Riding smooth and efficient is under appreciated in the today's biking culture I think. The perfect smooth take off, the proper rev matching before shifting, using engine breaking downshifting and delicate breaking to get the bike to halt gives a lot of satisfaction to me.
All points excellently covered here Stuart, when the standard tires on my Interceptor wore out I fitted a set of Avon Roadriders, and guess what? they really didn't feel any different! As for brakes I wish I had a pound for every time a younger rider has said they're really nice bikes these aren't they but I don't like the idea of only having one disc on the front! 😆😆 I've just done a bike rally this weekend that was attended by scores of experienced riders on vintage and classic bikes, with cable operated drum brakes and you don't hear them saying their brakes are inadequate, because they're experienced and know how to ride their particular bike accordingly, Great video as usual, cheers 🍻
I have a 1967 Morris minor , people who acquire these cars tend to change the braking system to a disc set up. My car has totally standard drum brakes which I find perfectly adequate for the way they should be driven.
I remember heading to a classic car show in East Lothian a few years ago in my Morris Minor with standard suspension and brakes. I was overtaken by a Morgan 3 wheeler, so I set off in pursuit!! I don't think either of us got much over 50mph, but it was great fun trying to get the best out of the car, and having to use the gearbox to slow down as well because the brakes were starting to fade! 🤣
Motorcycling since 1958 and I have yet to say these tires or those tires are bad! Keeping the tires at manufacturer"s recommended pressures and checking frequently have served me well with tube and tubeless tires. Probably the best safety feature thus far is my reluctance to want to die or be injured by motorcycle and trusting no one in a car, truck, tractor etc. to do the right thing. Awareness is number one! Thanks for the reminders.
I'm a 53yr old that just marked my 1st year of riding and Stu, it's all your fault. I came across your channel and saw how you presented the Interceptor. Well, I just had to have one. It's been a ton of fun, it's been therapeutic and it's taken me places I never would have gone if I were in a car. Thanks for your videos, I really enjoy and learn from them. Love the not so common "common sense" approach you have too.
Another excellent and informative video. As a reasonably new rider, 4 years, I spent the first 2 years and quite a bit of money searching for the “a right” tyres etc based on the opinions of various pay to say reviews. These days I agree with your totally, if something goes wrong etc it’s not the tyres or the brakes it’s me. I see so many learner riders here in Australia screaming past in their 650cc crotch rockets in wet weather and expecting the breakes and tyres they have wasted a fortune on to save them. I will happily trundle along with the tyres and brakes on my meteor 350 confident in the knowledge that they are perfectly adequate for my needs
There’ll be no obtuse from me Stu. Good video. When I learned to ride bikes had single leading shoe drum brakes. You learned very quickly that the bikes went better than they stopped and you rode accordingly. Tyres and brakes have advanced since then but that contact patch hasn’t. Smooth riding is still the key. The most pleasure I get on a ride is to go the most distance without touching the brakes or putting a foot down.
Yes besides Tyres and Brakes, the other thing that annoys me about Motorcycle Journalists is when they talk about bikes below 650 cc as being first bikes / starter bikes / bikes for beginners !!
You get used to the tyres and brakes you have. Very few track riders are skilful enough to push tyres beyond their traction limits in the dry. On the road it is user error when that happens. Same with brakes, they don't just stop working. You are either going too fast or leaving braking too late. Great video as always.
In the 1950s Firestone made snow tires for motorcycles. My uncle had a chat hanging on the wall of the basement in Astoria and when the snow came he would swap out the wheels on his Harley. Imagine people riding a motorcycle in the snow to work because that's all they had.
I don't have to imagine it, I used to do it and my journey to work was around 20 miles, and in the early years with open face helmet. I still ride all year round.
In my younger years when a motorcycle was all I had it didn't matter what the weather was doing, you had somewhere to go, you moaned but got on with it, life was that simple, I am just very glad that today I have the option.
A great many of us back in the day had no option other than to ride all year round, no matter what the weather. I had a 75-mile each way weekly commute to my military base in the very early 1960's on my 250 Jawa with drum brakes and OE tyres. It quickly taught me how to ride to the conditions. Riding in the snow and ice or torrential rain wasn't fun, but it got me there and back, albeit sometimes frozen to the bike! No heated, grips/gloves/suits or screen/fairing and with open-face helmet as full-face hadn't been invented yet. It was all a great learning curve and yes, at 77, I'm still riding and hope to for many years to come.
I couldn't have said it any better. Considering everything in good maintenance, I've never really had a bike with bad brakes or tires, I've always enjoyed adapting to the machine I'm riding to the conditions I'm riding in. There are bikes I have felt more confident riding and tires brands that gave me more confidence. I have been guilty of changing tires all too often just trying to find better tires. But they were all good tires. I admit over the years I believe I feel more confidence on sport touring tires by Dunlop or Michelin. But I have ridden on cheap Asian tires with no real problems. Great advice for everyone in this video. I agree don't fight the bike or the road just relax and deal with it and everything will work just fine.
@@stevied6286 The only times I have ridden on Avon tires/tyres is on an old Harly Sportster and a DKW small street bike. both times the tires were old and hard from age not miles. But I'm not sure if they were a fair test of the brand. Also, to be fair I have not seen or heard much that favors Avon tires.
@@KO-pk7df I tend to agree that those folk that perhaps push less than ideal tyres in less than ideal conditions are going to get less than ideal results and occasionally, push their luck too far then blame the tyre for the resulting " mishap"! More years ago than I care to remember, I had Avon road masters ( I think that's what they were called ) on a Suzuki GT 380..I learned an awful lot about how NOT to ride in the wet on prehistoric rubber but in all fairness , buying a already old machine with unknown-age part-worn tyres was probably the issue.My change to continentals was a massive boost in handling and confidence..we have to learn the strengths and weaknesses of more than tyres on the road to find confidence in a machine!
In the late '70s I had a Suzuki GT 380 which gave me my first experience of a disk brake on a motorcycle. It had an 'interesting' performance in the wet. I just adapted to how it performed (lack of) and adjusted my speed accordingly with the throttle. Luckily it still had a drum brake on the rear which gave me some confidence in stopping the bike. As you might remember early disk braked bikes had issues in the wet, although this seemed to have been rectified by the time I bought a 1980 Suzuki GS550 which I rode through the '80s and ''90s but I still ride my Interceptor with the mindset that my GT380 had given me in the wet.
Disc's in the wet back then were lethal, I'm pretty sure it was more down to the disc material than the pads, how they got away with it I'll never know.
@@bsimpson6204 cars back then used asbestos pads and cast discs, bikes used the same for the shoes in a steel drum, in the very early seventies the early discs were steel but as that rusted the manufacturer's chromed the steel to maintain the appearance, which then stripped off causing problems, the solution seemed to be stainless steel discs, unfortunately with the then current pads the combination didn't work well in the wet and it took the best part of ten years for the asbestos free sintered pads to arrive and rectify the problem, all my bikes had drums in those days so I never had that problem☺.
Completely agree with you. Investing in advanced training (ROSPA, IAM or BikeSafe in UK) will result in people being far safer than endlessly spending money on 'upgrades'. Smooth, acurate and planned riding is the key to safety. Having had the pleasure of riding with police motorcyclists in wet and dry weather there's rarely a change in speed, because they are always riding within the limits of the rider, machine and road and not AT the limit. But so many riders don't seem to know their limitations, the limits of their machine or the nature of changing road surfaces. Another great video 👍
Thanks for that informative video Stuart. I'm sorry to hear about the bereavement in the family and thank you for continuing to put videos out at this difficult time.
As you keep making videos that make me feel sad that I am unable to ride at this time. I am 100 percent motorcyclist for over 2 years and had an accident at work 3 months and I needed to get my truck road worthy again because I can drive a 4 wheel vehicle. Where it made me sad was when you talked about rain down your neck and water filling my boots when it's raining. I miss that the most. Being apart of the elements is my most favorite. The smells , I also miss. Thank you for all you do. Don't worry about us. Take care of family needs comes first! Love
@@davidbnsmessex.5953 been looking into side cars on a Royal Enfield. Surgery next Tuesday to figure out what my future is. Hope to see the road again in 5 weeks. Thanks for your energy. Keep well.
In the first few years of riding, I certainly was that heavy throttle/braking guy. A few educational close calls, and watching some friends hit the tarmac - curbed my enthusiasm. It is never a bad idea to review basic skills and road sense. 👍 for a great video!
A friend of mine rode with some coppers. It was a real eye opener for him. The smoothness, the progression, cornering, balance etc. They had it to such an art he said they rarely came to a complete halt. This is where the real art is not just going fast.
As a pragmatist, I always think 'use what you have and get the most out of it as you can'. On empty and well known country roads with good forward visibility, it can be fun to drive sportingly even with over-hard and durable tyres and to learn the limitations of grip of those particular tyres when leaning... and then to drive within those parameters, even if they are not the best. The same goes for when conditions change from dry to wet, or from hot to cold. Any tyres capabilities will change accordingly and the challenges are enjoyable. However, I do find that over time, I have developed preferences for tires that are better in the cold and wet (I live in the West of Ireland) and ones that have more tolerance at the point of losing grip rather than ones that abruptly break out. Having said that, most of my everyday riding is not like that: driving from A to B, it is simply comforting to have gotten to know your current tyres' limitations. And such experience also helps in an emergency situation, as one's intuition then tends to operate within the learnt parameters. I do something similar in my car, whenever it snows, or it looks as if it's getting icy: on a straight and flat piece of road with no other traffic, I test the brakes in order to experience the grip on the snow or ice and to get a feel of when the car starts slipping and how long it takes for the car to stop with wheels locked. Once I've done that, I can crawl along an icy road with much more confidence.
Agree 100% on tire preference. Rain/cold and smooth predictable sliding, rather than acheiving top speed. Enjoyed your icy road test braking routine. That used to be basic driver's education from the beginning of time in Sweden, but fewer seem to practice it. New demographic, skewing the "common" sense on the roads.
Excellent video Stuart! To open a very large _can of worms_ I'm going to say that most people need to take an advanced motorcycle riding course and practice the essential manoeuvres *before* they start changing the OEM brakes and tyres. Yes, there are better tyres, brakes, oil, bearings etc. etc. Are they necessary for road riding in most of the developed world, *_No_*_ Nice to have, yes, necessary no._ Track riding is a completely different kettle of fish.
I have a 1972 T120 that had period style TT 100s on it. It handled much as I remember they did back in the day. I then fitted modern tyres designed for classics ( Avons) and the difference is wonderful. You can lean it over and really enjoy applying the power to pull it out of bends, whilst it feels like you are going much faster than you really are. Very much like driving an old mini in fact. Modern tyres are a vast improvement over even the best tyres of the last century. Oh and its worth reminding that bike tyres don't age well, and are often sub par even when there is plenty of tread left. I've renewed tyres many times to improve handling, often with the same make.
Motorvycle tires were made flat in the tread area. I was giving friends rides on my first rounded profile tires. The difference in handling cause many smiles.
