Dual Brake Lever - Info. 2 share

crzyolphart

crzyolphart

New Member
Ordered a (much needed) Dual Brake Lever and mounted it yesterday.
Should you decide to go this route; Take care to disassemble the adjusters
and the screw that tightens it to the bars. Apply a liberal amount of
"anti-sieze" compound to the threads and work the threads a bit to spread it.
The adjusters are made of a very soft (cheap) aluminum and will gaul very easily.
(like the one on my clutch lever)

MOTOR ON DUDES! (and dudettes)zpt
 

Attachments

  • dual brake lever.JPG
    dual brake lever.JPG
    136 KB · Views: 259
This whole dual brake one lever idea really scares the crap out of me.

What if there is an emergency?
my reaction would be to slam the rear brake as hard as I can and hit the front brake a bit as well

with this dual thing you cant just slam on the brakes without flippin over

just my .002
 
I think having two levers on the same side of the bars is more dangerous especially in a panic stop. Not only that you can adjust the balance of the front/rear brake.
 
Hi All!
Unlike 4 wheeled vehicles, where the front brakes do most of the work;
It has to be the opposite on our machines. (otherwise, we'd be doing "headers"
over the bars). When I installed mine, I adjusted the rear first, For a nice FIRM
feel. I then adjusted the front till I got a good "assist". This puppy stops on a
dime and gives me change back now!

Rob (crazy-ol'-fart)zpt

(This pic was taken before I did the brakes)
 

Attachments

  • DSCN1693.JPG
    DSCN1693.JPG
    448.8 KB · Views: 181
Sorry crzy - but that's simply not accurate. Try experimenting with stopping distances with just your rear brake, then just the front and you'll see the rear brake provides very little actual stopping power - it's mostly to be used in conjunction with the front for balance and poor road conditions.

Motorcycle Braking - Motorcycle Safety Information and Resources

The dual brake lever is somewhat problematic in that you can't alter your braking for various conditions (sand, rain etc,) so while with independent brakes I'll tend to use only the front (good conditions obv) - I've set my dual brake lever to be about a 60/40% split with the primary being the front. While I could better my stopping distance with even a 70/30% or greater - I fear the sandy corner ;)
 
Last edited:
Hi Barely!
I understand your reasoning and your explanation brought back thoughts
and memories of my motorcycling days. (LOOOooonng gone)
I must, however, beg to differ.
As the link you posted states (in number 7); Toward the
end of the stopping process, you MUST back off the front brake
to avoid a "slow speed lockup". While using this "dual pull" setup;
That is virtually impossible to do.Therefore I suggest setting it
to a lesser pull to avoid that lockup. It's a compromise sort of
thing. (like so much else we're forced to do with our machines.)
PLEASE understand; I'm not trying to start a "pissin' match".
I just see no other recourse.

Rob (crazy ol fart)zpt
 

Attachments

  • braking.JPG
    braking.JPG
    122.6 KB · Views: 119
Last edited:
No worries crzy, I figure we're jus' sharing viewpoints lol

I gotta say that I don't think we're "differing" at this point, what you've just pointed out is one of the reasons I've set my dual brake lever to be about a 60/40% split (front primary) instead of the roughly 80/20% I'd use were they independent *shrug*

Ya do gotta compromise somewhat with the dual brake lever - but it's not because the front only "assists" with a two wheeled vehicle (front is responsible for the most stopping power), it's simply because braking conditions are variable and the dual brake lever prevents variable use.
 
BarelyAWake said:
...it's simply because braking conditions are variable and the dual brake lever prevents variable use.
Click to expand...

I've gotta say I disagree here. At this point the rider provides the variation in how they operate the brake lever.

Before I started riding motorized bikes I rode pedal bikes for 10 years as my only means of transportation. On my non-motorized TREK i have both brakes, disc, set with the pads as close as possible without rubbing. When I have to stop I use mostly my front brake and have done 3 front wheel wheelies, in panic stops, without going over the bars. I learned how to use my brakes on my pedal bikes and I love going as fast as I can on my pedal bikes so I need to be able to stop, very fast stops at times from speeds in excess of 20 miles an hour.

