[Burgmanmaniac]

What do you think is the best braking technique when coming to a full stop from 45 mph? Should I gently pull the rear hand brake then the front hand brake?

Do any of you prefer the rear over the front when braking gently? Which brake has more stopping power for the Burgman 400?

Is there a best technique for braking the B400? What about proper braking technique to avoid premature wear?

Quantum, I'm hoping you can advise me on this issue.

Thanks

 

[Yogurt49]

I start with the front brake, then add rear. Increase pressure on front as needed. My feet are on the way down as scooter comes to a stop. Turning into a parking space, rear brake only the last few feet. Front brake does 70-80 % of the work. If you want to save your brakes, pay attention to the signals, so you can chop the throttle and do more coasting.

 

[alloo]

I do both brakes at the same time unless stopping in gravel then back brake.

 

[Bolzen]

Maniac, getting worried about you. this is the very basics, and your thinking of M109R already. Maybe msf classes? wouldn't hurt

 

[Liamjs]

This will sound strange, but I refer to the brakes as the hammer and the chisel. The front can hammer a stop, but its not always pretty. The chisel can provide fine detail, but isn't really effective on its own. The two working together can make art, or at least save your hide.

Firstly, i ALWAYS cover the rear brake with my hand. Many times just a little rear brake is enough to avoid an errant squirrel jumping into your path or slow enough for a course correction of an unforeseen pothole. Covering it allows almost instant access to some braking.

The rear brake is also appropriate when the front is not, like for gravel or during the middle of a sweeping turn. On a scooter like the 400, it can also substitute for engine braking.

But to answer your question, both brakes, mostly front until just before the final stop, then finish with the rear. This will avoid the abruptness of front only.

So far as longevity, my rear lasted 20k and I'm about to replace both at 38k. They are cheap, so don't be frugal. Use what you need.

Oh, and practice, practice, practice. MSF course is the best place to start if you haven't already done so.

 

[Bolzen]

It might be difficult to get the answers by raising topics one by one, the courses can explain it in package --starting, stopping, steering etc which should help one to get on the road quicker and safer.

 

[Burgmanmaniac]

It might be difficult to get the answers by raising topics one by one, the courses can explain it in package --starting, stopping, steering etc which should help one to get on the road quicker and safer.

I don't have any trouble braking. Your condescending tone is simply off base. Each bike is designed for a certain "best braking technique" and I can brake my 400 with either front or rear with ease.

Again, I have zero issues braking, cornering at 50 mph, or cruising the highway at 80 mph. I started this thread to see how members like their particular style of braking on the 400 and which technique would maximize break life.

 

[Burgmanmaniac]

It might be difficult to get the answers by raising topics one by one, the courses can explain it in package --starting, stopping, steering etc which should help one to get on the road quicker and safer.

Another example which is specific to the 400 is "starting off." The 400 likes to rev to 4500-5000 RPM at take-off then allow the bike's speed to catch up to the RPM. This is something I learned here on this forum which is SPECIFIC to the Burgman 400.

Hence, I'm asking if there is anything which will improve braking longevity of the 400. For example, having both brakes last until 30,000 miles would be better for me than having the rear go out at 18,000 miles.

From the SPECS on the bike the front brakes are dual discs while the rear is a single disc so I'm assuming this means the front brakes have more stopping power and I should use them more aggressively in order to increase the life of the rear. Yes, I've tested out hard braking using the front only hand brake to get a good feel for how the 400 will behave on such a stop.

I was hoping Quantum would provide feedback for maximizing brake life and/or typical life expectancy of the brakes.

 

[Bolzen]

Another example which is specific to the 400 is "starting off." The 400 likes to rev to 4500-5000 RPM at take-off then allow the bike's speed to catch up to the RPM. This is something I learned here on this forum which is SPECIFIC to the Burgman 400.

That is specifics of clutch slippage Shouldn't be there normally and i think with Japanese light riders it isn't. However with heavier load it behaves differently. The brakes operation is the same from bike to bike though, one needs to know only if brakes has some features like combined braking or other high tech

But if you gonna switch to manual tranny, B may not be the best choice to learn -- you grow lazy pretty fast.

I don't know where Mech is, looks like he wasn't here for a long while

 

[Liamjs]

I was hoping Quantum would provide feedback for maximizing brake life and/or typical life expectancy of the brakes.

Why is maximizing brake life so important? You've mentioned it a few times. A full set of pads, front and back, will set you back $30.

Maximizing YOUR life is much more important. I suggest you utilize your brakes liberally to save IT instead and don't worry about the pads.

Plus, weren't you trading in this bike for the b650 soon? Why the concern for brakes that you'll never change?

Lastly, don't use my brake replacement history as normal. I ride a lot of mountainous twisties and I utilize the rear brake A LOT to simulate engine braking, which is probably why it needed replacement at 18k.