I have been riding for 50 years and have owned many types of motorbike. The BIGGEST mistake I have seen riders make, is not looking ahead while riding (as Stuart stated). I agree 100% with his comments in all aspects. I currently own a 2022 RE Interceptor 650 and find the brakes and tyres to be no problem at all. Remember: There are Old bikers and there are Bold bikers, but there are NEVER Old Bold bikers. Keep up the Video's Stuart. Its a breath of fresh air to hear some common sense for once.
I think for example my Royal Enfield 350 classic, because the breaks say bybre and tyres say ceat . People just assume they are cheap rubbish, but the tyres are a lovely soft compound that grip as good as you could even want as I've been riding all weather through this winter. The breaks are also very good, I've never had a back break with this much stopping power and the front is more than acceptable.
@@travisperkins100 ironically the gear's are so smooth too! I saw a pair of tyres on eBay brand new removed the day someone had bought the bike lol never even tried them. Only about £70 the pair. I nearly bought them. I bet you could order ceat tyres direct from India cheap enough. They are very good 👍
I'm old enough to remember when Japanese bike makers put tyres like Yokohama and Inoue (iirc) tyres on bikes. The first thing you did was put Dunlop or Avon tyres on to save your life and bike. It's changed a bit, but the detestable beancounters still hold sway.
Right. Here it was Metzeler or Pirelli. Shock supension: Everyone got Konis or whatever was his prefered brand. The chains were questionable too at the time. Some even replaced nearly all screws switching from Phillips to Alan screws. And if I ever think it is time to start riding responsibly like a rozzer, I'll buy a train ticket and put storage oil in the engines :-)
About a year ago, I was stood waiting to be served at a well-known motorcycle dealership in Hull. The lady rider in front of me was being served, and it was obvious that she had had a new rear tyre fitted recently but after a trip down to London and back she wasn't happy. I couldn't believe what I heard. The tyre was only 1500 miles old. The salesman went out examined the tyre, came back in and pronounced that the tyre was squared off and a new one was needed. He explained that it had been the trip down the M1 to London and back that was responsible as "motorcycle tyres are designed to go around corners, not along straight roads." He's probably selling snow to Eskimos now!
My wife bought an Enfield Bullet 350 in the 1990's equipped with 'NyloGrip' branded tyres. I am convinced the first part of the name was apt and believe there was a valid claim under Trading Standards against the second. The single leading shoe front brake struggled to pass the MOT stationary test. To cap it all we were overtaken by a racing cyclist while climbing a Devon hill during the extensive running in process. Following the demise of my '71 T120 on the last day of our honeymoon this was our only transport for a few years. We loved it and it lived in the tiny kitchen of our terraced house at night. Challenging to ride bikes are sometimes the most fun. If I thought the Bullet was difficult my solo Ural 650 was a supreme challenge to every ounce of acquired riding skill during the running in period. I am convinced it's tyres will survive a nuclear apocalypse
I have 2500 miles on my little RE Classic and still riding on the original tires and brakes... the only thing I did extra was to put a little copper paste on the backing plate and pins which were dry this stopped the brakes from squeaking. As far as the breaking... what bike has the same braking force from one to another... Every bike I've ridden has a different braking characteristic hence I don't go balls out on a new bike. I get familiar to what the bike is going to do. The only bike in my stable which tends to tram line is my KLR650. My little RE is very stable on the highway as well as my big cruiser. Plus being old brings wisdom (well for some people) which means I'm happy just rolling along at my own pace. Another excellent and informative video.
The best motorcycling offering on TH-cam at the moment, I watch every one on another account on the TV. Tyres and brakes on any mainstream modern bike are fine. Many old bikes like my 1965 BSA have, erm, ‘sufficient’ brakes, I just have to ride accordingly. If riders think “what can go wrong in this situation”, then “how can I compensate for this”, then they’re safe! Keep the content coming.
Ayyyyyy-Up, Great video Stuart! I fear you may be preaching to the converted here, but you can never have to much road craft. You make it all sound so obvious. Great Work.
The worst brakes that I have ever had in 30 years of riding was on my 2005, bought from new, Triumph Speedmaster 885. The twin disc, front brake was massively overpowered and locked up far too quickly and did this on one occasion and threw me off. And not to mention the disc warping (twice!) that Triumph kept quiet about. In comparison, my Honda Shadow 1100 behemoth once saved me by stopping on a sixpence when a car suddenly did a U turn in front of me, prompting a comment of " good job your brakes work?!" from another motorist. It was a massive handful of brake and it stopped with no locking and no drama. Agree with all the comments about smooth riding. Two comments I had when I was part of an owners club and riding in a group were 'you are a very sedate rider' and 'do you even use your brakes?'
Well said Stu. As an everyday rider for near 30 years, I could not agree more. Thus, if I were in charge of classifying the present video in one word, it would be wisdom. I also would like to add that, even on the race track, those pilots who tend to be more gentle on their riding manners and technics might not be the most thrilling ones to watch, but they, perhaps, gonna be the ones who will fall in a lesser rate and, by doing so, they gonna have the best overall results aswell. I think that conceptually and rethorically we may relate motorcycling [a power sport, by some accounts] to the martial art of judo wich means, roughly, 'gentle way'. Best regards from Brazil. ✌
No abuse from me, instead a huge plaudit! About time that everything you said was out there. Biggest risk on the road is impatience and excessive speed.
Hi Stu, I agree with you whole heartly. I've recently replaced my tyres on my inceptor with the same pirelli's that came with the bike. Very happy with them. Got nearly 10,000 kms out of them. Hope everything goes well for the funeral. Kind regards, Gary.
On the subject of breaks, I am waiting for my interceptor to be delivered. I have restrained myself from getting sintered "performance" break pads because I did not want to buy into the hype. I grew up on scooters and bikes that had drum brakes only, so you'd factor those in. Same deal with today's stock break pads, adjust your riding! In cars, I have taught my daughter to break just with the weight of her foot, i.e., leave the heal on the floor -- breaking becomes much smoother and she has more control that way. IMO, one should lift the foot off the floor and use the whole leg for breaking only when there is a need. Same deal on a bike, break hard only if there is a need.
Nicely explained uncle stu. I am firm believer that no matter what motorcycle you are riding it is the rider's responsibility to get to know how the bike behaves before even attempting to be aggressive with it.
l grew up using drum brakes, progressing to a twin leading shoe system... they were still not as efficient as disc brakes. Now, most bikes have ABS so it's not quite as 'doggy' grabbing a handful ..(panic mode)..of front brake as it once was. Similar advances in tyre technology. Once we rode about on what were square profile tyres, totally unsuitable for a mode of vehicle that required angles of lean to negotiate corners/bends. A motorcycles lives in a world of geometry and physics being in balance at all times...when even one is out of step ....you bounce off down the road...
Generally seems to be the "Power Ranger" brigade who harp on about this, out riding on their willy compensators. Living in a coastal town I tend to try not to ride at weekends as all you see is full leather race suits and loud exhausts... Personally when I change tyres on my bike (when the originals are worn out) I will aim for a tyre that has a good rating for the wet, as that is what we get the most of in the UK, same for the car. Also 40 years of riding, with 14 years of all year commuting, I have had 1 event with loss of traction, due to a diesel spill, have never changed out the stock tyres or brakes until they wear out.
Good morning Stu. My two-penneth: Tyres: My T100 came with Pirelli Phantoms. Some said I must bin them straight away (yes, just like the RE-fitted Ciat). They're ok to be honest - probably not the best in the wet but I only ride in the wet if I get caught out 🤨and yes, they do tramline - but I make it something of habit not to ride over white lines unless I have to (mainly because of the unpredictable grip level on wet, white paint. So I'm not going to replace them till they're worn out. Many (many) years ago there was considerable benefit to be had from swapping the cheap tyres on Japanese bikes and we often did. Dunlop TT100 were the order of the day then which helped enormously considering the OEM rear tyres were often of a nasty square profile. I'm stunned by how much better modern tyres are - even "cheap" ones. Brakes: Much the same arguments. A lot of bikes in the eighties had brakes which we'd consider dangerous if applying todays standards. A lot of my bikes had cable operated drum brakes up front with rod-operated drums at the rear. Any idea of "two-fingered" braking was a pipe dream (I don't think I ever considered it to be honest) But, we used to ride accordingly, planned ahead with appropriate anticipation of the conditions and a good squeeze (all four fingers) from a reasonable speed on a good surface would bring the bike to a halt quickly enough. Kid's of today... 🙄😂 Edit: Don't get me started on tubed vs tubeless tyres 😂
I've got 40+ years under my belt on bikes and like yourself still here. I think your spot on......speed and late braking got me into a few sticky moment when I first started. With experince and knowledge (IAM) behind me it's better to read the road, be smooth and use engine braking . As a last resort, use the bikes brakes lightly and progressively if needed. As for tyres, the best a bike will ever feel under you is when both tyres are new (full set) but it does not take long before they start to square off (the softer the compound the quicker this will happen).
Thank you Stuart, this is so true and also my experience. It doesn’t matter which tire or brake system is on the motorcycle, it’s more about the rider skills and experience. At the moment I ride a 41 old Honda FT500 with nobby tires (Heidenau K67) and no ABS of course, and the tires ares just fine and the brakes are awesome. Keep up the good work!
Brilliant ,,converting petrol into brake dust ,, You should be a poet Stuart . The point you make about smoother riding or driving is valuable for all vehicles . Once drove buses and one series of bus had such sharp brakes that I booked it off for being dangerous. Turned out the fitters were using the wrong compound pads . Keep at it as we could all use reminders from.time to time
The idea of being a ‘smooth and considerate’ rider on the road has been eroded since in my opinion from the 1970’s when screaming two strokes appeared. Most of the people riding today where brought up on fizzy’s,RD250/350, X7’s and the like bombing about from seaside promenade’s to cafes on country lanes. If you notice the young people today who mostly ride scooters to work/college they tend to be more dare I say responsibly ( there are the few tearaways). Training as you mention Stu is the best way to learn new techniques and become a better rider and I can’t recommend I.A.M enough to do this👍🏻
Great video Stuart, I’ve put 2000 miles on my interceptor since November. Rode in all weathers, nothing wrong with the brakes & tyres in my opinion! Keep up with the good content 👍🏻
"The days of rear drum brakes are long gone" Yes, sadly, very true. Am I the only one who much prefers a drum rear for slow manoeuvring ? No ? Only me ? 😕
I am so sorry to hear of the loss in the family. My warmest regards to the family in the hopes you all find resignation in the Lord. Who cares about bikes under these conditions.
Very balanced and informed information Stuart, but don’t forget the gearbox. Used properly ’blipping’ down the box matching engine speed to forward motion and getting the motor to slow you is much my preferred way, just use the brake to come to a stop, and that includes cornering, matching the gear to the corner no need (normally) for braking…
Nice one ! Lots of great advice in this video for new riders to take on board, and I couldn't agree more about the motorcycling press, and the egotistical journalism ramping up testosterone and adrenaline fuelled riders into showing off their prowess,or lack of...and sadly not always ending well ! I have been in the past both a Rospa observer/instructor, and also a track day instructor. Most of the 'new to Rospa' riders were already safe, smooth riders, who just needed a bit of a polish before doing their advanced test. The 'new to track' riders were generally different though. Most of them had a steep learning curve, with their egos and adrenaline getting in the way of being fast on track. Basically they would just be trying too hard ! Once we could get them to slow down a bit, and stop overbraking, thinking about what they're doing and smooth it all out...that's when the speed came ! And that's when they needed perfect brakes and the right tyres...on the track !