On my motor bike i have a dual pull lever and I love it. Front and back brakes, rim style brakes, I set the pads as close to the rims as I can without them rubbing the rims. I now control how hard my brakes stop me. If I am making a panic stop, my weight is shifting from the seat to my pedals and moving towards the back of the bike. If the bike starts to raise the rear wheel off the ground, I LET OFF the brakes, the rear wheel comes back down on the ground and I am at a stand still, stopped with my feet on the ground. Which is much easier when I don't have to un-clip from my pedals like I would have to also do on my pedal bike to avoid falling over.

But, like barely stated, this is just how I do it. We are all just sharing our own personal experiences here and it's all in the hopes of furthering everyone's knowledge.
 
I did mean variable use of the front and rear brakes independently of each other depending on conditions, not just variable braking pressure - that I think we prolly agree on :)
 
I've got the dual pull brake on all my bikes and have never had a problem, even in quick stops.

Let's be honest here, who, in an emergency stop situation, thinks "Oh, I have to be careful with the application of my front brake so that I don't lock it up!" Everyone I know just grabs the brake and hopes for the best.

While I agree that being able to independently control braking pressure IN THEORY gives one more control. IN ACTUAL APPLICATION that almost never happens.
 
You're right that in an emergency stop situation there's no time to think of such things, but it rapidly becomes reflexive should you constantly expose yourself to challenging driving conditions, in actual application it provides better braking abilities should the driver be able to utilize it. This is why most motorcycles and bicycles have independent brakes to begin with.

In "normal" driving conditions and with average drivers driving "normally" - it makes little to no difference, which is why I've got a dual brake lever on my cruiser (cosmetic concession - too many levers make it look odd), but not my mountain bike, which is also my winter driver ;)
 
ok,just thinking(danger Will Robertson) ,,what if back behind the seat tube where the kickstand used to be there was a fork to pull out and lock the crank in place so it wouldn't turn,on the left hand side,,,now on the right side there was a foot brake set-up ,like a motorcycle,with a foot brake lever,only the toe (step-on thing)folded up like the kick-start lever on a motorcycle when you needed to pedal,,,,this could be possible
 
On a bicycle you do not want to much breaking power in the front and thats all I can say I have flipped intentionaly and unintentionaly, I always use back breaks first and foremost and front last, while yes it can stop you faster it is not that safe on a bicycle. I agree with the ol phart as a matter of personal choice.
 
Hi

Using The Dual Brake With Thumb Throttle Off Of Atv, Seems To Be A Quailty Item. Have Not Heard Of Any Recall`s, Which Is A Bit Of Comfort. Have Thought Of Installing A Front Fork With Rim And Disc Brake. Hook The Rim Brake To A Left Hand Lever For Safety/backup.

Imho Here Is A Comparison Of Adjusting One Brake Loose And One Close. If You Take A Automobile With 4 Wheel Hydrualic Drum Brakes - Adjust The Shoe`s Close On One Axle And The Brake Shoe`s Loose On The Other Axle.

The Result Is; It Takes More Pedal Travel And Brake Fluid To Get The Slack Out Of The System. Then Line Pressure Build`s Equailly In The System. (using The Old Single Style Master Cylinder With One Plunger). Line pressure is equal. they use different bore wheel cylinders and shoe size`s to get desired results.

The Dual Lever Brake Will Not Apply Pressure Until The Slack Is Out Of The Cables. Farracing And I Used The Dual Master Cyclinders With Adjustable Balance Bar To Regulate Brake Bias Front To Rear in our race cars. You Will Get Lapped In A Hurry Without It. Nascar, Everbody Use`s It Now.

Remember This Is My Opinion. "I Thought I Was Wrong Once, But I Was Mistaken!". Lol

Later My Friends. Ron .cvlt1
 
Last edited:
I keep my dual brake levers on my MB's for the reasons barely said. For a throttle I use a seperate brake lever positioned under the right lever. I have ridden bicycles without motors for many years and as barely said it is reflexive in an emergency to use a lot more front brake than rear and will stop you much faster. As for looks I really don't care if it looks cluttered. If it works well it is good. If you persist in using rear brakes more than fronts it will bite you someday when you really need to stop as fast as possible especially considering the speeds we run on these things. Another thread on this subject. http://motorbicycling.com/f3/disc-brake-17813.html
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top