 

[Bolzen]

Maximizing YOUR life is much more important. I suggest you utilize your brakes liberally to save IT instead and don't worry about the pads.

That's what i was going to say, sorry maniac that i didn't suggest a good pad life recipe. My mistake.

 

[Chappy]

Rear brake a tad before front is the correct procedure...When running over gravel etc, apply only the rear brake whilst applying the throttle at the same time, this keeps the bike up and under a load if you are not actually stopping, but maybe rolling over some at a junction.

 

[Desert Rat]

Well to make brakes last the first thing to do is don't use them. That is to anticipate when you need to stop. Let off on the throttle and don't wait to the last minute to apply the brakes. Sold my 400 with the OEM pads on it at 46K+ miles.

 

[Burgmanmaniac]

Well to make brakes last the first thing to do is don't use them. That is to anticipate when you need to stop. Let off on the throttle and don't wait to the last minute to apply the brakes. Sold my 400 with the OEM pads on it at 46K+ miles.

Agree. I've gotten good enough with the 400 that I rarely need much brake application whatsoever. But, this makes me lazy in the sense I'm not using the front brakes much. The B650 will be even worse as engine braking will mean I will need the front brakes even less.

If Suzuki had linked the brakes together this would have been a plus in my opinion. We have the rear brake in our hand most of the time so why not just link up the brakes? Do you think Suzuki would have used a 60/40 or 70/30 (front to rear) braking percentage? What is the usual % of front vs rear braking in a linked set-up?

 

[Burgmanmaniac]

Rear brake a tad before front is the correct procedure...When running over gravel etc, apply only the rear brake whilst applying the throttle at the same time, this keeps the bike up and under a load if you are not actually stopping, but maybe rolling over some at a junction.

Thank you. This is the kind of advice I was looking for here on this thread.
Are you trying for a particular type of brake application? Maybe 30-40% to the rear followed by 60-70% to the front?

I wonder how many Burgman 650 owners even use their front brake?

 

[Burgmanmaniac]

Why is maximizing brake life so important? You've mentioned it a few times. A full set of pads, front and back, will set you back $30.

Maximizing YOUR life is much more important. I suggest you utilize your brakes liberally to save IT instead and don't worry about the pads.

Plus, weren't you trading in this bike for the b650 soon? Why the concern for brakes that you'll never change?

Lastly, don't use my brake replacement history as normal. I ride a lot of mountainous twisties and I utilize the rear brake A LOT to simulate engine braking, which is probably why it needed replacement at 18k.

I'm an analytical person by nature and like to know as much as possible about my Burgman 400 and future Burgman 650. I like to practice hard stops with just the rear, just the front and both brakes. This gives me a good feel for the braking capability of the Burg 400. You never know when a panic stop may be needed.

I may keep the Burg 400 until the Burg 650 gets broken in. I can have as many as 3 bikes in my garage at one time and I can afford to keep the 400. I like the way the 400 handles around corners and the convenience it affords for short tasks. It is just SLOW off the line.

I agree the brake pads are cheap so I'll not worry about wearing out the rear prematurely. Still, MAXIMUM braking is with the front's dual discs so best technique is to stay in the habit of using the front brake because this bike's brakes are not linked together.

 

[Liamjs]

I'm an analytical person by nature and like to know as much as possible about my Burgman 400 and future Burgman 650. I like to practice hard stops with just the rear, just the front and both brakes. This gives me a good feel for the braking capability of the Burg 400. You never know when a panic stop may be needed.

I may keep the Burg 400 until the Burg 650 gets broken in. I can have as many as 3 bikes in my garage at one time and I can afford to keep the 400. I like the way the 400 handles around corners and the convenience it affords for short tasks. It is just SLOW off the line.

I'm glad you're out practicing your stops. That's the first thing they had us do in the advanced MSF course. It's good info to have when the problems occur.

Also glad to hear you enjoy your 400 a bit. Agreed, it is slow off the line. But it's a nice performer in most other respects.

 

[Bolzen]

It is just SLOW off the line.

How is that -- why is it slow. Top speed could be slow, acceleration from 80 t0 90 is slow, but off the line Sure it's not an R1 if thats what you meant

 

[ChipDoc]

I wonder how many Burgman 650 owners even use their front brake?

I use mine when I pull up at a stop light, but I also use Desert Rat's technique of just easing off the throttle long before I arrive at the light. Using the brakes to slow from 30 instead of from 60 has got to have a positive effect on brake life.

 

[Chatman128]

If you've got a bike with ABS, grab 'em both. During a true panic stop, and I've had one or two, you're probably not going to be spending your time considering the optimal ratio of front/rear brake application. More likely, you'll grab a handful of each and marvel at how well the ABS functions to keep you from falling over. Been there done that.

More leisurely events like slowing in a turn, riding on questionable surfaces or in questionable conditions, permit a more casual, considered approach.

As for maximizing brake life, I'm with Desert Rat. Don't use them.