Another fixation amongst some RE 650 owners seems to be fitting a wider profile rear tyre. I can't see why this is necessary. My RE 650GT with 47bhp already has a wider profile rear tyre than my 1980s Kawasaki 750 that produced 78bhp.
Going back to my early days in the motorcycle trade as a mechanic and the machines of the day, if people today had to ride machines fitted with drum brakes front and rear they would think twice about complaining about modern brakes. I will say this though in the dawn of production bikes being fitted with disc brakes the big four Japanese companies brake rotors were made mainly of Stainless steel and were not drilled, this meant that in the wet for more than a few seconds of application the brake did nothing. British and Italian companies used cast iron brake rotors which although showing surface rust easily worked in the rain from the word go. As far as tyres go I remember changing sets of tyres on brand new Honda CB 750 fours before they left the dealership as well as other makes of large Japanese bikes. Since those days tyre tech has come as long way, as with braking systems. Anyone with any kind of time under their belt riding a motorcycle knows that in wet weather you avoid sink tops and manhole covers in the road as well as lines of tar and bad road repairs. Also to any new comers to any kind of motorcycle / scooter if you have just had new tyres fitted these tyres will still have a certain amount of mold release on the surface of the tyre from manufacture which could take 50 miles riding to wear off, this can have a huge negative effect as far as grip goes in the wet, so the machine needs riding in a steady manor until the tyres and what is known as scrubbed in. Sorry for the long reply Stuart.......take care.
it also applies to TH-camrs not not just magazine journalists. Yesterday I watched a couple of videos of the RE INT 650 and Meteor and both TH-camrs were complaining about the tyres and the brakes and in not a directly advised to change them. I thought to myself, they can't be that bad, surely they are at least usable for general use not on a track, build up the bike on the track and attempt to stop in the shortest possible distance....
I have nothing to add to your words here as you are spot on right in my opinion. The only thing I would say and you have mentioned this in the past actually, is that we shouldn't confuse safety items such as brakes and tyres with other ancillary items such as spark plugs and air filters. Manufacturers will often seek to make savings with the latter, as they are not safety items but they will never compromise safety with the former items.
Morning Stewart. We've had a few new bikes in our time. I only changed the tyres when they needed it. Or I ran over broken glass damaging the tyer. While I've usually gone for one tyre make. My maters picked other brands. As most of us had cruisers, tyres we're a personal choice. I loved that feeling going over freshly painted white lines on the moterways when you had got a flat spot on the rear especially when it was wet. Even my wife loved it! Dry or wet you have to change you riding style whether you're on a cruiser or a road race bike. One guy we knew well dropped his brand new Duke. He admitted he went into a corner he knew very well then wound the power on too fast while it was raining. Both bike and rider were ok if a little worn in places. Stew, anothone can go fast on an empty moterway, in a straight line, but the skill comes staying upright in icy conditions or the rain. I've been lucky riding two wheels. Breaks are another thing. I'd say most of the Japanese bikes I've owned including some that had drum breaks on the rear worked fantastic. I often wondered why some of my old British bikes drum breaks didn't perform so well. Only once did I ever upgrade the disks all round and that was because both calapers were seized. Doing 30 or 35mph those twin leading disks could be operated with a single finger in an emergency stop. Ride and adapt all the time has worked for me Stu. Safe enjoyable riding till next time 👍😊.
Wise words Stuart.. When I started riding there was only drumbrakes front and rear, so still, for me, all my bikes have awsome brakes. I ride a Yamaha Tracer 9 with really good stopping power, but even my little 150 cc Suzuki Raider have awsome brakes for road use. Everytime I get new tires on one of my bikes I get a huge grin on my face, but it is that same grin I had when taking the bike bike for a first spin with the manufacturers tires. You'r right, it's all about the rider. Big thanks for this video Stuart!!
Assuming one maintains a bike in proper working condition, anticipation is a key to safety. As you say, think ahead, but also try hard to anticipate a mistake by other users of the road. Yes, that guy in the other lane is going to switch without signal. Yes, a car will emerge from that side road. Yes, you can't see what's in front of that truck so expect it to brake hard because of the accident you can't see. Parenthetically, even with four tires, your advice applies to driving cars as well. The same physical forces apply and surprises are "just around the corner." If a crazy needs some encouragement to ride responsibly, just have him/her watch a few of the crashes that happen every year at the TT. My God. It's one thing to go a literally breakneck speed on a track where there's plenty of room to slide to safety. It's an entirely different world driving at those speeds on narrow commercial roads through tiny villages, deep dark forests and over the windy hills. I really don't understand those TT riders. They're incredibly skilled, incredibly brave, and astonishingly stupid!
when i bought in 2020 my sv650 (year 2005), everyone complajned about the bad front brake and only dual piston calipers. Have ridden many bikes and scooters, never found anything wrong with the brakes. You just have to combine front and rear brakes on the sv650 for proper stopping power but the moment you start using the imense engine brake this model has, brakes are only used inside citiy limits or wheb the bike is already going slow. Adapt to the machine and don't expect moto gp brakes on commuters or comon bikes. Same applies to cars.
All of the Japanese motorcycle company had offices in sunny California. In the rain their disc brakes became dangerous because they did not work in the wet disc brakes were introduced to regular motorcycles for production racing Suzuki's answer to pour wet-weather breaking performance was to give their dealers a sticker to put on the motorcycle saying be careful in the wet. People should have the choice between drum brakes or disc brakes drum brakes are much better because they are not affected by the weather being enclosed. My Ural sidecar outfit has drum brakes the new outfits have triple dish all the way around and the stopping distance is the same no improvement but the Italian Brembo brakes have to be serviced every 7,000 miles. I replaced a broken brake cable on the front end of my Euro in 30 seconds. Simple is good
Good and common sense video 👍🏻 Reminds me of a post on an owners forum a few years ago. An owner had started a thread by stating that the brakes on his bike were dangerous. Not that they wouldn’t stop you but they were so powerful that he’d locked the front wheel in wet conditions and gone down. At no point did he acknowledge that he may have made a mistake, or possibly been unlucky enough to have ridden onto something on the road that reduced grip. It was 100 percent the bike and brakes fault. The bike’s shortcomings led him to the conclusion that he needed to convert the bike from a two disc system to a single on the front. Mate of mind suggested a far easier and more affordable modification, modify your riding and don’t pull the lever so hard.
Well said! In 1976 we just put new tyres on and didn’t think much of it. Went through many TT-100’s on the Commando in all weathers. We are now in a situation of ‘over-choice’ (Alvin Toffler - Future Shock) with endless options offering often intangible advantages. But back then, who’d have thought that one day we would consider 100hp relatively anaemic, and that 200hp was the new standard for powerful? You can still get in trouble with 50hp, but some of the new tyre technology is incredibly useful. I fitted Avon AM26 bias-belt to my 2016 T-120 and immediately noticed the difference. The interrupted centre sype avoided tracking, unlike the factory Pirelli Phantoms, and they just seemed to be more competent in all conditions, including gravel. I now have them on my 1982 T-140. I was later seduced by the idea of radial tyres on the T-120 and did a tubeless conversion, then fitted Michelin Pilot Road 4’s - the difficulty of this compounded by the lack of a suitable 18” front tyre, necessitating the fitment of a 120 rather than the recommended 110. The front never seemed to quite match up to the rear in regard to wear on the sidewalls, but they were excellent and confidence inspiring in the wet. However, the conversion was not in any real way a huge leap over the aforementioned Avon bias-belt tyres, except for the added safety margin of deleting the inner tube and ease of puncture repair. At least for my riding style. I don’t believe I can generally outride my tyres, but the Phantoms were noticeably less competent on many of the unimproved back roads here in West Australia. Also recently fitted Avon Spirits to my Sprint GT, and Pirelli Diablo Rosso to my CB1300, in replacement of the Bridgestone tyres on both. Immediate improvement, as the Sprint was like to slide the rear out previously, but the takeaway in both cases was keep your tyres fresh, and new Bridgestones would likely have achieved the same result. Also, substantial upgrades to the CB1300 16 year-old suspension helped.
The brakes on both my Continental GT 535 and 650 are so much better than those on my 1987 Suzuki GSXR1100 H, which was in it's day considered a very competent sports bike. I fail to understand why some reviewers complain about the Enfields brakes. Regards.
My first bike is a RE classic 350. I heard the rumors about bad breaks, so the first time I came to a stop from a high speed I was surprised by how responsive they were. Perfect for the weight of the bike, and not easy to trigger the abs.
When I bought my used 2013 Bullet several years ago the only thing I felt it needed was to replace the factory tires with a pair of Dunlop K70s. The original front tire had very little tread and the rear was worn flat in the center with very little wear on the shoulders. Being old school I have always felt that both tires need tread with a bit of depth. In addition, K70s were what was supplied on many of the bikes from the factory 50 + years ago so they keep with the classic vibe. As someone that came up with drum brakes, I find modern disc brakes to be more than adequate.
Thank you Stuart - 100% agree with you and enjoyed the video. I nearly fell for the trap 🥴 with Ceat’s on my Classic 350. Turned out to be a really good all-round and durable tyres over thousands of kilometres on all road conditions here in Sth Australia.
Well said Uncle Stu. New tyres outperform old tyres period. Before I retired I tested tyres for work, the big differences were between 100% road & say 50/50 on/off road. The other big differences were how many miles you got from a set of tyres. If you want to learn how to deal with tram-tracking ride a few gravel roads on an adventure bike. No need to say anything more about brakes other than I tend to take the slack out of the system coming up to say traffic lights that may change, but my adventure bike has a lot more suspension travel than a road bike.
Stuart, you are always bang on. Man, the bike is going to move everywhere. You have to trust the bike an the geometry (I own an Int650 and I love the geometry: short agile bike, but still stable at 170 Km/h). Let the bike do its business: let it move and adapt to the changing conditions in the road (or in the tyre profile). If you can't deal with a vehicle that moves around, absolutely: get a car, because only in the most perfect of tarmacs, wind, (lack of) traffic and tyres / suspension adjustment are you going to "enjoy" a prefect, and boring, no-shaky business behaviour. You have to be able to enjoy the movement and sensations of the bike: they are always going to be there. Take an basic offroading course or go to a track day and get used to it. Eventually, you should love it... or get a car.
Compared to my Interceptor, the brakes on my 1984 Suzuki GP100 are dreadful. But they pass an MOT, they stop the bike (eventually) - and I ride accordingly, so they're far from dodgy. I think you're bang on the money about smooth riding and not really needing to actually use the brakes that much, it 's how I try to ride most of the time. It's also how I drive most of the time too, unless I'm purposely having a bit of fun on a more spirited ride/drive on some twisty A/B roads - then obviously I'm braking harder than I normally would.
