem to lock up too easy - probably a stupid thing to do though - I wonder if Gas Man does that being an ex sport bike rider