Brakes - BMW C 650 GT Rider's Manual

Brake pads
5
New brake pads have to bed
down before they can achieve
58
their optimum friction levels. You
can compensate for this initial re-
duction in braking efficiency by
exerting greater pressure on the
levers.
New brake pads can extend
stopping distance by a sig-
z
nificant margin.
Apply the brakes in good time.
Tyres
New tyres have a smooth sur-
face. This must be roughened by
riding in a restrained manner at
various heel angles until the tyres
are run in. This running in pro-
cedure is essential if the tyres are
to achieve maximum grip.
New tyres do not provide
full grip straight away. Wet
roads and extremely sharp in-
clines pose a risk of accident.
Ride carefully and avoid
extremely sharp inclines.

Brakes

How can stopping
distance be minimised?
Load distribution shifts dynam-
ically between the front and rear
wheels when the vehicle brakes.
The sharper the vehicle decel-
erates, the more load is shifted
to the front wheel. The higher
the wheel load, the more braking
force can be transmitted without
the wheel locking.
To optimise stopping distance,
apply the front brakes rapidly and
keep on increasing the force
you apply to the brake lever.
This makes the best possible
use of the dynamic increase in
load at the front wheel. In the
"panic braking situations" that
are trained so frequently brak-
ing force is applied as rapidly as
possible and with the rider's full
http://www.motorcycle.in.th
force applied to the brake levers;
under these circumstances the
dynamic shift in load distribution
cannot keep pace with the in-
crease in deceleration and the
tyres cannot transmit the full
braking force to the surface of
the road. Under these circum-
stances the front wheel can lock
up.
BMW Motorrad ABS prevents
the front wheel from locking up.
Descending mountain
passes
There is a danger of the
brakes fading if you use
only the rear brakes when des-
cending mountain passes. Under
extreme conditions, the brakes
could overheat and suffer severe
damage.
Use both front and rear brakes,
and make use of the engine's
braking effect as well.