Been riding since the early 70's, never have had any of these problems. Old tires, new tires, cold, wet, hot and poor roads. Ride according to conditions and ability and you shouldn't have problems. Of course things can happen like a flat..... Same with the brakes. New technology and materials have improved these items as time has passed. Buy brand names and don't ride like an idiot and live.
In Kommunist Kalifornia, the are outlawing gas powered lawnmowers, leaf blowers- and even diesel trucks! They want to get rid of gas stoves, and have made it LEGAL to use Human bodies for COMPOST! Is Uk or Kali worse?
I like heritage, but I am American born and raised, but the last name of my roots come from Scotland 🏴 to Canada 🍁 to USA 🇺🇸. Reason for that explanation, Scots are cheap or frugal. Well, that is me. Owned 4 new bikes and 2 new trucks in my life. I never changed tires or breaks on it until they are used up. But I will say, the only bike, I bought new I would want to change its tires. W800 Cafe came with bi ply 70s style tires that are horrible on rain groves, which I ride everyday. It was a real challenge to get comfortable with having a wiggling back end at speed....... but I have learned and became to enjoy the challenge. Great video. Learn to ride and relax as you stated! Spot on!
Very well presented Stuart, so well said. We can get so caught up and the silly narrative portrayed with motorcycle magazines or by reporters that you need these cutting edge tires and brakes and engine performance it's just rubbish learn how to ride enjoy the ride see what's around you for a change, Yes we all love the twisties and the riding experience that brings just ride to the conditions and the limitations of both rider and bike. Bugger me I think I just turned into my parents just then. Ride well ride safe.
Talking about braking systems on bikes reminded me of my brother. Late 1970's we both had z650's mine was a c3 and my brothers was an older B1. My brother decided the brakes on his twin disc setup werent good enough so he put two twin pot brembo's on it. His first trip out he locked the front wheel of on a bit of gravel and fell off, at low speed though. The same route he had navigated well for a year or so before. It made me laugh at the time because if he had not changed the brakes he more than likely would not have fallen off. Anyone remeber the days of non sintered brakepads. If it was raining when you went out you had to keep on applying the brakes to warm the discs up otherwise they were not very good at stopping you. Sintered pads oh what a joy when they arrived on the market.
Riding sanely & responsibly on public roads sums it up..59 years on 73 m/cycles; sport/sport touring, adv, cruiser & retro bikes All performed adequately. All 50 states, 3/4’s of Canada & a bit of Mx. all with oem tires & brakes & only changed tire brands to achieve higher mileage on a different brand. That includes attacking The Dragon, Warwoman Rd, significant mtn passes & six cross country rides on a variety of m/cycles. Once again, Uncle Stu is spot on.
Forensically astute again Stuart. Reminds me of the advice in ‘motorcycle road craft’ (police) given to me at a local ride safe course a few years ago. A real eye opener, even for a 60 plus year old who has had bikes ( on and off) since 17 years of age. You can’t beat road craft knowledge to stay safe. Also, now thinking back to reading MCN and others- it was mainly hype- how to be Barry Sheene etc. it all feeds into one’s ego I guess. What’s that saying about a bad workman blaming his tools. Probably the same narrative about tyres and brakes. Good video👍
Great common sense from Stu as always. Then again, common sense ain’t so common. The wet weather performance of tyres and brakes debate makes me smile a bit. I live in Malaysia. When it rains in Malaysia you stop riding. There are purpose built motorcycle shelters on the highways and off the highways you pull over and hide! Even in a car the wipers are totally overwhelmed and you’re driving absolutely blind. The Enfield 350’s are in the showrooms now and I’m lusting for one! 😁
Ha, decades ago when I rode my Triumph on Guam I did the same thing. Over there you could see the rain squalls come at you and usually had time to stop and run for a bus shelter. I always rode with my raincoat as a cushion and if caught without a shelter, I'd have time to put it on real quick and stand there until the rain was over. If I'd get soaked, my clothes would "blow-dry" out while riding. Thanks for the memory.
Another well stated comment on something most people don't think about. Tires and brakes and how good they are or how well they handle. OEM equipment is the yardstick on which any vehicle will be measured against. No manufacturer will knowingly put a vehicle on bad tires or use poor brakes. Most information I hear from others is just their opinion but as you put out, the manufacturer will match the tires and brakes to a given platform. Ride safe and keep smiling!
Around where I live, near the sea, it is necessary to use the car brakes (in a gentle steady fashion) whenever possible down hill, in order to prevent the brake discs from becoming too deeply rusted! All good stuff once again Stuart.
Thanks for another very informative video, personal I have always used engine braking first, changing down a gear or two can half your speed before using your brakes, and I have always used front and rear brakes simultaneously, disk or drum have never been a problem, none of my bikes have anti lock, ( I have 6 bikes) ranging from a 150 MZ to a 1200cc Harley, including a Ducati and Royal Enfield and I have never had a braking problem, if you're old fashioned drum brakes are not as good as modern disks just squeeze a little harder and brake a little sooner and they will stop you safely (eventually 😊).
It's on the rider to adapt to the conditions. Whether that's the bike or the weather. I have ridden on "bad" tires but those were either ancient, or made to do 15,000+miles so they started out just grippy enough and got worse as they aged. If it's sketchy outside be careful and most people can make it home. I had to do that a year ago I was riding a cruiser in the mountains on the first rain of the season. Was going around 10-15mph and I was still sliding around, just turned around and headed home to dryer roads. I don't complain about the tires much, I just know they aren't great in the wet, so I have another bike with avons that is good in the wet. I used to do cross country mountain bike racing and sometimes you were sliding, drifting, crashing, etc. Once you do that, or enduro riding road stuff isn't that big of a deal.
Well said Uncle Stu, If some motorcyclists spent as much on their training as they do messing about changing tyres to cope with their lack of ability the issues raised would be far less of a problem!!
dont no one use gears its yer third brake i ride a bullet with drum brakes i have no trouble i had a vtr befor bullet stu has a point folk aint trained should teach on a bike with drum brakes first to see the diffrence
Another excellent video Uncle Stu. I’m a Police trained rider as well, common sense is the most important factor in wet weather. You ride according to conditions, anything less is dangerous. I don’t have a problem with the tyres fitted to my bikes whatever the weather.
No abuse Stuart. I listened carefully and agree with everything you said. I ride old bikes and like to have a firm grip to make the brakes work so it is harder to overwhelm them. Ps. If you want a bike that tracks we'll buy an R series BMW with the telelever front suspension. Best I have ever ridden.
After 40 years riding I’d say tyres are generally a trade off between grip and longevity, with some performing better in wet or dry conditions. I look for the stickiest tyre I can (within reason) not because I want knee down performance but because if I need emergency braking I don’t want the tyre to breakaway. It might just save your life.
Good stuff, Stu. I too have taken numerous riding courses from Motorcycle police trainers. They say the same thing you do about motorcycle control, braking and accelerating. The main theme was ride in a manner that does not get you into trouble while maintaining legal speed and control...or a bit more😀
Tyres are all about confidence; I always fit Avon tyres, but a work colleague told me that Avons were the only tyre that he WOULD NOT fit.... As for brakes, I have two big Ducatis, one 40 years old, one 15 years old; a few years ago I visited Mallory Park on successive weekends on each bike, and a large part of the journey involved accelerate, brake for a roundabout, accelerate.......On the old model my hand was aching from the effort of squeezing the brake lever, but on the newer one it was easy. Yet, most owners of the newer bike complain that the brakes are not any good, and upgrade them. It is all relative.
Good points about the impact of egotistic journalists' behaviour. I do wonder whether the Police bike training has changed since you did it? I ask because I did Bikesafe training with the North Yorkshire Police last year and their advice was to use the brakes for slowing down rather than engine braking / dropping gears (which should be reserved for hill descents). This is in line with the Motorcycle Roadcraft book. Given engine braking doesn't put on your brake lights, when I use engine braking I dab the brakes if there's anyone behind as when I'm slowing down I want the traffic behind to know about it!
Good common sense video, very valid points well made, particularly the point about using the brakes, I think that this comes from car driving (gears are for going, brakes are for slowing), it is quite possible to ride normally without using the brakes excessively. This video should be mandatory watching for all new motorcyclists, it would save lives I am sure. Thanks for making it.
Totally agree with most of this, never had an issue with tyres, I just buy whats the best deal when I need them. Brakes maybe not so much. I'll admit I am an "enthusiastic" rider, smooth as I can, but a ZRX1200 needs better brakes than std, and it all came down to pads, maintenance is also important. I dont ride like you Stu, but reading situations ahead is key and I also want to be able to stop or slow down asap when needed. Some upgrades are worth it.
👍 Yep suffered all those comments back in the late 70's with my Honda stock Yockahama tyres. Almost de ja vou with the Ceat tyres but now as then absolutely no issues with them. I've rigen my 350 Fireball in dry/hot conditions, 40°C in the summer and now -1 frosty roads, damp roads and wet roads. Good tyres and they give good feed back. Same with the breaks. Back in my day the tyres to have were TT100, only ever fitted then to one bike and never again🤣 Be aware of the media they introduce rubbish into your head sometimes. Nice review 👌
Yes exactly that’s why I like your reviews so much. I am not looking for a moto GP bike and definitely not going to be using anywhere near the bikes full capacity in performance. Just want a good bike to ride around like a sane person rides.
I have been riding for over 30 years. I'd say most tyres and brakes are just fine. The only exceptions I have come across on the many bikes I've owned and test-rode are.... V-Strom 650 (really weak brakes, possibly ruined by the fact that the V-Strom 1000 had such brilliant brakes). For tyres, the earlier models of the Z1000 SX, they changed the tyre in 2022 (hopefully got the year right) and it massively / dramatically changed the way the bike handled (vast improvement). Do I think my RE Meteor brakes are OK ? Well, they could be better (like the 650 INT) but I guess they are picked due to the budget and cost of the bike. Thanks as ever for the informative vid Stu.
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Riding smooth and efficient is under appreciated in the today's biking culture I think. The perfect smooth take off, the proper rev matching before shifting, using engine breaking downshifting and delicate breaking to get the bike to halt gives a lot of satisfaction to me.
All points excellently covered here Stuart, when the standard tires on my Interceptor wore out I fitted a set of Avon Roadriders, and guess what? they really didn't feel any different!
As for brakes I wish I had a pound for every time a younger rider has said they're really nice bikes these aren't they but I don't like the idea of only having one disc on the front! 😆😆
I've just done a bike rally this weekend that was attended by scores of experienced riders on vintage and classic bikes, with cable operated drum brakes and you don't hear them saying their brakes are inadequate, because they're experienced and know how to ride their particular bike accordingly,
Great video as usual, cheers 🍻
Why can’t people spell BRAKES and TYRES ?? Also why do people chuck litter out of car windows? The world is
mad !! Grumpy Old Man Dave
I have a 1967 Morris minor , people who acquire these cars tend to change the braking system to a disc set up. My car has totally standard drum brakes which I find perfectly adequate for the way they should be driven.
