Using the rear brake

[IDAHOSPUD]

I am having trouble with my rear brake, it works fine, but more specifically it?s the ergonomics of the stock rear brake lever. The lever just seems too far away from the tip of my boot (size 11). So I am looking to start a discussion on the rear brake and braking in general. I am new to the 2 stroke, and have way more hours on the 450 four strokes with their prolific engine braking, so I am having to use my rear brake more, and it just seems so awkward. So here are my questions:

- Do you have to move your foot to activate your rear brake. If no is that sitting or standing.
- Have you adjusted the levers location up or down. Is it optimum for standing or sitting.
- On the trail, how do you modulate your speed, especially going downhill. Seems like I am just using my brakes a lot.
- What is the ideal location for your lever. I.e. what?s your setup.

Thanks for all of your input
Bike is 2009 ec300

 

[jeffs2200]

I can not help much. I run a left hand rear brake and could never go bake to a brake pedal.

 

[jpelaston]

I have to move my foot forward to hit the rear brake. Thats the way I want it. If my foot was able to rest on the brake, it would be overheating.

 

[GMP]

A lot of this is personal setup. You WILL use your brakes more on a two stroke comming from a 450F. All I can say in my likes are pedal level or slightly lower than peg surface, and tucked in tight to the motor. The older GGs had some slop in the system which I think is good. On the '12 there is none and you tend to drag the brake untill you get used to it. The other thing I find that makes braking (and shifting) much more natural standing and sitting is Pivot Pegs. I also like organic pads, just switched to the EBC red pads using the '12 wave rotors and they work great IMO, much better than the metallics with no overheating and should last long enough.

Here are a couple mods I did on my '12.

 

[jgas]

Your feet are too little! I wear a sz 14, and the GG brake (01), is the best I've used. I also have nerve damage in my r. leg and foot which prevents me from being able to finesse the rear brake. GGs do have a long brake lever, which helps me. I run my lever as low as I can get it without it bottoming out before it locks up.I also like as much slack before engagement as I can get.

My foot is always over the lever, and on bumps I am slightly dragging it at times. My r. foot kind of "flops" up and down a bit which I can't help. After about an hrs. riding, my foot is numb and my calf so weak I have to "rock" my foot forward to hit the brake. When that happens, all I can do is either do full lock, or not at all. I added a heavier spring to the rear brake to prevent some of the accidental dragging I do, and I've found that for whatever design reason the GG rear brake is a bit harder to push than most others, especially KTM which has way too touchy rear brakes for me. On KTMs I have to use a heavier spring, and also add another medium wt spring to help with the dragging problem.

I have recently moved from 4sts to 2sts after 15 years. I went to 4sts due to my brake dragging problem so I could use engine braking, but
on the GG, I can still modulate the r. brake enough to ride smoothly. Also having a 2st that absolutely won't stall no matter what mistakes I make with by brake foot helps. (I have a 12oz flywheel wt as well, 01 250 XC). I change my rear brake fluid every 4 rides/races with Motul 600 which fluid which is almost impossible to boil over. Even Motul wears out after a few hours with my heavy brake foot, but most riders can go a full year without changing it. I run the non-sintered metal (carbon), brake pads most of the time which wear faster but don't overheat as much. In deep mud I switch to full sintered metal because the others won't even last one event in deep mud. I have also been using a Trials tire, which seems to lock up more slowly, or takes more pedal effort to lock up. It's a little harder to brake slide but more predictable on straight up and down braking. I find that a fresh rear tire is more important when I ride a 2st. The front tire can be worn, but the snappy power and lack of braking traction on a 2 st due to the light weight necessitates a good rear tire.

I can go from a 2 to a 4st much easier than the other way I always feel like I'm braking too early when I make the transition to a 2st, takes me a couple of rides to "relearn" my braking points.

If you can't get used to the long brake pedal, just take it off and have any machine shop shorten it.

I have gotten too long winded about my specific needs, but I guess the point is that you can probably work with bike setup and figure out what you need, and don't be afraid to experiment. If you have the pedal shortened and don't like it, just buy another stocker?

 

[bergerhag]

And I have my pedal setup as high as it goes, to get that trials style control. I am a stand up rider, and I ride with very little bend on the knees.

