From: johnsw@wsuvm1.csc.wsu.edu (William E. Johns)
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles
Subject: Thoughs on squishing bananas
Date: 24 Jan 93 20:50:23 GMT
Article-I.D.: serval.1993Jan24.205023.4538
Organization: Washington State University
Originator: bill@wsuaix.csc.wsu.edu

I did not save the post, but not too long ago someone said that if you          
can lock the front brakes with a single disk you have all the brakes            
your ride needs.  The implication was that dual disks were a                    
waste if you could lock the front wheel with a single disk.                     
adequate.                                                                       
                                                                                
I disagree.                                                                     
                                                                                
I have been able to lock my front brake (FJ1200) at 15 mph, and have            
done stoppies coming down from 100 mph.  Simply being able to lock the          
front break only implies that the rider is not in touch with the bike's         
braking capability.  To me a front brake will lock and skid because the         
rider has failed to properly load the front tire with the weight of the         
bike.  The quick "grab" of the front brakes can apply a very fast               
deceleration to the front tire rotation.  If there is not enough                
resistance of tire to pavement, the wheel locks.  By have more weight on        
the front tire, the tire is less likely slide over pavement.                    
                                                                                
Optimum use of front brakes was best described to me by friend, riding          
buddy, go-faster, and Denizen-without-number-or-terminal Scott Larson.  He      
describes optimum braking as being similar to a child playing with a            
ripe banana.  The kid will put that ripe banana in a hand and squeeze,          
delighting in the sensation of feeling the squishy stuff ooze out between       
fingers.  The more the banana squishes the harder the kid squeezes.  The        
process is not one of seeing how fast you can squish the banana, but how        
thoroughly you can squish the banana, getting all the sensory delights          
possible.  (As kids grow up, it is no longer fashionable to squish              
bananas, so they take up raising roses and play in the dirt.  :-)  )            
                                                                                
Before I went out for my Suzuki racing school last year, a racing               
friend, Stefan I-F suggested I go out on some back road and learn how to        
do stoppies from 140.  I countered with a "Hell, if I could do stoppies         
from 140, I don't know that I'd bother with the racing school."  I was          
primarily out for a (legal) speed fix.  I took the advice to heart,             
however, and went out on a back road and ran the bike up to 100 and then        
started seeing how fast I could stop.  For me, it seemed that optimum           
braking was realized by using the banana _squishing_ technique on both          
front and back brakes.  As soon as I sensed a significant weight shift          
forward (nuts jammed into the tank) I'd get off the back brake and             
_squish_ down harder on the front.  Yeah, it took about 6-8 tries but           
soon the back end was bouncing with longer and longer periods between           
touches.  Being able to get the back end a bit up is a different kinda          
rush from an engine-limited acceleration, but a rush nevertheless.              
                                                                                
I've been told that I should not use the rear brake (Wes Cooley no less)        
because I was risking a rear tire skid.  I've never noticed that happen         
and suspect that the wheel base and weight of the FJ keeps enough weight on     
the rear tire during that initial braking to minimize the rear tire             
lock.  I suspect a lighter, shorter bike would be sliding around under          
similar treatment.                                                              
                                                                                
I have also gone out on parking lots, just sorta fooling around to see          
how fast I could drop the bike's speed from, say, 15 or 20 and by               
grabbing the brakes locked the front tire so fast it made my heart skip         
a beat or two.  I guess the urge is to squeeze hard to get a good grab          
before you lose all speed.  Whatever the reason, I am more prone to lock        
a front tire at those speeds than at high speeds.                               
                                                                                
I like the brakes on the FJ.  I rather dislike the brakes on the PD.  I         
suspect the fact that the FJ is dual disk and the PD is single disk has         
something to do with it.  It takes a _lot_ of effort to get the same            
feel of >squish< and the feeling of the weight of the bike shifting             
forward on the PD.  Of course the tires are different (MP7's on the FJ,         
and MT-60's, a dual-purpose, on the PD) and the PD is much lighter.  The        
other factor is that I am not prone to go out and run the PD up to a 100        
and then try to do stoppies.  I am absolutely sure that it will go 100,         
I've just never wanted to wait that long.                                       
                                                                                
Quick summary:  Being able to lock the front brakes tells little                
about the braking capability of the bike.  It tells more about the              
inability of the rider to use the brakes effectively.                           
                                                                                
OK, who wants to argue.                                                         
                                                                                
Ride Free,                                                                      
                                                                                
Bill                                                                            
___________________________________________________________________             
johnsw@wsuvm1.csc.wsu.edu  prez=BIMC  KotV KotRR                                
DoD #00314  AMA #580924   Squid Index 3.83   WMTC #0002  KotD #0001             
Yamabeemer fjgs1200pdr100 and a Volvo.  What more could anyone ask?             
                                                                                
Who lives without folly is not so wise as he thinks.                            
                                                                                
                                         Duc de La Rochefoucauld