I remember heading to a classic car show in East Lothian a few years ago in my Morris Minor with standard suspension and brakes. I was overtaken by a Morgan 3 wheeler, so I set off in pursuit!!
I don't think either of us got much over 50mph, but it was great fun trying to get the best out of the car, and having to use the gearbox to slow down as well because the brakes were starting to fade! 🤣
Motorcycling since 1958 and I have yet to say these tires or those tires are bad! Keeping the tires at manufacturer"s recommended pressures and checking frequently have served me well with tube and tubeless tires. Probably the best safety feature thus far is my reluctance to want to die or be injured by motorcycle and trusting no one in a car, truck, tractor etc. to do the right thing. Awareness is number one! Thanks for the reminders.
I'm a 53yr old that just marked my 1st year of riding and Stu, it's all your fault. I came across your channel and saw how you presented the Interceptor. Well, I just had to have one. It's been a ton of fun, it's been therapeutic and it's taken me places I never would have gone if I were in a car. Thanks for your videos, I really enjoy and learn from them. Love the not so common "common sense" approach you have too.
Uncle Stu alo shares "guilt" in getting my butt on an Interceptor and going places I'd never go in a car.
Another excellent and informative video. As a reasonably new rider, 4 years, I spent the first 2 years and quite a bit of money searching for the “a right” tyres etc based on the opinions of various pay to say reviews. These days I agree with your totally, if something goes wrong etc it’s not the tyres or the brakes it’s me. I see so many learner riders here in Australia screaming past in their 650cc crotch rockets in wet weather and expecting the breakes and tyres they have wasted a fortune on to save them. I will happily trundle along with the tyres and brakes on my meteor 350 confident in the knowledge that they are perfectly adequate for my needs
What 650 crotch rockets?
@@fasthracing anything is a crotch rocket compaired to a meteor 350 lol
There’ll be no obtuse from me Stu. Good video. When I learned to ride bikes had single leading shoe drum brakes. You learned very quickly that the bikes went better than they stopped and you rode accordingly. Tyres and brakes have advanced since then but that contact patch hasn’t. Smooth riding is still the key. The most pleasure I get on a ride is to go the most distance without touching the brakes or putting a foot down.
Yes besides Tyres and Brakes, the other thing that annoys me about Motorcycle Journalists is when they talk about bikes below 650 cc as being first bikes / starter bikes / bikes for beginners !!
You get used to the tyres and brakes you have. Very few track riders are skilful enough to push tyres beyond their traction limits in the dry. On the road it is user error when that happens. Same with brakes, they don't just stop working. You are either going too fast or leaving braking too late. Great video as always.
In the 1950s Firestone made snow tires for motorcycles. My uncle had a chat hanging on the wall of the basement in Astoria and when the snow came he would swap out the wheels on his Harley. Imagine people riding a motorcycle in the snow to work because that's all they had.
I don't have to imagine it, I used to do it and my journey to work was around 20 miles, and in the early years with open face helmet. I still ride all year round.
I can remember one of my parents neighbours riding his Triumph 350 twin, which he had owned forever and restored, in all weather's, including snow.
In my younger years when a motorcycle was all I had it didn't matter what the weather was doing, you had somewhere to go, you moaned but got on with it, life was that simple, I am just very glad that today I have the option.
A great many of us back in the day had no option other than to ride all year round, no matter what the weather. I had a 75-mile each way weekly commute to my military base in the very early 1960's on my 250 Jawa with drum brakes and OE tyres. It quickly taught me how to ride to the conditions. Riding in the snow and ice or torrential rain wasn't fun, but it got me there and back, albeit sometimes frozen to the bike! No heated, grips/gloves/suits or screen/fairing and with open-face helmet as full-face hadn't been invented yet. It was all a great learning curve and yes, at 77, I'm still riding and hope to for many years to come.
I did , in the '60's , would I do it now ? No chance .
I couldn't have said it any better. Considering everything in good maintenance, I've never really had a bike with bad brakes or tires, I've always enjoyed adapting to the machine I'm riding to the conditions I'm riding in. There are bikes I have felt more confident riding and tires brands that gave me more confidence. I have been guilty of changing tires all too often just trying to find better tires. But they were all good tires. I admit over the years I believe I feel more confidence on sport touring tires by Dunlop or Michelin. But I have ridden on cheap Asian tires with no real problems.
Great advice for everyone in this video. I agree don't fight the bike or the road just relax and deal with it and everything will work just fine.
Avon " Deathmasters" would put a new slant on your statement..😱sorry did I say Deathmasters when I meant Roadmasters !! 🤣🤣🤣
@@stevied6286 The only times I have ridden on Avon tires/tyres is on an old Harly Sportster and a DKW small street bike. both times the tires were old and hard from age not miles. But I'm not sure if they were a fair test of the brand. Also, to be fair I have not seen or heard much that favors Avon tires.
@@KO-pk7df I tend to agree that those folk that perhaps push less than ideal tyres in less than ideal conditions are going to get less than ideal results and occasionally, push their luck too far then blame the tyre for the resulting " mishap"! More years ago than I care to remember, I had Avon road masters ( I think that's what they were called ) on a Suzuki GT 380..I learned an awful lot about how NOT to ride in the wet on prehistoric rubber but in all fairness , buying a already old machine with unknown-age part-worn tyres was probably the issue.My change to continentals was a massive boost in handling and confidence..we have to learn the strengths and weaknesses of more than tyres on the road to find confidence in a machine!
In the late '70s I had a Suzuki GT 380 which gave me my first experience of a disk brake on a motorcycle. It had an 'interesting' performance in the wet. I just adapted to how it performed (lack of) and adjusted my speed accordingly with the throttle. Luckily it still had a drum brake on the rear which gave me some confidence in stopping the bike. As you might remember early disk braked bikes had issues in the wet, although this seemed to have been rectified by the time I bought a 1980 Suzuki GS550 which I rode through the '80s and ''90s but I still ride my Interceptor with the mindset that my GT380 had given me in the wet.
Disc's in the wet back then were lethal, I'm pretty sure it was more down to the disc material than the pads, how they got away with it I'll never know.
@@bsimpson6204 cars back then used asbestos pads and cast discs, bikes used the same for the shoes in a steel drum, in the very early seventies the early discs were steel but as that rusted the manufacturer's chromed the steel to maintain the appearance, which then stripped off causing problems, the solution seemed to be stainless steel discs, unfortunately with the then current pads the combination didn't work well in the wet and it took the best part of ten years for the asbestos free sintered pads to arrive and rectify the problem, all my bikes had drums in those days so I never had that problem☺.
Completely agree with you. Investing in advanced training (ROSPA, IAM or BikeSafe in UK) will result in people being far safer than endlessly spending money on 'upgrades'. Smooth, acurate and planned riding is the key to safety. Having had the pleasure of riding with police motorcyclists in wet and dry weather there's rarely a change in speed, because they are always riding within the limits of the rider, machine and road and not AT the limit. But so many riders don't seem to know their limitations, the limits of their machine or the nature of changing road surfaces. Another great video 👍
Thanks for that informative video Stuart. I'm sorry to hear about the bereavement in the family and thank you for continuing to put videos out at this difficult time.
As you keep making videos that make me feel sad that I am unable to ride at this time. I am 100 percent motorcyclist for over 2 years and had an accident at work 3 months and I needed to get my truck road worthy again because I can drive a 4 wheel vehicle. Where it made me sad was when you talked about rain down your neck and water filling my boots when it's raining. I miss that the most. Being apart of the elements is my most favorite. The smells , I also miss. Thank you for all you do. Don't worry about us. Take care of family needs comes first! Love
@@davidbnsmessex.5953 been looking into side cars on a Royal Enfield. Surgery next Tuesday to figure out what my future is. Hope to see the road again in 5 weeks. Thanks for your energy. Keep well.
In the first few years of riding, I certainly was that heavy throttle/braking guy. A few educational close calls, and watching some friends hit the tarmac - curbed my enthusiasm.
It is never a bad idea to review basic skills and road sense. 👍 for a great video!
A friend of mine rode with some coppers. It was a real eye opener for him. The smoothness, the progression, cornering, balance etc. They had it to such an art he said they rarely came to a complete halt. This is where the real art is not just going fast.
smooth and steady wins the day...
As a pragmatist, I always think 'use what you have and get the most out of it as you can'. On empty and well known country roads with good forward visibility, it can be fun to drive sportingly even with over-hard and durable tyres and to learn the limitations of grip of those particular tyres when leaning... and then to drive within those parameters, even if they are not the best. The same goes for when conditions change from dry to wet, or from hot to cold. Any tyres capabilities will change accordingly and the challenges are enjoyable. However, I do find that over time, I have developed preferences for tires that are better in the cold and wet (I live in the West of Ireland) and ones that have more tolerance at the point of losing grip rather than ones that abruptly break out. Having said that, most of my everyday riding is not like that: driving from A to B, it is simply comforting to have gotten to know your current tyres' limitations. And such experience also helps in an emergency situation, as one's intuition then tends to operate within the learnt parameters.
I do something similar in my car, whenever it snows, or it looks as if it's getting icy: on a straight and flat piece of road with no other traffic, I test the brakes in order to experience the grip on the snow or ice and to get a feel of when the car starts slipping and how long it takes for the car to stop with wheels locked. Once I've done that, I can crawl along an icy road with much more confidence.
Agree 100% on tire preference. Rain/cold and smooth predictable sliding, rather than acheiving top speed.
Enjoyed your icy road test braking routine. That used to be basic driver's education from the beginning of time in Sweden, but fewer seem to practice it. New demographic, skewing the "common" sense on the roads.
Excellent video Stuart! To open a very large _can of worms_ I'm going to say that most people need to take an advanced motorcycle riding course and practice the essential manoeuvres *before* they start changing the OEM brakes and tyres. Yes, there are better tyres, brakes, oil, bearings etc. etc. Are they necessary for road riding in most of the developed world, *_No_*_ Nice to have, yes, necessary no._ Track riding is a completely different kettle of fish.
I have a 1972 T120 that had period style TT 100s on it. It handled much as I remember they did back in the day. I then fitted modern tyres designed for classics ( Avons) and the difference is wonderful. You can lean it over and really enjoy applying the power to pull it out of bends, whilst it feels like you are going much faster than you really are. Very much like driving an old mini in fact. Modern tyres are a vast improvement over even the best tyres of the last century. Oh and its worth reminding that bike tyres don't age well, and are often sub par even when there is plenty of tread left. I've renewed tyres many times to improve handling, often with the same make.
i had one them not like yours
Motorvycle tires were made flat in the tread area. I was giving friends rides on my first rounded profile tires. The difference in handling cause many smiles.
When I was starting out, the tyres were Avon Speedmasters, ribbed front, block rear. Tyres nave come a long way.
And Dunlop K70s !! ,the Avon's lasted longer and the Dunlop's gave better grip, especially on farm tracks, we paid our money as they say☺.
I have been riding for 50 years and have owned many types of motorbike. The BIGGEST mistake I have seen riders make, is not looking ahead while riding (as Stuart stated). I agree 100% with his comments in all aspects.
