http://burgmanusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=8971&highlight=linked

 

First, welcome to the Forum... Second, I have a 650.

That said... Unless something has changed on the '06 model, I seem to recall reading that the 400 has Linked brakes. The 650 does not.

Been a lot of recent posts on this subject, and I'm sure someone will correct me if I am wrong. :lol:

Can someone indicate an easy way to affirm the linked brakes? Seems like I read on some posts once that each Disk and Brake Caliper combination will have two lines if it is linked - one from the right handle and one from the left. Is that correct?

Joe

 

Can someone indicate an easy way to affirm the linked brakes? Seems like I read on some posts once that each Disk and Brake Caliper combination will have two lines if it is linked - one from the right handle and one from the left. Is that correct?

Yup, take a look at the front caliper - you'll see two brake lines attached to it. The rear caliper, on the other hand, only has a single line attached...

 

Welcome to the forum Ricker :hello2: and congratulations on the purchase.

I assume you have a Suzuki Burgman 400 and that the manual you received has a similar title. :lol: It is entirely possible that the manual is in error

If that is the case I confirm for you now that you do indeed have combination brakes. The left lever applies hydraulic pressure to the rear brakes and simultanously applies the same pressure to 2 (small) of the 4 pistons in the front brake caliper.

Have a look my phots on this subject in the gallery. You will see the two distinctly separate hydraulic hoses on the front caliper. You will also see in one of these phots the 'impression' of the piston diameters on the espective pad backs- this difference in diameter effects the proportioning of braking effort.

When riding you should apply both levers together to maximises braking effort. Practice in a parking lot to realise how much you can haul off on these levers (it is a lot). The brakes have a spongy feel but they are well designed and balanced and also arrest the bike in a most accomplished way.

Top tip - try the search function. For example try it now with the terms 'Combination AND Brake' but without the quotes and select the 400 forum as the one to search. See I am being nice to a Newbie! :wink:

 

The manual is wrong. My 2005 manual contains the same error. In all, I've spotted at least six major errors in the 2005 400 manual.

The error you mentioned is a big, big error. In our litigious society, I can imagine some attorney, after an accident, pointing to the manual and saying, "Your honor, my client wouldn't have sustained these injuries if he'd known about the linked brakes which are nowhere mentioned here."

I'm not being facetious. I'm quite serious. These aren't silly typos that a proofreader overlooked. These are serious issues that Suzuki has failed to deal with. I mean, really, you've got a big factory, and multimillion dollar production facilities. Spend a few thousand buck to get the **** owner's manual right.

Thing's like this really p**s me off. It's like buying a $500 VCR and realizing the company that made it spent millions on production and R&D and glitzy advertising but couldn't care less about the most important thing that makes the VCR useful to the consumer - the instruction manual.

Just my thoughts. Your mileage may vary.

And Suzuki, if you're listening, I'll point out all the mistakes in your manual for less than one tenth the price of one Burgman 400.

- Tom

 

O.K., O.K, I've calmed down now since my previous post.

Before my tirade about poorly done manuals (my pet peeve), I wanted to say, "Welcome to the forum, Rich, and you'll love your 400. I love mine," but I forgot to say it. So now I said it. There.

Anyway, welcome to the world of the Burgman 400. Nice scooter. Bad owner's manual.

- Tom

 

linked brakes

Thanks for the info and the welcome!

 

Correct me if I am wrong, but shouldn't you always apply both levers anyway?

 

Correct me if I am wrong, but shouldn't you always apply both levers anyway?

Yep... TRUE.

The purpose of applying both brakes is to stop the motorcycle. From BRC manual (conventional motorcycles) to the best of my recollection, the rear brake supplies 30% of your stopping power and the front brake supplies 70% of your stopping power. My suspicion is that Suzuki decided to link the rear brake to increase the stopping power with the rear a little higher than those numbers due to the fact that the front wheel only has 1 disk.

The Real purpose behind having only 30% of your stopping power in the rear wheel is to *Hopefully* help prevent you from locking the rear wheel when riding. Locking the rear wheel in a turn can lead to tragedy with the increased potential for a High Side Crash. Everytime I ride with the family, if I see brake lights in a turn at the next stop I give them a good tongue lashing about it. However, just applying brake to slow the bike is different than trying to stop the bike. If you need to stop, make sure your bike is upright when you do.

If a crash is inevitable... Make is a LOW SIDE CRASH if you can. A High Side Crash can kill you (The bike chases you down the road and a 500 lb bike landing on you would be VERY, VERY BAD!). Your chances of survival in a low-side is much better, assuming a car doesn't run over you. :lol:

My two cents,
Joe

 

Correct me if I am wrong, but shouldn't you always apply both levers anyway?

Almost always, but not always.

If you're at really low, parking lot, speeds and turning it's better to apply rear brake only to avoid over-braking the front resulting in a possible spill.

If you're on a gravel road at low speed you might also want to avoid the front brake (that may be different on an ABS equiped bike).

But generally, and particularly for the less experienced rider, yes -- both brakes together.