http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sDbWZiaUeDY

Good video.......lots of stuff to consider.

It is very interesting that in 80% of motorcycle crashes there is no evidence of braking.  I can't help but cringe whenever I hear a biker say "I had to lay it down".......that to me is a sign that the rider only knows how to apply the rear brake in a panic, and the back tire slides out of control and the motorcycle falls over.  A motorcycle stops faster upright and on the tires than it does sliding down the pavement on it's side.

I am always thankful that I learned to ride in the dirt and mud.  I got lots of practice using brakes on good and bad surfaces, and learned to modulate the brakes to suit the available traction.  The learning phase often involved a skid and a many falls.......the riding in the dirt was most often pretty slow and dirt is very forgiving in a fall, and dirt bikes are tough and not easily damaged (at least they were before they got water cooling and lots of plastic bodywork).  When I got good enough to race motocross I learned to brake harder than other riders and pass on the entrance to curves....(a 125cc bike does not have much power to pass with).

I often wonder how a rider who only rides on the street learns to brake properly.  They don't have the luxury of  learning by trial and error and practice as I did in the dirt.  Falls on hard pavement with motorcycles that are damaged easily is not much of an option.

Thankfully I have learned to apply the front front and rear brake smoothly, even in a panic stop.  I have learned to apply the brakes firmly and increase the pressure on the front brake as the weight transfers forward......while at the same time releasing some rear brake pressure to avoid sliding the rear tire.  I do need to practice this more often - as routine riding and planned stops are very forgiving about sloppy braking methods......maybe I need to buy another dirt bike!!!!!!

Somewhere around 2018 I was riding a Honda ST1100 on the Tail of the Dragon and going pretty fast.  I was still on the straight section and braking hard for the upcoming left turn.......and I evidently had not released enough pressure on the rear brake pedal and the back tire began to slide - the back of the back started to slide to the right.  (This bike had a tendency to lock up the rear brake often under hard braking).  I had to release the brakes to get the bike straightened up, and when I got back on the brakes there was not enough room to complete the braking within the available pavement.....I went off the pavement and into the leaf filled ditch.  The bike stayed upright and we came to a stop without any damage - but it reminded me what happens when the rear tire locks up!  I rode a bit less aggressively for the rest of the day, as I had been reminded that there are limits to what can/should be maintained to ride safely!

I think I might have found the perfect solution for braking from high speed ... its called the smaller displacement bike solution.    Its working for me now !  .    
Really
I'm ridding differently now that I've cut caffeine out of my diet .  That's not to say that I don't enjoy a High Spirited Ride once in a while !  
.....................

We should all make our way to a empty section of road to practice how fast we can stop , then repeat once a month.   It been my experience that the rear tire is not on the ground much durning a quick stop with the Enfield and the Guzzi was the same way.   

All this information to absorb and what most stands out to me is: MM, you stopped drinking Mountain Dew?!?

So, I will add a bit of insight from when I bought my Honda Fury. The dealer it came from actually regularly has an S40/LS650 for sale and is very familiar with them. He made it a point to inform me that riding a long stretch bike like the Fury, you had to depend on the front brake.

But like Dave, I grew up riding dirt bikes and later mountain bikes, and the front brake aspect of riding was second nature. When I took the Rider Education Course to get my MC license, the instructors were impressed by how I actually had the concept of trail braking already ingrained in my psyche.

Basically, and this is a major simplification, front brake counter acts the momentum force of bike moving forward, rear brake just attempts to manage it.

It is one of the reasons in Education courses they tell you to wear boots with a minimum heel height of like a 1/2". If you over apply rear brake the heel of boot will engage on peg and hold your body back from flying forward due to momentum as the bike slows down below your body due to excessive rear braking. The number of injuries involving bodies flying forward over the handlebars while panic rear braking is acsignificant statistic.

Sorry to hear you had to give up the Dew. But yeah, I suspect you are alot calmer now (at least some of the time). I have not gotten the pre diabetes warning yet but I am trying to eat better to keep from getting it.

Glad you showed your brother "Who da man is!!"

I feel a little guilty but ,   if he had been on the Savage or the Meteor and I was on the Sportster it would still be the Sportster that got left , IMHO. 

I have to work just as hard as anybody else to keep up with the leader
but
Its hard to behave when the road gets all twisted up ...  

I should explain that Kent also bought one of those really big  Harleys to keep the Sportster company.    Maybe his wife talked him into it ?  
But
He still rides the Sportster all the time because the Big Harley is always in the shop .    :

Yaaa Zip

Sometimes ya have to state your comments in the form of a question .  

Like : Excuse me mister instructor ... Can you tell us , "What's a Stopie and do they really stop the bike ? "   

In hind-sight everything is clear , but I can never think of the right assure at the right time (I hope that's normal ?? ) , I'd hate to be abnormal ???