Rear Brake.

[MsTek]

I finally got the Duc home!  (YAY!)  I have enjoyed riding her- she is way different from my previous bikes however there is one thing I don't really like-

The rear brake.

Something about it bugs me... like its not big enough to use easily or something?  When I am wearing my new addias (yeah, not a bike shoe.. whatever) they  have a more stiff sole at the moment so I see less problems but with my broken in shoes, it seems kinda hard to find sometimes.

Am I the only one who has ever noticed this?  Is there a part to make that control a tad bigger?

Thanks?!

[junior varsity]

You can adjust it its position with aftermarket rearsets (not sure about which model Duc you have, so it may be possible with the stock setup)

Other thought might be that if its hard to "feel", your rear brake may need to bled, or rear brake pad changed. If its a new bike, that's not going to be the issue, but if has some miles on it, these things could make it feel spongy or so light that you can't feel it.

however, my rear brake's primary use is holding the bike at a stop light so I can relax my right hand, and occasionally trimming off a little bit of speed. Under heavy braking, my back end gets so light that using very much (barely any) rear brake is asking for a rear wheel skid, which is no fun. have to be easy on the rear brake. (i still use it. there are those that swear it off as evil. much like cruiser riders who might tell you the front brake is what gets you into trouble. totally different set up there.)

If this is your first sport bike (not sure, so I won't assume you've been riding a lot)  you'll notice many sportbikes have significantly smaller rear brake setups, from the pedal, to the caliper, than the cruisers. It is because of weight distribution and effectiveness. The rear end of a cruiser is not going to become as "light" as a sportbike's under braking, so those guys get huge rear brake pedals.

Also, love your ankles. You can get an inexpensive pair of Icon boots that will cover your ankle and afford you a little more protection should have a 'get-off'. See if you can find a pair of superduty boots in the men's section that will fit. the boots they marketed for women for awhile were completely useless.

[He Man]

+1 to loving your ankles, i went down on some diesel/rain/motor oil/garbage/ feces who knows what on flatbush ext in brooklyn at slow speed and the results sucked, i couldnt walk right for 2-3 months, pics here


http://ducatimonsterforum.org/index.php?topic=14687.0


and as far as the rear brake goes, you can move the little nub that hits hte rear brake light button a bit, but thats as much adjustment as your going to get.

[MsTek]

I can't find boots I like.  For now I have been at least wearing those icon shin/knee guards that go under pants.  It IS a step up from me... I used to wear nothing but a skirt and knee high doc martins and think I was "cool".

I wasn't.

[junior varsity]

quit worrying about which ones you like the look of. find a pair that fits and is in your price range, and your rides will be worry free, at least as far as keeping your feet attached to your legs is concerned. clicketh the link above your post to see why boots are important.

[MsTek]

quit worrying about which ones you like the look of. find a pair that fits and is in your price range, and your rides will be worry free, at least as far as keeping your feet attached to your legs is concerned. clicketh the link above your post to see why boots are important.

If its not comfortable, I'm not going to wear it.  If it feels unnatural, I'm not going to wear it.  I did see the link.  I wish I had a photo of the exhaust burn that I got on my calf when I first started to ride.  I know its dangerous. I know it hurts.  If I didn't accept that, I'd not ride at all.

And rides are NEVER worry free.  No amount of armor is going to protect me from the hoopties in the car, the driver drinking a MF-ing 40oz.  (yeah, I saw that when I took my bike home. Had to decide if I wanted to be BEHIND them or way AHEAD of them... Then the fire truck came... *sigh*  And I lived to ride another day.)

[junior varsity]

then quit worrying so much about the positioning of your rear brake

[Speeddog]

Not knowing which Monster you've got, but...

The brake 'peg' is a bit far inboard on the non S*R bikes.
It's something I got used to after a while.

The brake pedal can be *carefully* bent out a bit.

You can adjust the stop screw to raise or lower the pedal, just have to make sure that there's still adequate freeplay in the pushrod afterward.

[MsTek]

then quit worrying so much about the positioning of your rear brake

Because shoes really are going to help me with where the break is.

