i've owned my r6 for over 2 years now. i've used the rear brake exactly once.
you shouldn't use the rear brake at all unless you find yourself going off-road. most other times, it's completely useless unless your last name ends in "rossi"...
The class is geared towards all types of riders. On a cruiser the rear brake is much more useful, because there is a lot of weight over it. On a sport bike there is practically none in a stopping situation. Until you are a skilled track rider just stay off the rear.
I use my my rear brake in every situation except while in a turn. It drastically reduces fork dive in day to day riding which can wear you out fighting it all the time. Just my personal experience. Glad your ok.
Lemme tell you a few things about the guy who wrote the DMV handbook.
1. He obviously never rode on a real road, in real conditions, in real traffic. He tells you to ride in the center of the lane...you know, where all the oil and grime is. This also makes your best escape path less effective. Riding in the left wheel track gives you better traction and allows a quick escape path to the left if, for instance, the car in front of you stops short.
2. He never priced the difference in cost between brake pads and transmission components. He tells you to use downshifts in conjunction with brakes to come to a stop. A couple of problems with this: a. it increases the chances of causing a lock up or skipping of the rear tire(not quite as bad with a slipper clutch like on the 3rd gen R6), and b. I have had to change transmissions for people who are overly aggressive with this technique....good for my pocket, not theirs.
3. He had to write it with all types of bikes in mind (same for MSF). Sprotbikes react very differently than cruisers under hard braking. The rear brake on a cruiser is much more efective. With a sport bike, the rear wheel will actually leave the ground when youbrake hard resulting in what you experienced.
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Dear SpeedTV,
I, for one, will be extremely happy when you finally make the transition to a main line sports channel.
.....it will mark the end of your network pretending to be a motorsports channel.
Thank you for finally realizing what the rest of us already knew.
Yes, the rear brake doesn't do too much besides helping really advanced riders; or slowing down at low speeds for a stop light. There isn't much weight back there to help it either..unless you have dual enlarged rotors, and this on your back seat:
Really glad you are okay man, lesson learned almost the hard way
Practice and learn to use the front brake well, and work on higher and lower speed maneuvering. It can be tough to focus and remember stuff in close situations, especially when you target fixate on what is going on ahead of you.
Listen to what is said, these guys know their stuff.
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Last edited by |/3|\|0|\/|; 11-25-2012 at 11:54 AM.
2. Don't slam on your rear brake when you freak out cause you'll experience what you just experienced. Learn to use the front brakes effectively and you'll forget you even have it.
Lemme tell you a few things about the guy who wrote the DMV handbook.
1. He obviously never rode on a real road, in real conditions, in real traffic. He tells you to ride in the center of the lane...you know, where all the oil and grime is. This also makes your best escape path less effective. Riding in the left wheel track gives you better traction and allows a quick escape path to the left if, for instance, the car in front of you stops short.
2. He never priced the difference in cost between brake pads and transmission components. He tells you to use downshifts in conjunction with brakes to come to a stop. A couple of problems with this: a. it increases the chances of causing a lock up or skipping of the rear tire(not quite as bad with a slipper clutch like on the 3rd gen R6), and b. I have had to change transmissions for people who are overly aggressive with this technique....good for my pocket, not theirs.
3. He had to write it with all types of bikes in mind (same for MSF). Sprotbikes react very differently than cruisers under hard braking. The rear brake on a cruiser is much more efective. With a sport bike, the rear wheel will actually leave the ground when youbrake hard resulting in what you experienced.
for sure it's not all-inclusive, especially for sport bike riders. it has almost become a necessity for us to attend a track day, simply to learn how a sport bike works. it is MUCH different from a standard or cruiser. so much so that they should have their own version of the MSF course...
s3aturnr
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...the 3 is silent
2009 yamaha r6
i give up...
Exactly as others have stated... general riding books are generalized for all bikes... A sport bike's braking power is roughly 90% front/ 10% rear when used together... There are several test videos out there that show stopping distance when using front / rear / both... There is barely a difference between front vs both. Now on cruisers it's completely different, I know on my 1200cc cruiser the front does jack... and the rear has way more stopping power, of course on this bike i pretty much always use both...
Really glad you are okay man, lesson learned almost the hard way 
Listen to what is said, these guys know their stuff.
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