I crashed on a motorcycle today!

[CZroe]

Depends on the situation I suppose. For straight line stopping I usually get away with engine braking and rear brake just fine.

Silly. All your weight moves forward when slowing/stopping so your rear loses traction much sooner than your front. Every manual or training course will tell you to use the front and practice emergency braking with both so that you will not lock them during an actual emergency. Using enigine braking and the rear brake does not help because they both affect the same tire and make the dynamics too variable to use in an emergency. It sounds like you badly need to take another course. Heck, I learned all that reading my state's motorcycle driver's manual and easily put it to the test. The MSF course was invaluable. If you already took it, consider the advanced course.

 

[CZroe]

Maybe I'm just recalling wrong. I've been riding in a good mix of snow and rain for the past three months and on those days the front brake literally scares the shit out of me. I've had my back tire come out three times on me with light use of the front brake.

I'm probably using the front in dry weather without really realizing it.

Even in the rain your front tire will have much more traction than the rear. It's even more reason to practice with it. Locking your front tire is much worse but you are much less likely to lock it. I throw my rear out pretty frequently so I know its limits and apply all extra braking power to the front. Combining that with engine braking only changes how much brake input I can add to the rear so it's harder to gauge how much to apply. When it cones to your rear tire, use one or the other.

 

[BoomerD]

Odds are, with the OP being the moron he appears to be, he was walking somewhere, saw a "cool bike" parked, and decided to climb on. In the midst of his "VROOOOOOM, VROOOOOOOM" fantasy, he knocked the bike over and damaged it.
No doubt, the owner of the bike was pissed when he returned and found the bike laying on the ground.

 

[CZroe]

You have to know how to use the front brake. Depending on speed, terrain and whether or not is is raining using just the front brake can be disastrous because if you really lay into it, you can lock up the front wheel resulting in skidding of the tire.

Not using the front brake at all is stupid, it's part of the braking system. If used correctly you can greatly decrease your stopping ability, which will come in handy on a street bike when someone pulls out in front of you.

In racing mastery of the front brake is absolutely essential. The harder you can push the bike into a turn, the faster you can get out.

If you are riding on loose gravel, grass or a wet surface you should mainly rely on the rear brake, using the front brake sparingly by pumping it rather than locking it up.

Asphalt is more forgiving, you can get away with laying on it pretty hard. Also modern street bikes have anti-lock brakes (ABS). I would still recommend using the front brake in conjunction with the rear however.

Most dirt bikes do not have ABS.

Most street bikes sold today do not have ABS. It is optional on some and not available on many.

 

[Mike Gayner]

Maybe I'm just recalling wrong. I've been riding in a good mix of snow and rain for the past three months and on those days the front brake literally scares the shit out of me. I've had my back tire come out three times on me with light use of the front brake.

I'm probably using the front in dry weather without really realizing it.

You need to not ride a motorbike any more, because you're woefully under-qualified to do so.

 

[OILFIELDTRASH]

Maybe I'm just recalling wrong. I've been riding in a good mix of snow and rain for the past three months and on those days the front brake literally scares the shit out of me. I've had my back tire come out three times on me with light use of the front brake.

I'm probably using the front in dry weather without really realizing it.

This is a really dangerous habit you've developed. I'd love for you to get going 60 mph and see how far it takes using the rear alone to stop then let someone that isn't scared shitless of the front brake try it using both and see the difference. You're obviously a noob. You need to quit thinking the front brake is evil and grow a pair. You'll thank me later. I guarantee you'll look back at yourself and facepalm thinking about when you use to use the rear brake exclusively.

 

[CZroe]

Maybe I'm just recalling wrong. I've been riding in a good mix of snow and rain for the past three months and on those days the front brake literally scares the shit out of me. I've had my back tire come out three times on me with light use of the front brake.

I'm probably using the front in dry weather without really realizing it.

Have you taken an MSF course yet?

 

[Schfifty Five]

Nope, the bike survived just fine. But I owe him some new wiring though. The bike started up and rode fine for him the first time he tried but afterwards none of the electronics would turn on so I probably severed a wire or something.

Isn't it all scratched/dented up from the crash?

 

[DVad3r]

lol noob, but glad you are ok