A pig in motion tends to remain in motion until it reaches the far end of the pen. On the other hand, a porky motorcycle is free to roam and won’t stop until you hit the brakes. But most of the time, those brakes provide far less stopping power than a hog pen.
The manufacturers produce these gorgeous bikes that we love to ride—and modify—but the brakes usually seem like an afterthought. “Well, back in the ‘80s the bikes had one disc brake up front and one disc or drum in the rear, so I think we’ve covered the engineering for that. Plus, it looks great when one side of the wheel isn’t blocked by a brake rotor. Besides, those cruiser guys don’t know how to brake, they just close their eyes and stomp on the rear brake pedal …”
That’s ridiculous—not my perception of what the engineers think but what the styling people do in order to be cool and what the accountants think—if at all--before signing off on the expense sheet to save money on the cost of the brakes. Look at any four cylinder or big twin sportbike and you’ll see TWO front disc brakes plus a rear disc brake. Not only that, but those bikes only weigh about 380 to 500 lbs. full of gas.
The typical over-825cc cruiser weighs in between 600 and nearly 800 lbs.!
So you’re telling me that cruisers need less stopping power--for more weight--than the sportbikes?
Over the years, twin front brakes have started showing up on muscle cruisers as well as the big touring bikes—lord knows they need it. And some bikes are even coming with steel-braided brake lines which increase stopping power--that’s a good thing. Seriously, can a steel braided line cost much more, if at all, than the rubber lines that come on almost all motorcycles? And even if they do cost another $50 (and they don’t!), that’s not going to break the bank for anyone shopping for a new motorcycle.
Me, I’m all about function first. If it doesn’t start, go, turn and stop, then I’m on to the next bike. What good is style as you watch yourself slam into the back of a suddenly stopped vehicle because your brakes weren’t sufficient for your bike?
Now I've got spilchis in my genektagazoint. I'm all verklempt. Discuss amongst yourselves.