Stoppie strike!

[baffa]

Ok not quite as impressive as rideon's encounter with a hawk,
But I managed to lock the front wheel last night and keep it up, whilst scaring myself stupid.
I was riding home and checking the feel of the front brakes as you do, and thinking about emergency stops, not something ive really practiced on this bike.
It hauls up well, but I wanted to test what happens when you stop suddenly. I was mindful of pulling unintential stoppies and going flying over the bars, so tested hard braking, and managed to do a small stoppie (not intentional, but an achievement nonetheless).

I gave it one last test and the front wheel locked and violently went left, and I somehow managed to release the brake, hold on, and slam the ground with my right boot to stay upright. Scary stuff to say the least.

Locked the rear plenty of times but never the front. It leaves me wondering how people pull off stoppies without occasionally locking and killing themselves.

[nodrog:Me]

I dont think stoppies or emergency braking are about just ripping on the lever as hard as you can and hoping for the best.

[Ronin]

All about weight transfer and timing.

[baffa]

I dont think stoppies or emergency braking are about just ripping on the lever as hard as you can and hoping for the best.

Lol. If I had simply grabbed full brakes, I dont think I'd be writing this now.

[avgas]

Leaving the disc lock on is a good way to train

[Gremlin]

Generally speaking, locking the front is because not enough weight had been shifted to the front (besides simply being far too hard on the brakes or asking too much of the tyre), which meant less traction available, ie, more easy to lock. Easiest to demonstrate if you're accelerating (the weight is rear bias) and you suddenly brake hard (higher speed better for demonstration purposes).

In contrast if you shift the weight forward first (decelerate or brake, also remember body position) then the front wheel will be less likely to lock (all other factors remaining the same). For stoppies riders will have their weight well forward, weight shift to the front, preload the front with small amount of braking then brake hard. This would be with the goal of lifting the rear. In normal riding you don't want to shift that much weight to the front.

Bit more complicated, but it's the basics I guess. After I almost endo'd a loaner motard I decided wheelies were far more fun that stoppies (coz you sit there looking at the ground wondering if you've finally run out of luck)