I currently own a 2022 RE Interceptor 650 and find the brakes and tyres to be no problem at all.
Remember: There are Old bikers and there are Bold bikers, but there are NEVER Old Bold bikers.
Keep up the Video's Stuart. Its a breath of fresh air to hear some common sense for once.
I think for example my Royal Enfield 350 classic, because the breaks say bybre and tyres say ceat . People just assume they are cheap rubbish, but the tyres are a lovely soft compound that grip as good as you could even want as I've been riding all weather through this winter. The breaks are also very good, I've never had a back break with this much stopping power and the front is more than acceptable.
@@travisperkins100 ironically the gear's are so smooth too! I saw a pair of tyres on eBay brand new removed the day someone had bought the bike lol never even tried them. Only about £70 the pair. I nearly bought them. I bet you could order ceat tyres direct from India cheap enough. They are very good 👍
I'm old enough to remember when Japanese bike makers put tyres like Yokohama and Inoue (iirc) tyres on bikes. The first thing you did was put Dunlop or Avon tyres on to save your life and bike. It's changed a bit, but the detestable beancounters still hold sway.
Right. Here it was Metzeler or Pirelli. Shock supension: Everyone got Konis or whatever was his prefered brand. The chains were questionable too at the time. Some even replaced nearly all screws switching from Phillips to Alan screws.
And if I ever think it is time to start riding responsibly like a rozzer, I'll buy a train ticket and put storage oil in the engines :-)
About a year ago, I was stood waiting to be served at a well-known motorcycle dealership in Hull.
The lady rider in front of me was being served, and it was obvious that she had had a new rear tyre fitted recently but after a trip down to London and back she wasn't happy.
I couldn't believe what I heard.
The tyre was only 1500 miles old. The salesman went out examined the tyre, came back in and pronounced that the tyre was squared off and a new one was needed.
He explained that it had been the trip down the M1 to London and back that was responsible as "motorcycle tyres are designed to go around corners, not along straight roads."
He's probably selling snow to Eskimos now!
My wife bought an Enfield Bullet 350 in the 1990's equipped with 'NyloGrip' branded tyres. I am convinced the first part of the name was apt and believe there was a valid claim under Trading Standards against the second. The single leading shoe front brake struggled to pass the MOT stationary test. To cap it all we were overtaken by a racing cyclist while climbing a Devon hill during the extensive running in process. Following the demise of my '71 T120 on the last day of our honeymoon this was our only transport for a few years. We loved it and it lived in the tiny kitchen of our terraced house at night. Challenging to ride bikes are sometimes the most fun. If I thought the Bullet was difficult my solo Ural 650 was a supreme challenge to every ounce of acquired riding skill during the running in period. I am convinced it's tyres will survive a nuclear apocalypse
I have 2500 miles on my little RE Classic and still riding on the original tires and brakes... the only thing I did extra was to put a little copper paste on the backing plate and pins which were dry this stopped the brakes from squeaking. As far as the breaking... what bike has the same braking force from one to another... Every bike I've ridden has a different braking characteristic hence I don't go balls out on a new bike. I get familiar to what the bike is going to do. The only bike in my stable which tends to tram line is my KLR650. My little RE is very stable on the highway as well as my big cruiser. Plus being old brings wisdom (well for some people) which means I'm happy just rolling along at my own pace. Another excellent and informative video.
The only thing I agree with is aftermarket rear shocks are a definite improvement on stock. But tyres and brakes are good enough as supplied.
The best motorcycling offering on TH-cam at the moment, I watch every one on another account on the TV. Tyres and brakes on any mainstream modern bike are fine. Many old bikes like my 1965 BSA have, erm, ‘sufficient’ brakes, I just have to ride accordingly. If riders think “what can go wrong in this situation”, then “how can I compensate for this”, then they’re safe! Keep the content coming.
Ayyyyyy-Up, Great video Stuart! I fear you may be preaching to the converted here, but you can never have to much road craft.
You make it all sound so obvious.
Great Work.
The worst brakes that I have ever had in 30 years of riding was on my 2005, bought from new, Triumph Speedmaster 885. The twin disc, front brake was massively overpowered and locked up far too quickly and did this on one occasion and threw me off. And not to mention the disc warping (twice!) that Triumph kept quiet about. In comparison, my Honda Shadow 1100 behemoth once saved me by stopping on a sixpence when a car suddenly did a U turn in front of me, prompting a comment of " good job your brakes work?!" from another motorist. It was a massive handful of brake and it stopped with no locking and no drama.
Agree with all the comments about smooth riding. Two comments I had when I was part of an owners club and riding in a group were 'you are a very sedate rider' and 'do you even use your brakes?'
I actually like having softer breaks, it's a bit of a margin of panic error, a moment to properly access how hard you need to break for the situation.
Well said Stu. As an everyday rider for near 30 years, I could not agree more.
Thus, if I were in charge of classifying the present video in one word, it would be wisdom.
I also would like to add that, even on the race track, those pilots who tend to be more gentle on their riding manners and technics might not be the most thrilling ones to watch, but they, perhaps, gonna be the ones who will fall in a lesser rate and, by doing so, they gonna have the best overall results aswell.
I think that conceptually and rethorically we may relate motorcycling [a power sport, by some accounts] to the martial art of judo wich means, roughly, 'gentle way'.
Best regards from Brazil. ✌
No abuse from me, instead a huge plaudit! About time that everything you said was out there. Biggest risk on the road is impatience and excessive speed.
Tyres and brakes hey, in my case I've always found them to be more up to the task than the rider. Unfortunate but true.
Hi Stu, I agree with you whole heartly. I've recently replaced my tyres on my inceptor with the same pirelli's that came with the bike. Very happy with them. Got nearly 10,000 kms out of them.
Hope everything goes well for the funeral.
Kind regards, Gary.
Stuart...Take your time with everything going on!... We will GLADLY wait. Cheers from the U.S.A.
On the subject of breaks, I am waiting for my interceptor to be delivered. I have restrained myself from getting sintered "performance" break pads because I did not want to buy into the hype. I grew up on scooters and bikes that had drum brakes only, so you'd factor those in. Same deal with today's stock break pads, adjust your riding! In cars, I have taught my daughter to break just with the weight of her foot, i.e., leave the heal on the floor -- breaking becomes much smoother and she has more control that way. IMO, one should lift the foot off the floor and use the whole leg for breaking only when there is a need. Same deal on a bike, break hard only if there is a need.
Nicely explained uncle stu. I am firm believer that no matter what motorcycle you are riding it is the rider's responsibility to get to know how the bike behaves before even attempting to be aggressive with it.
l grew up using drum brakes, progressing to a twin leading shoe system... they were still not as efficient as disc brakes. Now, most bikes have ABS so it's not quite as 'doggy' grabbing a handful ..(panic mode)..of front brake as it once was. Similar advances in tyre technology. Once we rode about on what were square profile tyres, totally unsuitable for a mode of vehicle that required angles of lean to negotiate corners/bends. A motorcycles lives in a world of geometry and physics being in balance at all times...when even one is out of step ....you bounce off down the road...
Generally seems to be the "Power Ranger" brigade who harp on about this, out riding on their willy compensators. Living in a coastal town I tend to try not to ride at weekends as all you see is full leather race suits and loud exhausts... Personally when I change tyres on my bike (when the originals are worn out) I will aim for a tyre that has a good rating for the wet, as that is what we get the most of in the UK, same for the car. Also 40 years of riding, with 14 years of all year commuting, I have had 1 event with loss of traction, due to a diesel spill, have never changed out the stock tyres or brakes until they wear out.
Looking at the comments I would point out it's BRAKES not BREAKS...!
Good morning Stu. My two-penneth:
Tyres: My T100 came with Pirelli Phantoms. Some said I must bin them straight away (yes, just like the RE-fitted Ciat). They're ok to be honest - probably not the best in the wet but I only ride in the wet if I get caught out 🤨and yes, they do tramline - but I make it something of habit not to ride over white lines unless I have to (mainly because of the unpredictable grip level on wet, white paint. So I'm not going to replace them till they're worn out. Many (many) years ago there was considerable benefit to be had from swapping the cheap tyres on Japanese bikes and we often did. Dunlop TT100 were the order of the day then which helped enormously considering the OEM rear tyres were often of a nasty square profile. I'm stunned by how much better modern tyres are - even "cheap" ones.
Brakes: Much the same arguments. A lot of bikes in the eighties had brakes which we'd consider dangerous if applying todays standards. A lot of my bikes had cable operated drum brakes up front with rod-operated drums at the rear. Any idea of "two-fingered" braking was a pipe dream (I don't think I ever considered it to be honest) But, we used to ride accordingly, planned ahead with appropriate anticipation of the conditions and a good squeeze (all four fingers) from a reasonable speed on a good surface would bring the bike to a halt quickly enough.
Kid's of today... 🙄😂
Edit: Don't get me started on tubed vs tubeless tyres 😂
I've got 40+ years under my belt on bikes and like yourself still here. I think your spot on......speed and late braking got me into a few sticky moment when I first started. With experince and knowledge (IAM) behind me it's better to read the road, be smooth and use engine braking . As a last resort, use the bikes brakes lightly and progressively if needed. As for tyres, the best a bike will ever feel under you is when both tyres are new (full set) but it does not take long before they start to square off (the softer the compound the quicker this will happen).
Thank you Stuart, this is so true and also my experience. It doesn’t matter which tire or brake system is on the motorcycle, it’s more about the rider skills and experience. At the moment I ride a 41 old Honda FT500 with nobby tires (Heidenau K67) and no ABS of course, and the tires ares just fine and the brakes are awesome. Keep up the good work!
Brilliant ,,converting petrol into brake dust ,,
You should be a poet Stuart .
The point you make about smoother riding or driving is valuable for all vehicles .
Once drove buses and one series of bus had such sharp brakes that I booked it off for being dangerous.
Turned out the fitters were using the wrong compound pads .
Keep at it as we could all use reminders from.time to time
Re. Testers - some of us will remember Ogri no. 19 (Ogri meets Earnest Thrasher) from the early days of Bike magazine. Still raises a smile!
The idea of being a ‘smooth and considerate’ rider on the road has been eroded since in my opinion from the 1970’s when screaming two strokes appeared. Most of the people riding today where brought up on fizzy’s,RD250/350, X7’s and the like bombing about from seaside promenade’s to cafes on country lanes. If you notice the young people today who mostly ride scooters to work/college they tend to be more dare I say responsibly ( there are the few tearaways). Training as you mention Stu is the best way to learn new techniques and become a better rider and I can’t recommend I.A.M enough to do this👍🏻
I am definitely not a full experience rider but agree and apply everything you said. Good for you to point it out
Great video Stuart, I’ve put 2000 miles on my interceptor since November. Rode in all weathers, nothing wrong with the brakes & tyres in my opinion! Keep up with the good content 👍🏻
"The days of rear drum brakes are long gone" Yes, sadly, very true. Am I the only one who much prefers a drum rear for slow manoeuvring ? No ? Only me ? 😕
I am so sorry to hear of the loss in the family. My warmest regards to the family in the hopes you all find resignation in the Lord. Who cares about bikes under these conditions.
