riding the brakes

[fredkb_imp]

Hello. Have you ever been on a group ride and the motorcycle in front of you seems to always have the brake light on? Usually it is due to the drivers right foot barely resting on the rear brake lever. The driver doesnt realize it untill some one points it out to him. I have probably been guilty of the same thing, never even knowing. So I was curious at how much pressure it would take to activate the brake light. The front brake is very sensitive and activates the brake light with very gentle pressure. I found the rear brake lever takes considerable pressure to activate the brake light, more than just the front of the foot resting on it. I believe it would be hard to activate the rear brake light accidentally resulting in brake light constantly being on. Although the brake pads do grab with lighter pressure, long before the light comes on. I usually only use the front brakes and engine to brake normally, but in quick stops I use a combination of front and rear. Just thought I would share my findings in case someone else wondered if they could accidentally cause brake light by wrong foot position. Thanks.

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[Deanohh_imp]

The brake light on is a symptom, but the real problem is constantly hovering your foot over the brake pedal....cause you will sooner or later drag the rear brake pads and ruin them and maybe the rotor too...get it off there and rearward or outboard of the pedal. I learned this a long time ago when I was riding along and suddenly got a whiff of the dreaded cat piss smell. Got off and my rear disk was burned black and pads smoking. No more hovering for me.

[thumper_imp]

The sensitivity of the brake light activation, as caused by the brake pedal, can be adjusted.

[HikerToo_imp]

cat breath.....

[Pterodactyl_imp]

Keep away from the brakes. It's asking for trouble especially on a rough surface. "Cover" only when you need to.

Cheers

WARNING: This post may contain advice from the uninformed.

[fredkb_imp]

I think I may have been misunderstood. What I meant was, that I conducted an experiment to see if the brake light would come on with some ones toes accidentally touching the brake lever. What I found is that it takes much more pressure to activate the light. You would have to intentionally press hard enough for the light to illuminate. My other bike had a very small brake lever, typical of dirt bikes, there was no way to have your toes touching the brake unless you delibertly turned your foot inward to apply brake. The lever on the cb sits further out and would be easy to activate accidentally. I have looked down while riding in a natural position and my toes are about 1" away in an outward manner. If you were to grip the tank with your knees, then your foot would naturally tend to rotate inward somewhat.I know riding the brakes would cause brake pads and rotors to get hot and wear prematurely. I try to be aware of my feet position. But, as in the case of someone who were not so careful, from a safety standpoint, at least the possibility of constant brake light causing drivers behind not to know when you are stopping or slowing down, would be very unlikely.Just a thought after riding behind some people on group rides whose rear break lever must be very sensitive or out of adjustment.

[Red Mist_imp]

Let's get some clarity here.

Pressure does not activate the brake lights. Movement does that. The amount of movement needed to activate the brake light is completely adjustable with respect to the rear brake. Unfortunately it is not the same with the front.

My bike's a 2013, and like some other owners, I found that the front brake light did not activate until substantial movement occurred at the front brake lever, and by that time the brakes were moderately applied. This is unsafe. I modified the brake light switch so that just a little movement (2-3 mm) would illuminate the brake light. Thus, I could alert following traffic to my intentions without actually slowing down. The reverse is asking to be hit from behind.

I won't describe what I did because it's a safety issue, but I will say that the rear brake uses a simple barrel adjuster and is quite easy to change.

The second point, though, is that any rider needs to be aware of what he/she is doing on the brakes all the time. As was mentioned, riding the brakes will cause them to overheat, which could cause poor braking when you need good braking, premature brake pad wear and fluid contamination (heating/cooling the brake fluid causes more moisture to be absorbed), and possibly, the brakes could lock if the fluid overheats. Yes, this can and does happen.

How to avoid this? Every rider needs to carefully set up the brakes for his/her riding position. Both the front and rear brake positions on our bike are adjustable. The front has a simple position adjuster, and the rear has a threaded rod and locknut. Adjusting these will not in any way change how much motion it takes to activate the light, that's a separate mechanism. The rear brake light activation point, as I mentioned, is easily adjustable as well, with the barrel adjuster. Consult your service manual or have a qualified technician do this, otherwise you work at your own risk. These are your brakes, don't mess with them unless you really know EXACTLY what the heck you're doing.

Point three; any rider who constantly rides the brake(s) without even knowing it needs a Reg Pridmore CLASS or a California Superbike School. This is a bad, dangerous habit. I would not ride with anyone who does this.

[fredkb_imp]

Thanks Red Mist. I will see if I can adjust the brake so that the light comes on slightly before the brakes actually grab. As of the moment, my rear brakes grab long before the light comes on. My front brake is adjusted ok. All my other bikes had the rear light come on early. Thanks, I thought the bike was designed to have the light come on late, but now I know it is probably out of adjustment.

[Red Mist_imp]

Thanks Red Mist. I will see if I can adjust the brake so that the light comes on slightly before the brakes actually grab. As of the moment, my rear brakes grab long before the light comes on. My front brake is adjusted ok. All my other bikes had the rear light come on early. Thanks, I thought the bike was designed to have the light come on late, but now I know it is probably out of adjustment.

Yeah, I had to adjust mine the day I picked up the bike. Seems like almost all my bikes needed to have the rear brake adjusted a bit to get the light to come on before the brakes actually began to grab.

Early warning system, I call it.