How brakes work, Adjusting your brakes

B. Brakes

NOTE: For most effective braking, use both brakes and apply them simultaneously.

WARNING: Sudden or excessive application of the front brake may pitch the rider over the handlebars, causing serious injury or death.

1. How brakes work

It’s important to your safety that you instinctively know which brake lever controls which brake on your bike. In the U.S., scooters are required to be set up with the right brake lever controlling the rear brake, and the left lever controlling the front brake.

The braking action of a scooter is a function of the friction between the brake surfaces – usually the brake shoes and the wheel rim. To make sure that you have maximum friction available, keep your wheel rims and brake shoes clean and free of lubricants, waxes or polishes.

Make sure that your hands can reach and squeeze the brake levers comfortably. If your hands are too small to operate the levers comfortably, consult your dealer before riding the bike. The lever reach may be adjustable; or you may need a different brake lever design.

Most brakes have some form of quick release mechanism to allow the brake shoes to clear the tire when a wheel is removed or reinstalled. When the brake quick release is in the open position, the brakes are inoperative. Make sure that you under- stand the way the brake quick release works on your scooter and check each time to make sure both brakes work correctly before you get on the bike.

Brakes are designed to control your speed, not just to stop the bike. Maximum braking force for each wheel occurs at the point just before the wheel “locks up” (stops rotating) and starts to skid. Once the tire skids, you actually lose most of your stopping force and all directional control. You need to practice slowing and stopping smoothly without locking up a wheel.

The technique is called progressive brake modulation. Instead of jerking the brake lever to the position where you thinkyou’ll generate appropriate braking force, squeeze the lever, progressively increasing the braking force. If you feel the wheel begin to lock up, release pressure just a little to keep the wheel rotating just short of lockup. It’s important to develop a feel for the amount of brake lever pressure required for each wheel at different speeds and on different surfaces. To better under- stand this, experiment a little by walking your bike and applying different amounts of pressure to each brake lever, until

the wheel locks.

WARNING: Some scooter brakes, such as linear-pull and disc brakes, are extremely powerful. You should take extra care in becoming familiar with these brakes and exercise particular care when using them. Applying these brakes too hard or too suddenly can lock up a wheel, which could cause you to lose control and fall.

When you apply one or both brakes, the scooter begins to slow, but your body wants to continue at the speed at which it was going. This causes a transfer of weight to the front wheel (or, under heavy braking, around the front wheel hub, which could send you flying over the handlebars). A wheel with more weight on it will accept greater brake pressure before lockup; a wheel with less weight will lock up with less brake pressure. So, as you apply brakes and your weight shifts forward, you need to shift your body toward the rear of the bike, to transfer weight back on to the rear wheel; and at the same time, you need to both decrease rear braking and increase front braking force. This is even more important on steep descents, because descents shift weight forward. The keys to effective speed control and safe stopping are controlling wheel lockup and weight transfer. Practice braking and weight transfer techniques where there is no traffic or other hazards and distractions.

Everything changes when you ride on loose surfaces or in wet weather. Tire adhesion is reduced, so the wheels have less cornering and braking traction and can lock up with less brake force. Moisture or dirt on the brake shoes reduces their ability to grip. The way to maintain control on loose or wet surfaces is to go more slowly to begin with.

2. Adjusting your brakes

If either brake lever on your scooter fails the Mechanical Safety Check you can restore brake lever travel by turning the brake cable adjusting barrel counterclockwise, then lock the adjustment in by turning the barrel’s lock nut clockwise as far as it will go. If the lever still fails the Mechanical Safety Check, or you have any question about whether your brakes are working properly have your dealer check the brakes.