5 times you should use the rear brake instead of the front

Rear brake instead of the front

As the title suggests, here are four scenarios in which you should use the rear brake instead of the front. If you read our first feature, you would deduce we are not too big on rear brake usage. We told you how discussing the braking is a bit controversial, and with the rear brake it gets even more so. However, there is a reason it exists on every road legal motorcycle and here are some of the times you use your right foot instead of your right hand.

Disclaimer: This is advice for people riding on the road and not a race track. Braking, as with any riding skill, is a learned skill, not a natural one.

Very slow speeds – The rear brake can be used at ‘city-speeds’ or even slower. Moreover,it can be used for most slow-speed manoeuvring. The idea of using the rear brake is to stabilise the bike giving fine control of the speed of the bike in combination with half clutching. Situations like U-turns, manoeuvring in and out of tight parking spots and filtering through traffic are perfect examples to give the rear brake lever a tap.

Downhill - All of us have been in that situation where we have been a wee bit too fast going downhill and felt like we were out of control. And that is not completely our fault, thanks to physics, all the weight on the motorcycle is in the front of the vehicle and only increasing your speed of descent. Using the front brake in this case would only further increase the weight up front which could lead to a rider losing control of the front end of his/her motorcycle. Simply put, using the rear brake in such a situation - in the worst case scenario – would lead to the rider locking up the rear wheel which is controllable.

Off-road - By off-road we mean off the tarmac, not those motocross jumps you imagine when you hear off-road. Say you are cruising along and encounter a patch of gravel or loose dirt, let aside the bumpy ride everything will feel just fine, until you need to slow down that is. Squeezing that front brake lever in such a scenario could end badly because the front brake would lock up and lead to loss of control. Now, if you used the rear brake things would be a lot different, the rear would lock up which in most scenarios, is controllable. If you did end up in this situation, we would suggest gripping the tank with your legs while using the rear brake to slow down.

If your front wheel goes up - Let’s just say you mistakenly pop the clutch too quick and your front wheel is headed skywards, the only thing saving you from flipping is the rear brake. Another context is when you are aboard a powerful motorcycle and pin the throttle open to get a taste of its acceleration and suddenly the front gets floaty. In the situation a slight tap of the rear brake would instantly bring the nose down and help you regain complete control. This is also a tip for all of you out there practising your clutch or power wheelies.

If you’re a milk man - If you are a milk man or consider taking up the profession, realise there is a lot of weight at the back of the motorcycle. Which means, the front brake would be essentially useless, so keep that in mind before you end up spilling the milk. Haha! But in all seriousness, we guess we have covered every scenario in which you should use the rear brake. Click here to read the 5 times you should use the front brake instead of the rear.