 

[brokenheadbrad]

I use my brake pedal as another foot peg. Works for me

 

[jpelaston]

if you have the pegs under the balls of your feet, like you're supposed to, the answer becomes clear.

 

[Mud-Ectomy]

I had the same problem when I first rode my 2011, moved the tip in and out but it still felt awkward. I ran out of up down adjustment so I ended up cutting the threaded rod into the Master Cylinder. This ment I could adjust the pedal lower.

I ride 90% standing up, with my feet flat on the pegs I think there is a slight deflection of the pedal but not enough to activate the brake.

When I sit down I have no control of the rear brake, pretty much on or off.

 

[jgas]

I have no control standing, can brake much better sitting. But I know that for 99
% of the people in the world, standing most of the time is better.

I have also cut down the actuator rod on KTMs to give me more free play and a lower pedal. On one KTM I ground off some of the pedal so it would move downward further without hitting the peg before lock up. My 01 GG has so much better ergos than my old KTM, and the KTM was better than any of the Jap bikes I have ridden.

Maybe GGs have good ergos for the average American because the people residing in Europe are average sized, rather than short little Japs? No offense, short little Japs, but us Americans are full growed

 

[Jakobi]

I find that just lower than the peg works well mostly. For me its more of matter of having it in a familiar position. If I change it around I need to learn it again. If I put a different brand of pegs on I have to learn it again. If I set it up to favour downhills I'll hit it when I don't want to under accelleration. If I set it up not to drag sometimes I'll have to lean that leg forwards to get it downhill.

Basically I just run slightly lower than the peg and close to the engine. I can dip the toe of my boot in from almost any position and always have good feel as to when its biting and when its locking. Most of the real stopping power comes from the front brake though. The rear I usually use for blowing off speed mid corner or changing direction.

 

[IDAHOSPUD]

if you have the pegs under the balls of your feet, like you're supposed to, the answer becomes clear.

While i agree with this, it means you have to move your foot forward to brake, and that is what seems off to me. Your rolling down over some nasty chunk of trail, standing like you should, but you need to brake, so you move your foot to activate the brake, and change your footing on the peg, or sit and activate the brake. I guess it is what it is. maybe the left hand rear brake is the answer. I have tried it, it rocks, but i just don't want to lose the clutch lever, and yes i know rekluse makes the new lever.

 

[jgas]

I guess none of can really understand what another rider is experiencing without actually seeing the guy, his bike, and his setup. You ever read MX Action and pay attention to what they say about the unique setups of the MX Pros? Each and every fast guy does his own thing based on a ton of practice and working with their teams.

2 different Pros, even if they have the same basic body structure and are using the same bikes as a starting point, can have drastically different setups. I have often ridden guys bikes that I compete against and wonder how they ride it like that.

All I can definitavely say is you should learn everything you can from others, but ulitmately you just gotta figure out what works for you. All we can do is give you ideas.

 

[IDAHOSPUD]

I guess none of can really understand what another rider is experiencing without actually seeing the guy, his bike, and his setup. You ever read MX Action and pay attention to what they say about the unique setups of the MX Pros? Each and every fast guy does his own thing based on a ton of practice and working with their teams.

2 different Pros, even if they have the same basic body structure and are using the same bikes as a starting point, can have drastically different setups. I have often ridden guys bikes that I compete against and wonder how they ride it like that.

All I can definitavely say is you should learn everything you can from others, but ulitmately you just gotta figure out what works for you. All we can do is give you ideas.

So true, in my group of friends we have this running gag, how when you jump on your buddy's bike and take it for a spin, you always come back to the group and say, "ya nice bike, but your controls are f'd up." We all laugh cause you cant help it. But its all rider preference. Got some more hrs in on the gasser, since i asked the question, man i love that bike. I have never been on a bike that could handle the rough stuff like that bike. I had to make a conscious effort to practice standing and getting my foot in a position where i can modulate the rear brake, the other half of the time i am sitting, which is easy. Like a man sitting on the toilet to pee, you know you are going to make it, no missing here, but you dont want anyone to see you doing it.
Part of this is in my head, muscle memory is what you really want, so you are not searching at the moment of truth. I think its easy to get overly concerned about it, like i am going to shave minutes off my time...... still i am always working the stand stand stand drill in my head.