which is most powerful brake on motorcycle?

Answer 1

When braking on a motorcycle the transfer of momentum is forwrd into the road. The rider can tell this as he has to lean on the handlebars to stop from sliding forward. Pillion passengers know this as they grab the back bar to prevent climbing up the driver's back like a monkey.

Observing a bike under braking you will see that the front wheel dips and the rear wheel rises. This indicates that, if you were to measure the weight distribution, the front wheel would weigh more under braking, thus more force is being applied to the front wheel.

On a motorcycle, unlike a bicycle, you are unlikely ever to "go over the handle bars." However there are some racing bikes where they are so light and the brakes are so powerful that they can do front wheelies!

Now the increased force on the front wheel means that it has more grip on the road. (Friction is proportional to the downwards force) This means that you can apply more braking force without it locking up and skidding. The opposite is true of the rear wheel: it becomes easier to lock up and produce a skid. I can testify from experience.

("Dynamic" or skidding friction is less than static or non-skidding friction, so a skidding tyre is not slowing down as quickly as a rolling tyre. This is why ABS is so useful!)

To exploit the fact that the front tyre can do more stopping work, you will notice that the front wheel has more powerful brakes than the rear. Sometimes the front has disc or discs, compared to a drum on the rear. Even if there is a disc at the rear, the front will have enormous twin vented discs

My old bike instructor said that the braking force should be 75% front and 25% to the rear. Fortunately, locking up the rear wheel in a skid causes only a slight fishtail which can be corrected easily. Locking up the front wheel makes it vanish from below you and you fall off!

I believe that some Italian bikes have (brembo?) brakes which automatically put more force to the front brakes than the rear.

Answer 2

Hmm.....kinda sounds to me like you're mixing 'apples and oranges'. I agree with some of the previous responses. It IS true the 70% of braking is done with the front brake ( that doesn't mean it is the 'most powerful' - it just mean that it is used the most). It is also true the good riders can generally ride w/o using rear brakes at all ( again, doesn't mean front ones are 'most powerful')

There are a couple other things to consider. Some bikes have dual front brakes but only one rear brake. Brake calipers hold pistons that squeeze together against the brake pads to stop the movement of the rotor. Calipers have different number of pistons in them. Stock used to have 2 pistons, while some aftermarket has up to 4 or 6. So, in reality, you could have a 6 piston rear caliper and a 2 piston or 2- 2 piston calipers on the front. In this case you'd have 2 to 4 pistons stopping the front and 6 stopping the rear, yet you STILL have 70% of stopping coming from the front.

So........which is the 'most powerful' brake ? Depends..............

Answer 3

Sliipery Jim beat me to it! He's got it just right.
I would add that the front brake is the only one you really need, except in panic stops.
Heading into a curve, if you apply the rear break, you will stand the bike up from your lean and go in a straight line. This is frequently the cause of accidents for new riders who take a corner too hot; they set the rear break, straight up and go off the road. Bam.
That can be fatal.
Only use the front break, unless you are braking in a straight line (like approaching a traffic stop). And don't worry about doing a hand-stand or going over. Most modern bikes are designed to prevent that.

Answer 4

The front brake has more stopping power than the rear brake on motorcycles.

Answer 5

The most powerful part of your motorcycle is not the engine - it's the brakes. That's a fact. Consider this - A GSXR1000 can do a standing quarter mile in 10.8 seconds with a terminal speed of 138mph. Yet the brakes can do the same amount of work, but in reverse, in just 6.8 seconds.

Answer 6

It does NOT depend. It is the front brakes, which is why my racebikes have triple pistons inside the rotors and outside the rotors, for a total of 12 actuated points to keep the brakes on the rotors. Trail braking, (braking while turning) is an art, so don't confuse your own inadequacies while trying to make a point.

Answer 7

The rear brake should always be the most powerful and the first acting one. Otherwise you will end up ahead of the bike.

Answer 8

The disc brakes are the most powerful brake.they give u a faster fedback than a drum brake

Answer 9

the front brake has most of the stopping power

Answer 10

On a un-modifed japanese motorbike. the front brake is the one that is stronger.
I use mainly, only my front. In an emergancy i use both.
As the weather and road conditions warrent, i use less front and more back.
If you use only the back brake, your stopping distances will be longer than if you only used the front!