Linked Brakes (non Abs) - Can't Lock Rear Wheel?

I've had my '98 a while and was never that excited about the rear brake's ability to slow the bike. I know Honda didn't want newbies locking the rear wheel in a panic and so proportioned some braking to the front brakes via a delay valve. Well and good.

I've read in the VFR forums of at least a few who say they can lock the rear wheel on a linked VFR. I've never been able to do that on my bike.

I've kept my calipers clean and pads checked, and I just flush the system with new fluid, there's no air, etc., but bought the bike used and it was possible the rear pads were contaminated by chain lube. I installed new Honda pads and thoroughly cleaned the rotor with aerosol brake cleaner and paper towels until they came up clean.

Test Drive on New Pads = Still no locking of the rear, regardless of pressure applied, though the bike generally stopped quicker with the rear brake, alone, than it did before the pad change, so that was a factor.

Question - should I be able to lock the rear brake on dry pavement at all?

If the answer is "yes," should I consider I've got a bad proportioning and/or delay valve? If so, how to check for proper operation? Front brakes are fine and the bike stops quickly overall, no muss or fuss - I just want to make sure the rear brake's up to scratch.

Thanks for any advice.

Don't know why you'd need or want to skid your rear tire down the road....

Small world :laugh: http://www.vfrdiscus...showtopic=46177

You will probably have to use the front brake also. The rear brake doesn't do much for braking power, so it is not causing enough weight transfer to the front wheel to allow the rear to lock.

Stop hard using the front brake and the rear wheel will barely be touching the ground, making it easy to lock up. Make sure and pull the clutch when you do this to avoid also stalling the engine.

So far, sounds like it's OK that rear wheel won't lock without also using the front brake to transfer the weight off the rear wheel.

Also, I don't "want" to lock/skid the wheel. I just want to make sure the braking system is functioning as designed, and I've read that others have been able to lock the rear wheel, thus suggesting my bike's rear braking was deficient in some way.

Frankly, I'd be more worried if I could easily make my rear wheel lock up when braking.
IMO, A rear wheel that locks during braking does not indicate a brake system that's in proper working condition. On the contrary. Proper braking on bikes is mostly done with bias towards the front brakes, the last thing you would want to happen in any case is for your rear to ever lock up = possible loss of control = possible crash

Beck
95 VFR

Frankly, I'd be more worried if I could easily make my rear wheel lock up when braking.
IMO, A rear wheel that locks during braking does not indicate a brake system that's in proper working condition. On the contrary. Proper braking on bikes is mostly done with bias towards the front brakes, the last thing you would want to happen in any case is for your rear to ever lock up = possible loss of control = possible crash

Beck
95 VFR

I agree a wheel that locks during "normal" braking is bad. My issue on the linked system is the utter inability to lock the wheel under any circumstance, thus suggesting that insufficient braking force is being directed to the rear brake for some reason. That's what I'm trying to pin down - it's not that I'm trying to routinely lock my rear wheel, etc. I'm simply using that event as evidence or non-evidence of a problem with the system.

Small world :laugh: http://www.vfrdiscus...showtopic=46177

Yeah, maybe I'd read your thread 3 weeks back and that's what got me thinking about checking it out, fixing it, etc. Don't know why I didn't find it with the search. Based on the Euro board responses and the discussions here, it looks like it's normal have a somewhat wooden feel and a lack of lockup at the rear, at least on the 5th Gens. That's fine with me. I've locked a few in my day and, while it looks pretty cool (for a while), there ain't a whole lot of stopping going on at the time, at least before the high-side get off.

For me, at least, there's no denying the linked 5th Gen brakes are amazingly effective - I like 'em.

It is certainly possible to lock the rear wheel on my '02 with linked brakes (non-ABS). However, it's ususally in combination with being in 1st gear and having compression lockup at the same time. :-)

In all seriousness, it will depend on a combination of the condition of your brakes, the level of grip on the road surface, and how sticky your tyres are.