Excellent advice. Become maturely responsible by cultivating good habits behind the wheel, car and or motorcycle. Thank you again for sharing.
Very balanced and informed information Stuart, but don’t forget the gearbox. Used properly ’blipping’ down the box matching engine speed to forward motion and getting the motor to slow you is much my preferred way, just use the brake to come to a stop, and that includes cornering, matching the gear to the corner no need (normally) for braking…
Nice one ! Lots of great advice in this video for new riders to take on board, and I couldn't agree more about the motorcycling press, and the egotistical journalism ramping up testosterone and adrenaline fuelled riders into showing off their prowess,or lack of...and sadly not always ending well !
I have been in the past both a Rospa observer/instructor, and also a track day instructor. Most of the 'new to Rospa' riders were already safe, smooth riders, who just needed a bit of a polish before doing their advanced test. The 'new to track' riders were generally different though. Most of them had a steep learning curve, with their egos and adrenaline getting in the way of being fast on track. Basically they would just be trying too hard ! Once we could get them to slow down a bit, and stop overbraking, thinking about what they're doing and smooth it all out...that's when the speed came ! And that's when they needed perfect brakes and the right tyres...on the track !
Another fixation amongst some RE 650 owners seems to be fitting a wider profile rear tyre. I can't see why this is necessary. My RE 650GT with 47bhp already has a wider profile rear tyre than my 1980s Kawasaki 750 that produced 78bhp.
Going back to my early days in the motorcycle trade as a mechanic and the machines of the day, if people today had to ride machines fitted with drum brakes front and rear they would think twice about complaining about modern brakes. I will say this though in the dawn of production bikes being fitted with disc brakes the big four Japanese companies brake rotors were made mainly of Stainless steel and were not drilled, this meant that in the wet for more than a few seconds of application the brake did nothing. British and Italian companies used cast iron brake rotors which although showing surface rust easily worked in the rain from the word go. As far as tyres go I remember changing sets of tyres on brand new Honda CB 750 fours before they left the dealership as well as other makes of large Japanese bikes. Since those days tyre tech has come as long way, as with braking systems. Anyone with any kind of time under their belt riding a motorcycle knows that in wet weather you avoid sink tops and manhole covers in the road as well as lines of tar and bad road repairs. Also to any new comers to any kind of motorcycle / scooter if you have just had new tyres fitted these tyres will still have a certain amount of mold release on the surface of the tyre from manufacture which could take 50 miles riding to wear off, this can have a huge negative effect as far as grip goes in the wet, so the machine needs riding in a steady manor until the tyres and what is known as scrubbed in. Sorry for the long reply Stuart.......take care.
it also applies to TH-camrs not not just magazine journalists. Yesterday I watched a couple of videos of the RE INT 650 and Meteor and both TH-camrs were complaining about the tyres and the brakes and in not a directly advised to change them. I thought to myself, they can't be that bad, surely they are at least usable for general use not on a track, build up the bike on the track and attempt to stop in the shortest possible distance....
I have nothing to add to your words here as you are spot on right in my opinion. The only thing I would say and you have mentioned this in the past actually, is that we shouldn't confuse safety items such as brakes and tyres with other ancillary items such as spark plugs and air filters. Manufacturers will often seek to make savings with the latter, as they are not safety items but they will never compromise safety with the former items.
Morning Stewart. We've had a few new bikes in our time. I only changed the tyres when they needed it. Or I ran over broken glass damaging the tyer. While I've usually gone for one tyre make. My maters picked other brands. As most of us had cruisers, tyres we're a personal choice. I loved that feeling going over freshly painted white lines on the moterways when you had got a flat spot on the rear especially when it was wet. Even my wife loved it! Dry or wet you have to change you riding style whether you're on a cruiser or a road race bike. One guy we knew well dropped his brand new Duke. He admitted he went into a corner he knew very well then wound the power on too fast while it was raining. Both bike and rider were ok if a little worn in places. Stew, anothone can go fast on an empty moterway, in a straight line, but the skill comes staying upright in icy conditions or the rain. I've been lucky riding two wheels. Breaks are another thing. I'd say most of the Japanese bikes I've owned including some that had drum breaks on the rear worked fantastic. I often wondered why some of my old British bikes drum breaks didn't perform so well. Only once did I ever upgrade the disks all round and that was because both calapers were seized. Doing 30 or 35mph those twin leading disks could be operated with a single finger in an emergency stop. Ride and adapt all the time has worked for me Stu. Safe enjoyable riding till next time 👍😊.
Wise words Stuart.. When I started riding there was only drumbrakes front and rear, so still, for me, all my bikes have awsome brakes. I ride a Yamaha Tracer 9 with really good stopping power, but even my little 150 cc Suzuki Raider have awsome brakes for road use. Everytime I get new tires on one of my bikes I get a huge grin on my face, but it is that same grin I had when taking the bike bike for a first spin with the manufacturers tires. You'r right, it's all about the rider. Big thanks for this video Stuart!!
Assuming one maintains a bike in proper working condition, anticipation is a key to safety. As you say, think ahead, but also try hard to anticipate a mistake by other users of the road. Yes, that guy in the other lane is going to switch without signal. Yes, a car will emerge from that side road. Yes, you can't see what's in front of that truck so expect it to brake hard because of the accident you can't see. Parenthetically, even with four tires, your advice applies to driving cars as well. The same physical forces apply and surprises are "just around the corner." If a crazy needs some encouragement to ride responsibly, just have him/her watch a few of the crashes that happen every year at the TT. My God. It's one thing to go a literally breakneck speed on a track where there's plenty of room to slide to safety. It's an entirely different world driving at those speeds on narrow commercial roads through tiny villages, deep dark forests and over the windy hills. I really don't understand those TT riders. They're incredibly skilled, incredibly brave, and astonishingly stupid!
when i bought in 2020 my sv650 (year 2005), everyone complajned about the bad front brake and only dual piston calipers. Have ridden many bikes and scooters, never found anything wrong with the brakes. You just have to combine front and rear brakes on the sv650 for proper stopping power but the moment you start using the imense engine brake this model has, brakes are only used inside citiy limits or wheb the bike is already going slow. Adapt to the machine and don't expect moto gp brakes on commuters or comon bikes. Same applies to cars.
All of the Japanese motorcycle company had offices in sunny California. In the rain their disc brakes became dangerous because they did not work in the wet disc brakes were introduced to regular motorcycles for production racing Suzuki's answer to pour wet-weather breaking performance was to give their dealers a sticker to put on the motorcycle saying be careful in the wet. People should have the choice between drum brakes or disc brakes drum brakes are much better because they are not affected by the weather being enclosed. My Ural sidecar outfit has drum brakes the new outfits have triple dish all the way around and the stopping distance is the same no improvement but the Italian Brembo brakes have to be serviced every 7,000 miles. I replaced a broken brake cable on the front end of my Euro in 30 seconds. Simple is good
Good and common sense video 👍🏻
Reminds me of a post on an owners forum a few years ago.
An owner had started a thread by stating that the brakes on his bike were dangerous. Not that they wouldn’t stop you but they were so powerful that he’d locked the front wheel in wet conditions and gone down. At no point did he acknowledge that he may have made a mistake, or possibly been unlucky enough to have ridden onto something on the road that reduced grip. It was 100 percent the bike and brakes fault. The bike’s shortcomings led him to the conclusion that he needed to convert the bike from a two disc system to a single on the front. Mate of mind suggested a far easier and more affordable modification, modify your riding and don’t pull the lever so hard.
Well said! In 1976 we just put new tyres on and didn’t think much of it. Went through many TT-100’s on the Commando in all weathers. We are now in a situation of ‘over-choice’ (Alvin Toffler - Future Shock) with endless options offering often intangible advantages. But back then, who’d have thought that one day we would consider 100hp relatively anaemic, and that 200hp was the new standard for powerful? You can still get in trouble with 50hp, but some of the new tyre technology is incredibly useful. I fitted Avon AM26 bias-belt to my 2016 T-120 and immediately noticed the difference. The interrupted centre sype avoided tracking, unlike the factory Pirelli Phantoms, and they just seemed to be more competent in all conditions, including gravel. I now have them on my 1982 T-140. I was later seduced by the idea of radial tyres on the T-120 and did a tubeless conversion, then fitted Michelin Pilot Road 4’s - the difficulty of this compounded by the lack of a suitable 18” front tyre, necessitating the fitment of a 120 rather than the recommended 110. The front never seemed to quite match up to the rear in regard to wear on the sidewalls, but they were excellent and confidence inspiring in the wet. However, the conversion was not in any real way a huge leap over the aforementioned Avon bias-belt tyres, except for the added safety margin of deleting the inner tube and ease of puncture repair. At least for my riding style.
I don’t believe I can generally outride my tyres, but the Phantoms were noticeably less competent on many of the unimproved back roads here in West Australia. Also recently fitted Avon Spirits to my Sprint GT, and Pirelli Diablo Rosso to my CB1300, in replacement of the Bridgestone tyres on both. Immediate improvement, as the Sprint was like to slide the rear out previously, but the takeaway in both cases was keep your tyres fresh, and new Bridgestones would likely have achieved the same result. Also, substantial upgrades to the CB1300 16 year-old suspension helped.
The brakes on both my Continental GT 535 and 650 are so much better than those on my 1987 Suzuki GSXR1100 H, which was in it's day considered a very competent sports bike. I fail to understand why some reviewers complain about the Enfields brakes. Regards.
My first bike is a RE classic 350. I heard the rumors about bad breaks, so the first time I came to a stop from a high speed I was surprised by how responsive they were. Perfect for the weight of the bike, and not easy to trigger the abs.
When I bought my used 2013 Bullet several years ago the only thing I felt it needed was to replace the factory tires with a pair of Dunlop K70s. The original front tire had very little tread and the rear was worn flat in the center with very little wear on the shoulders. Being old school I have always felt that both tires need tread with a bit of depth. In addition, K70s were what was supplied on many of the bikes from the factory 50 + years ago so they keep with the classic vibe. As someone that came up with drum brakes, I find modern disc brakes to be more than adequate.
Thank you Stuart - 100% agree with you and enjoyed the video. I nearly fell for the trap 🥴 with Ceat’s on my Classic 350. Turned out to be a really good all-round and durable tyres over thousands of kilometres on all road conditions here in Sth Australia.
Well said Uncle Stu. New tyres outperform old tyres period. Before I retired I tested tyres for work, the big differences were between 100% road & say 50/50 on/off road. The other big differences were how many miles you got from a set of tyres. If you want to learn how to deal with tram-tracking ride a few gravel roads on an adventure bike. No need to say anything more about brakes other than I tend to take the slack out of the system coming up to say traffic lights that may change, but my adventure bike has a lot more suspension travel than a road bike.
