What do I do if...
 

This is something that's been bugging me for a long time. What do you do if you lock the rear tire? The MSF says to leave it locked. Ask most riders and the answer is "simple: don't use the rear brake".

So what's the answer?

until you are straight leave it locked

Seldom use it .........

my rear brake doesn't have the power to lock the rear wheel (LOL), but you would think you know when it locked, and instantly let off and then reapply it without so much force. If your sideways with the rear locked, uhhh, your probably ****ed unless your a really good rider

Can't remember why but they told us a really good reason not to let off. Something to do with highsiding.

I hear you sprock. I dunno why I paid $60 for a new rear brake lever. But since the MSF is telling new riders to use both brakes it'd be best to cover what to do when you screw up :)

i've locked the rear wheel quite a bit, back when i would use it. infact every time i get a new bike ill lock it up for a quarter second or so, just so i know where that point is. ive never had it locked for more then a few seconds though and never aboce 35mph, but each time i just released it, and you will feel your bike kinda jerk back into a straight line.
Ive never taken the msf course, but maybe they mean if you are heading for a crash, you should leave it locked instead of releasing it and then reapplying it. when i crashed i had both my tires locked up until the point of impact, which obviously didnt allow me to avoid the crash but it made the impact so little i was able to walk away with out a scratch.
if, however, you have had your rear brake locked for awhile, and your back tire has slide far enough out, when your bike straightens out that "jerk" is gonna be really aggressive and could very well cause a high side.
also its probably worth mentioning that the back break is a necessity in 1-2 mph u-turns and other slow speed maneuvers

here are two links, the first one from a yzf600r forum. as of this post theres 79 post though, so it would take quite a while of reading and your bound to end up reading the same stuff over and over. but there is alot of good info in there. http://yzf600r.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?f=23&t=54264
here is another link to a general motorcycle website. the last picture on there is pretty priceless, showing the dynamics of a highside by the rear brake. that website has ALOT of good info on it. although beware if you actually sign up, they are VERY proper in their posts, and dont allow any abbreviations, improper punctuation, poor grammer, ECT. ECT. ECT. and i even seen a post on their that said you shouldnt take scenic routes on a motorcycle cause it distracts you from the road lol. http://www.msgroup.org/forums/mtt/to...?TOPIC_ID=2192

hope this helps

The reason to keep it locked is that once you lock it the bike will not track straight. When you then release the brake the rear end will tend to snap back in the opposite direction and could cause you to high side.

Know this though, a skidding tire will take longer to stop you then a non-skidding tire. Also, if you lock up the front you will have absolutely no control over the bike.

I've found that releasing the rear brake just enough to allow the wheel to start turning again reduces the severity of the rear end snapping back but you have to be aware that it will move on you. Be prepared to hold the bars tight and don't over correct.

And use both brakes. Front brake is 70-75% of your braking. So if you have 100ft to stop and 75% only stops you in 120ft then that 25% rear brake will keep your shiny bits shiny.

I'm actually surprised to see people suggest not using it because of the fear of a locked tire. Just keep it locked 'till you're almost at a stop. Benefits of using the back brake: Reduced stopping distance... AND... reduced brake dive. And in low speed parking lot situations when the bars are turned a bit? Grab a handful of brake and a footful of brake and tell me which one makes both your feet come off the pegs...

i use my back brake with my front brake. especially if i need to stop quick

exactly, use front always but if i about miss a turn to a car pulls out in front of me i hit the front hard and apply the back brakes until my ass just barely lifts off the seat. then i back off the rear a little.

first time i tried using both brakes i wasn't prepared and i ended up almost fallin forward over the bike. it was also the first time i had ever been on a rotch crocket.

yer askin for problems if you use your back brake so hard as to lock it up...that 75-25 is what ive been told aswell. I do use the rear brake to scrub off allittle speed goin into a corner , it seems to have manners during corners were the front can produce a little dive and throw me off of my line a little.....