Do I need to upgrade my brakes?

[jamesterror]

Originally Posted by fizzwheel

Both of which theres nothing wrong with.

You just need to practice your braking technique. Go find a large empty space such as a carpark and practice braking hard, you'll be amazed at just how hard you can brake, before you lock a wheel up, also you'll be more confident with the brakes then so if you have an emergency again you'll find you'll stop better.

I agree with this too.

I find with the SV you can use the engine braking, quick down gear changing whilst applying the brakes I find most effective to slow down than slamming the brakes on and leaving it in the gear you were riding it.

To be fair I only use the brakes to come to a total stop, or stop in an emergancy, on in town traffic. Most larger roundabouts I find engine braking, and a slight bit of back brake to display the light to display to the person(s) behind you are braking.

It is confidence with the brakes not the pads necessairly, don't be scared to pull a bit more if you need to but make sure you've got some practice in a car park.

[Spiderman]

Yup, what Fizz says is the best advice i'd say too. There is also the possibility that you may need to bleed your brakes so if you can get someone who knows about bikes or a local mechanic you trust to have a look at that aspect, it'd be a good move.

Originally Posted by Ruthja2801

Not really happy with the performance on the brakes when needed in a slight emergency!

I just didn't seem to get a response from them!

Would changing the pads make any difference?

I've heard braided hoses make a difference but do they just make them sharp and remove the gradual braking?

thanks in advance

Mine bike is the same year as yours I have found that they work fine on my bike.

What the others have suggested is good advice, the same I was given when I first bought my bike by the riding school who taught me to ride.

[Red Herring]

Ruth, you might also need to consider that with your shorter suspension there is likely to be a bit less dive which can disguise just how hard you are braking. You will still get weight transfer but just be careful not to snatch the front brake. It is true that you will be surprised how hard you can brake when you really have to, but you will also be surprised just how quickly the front will go if you actually manage to lock it. Take some quality time out on a nice quiet road or big deserted car park and practice a few stops from relatively high speed, eg 50 - 60 mph.

[Stu]

What's the Roadcraft training you're doing?
Sounds the best idea anyway - speak to them & tell them your concerns & they should be able to point you in the right direction as to setting up your bike (e.g. span adjuster) & what to practice.
It's hard to give advice over the internet other than IF your SV brakes are in good condition, then they should be good enough = youjust need to practice, but there could be a mechanical problem.
Only once you are used to the standard brakes in good working condition should you consider any of the available upgrades.

Ok, cheers guys for the good advice!

I did think after i should have used the engine braking but it all happened to fast!

So less back, more front and engine braking! I will find somewhere to practice, good idea!

Roadcraft?

[Spanner Man]

Good morning all.


One thing often overlooked when people complain that the brakes have no feel, is the height of the lever/pedal in relation to their hand or foot.

It would be well worth adjusting your levers & pedals to suit your build. A good starting point is to sit on the bike in your normal riding position & rest your fingers on top of the levers, with your fingers straight. Your fingers should be roughly at the same angle as your forearm. If not, it's a simple matter of slackening the clamp pinch bolts & rotating the lever up or down to suit.
Adjusting the rear brake & gear lever is slightly more fiddly, but still relatively easily accomplished. A peek in the manual should show you how. Basically, the ankle doesn't like being at angles too much either side of 90 degrees, so adjust your brake pedal so you can easily get your foot over the pedal without having to lift it too much.
With the gearlever it's a case of trial & error, as, in use you have to move it up aswell as down. So make minute adjustments until it feels comfortable.

Many a complaint of lack of feel in the brakes, missed gears, & aching clutch wrist etc can be overcome with a little tailoring of the controls to suit the rider.

Braided hoses & high friction pads are a worthwhile improvement to any bike, & any issues such as locking up the brakes too readily often disappear after a little tailoring of the controls, as described above.



Cheers.

[Dave20046]

Mine ain't good but I think it's more to do with them needing a good caliper service. What year's your bike? On my old curvy they were a bit worse than my current bike's and after several weeks messing about with pretty much every component they were 2 finger endo-worthy.

[Viney]

Originally Posted by Ruthja2801

Ok, cheers guys for the good advice!

I did think after i should have used the engine braking but it all happened to fast!

So less back, more front and engine braking! I will find somewhere to practice, good idea!

Roadcraft?

...However, as said, make sure your braking system is in good order. Make sure you dont have siezed pistons etc and that everything is nicley greased up (With Red grubber stuff etc) and that the fluid and pads are in good order. If you do want to try different tuff, then of course you can change the pads for a sintered pad, and maybe the hoses (Yet im not convinced there is much difference with hoses). Pads, anything like EBC HH (If you are a low milage user, as they are hard on discs) or Cabonne Lorraine A3+ pads. There are toerh brands but those are the only 2 i have expierence of.

Its a 2007 with 3500k on the clock!

All levers are correctly position sorted them out when i first got the bike. But thanks for your help