Locked up rear wheel

[Moo]

Even the bike manufacturers think you should use more front than back which is why most bikes have very substantial brakes at the front and a little tiddler at the back. It is also a lot easier to control the brake with your nice sensitive finger(s) than a boot encrusted foot

Best not to brake too hard going round corners whichever one you use :-[

[Rabb]

I use my rear brake quite a lot for control at speed and also for low speed control in traffic (Dabbing technique).

60/40 front/rear split on dry roads; 50/50'ish when wet.
Progressive application on both, gradually increasing with time/distance to the required stopping point.

If you brake too hard & too fast you will lock the back up.
(I know because I've done it a couple of times in emergency situations).

Take it steady until you get more used to the braking weight shift as previously mentioned.
A few more miles will sort it - don't be hard on yourself.

Oh and don't brake in corners - if you do be very careful.
If you brake in corners you are not in the right gear or have not slowed down enough before the bend. Try to get everything sorted (gears & braking) before the bend so that you can concentrate on position in the bend and acceleration around and out of the bend.

Safe riding fella!
I learn something new every day - even at the tender age of 47!

[Mark_Able]

Sorry guys, but even though the DSA say 50/50 in the wet, they're wrong. It should still be majority front brake. If the weight is transferring onto the front tyre, it has to be the front brake that does most work. I use rear brake purely for slow speed control, and for helping to control speed on roundabouts and bends.

[Mark_Able]

Oh, and I stick with 99.9% front brake on dry roads...

[Ducatista]

Oh, and I stick with 99.9% front brake on dry roads...

In corners, downhill, through mud, slow riding?

For me it depends.

I'd say get some training as well as practice.
Practice is great but only if you are practicing the right things.
There are plenty of value for money options around like road safety partnerships, bike safe, advanced voluntary groups as well as the commercial options.

[Tobias5571]

mate, your on a v twin.... you dont need to even have a back brake just use the gears, but dont drop more than one at a time or youl end up locking the back wheel up, you will be practicing swan lake

[redken1]

Sorry guys, but even though the DSA say 50/50 in the wet, they're wrong. It should still be majority front brake. If the weight is transferring onto the front tyre, it has to be the front brake that does most work. I use rear brake purely for slow speed control, and for helping to control speed on roundabouts and bends.

+1 and find it handy for hill starts

[JonGeorge]

mate, your on a v twin.... you dont need to even have a back brake just use the gears, but dont drop more than one at a time or youl end up locking the back wheel up, you will be practicing swan lake

I've got an idea mate... rear brake delete? Lol....

[Trev]

It really does depend on experience, conditions, tyres and wot bike you're riding.
I tend to use the rear quite a bit at slow speeds when scrubbing off a few mph for example but less at higher speeds. For 'proper' braking nearly always front wet or dry with a tiny bit of rear if needed.
Does depend on which bike I'm on though, my Gixer 11 rear brake is so poor and tyre so grippy then a decent boot doesn't do that much and when your have to stomp then not much feel ;D
On the MT03 the rear is better but I do get the odd lock up from down changes anyway, particularly when 'making progress' on wet, slippery backroads.
I've got a few other bikes of various ages and various tyre/brake combinations and it always take a few miles to get the feel back for each.
As many others have said, get some training, find your preference then practice, practice, practice.
If you get a chance off road riding will really help. Hasn't got to be 'proper' green laning stuff, I learnt a lot as a kid on a ratty step thru in a large grassy field, come to think of it learnt quite a bit as a kid in grassy fields

[JonGeorge]

It really does depend on experience, conditions, tyres and wot bike you're riding.
I tend to use the rear quite a bit at slow speeds when scrubbing off a few mph for example but less at higher speeds. For 'proper' braking nearly always front wet or dry with a tiny bit of rear if needed.
Does depend on which bike I'm on though, my Gixer 11 rear brake is so poor and tyre so grippy then a decent boot doesn't do that much and when your have to stomp then not much feel ;D
On the MT03 the rear is better but I do get the odd lock up from down changes anyway, particularly when 'making progress' on wet, slippery backroads.
I've got a few other bikes of various ages and various tyre/brake combinations and it always take a few miles to get the feel back for each.
As many others have said, get some training, find your preference then practice, practice, practice.
If you get a chance off road riding will really help. Hasn't got to be 'proper' green laning stuff, I learnt a lot as a kid on a ratty step thru in a large grassy field, come to think of it learnt quite a bit as a kid in grassy fields

I want to do a bit of offroading, I can see how it would help