Stuart, you are always bang on. Man, the bike is going to move everywhere. You have to trust the bike an the geometry (I own an Int650 and I love the geometry: short agile bike, but still stable at 170 Km/h). Let the bike do its business: let it move and adapt to the changing conditions in the road (or in the tyre profile). If you can't deal with a vehicle that moves around, absolutely: get a car, because only in the most perfect of tarmacs, wind, (lack of) traffic and tyres / suspension adjustment are you going to "enjoy" a prefect, and boring, no-shaky business behaviour. You have to be able to enjoy the movement and sensations of the bike: they are always going to be there. Take an basic offroading course or go to a track day and get used to it. Eventually, you should love it... or get a car.
Compared to my Interceptor, the brakes on my 1984 Suzuki GP100 are dreadful. But they pass an MOT, they stop the bike (eventually) - and I ride accordingly, so they're far from dodgy.
I think you're bang on the money about smooth riding and not really needing to actually use the brakes that much, it 's how I try to ride most of the time. It's also how I drive most of the time too, unless I'm purposely having a bit of fun on a more spirited ride/drive on some twisty A/B roads - then obviously I'm braking harder than I normally would.
Been riding since the early 70's, never have had any of these problems. Old tires, new tires, cold, wet, hot and poor roads. Ride according to conditions and ability and you shouldn't have problems. Of course things can happen like a flat..... Same with the brakes. New technology and materials have improved these items as time has passed. Buy brand names and don't ride like an idiot and live.
In Kommunist Kalifornia, the are outlawing gas powered lawnmowers, leaf blowers- and even diesel trucks! They want to get rid of gas stoves, and have made it LEGAL to use Human bodies for COMPOST! Is Uk or Kali worse?
I like heritage, but I am American born and raised, but the last name of my roots come from Scotland 🏴 to Canada 🍁 to USA 🇺🇸. Reason for that explanation, Scots are cheap or frugal. Well, that is me. Owned 4 new bikes and 2 new trucks in my life. I never changed tires or breaks on it until they are used up.
But I will say, the only bike, I bought new I would want to change its tires. W800 Cafe came with bi ply 70s style tires that are horrible on rain groves, which I ride everyday. It was a real challenge to get comfortable with having a wiggling back end at speed....... but I have learned and became to enjoy the challenge. Great video. Learn to ride and relax as you stated! Spot on!
Very well presented Stuart, so well said.
We can get so caught up and the silly narrative portrayed with motorcycle magazines or by reporters that you need these cutting edge tires and brakes and engine performance it's just rubbish learn how to ride enjoy the ride see what's around you for a change, Yes we all love the twisties and the riding experience that brings just ride to the conditions and the limitations of both rider and bike.
Bugger me I think I just turned into my parents just then.
Ride well ride safe.
Talking about braking systems on bikes reminded me of my brother. Late 1970's we both had z650's mine was a c3 and my brothers was an older B1.
My brother decided the brakes on his twin disc setup werent good enough so he put two twin pot brembo's on it. His first trip out he locked the front wheel of on a bit of gravel and fell off, at low speed though. The same route he had navigated well for a year or so before.
It made me laugh at the time because if he had not changed the brakes he more than likely would not have fallen off.
Anyone remeber the days of non sintered brakepads. If it was raining when you went out you had to keep on applying the brakes to warm the discs up otherwise they were not very good at stopping you. Sintered pads oh what a joy when they arrived on the market.
Riding sanely & responsibly on public roads sums it up..59 years on 73 m/cycles; sport/sport touring, adv, cruiser & retro bikes All performed adequately. All 50 states, 3/4’s of Canada & a bit of Mx. all with oem tires & brakes & only changed tire brands to achieve higher mileage on a different brand. That includes attacking The Dragon, Warwoman Rd, significant mtn passes & six cross country rides on a variety of m/cycles. Once again, Uncle Stu is spot on.
Forensically astute again Stuart. Reminds me of the advice in ‘motorcycle road craft’ (police) given to me at a local ride safe course a few years ago. A real eye opener, even for a 60 plus year old who has had bikes ( on and off) since 17 years of age. You can’t beat road craft knowledge to stay safe. Also, now thinking back to reading MCN and others- it was mainly hype- how to be Barry Sheene etc. it all feeds into one’s ego I guess. What’s that saying about a bad workman blaming his tools. Probably the same narrative about tyres and brakes. Good video👍
Great common sense from Stu as always. Then again, common sense ain’t so common. The wet weather performance of tyres and brakes debate makes me smile a bit. I live in Malaysia. When it rains in Malaysia you stop riding. There are purpose built motorcycle shelters on the highways and off the highways you pull over and hide! Even in a car the wipers are totally overwhelmed and you’re driving absolutely blind.
The Enfield 350’s are in the showrooms now and I’m lusting for one! 😁
Ha, decades ago when I rode my Triumph on Guam I did the same thing. Over there you could see the rain squalls come at you and usually had time to stop and run for a bus shelter. I always rode with my raincoat as a cushion and if caught without a shelter, I'd have time to put it on real quick and stand there until the rain was over. If I'd get soaked, my clothes would "blow-dry" out while riding. Thanks for the memory.
Hunter is such a gorgeous motorcycle!
Stuarts comments about the motorcycle press are right on the button. I lost any respect for these bunch of Knobs many years ago.
Another well stated comment on something most people don't think about. Tires and brakes and how good they are or how well they handle. OEM equipment is the yardstick on which any vehicle will be measured against. No manufacturer will knowingly put a vehicle on bad tires or use poor brakes. Most information I hear from others is just their opinion but as you put out, the manufacturer will match the tires and brakes to a given platform. Ride safe and keep smiling!
Around where I live, near the sea, it is necessary to use the car brakes (in a gentle steady fashion) whenever possible down hill, in order to prevent the brake discs from becoming too deeply rusted! All good stuff once again Stuart.
Thanks for another very informative video, personal I have always used engine braking first, changing down a gear or two can half your speed before using your brakes, and I have always used front and rear brakes simultaneously, disk or drum have never been a problem, none of my bikes have anti lock, ( I have 6 bikes) ranging from a 150 MZ to a 1200cc Harley, including a Ducati and Royal Enfield and I have never had a braking problem, if you're old fashioned drum brakes are not as good as modern disks just squeeze a little harder and brake a little sooner and they will stop you safely (eventually 😊).
It's on the rider to adapt to the conditions. Whether that's the bike or the weather. I have ridden on "bad" tires but those were either ancient, or made to do 15,000+miles so they started out just grippy enough and got worse as they aged. If it's sketchy outside be careful and most people can make it home. I had to do that a year ago I was riding a cruiser in the mountains on the first rain of the season. Was going around 10-15mph and I was still sliding around, just turned around and headed home to dryer roads. I don't complain about the tires much, I just know they aren't great in the wet, so I have another bike with avons that is good in the wet. I used to do cross country mountain bike racing and sometimes you were sliding, drifting, crashing, etc. Once you do that, or enduro riding road stuff isn't that big of a deal.
Well said Uncle Stu, If some motorcyclists spent as much on their training as they do messing about changing tyres to cope with their lack of ability the issues raised would be far less of a problem!!
dont no one use gears its yer third brake i ride a bullet with drum brakes i have no trouble i had a vtr befor bullet stu has a point folk aint trained should teach on a bike with drum brakes first to see the diffrence
Another excellent video Uncle Stu. I’m a Police trained rider as well, common sense is the most important factor in wet weather. You ride according to conditions, anything less is dangerous. I don’t have a problem with the tyres fitted to my bikes whatever the weather.
No abuse Stuart. I listened carefully and agree with everything you said. I ride old bikes and like to have a firm grip to make the brakes work so it is harder to overwhelm them.
Ps. If you want a bike that tracks we'll buy an R series BMW with the telelever front suspension. Best I have ever ridden.
After 40 years riding I’d say tyres are generally a trade off between grip and longevity, with some performing better in wet or dry conditions.
I look for the stickiest tyre I can (within reason) not because I want knee down performance but because if I need emergency braking I don’t want the tyre to breakaway. It might just save your life.
Good stuff, Stu. I too have taken numerous riding courses from Motorcycle police trainers. They say the same thing you do about motorcycle control, braking and accelerating. The main theme was ride in a manner that does not get you into trouble while maintaining legal speed and control...or a bit more😀
Tyres are all about confidence; I always fit Avon tyres, but a work colleague told me that Avons were the only tyre that he WOULD NOT fit.... As for brakes, I have two big Ducatis, one 40 years old, one 15 years old; a few years ago I visited Mallory Park on successive weekends on each bike, and a large part of the journey involved accelerate, brake for a roundabout, accelerate.......On the old model my hand was aching from the effort of squeezing the brake lever, but on the newer one it was easy. Yet, most owners of the newer bike complain that the brakes are not any good, and upgrade them. It is all relative.
Good points about the impact of egotistic journalists' behaviour. I do wonder whether the Police bike training has changed since you did it? I ask because I did Bikesafe training with the North Yorkshire Police last year and their advice was to use the brakes for slowing down rather than engine braking / dropping gears (which should be reserved for hill descents). This is in line with the Motorcycle Roadcraft book. Given engine braking doesn't put on your brake lights, when I use engine braking I dab the brakes if there's anyone behind as when I'm slowing down I want the traffic behind to know about it!
Good common sense video, very valid points well made, particularly the point about using the brakes, I think that this comes from car driving (gears are for going, brakes are for slowing), it is quite possible to ride normally without using the brakes excessively.
This video should be mandatory watching for all new motorcyclists, it would save lives I am sure.
Thanks for making it.
On again a brilliant video on safety riding it's a pity car drivers don't apply this method. Mjm
Totally agree with most of this, never had an issue with tyres, I just buy whats the best deal when I need them. Brakes maybe not so much. I'll admit I am an "enthusiastic" rider, smooth as I can, but a ZRX1200 needs better brakes than std, and it all came down to pads, maintenance is also important. I dont ride like you Stu, but reading situations ahead is key and I also want to be able to stop or slow down asap when needed. Some upgrades are worth it.
👍 Yep suffered all those comments back in the late 70's with my Honda stock Yockahama tyres. Almost de ja vou with the Ceat tyres but now as then absolutely no issues with them. I've rigen my 350 Fireball in dry/hot conditions, 40°C in the summer and now -1 frosty roads, damp roads and wet roads. Good tyres and they give good feed back. Same with the breaks. Back in my day the tyres to have were TT100, only ever fitted then to one bike and never again🤣 Be aware of the media they introduce rubbish into your head sometimes.
Nice review 👌
Yes exactly that’s why I like your reviews so much. I am not looking for a moto GP bike and definitely not going to be using anywhere near the bikes full capacity in performance. Just want a good bike to ride around like a sane person rides.
I have been riding for over 30 years. I'd say most tyres and brakes are just fine. The only exceptions I have come across on the many bikes I've owned and test-rode are.... V-Strom 650 (really weak brakes, possibly ruined by the fact that the V-Strom 1000 had such brilliant brakes). For tyres, the earlier models of the Z1000 SX, they changed the tyre in 2022 (hopefully got the year right) and it massively / dramatically changed the way the bike handled (vast improvement). Do I think my RE Meteor brakes are OK ? Well, they could be better (like the 650 INT) but I guess they are picked due to the budget and cost of the bike. Thanks as ever for the informative vid Stu.