Thank you for your help and the lecture.  It solved my issue perfectly! 

[MsTek]

Not knowing which Monster you've got, but...

The brake 'peg' is a bit far inboard on the non S*R bikes.
It's something I got used to after a while.

The brake pedal can be *carefully* bent out a bit.

You can adjust the stop screw to raise or lower the pedal, just have to make sure that there's still adequate freeplay in the pushrod afterward.

It's an S*R.  I just know it doesn't feel quite right in comparison to other bikes I have ridden.  I guess I can get used to it but it does make me a little nervous since I am used to being able to "feel" that brake.

[He Man]

I used to wear nothing but a skirt and knee high doc martins and think I was "cool".

TTIUWOP now. (sorry, but you asked for it)

maybe you should try bleeding the thing first and get new pads, you might get better feel out of it. aside from that, i have two pairs of boots, my serious riding boots, and my i dont want to burn my ankle again boots. the later is just a pair of boots i found comfortable to wear (actually they are running boots) while riding. My real boots (oxtar TCS RX) are not that comfortable so its a trade off.

sportbiketrackgear.com has a lot of gear for ladies.

[MsTek]

TTIUWOP  <--- What is this?

And I've been riding for 14 years.  I acted like a retard when I was 19 and thought I was cute and special.  I've reformed.  We've all had our stupid days.

[junior varsity]

i tried to help. you provided no technical information about your bike to go on. made sure to point out about bleeding brakes to reduce spongy feel, and check brake pad wear.

then you made excuses for not wearing protective gear, and tried to liken an exhaust burn to crash damage, and then you furthered your argument by extrapolating "one less thing to worry about" (a statement i made about wearing boots can help you from worrying about your feet being wrenched in directions they weren't made to) to your rebuttal "there's always stuff to worry about" which really had nothing to do with appropriate riding gear - that which is required of all people enrolling in a basic rider's safety course taught by the MSF.

again,

[MsTek]

i tried to help. you provided no technical information about your bike to go on. made sure to point out about bleeding brakes to reduce spongy feel, and check brake pad wear.

then you made excuses for not wearing protective gear, and tried to liken an exhaust burn to crash damage, and then you furthered your argument by extrapolating "one less thing to worry about" (a statement i made about wearing boots can help you from worrying about your feet being wrenched in directions they weren't made to) to your rebuttal "there's always stuff to worry about" which really had nothing to do with appropriate riding gear - that which is required of all people enrolling in a basic rider's safety course taught by the MSF.

again,

Cranky suits you well! 

What is required in a basic safety course is :

Helmet
Gloves
BOOTS (not bike specific, but only over the ankle... )
Long pants
Long sleeved shirt


At least that is what is required in IL.

BTW... I JUST took my safety course to get a discount on my insurance even though I've been riding for a bit.

If you want to have a boner over appropriate riding gear, be my guest.  The only one who is busting a nut right now is you.

Have a great day.   

[junior varsity]

i said boots. over and over. is this selective reading on your part? its almost laughable. you said you were wearing addias [sic], i said love your ankles, wear boots. i suggested looking at men's ICON superduty boots because they were cheap, comfortable, and may suit your style. you can wear combat boots or hiking boots, so long as they have a rubber sole really.

and no, the MSF will not let you wear just any boot. if you show up in leather soled cowboy boots, they will not let you participate. the footwear must be rubber soled so you don't have foot traction problems and fall over.

i'm not being cranky, i sat down to look at the board on a saturday morning before a wrenching endeavor, and thought i could offer some advice, since you requested some regarding your rear brake. I offered some advice about boot safety which can improve brake lever feel, you gave me nothing to go on up front regarding your bike, ignored the advice about checking hydraulics, and choose petty attacks and middle school language to sidestep the issue.

only later do we discover its an S*R bike, still unsure of what kind of bike you are comparing the "feel" to, and still have no response on whether you've bled the brakes or checked the pads. and thanks for the concerns about my boner and right nut, i'll pass the message along.