How not to noob out...

anacron · May 13th, 2013, 11:15 PM

I've had my 300 for almost a month now, only been riding a few miles here and there (grad student, school, blah blah blah). So, I went out for my first hour long ride this evening and for some reason the bike felt a lot more lethargic and sluggish off the line. I live in Berkeley so I figured it was just me being in too high a gear at too low RPMs for the hills and, in general, me being sloppy with shifting.

Well... imagine my surprise when the issue turns out to be me being a complete f'in noob - I was riding the rear brake!

So I shifted my foot back a bit and on came a delightful surge of power

The rear caliper was nice and toasty after I was done. Oh well at least I didn't go down because of it and lesson learned. Maybe moving the brake pedal forward some would alleviate the issue.

Aurodox · May 13th, 2013, 11:51 PM

Put the balls of your feet on the peg. Problem solved

SteveL · May 14th, 2013, 01:04 AM

Not just a noob problem a friend of mine was doing this on his new Yamaha been riding for years but a combination of big feet and not the best peg/ brake position for him easy done. He had more than sufficient power not to notice.

Steve

Bentley813 · May 14th, 2013, 02:28 AM

I wear size 12 US riding shoes and have never accidentally hit the rear brake. That's strange. Once you get used to using the balls of your feet your ride will get better also. Between that and hugging the tank with your legs you will gain a lot more control of the bike.

anacron · May 14th, 2013, 09:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aurodox

Put the balls of your feet on the peg. Problem solved

Yup, basically this was the issue. I was flat footing the peg and given the peg location on the 300 (45 degree angle at the knee) I kept resting the balls of feet on brake pedal.

Adjusted my position this morning and everything felt great, a little weird initially but much more comfortable (I found it easier to grip the tank this way). Just for fun, here's a picture!

Alex · May 14th, 2013, 11:20 AM

Good safety tip.

How does the rear pad look, everything still a-ok?

inkyben · May 14th, 2013, 11:29 AM

Don't feel bad, I ran out of gas one day and didn't even check the tank until a coworker told me. I pushed my bike right by a gas station too lol.

iceknyght · May 14th, 2013, 12:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bentley813

I wear size 12 US riding shoes and have never accidentally hit the rear brake. That's strange. Once you get used to using the balls of your feet your ride will get better also. Between that and hugging the tank with your legs you will gain a lot more control of the bike.

^^ This.

anacron · May 14th, 2013, 12:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alex

Good safety tip.

How does the rear pad look, everything still a-ok?

Yup, everything is still fine. I did a few emergency stops just to make sure and I didn't feel any slippage or loss of braking power.

Alex · May 14th, 2013, 12:18 PM

OK - that's a good sign, but it still might be a good idea to get back there and take a peek at the pads themselves, that there is still plenty of meat left. Odds are they are fine, but it only takes a few moments to confirm.

Motofool · May 14th, 2013, 12:35 PM

............and check the brake fluid level as well.

It can boil when too much heat is generated by long time.

You should adjust the height of your rear brake pedal so it is comfortable to your ergo and kind of out of the way at the same time.

anacron · May 14th, 2013, 01:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alex

OK - that's a good sign, but it still might be a good idea to get back there and take a peek at the pads themselves, that there is still plenty of meat left. Odds are they are fine, but it only takes a few moments to confirm.

Yup, all's well with the front and rear pads.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Motofool

............and check the brake fluid level as well.

It can boil when too much heat is generated by long time.

You should adjust the height of your rear brake pedal so it is comfortable to your ergo and kind of out of the way at the same time.

Fluid levels are fine. It was probably a good thing it was a short ride so other than the disc being a little hot there were no adverse effects.

