Locked up rear tire | GTAMotorcycle.com

Locked up rear tire

arogal

Well-known member
Got cut off on Sunday and locked up the rear tire for a solid 5-6ft. Thankfully nothing happened and I handled the situation well (minus an argument at the red light with th b@stard that cut me off). There is very slight flat patch from the skid on my rear tire now. I don't feel anything unusual riding in comparison to before. Still have tons of life left on the tires. Would you recommend I get a new rear tire or will it wear in properly and sort itself out.
Thanks!
 
Second one unless your tires are incredibly soft or shot.
You have the right air pressure?

Practice braking without locking it. You don't have to go very fast.
 
You are fortunate it did not go sideways on you....most of your braking is front wheel.

Time for ABS bike??

You don't need a new tire...you do need emergency braking practice
 
I wouldn't worry about a small braking flat spot.

Good job avoiding the crash with no damage. Take baggsy's advice and keep practicing so you subconcious takes care of the brakes when you need to throw the anchor out.

Personally I love rear drum brakes as they give great feedback on what is happening with the rear wheel (never quite round so you get light pulsing in the pedal), but that ship has sailed and it's not coming back.
 
I do agree I should have used more front brake than rear, but it was my first time being caught in the moment when things happen so fast. I slammed the front brake and rear (too much rear from what happened). I am going to practice emergency braking some more. I check my tire pressure every morning. If it's off by 1-2psi I still make sure they are at the correct psi.
Put my bike on a rear stand and my buddy in my apartment who rides couldn't even tell there was a flat spot anywhere. Once I pointed it out he could still barely see it. I just wasn't too sure how much of a flat spot on a tire is needed before knowing you need to switch it out.
 
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Burnout to equalize the tire?
/s

Good on ya for keeping it upright though, I've had an instance where the rear locked and boy does it give the heart a flutter when you feel the rear start rotating around. I say just ride it out and it should take care of itself as long as you are talking minor flat spot; if you mean a couple mm difference in depth I would be temped to replace.
 
Good on ya. A little flat spot is way better than the alternative. Some riders deliberately skid the rear for way longer than 10 feet for fun or to rotate it around quicker than a static friction circle might allow.

Other points:

1) If you locked your rear tire, the likelihood is that you didn't simply just apply the rear brake too hard but rather that you hit the rear brake too hard relative to the front brake. With sufficient weight transfer up front, the rear end will get light and will lock up under braking way earlier than normal. This is why ppl practice emergency braking until they are relatively comfy with it.

2) if you "slammed" your brakes, this tells me that the brake levers weren't covered (ie. fingers resting lightly on the levers). If the brakes were covered, then the tendency is to simply squeeze and modulation is part of the equation leading to more control. It won't be an on / off switch type of application. Many defensive riding advocates will suggest to cover brakes when entering a zone that is not 100% clear (ie. at an intersection with cars).
 
You'd have to lock up 5-600 feet before any meaningful wear happened to your rear tire, especially if it was unloaded (you applied the front brake). The 'flat spot' is probably just a scuff mark.

Carry on riding and as I tell everyone, forget the rear brake entirely on a sports bike unless it's wet or you have a passenger.
 
No worries on that rear. I like to practice deliberately locking up the rear in a straight line on side streets so I know where that good breaking spot is before actually locking up. Can never feel or notice flat spots.
 

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