I'll give the current setup a few more rides and if it still feels uncomfortable I'll go ahead and drop the pedal a little bit.

cookiebug79 · May 17th, 2013, 04:03 PM

I would still bleed the rear brake. Even if the fluid level is ok, the fluid at the caliper end is likely degraded and brown. Your braking ability is reduced. But I'm overly anal about my brakes and use the super-expensive $20/bottle race fluid because it's waaaaaay better than the stock stuff.

anacron · May 17th, 2013, 04:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cookiebug79

I would still bleed the rear brake. Even if the fluid level is ok, the fluid at the caliper end is likely degraded and brown. Your braking ability is reduced. But I'm overly anal about my brakes and use the super-expensive $20/bottle race fluid because it's waaaaaay better than the stock stuff.

haha! way ahead of you, I was going to make some time this weekend to do exactly that. Especially since it is the rear and much more maneuverable. Any recommendations on brand? I don't mind spending $20 for the fluid.

alex.s · May 17th, 2013, 04:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Motofool

............and check the brake fluid level as well.

It can boil when too much heat is generated by long time.

You should adjust the height of your rear brake pedal so it is comfortable to your ergo and kind of out of the way at the same time.

and when it boils, it creates a chain reaction of expansion pushing the pad harder causing more heat causing more boiling... eventually the caliper melts. dean had it happen at the track. theres photos floating around somewhere.

cookiebug79 · May 17th, 2013, 04:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by anacron

haha! way ahead of you, I was going to make some time this weekend to do exactly that. Especially since it is the rear and much more maneuverable. Any recommendations on brand? I don't mind spending $20 for the fluid.

Motul 600 is the good stuff!

http://www.topbrakes.com/itemDetails...Fcc-MgodcikALA

JohnnyBravo · May 17th, 2013, 08:07 PM

Love the pic. Congrats on the 300, great bike for sure!

koma22 · May 17th, 2013, 08:11 PM

Funny story. Bet you won't do that again.

BTW, what do you study?

anacron · May 17th, 2013, 08:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by koma22

Funny story. Bet you won't do that again.

BTW, what do you study?

For sure, I'm being extra attentive of my foot positioning. I'm doing a PhD in computer science at - as you might have guessed - UC Berkeley.

koma22 · May 17th, 2013, 09:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by anacron

For sure, I'm being extra attentive of my foot positioning. I'm doing a PhD in computer science at - as you might have guessed - UC Berkeley.

Cool beans, I am doing mine in astronomy up in Canada.

anacron · May 18th, 2013, 11:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by koma22

Cool beans, I am doing mine in astronomy up in Canada.

Fun stuff!!

May 13th, 2013, 11:15 PM	#1
anacron ninjette.org guru Name: Adi Location: SF Bay Area Join Date: Apr 2013 Motorcycle(s): Triumph Street Triple R Posts: 380	How not to noob out... I've had my 300 for almost a month now, only been riding a few miles here and there (grad student, school, blah blah blah). So, I went out for my first hour long ride this evening and for some reason the bike felt a lot more lethargic and sluggish off the line. I live in Berkeley so I figured it was just me being in too high a gear at too low RPMs for the hills and, in general, me being sloppy with shifting. Well... imagine my surprise when the issue turns out to be me being a complete f'in noob - I was riding the rear brake! So I shifted my foot back a bit and on came a delightful surge of power The rear caliper was nice and toasty after I was done. Oh well at least I didn't go down because of it and lesson learned. Maybe moving the brake pedal forward some would alleviate the issue.

May 14th, 2013, 01:04 AM	#3
SteveL old git Name: Steve Location: Geneve Switzerland Join Date: Mar 2009 Motorcycle(s): BMW K1300S Posts: 479	Not just a noob problem a friend of mine was doing this on his new Yamaha been riding for years but a combination of big feet and not the best peg/ brake position for him easy done. He had more than sufficient power not to notice. Steve __________________________________________________ Some mistakes are too much fun to make only once.

May 14th, 2013, 11:20 AM	#6
Alex ninjette.org dude Name: 1 guess :-) Location: SF Bay Area Join Date: Jun 2008 Motorcycle(s): '13 Ninja 300 (white, the fastest color!), '13 R1200RT, '14 CRF250L, '12 TT-R125LE Posts: Too much. Blog Entries: 7	Good safety tip. How does the rear pad look, everything still a-ok? __________________________________________________ Montgomery Street Motorcycle Club / cal24.com / crf250l.org / ninjette.org ninjette.org Terms of Service Shopping for motorcycle parts or equipment? Come here first. The friendliest Ninja 250R/300/400 forum on the internet! (especially Unregistered)

May 14th, 2013, 12:18 PM	#10
Alex ninjette.org dude Name: 1 guess :-) Location: SF Bay Area Join Date: Jun 2008 Motorcycle(s): '13 Ninja 300 (white, the fastest color!), '13 R1200RT, '14 CRF250L, '12 TT-R125LE Posts: Too much. Blog Entries: 7	OK - that's a good sign, but it still might be a good idea to get back there and take a peek at the pads themselves, that there is still plenty of meat left. Odds are they are fine, but it only takes a few moments to confirm. __________________________________________________ Montgomery Street Motorcycle Club / cal24.com / crf250l.org / ninjette.org ninjette.org Terms of Service Shopping for motorcycle parts or equipment? Come here first. The friendliest Ninja 250R/300/400 forum on the internet! (especially Unregistered)

May 14th, 2013, 12:35 PM	#11
Motofool Daily Ninjette rider Name: Hernan Location: Florida Join Date: Mar 2011 Motorcycle(s): 2007 Ninja 250 Posts: A lot. MOTY - 2016, MOTM - Dec '12, Jan '14, Jan '15, May '16	............and check the brake fluid level as well. It can boil when too much heat is generated by long time. You should adjust the height of your rear brake pedal so it is comfortable to your ergo and kind of out of the way at the same time. __________________________________________________ *Motofool* *.................................Never ride faster than your guardian angel can fly* "Mankind is composed of two sorts of men — those who love and create, and those who hate and destroy. Love is the bond between men, the way to teach and the center of the world." - José Martí

May 13th, 2013, 11:51 PM	#2
Aurodox ninjette.org member Name: - Location: - Join Date: Mar 2013 Motorcycle(s): - Posts: 139	Put the balls of your feet on the peg. Problem solved

May 14th, 2013, 02:28 AM	#4
Bentley813 ninjette.org member Name: Steve Location: Oswego, NY Join Date: Aug 2012 Motorcycle(s): 2013 White 300 Posts: 221	I wear size 12 US riding shoes and have never accidentally hit the rear brake. That's strange. Once you get used to using the balls of your feet your ride will get better also. Between that and hugging the tank with your legs you will gain a lot more control of the bike.

May 14th, 2013, 11:29 AM	#7
inkyben ninjette.org member Name: Ben Location: st.pete florida Join Date: May 2013 Motorcycle(s): 2005 ninja 250, 2008 zx10, 2003 r6, 2008 187cc drag bike. Posts: 26 Blog Entries: 2	Don't feel bad, I ran out of gas one day and didn't even check the tank until a coworker told me. I pushed my bike right by a gas station too lol.

May 17th, 2013, 04:03 PM	#13
cookiebug79 n00b with the b00bs Name: Jen Location: Southern California Join Date: Jan 2013 Motorcycle(s): 2007 EX250, 2008 EX250, 2001 ZR-7S, 2010 ZX-6R Posts: 470	I would still bleed the rear brake. Even if the fluid level is ok, the fluid at the caliper end is likely degraded and brown. Your braking ability is reduced. But I'm overly anal about my brakes and use the super-expensive $20/bottle race fluid because it's waaaaaay better than the stock stuff.
	1 out of 1 members found this post helpful.

May 17th, 2013, 08:07 PM	#17
JohnnyBravo Certifiable nontundrum Name: Harper Location: NC Milkshake stand Join Date: Mar 2013 Motorcycle(s): 2013 SE NINJA 300 Posts: Too much. MOTM - Sep '13, Sep '16	Love the pic. Congrats on the 300, great bike for sure!

May 17th, 2013, 08:11 PM	#18
koma22 ninjette.org member Name: M Location: Ontario Join Date: Feb 2013 Motorcycle(s): Ninja 250R Posts: 17	Funny story. Bet you won't do that again. BTW, what do you study?

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