Or combined?
Hand brake vs foot brake?
- Thread starter Norma Stitz
- Start date
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DenverSnowBike
Active member
Dude, there's a million threads on all these subjects you've been posting. Do a search. 98% of people only run the hand brake. Some do both, I forget, but someone makes a dual master cylinder if you want to run both.
here's what you have to keep in mind. Every body is different. I've been riding dirt bikes for 40 years. Raced motocross and cross country for 15 years. So for me the foot petal is a must. I tried to run the hand brake, but instinctively wanted the foot petal. Oddly, I don't have a problem with my mountain bike brakes being different. Some people don't have this problem and prefer to run the hand brake to free up their foot for dabbing when doing right side hills.
I haven't seen anyone set up the brakes on a snow bike like I do. I use a Rekluse left hand brake kit. But I put it on the throttle side. For next season I'm planning on using the motorcycle front brake master cylinder. I just need to drill and tap the Rekluse flooded reservoir for the larger banjo bolt.
I haven't seen anyone set up the brakes on a snow bike like I do. I use a Rekluse left hand brake kit. But I put it on the throttle side. For next season I'm planning on using the motorcycle front brake master cylinder. I just need to drill and tap the Rekluse flooded reservoir for the larger banjo bolt.
I love that stock answer, but it's just friendly conversations so it's really fine if you don't want to read it. But the thing is, when I use the search function what I get is this error message, so for me, it's not an option unfortunately. So please bear with me okay?
Maybe it's because I don't pay for this forum, or any other forum. I've never even considered a paid forum and I'm surprised you guys would tolerate paying for such a clunky setup as this one. But this seems such a fringe sport that they can get away with it for now? I dunno.
I'm confused you're using a hand brake or will be next year but you demand a foot brake also? What does it take to have both foot and hand together using stock cylinders? Is this not possible?
Yeah, I could of said that better. I have both. Using this.
https://rekluse.com/product/brake-kit-dual-actuated/
https://rekluse.com/product/brake-kit-dual-actuated/
Semi off topic; but I've found it is best to ignore the SW Search function and use google with Snowest in the search line as well as whatever you are looking for.
Something like "Snow bike hand brake versus foot brake Snowest"
This is the first one that popped up. In this thread a guy made an adapter to run two calipers. One for the foot brake and the other for the hand brake.
http://www.snowest.com/forum/showthread.php?p=3438163
There were a couple of pages of other older threads on the subject after clicking on more Snowest results. Hope that helps someone.
Something like "Snow bike hand brake versus foot brake Snowest"
This is the first one that popped up. In this thread a guy made an adapter to run two calipers. One for the foot brake and the other for the hand brake.
http://www.snowest.com/forum/showthread.php?p=3438163
There were a couple of pages of other older threads on the subject after clicking on more Snowest results. Hope that helps someone.
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This thing reminds me so much of a bike the other day I came up to a drop off a bit to fast and went to slam the non-exsistent foot brake, Right hand brake and clutch in. Gave me a tiny shot of adrenaline when my right foot and hand grabbed air. If I rode a snowbike I think I would need all three to be set up just like a bike to feel normal.
Bikes must slow down pretty well by themselves to not have to have your foot on the peg all the time? Seems like if your carving hard to the right and need to stop fast it could be a issue with a foot only brake.
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DenverSnowBike
Active member
lol dude, you're building a snow bike, usually a minimum of $8k investment for basic, used stuff. I think you can afford $15 for a YEAR membership. $25 for two years, $35 for three years, $60 for LIFETIME. Then you will be able to access a plethora of information.
Or just hit the archive button.....
hand brake all day, takes like 5 minutes to adapt back to dirt.. take it easy the first ride around the yard and first couple jumps.
My feet are SO often off the pegs doing steep downhill descents there is really no way a foot brake would make sense for me. The double isn't a horrible idea, but I just like the clean and simple hand brake only setup, it works, its very affective. I can hop off a bike and then go to a sled with the brake on the left side and have no issues. Again, just a quick little reset on your brain is sometimes required. lol
My feet are SO often off the pegs doing steep downhill descents there is really no way a foot brake would make sense for me. The double isn't a horrible idea, but I just like the clean and simple hand brake only setup, it works, its very affective. I can hop off a bike and then go to a sled with the brake on the left side and have no issues. Again, just a quick little reset on your brain is sometimes required. lol
Lol just because I'm blowing money on a snowtoy doesn't mean I can afford it!
. I dunno, I've been on quite a few forums for quite a few expensive hobbies over the years and never paid for one. I thought suffering though ad banners and stuff was payment enough. Thanks for the replies here fellas. I'm real green here and I can't wait to get into this, for now I'm go make be that annoying guy.
I run the foot brake, as of yet we have not developed a ski brake and until we do I will run the track brake on the rear. I am a moto guy they so it is embedded in my riding style. A lot of snowmobilers are already used to the hand brake so it is a no brainier. Most moto guys I meet like the rear brake as well. General riders don't seem to care much.
The $60 I paid for a lifetime membership to snow west is well worth the hundreds and hundreds of hours of enjoyment on the snow to me (not to mention the hundreds of hours of enjoyment on these forums). From solving issues like the right side bog problems on my 04 king cat to solving powder bog intake issues on my XP/driveline issues/clutching, to now snow bikes. The information I have garnered from these forums has been invaluable. It is so much more enjoyable when your equipment is working properly and you can find that information on the snow west forums. To me, it was a pretty easy decision to pay a very small amount of money. I spent the summer setting up my CR 500 with information from this forum. Since then I have had 60 to 70 days of flawless performance on that bike, and hopefully at least 10 to 15 more this year. That would not have even been close to possible if I hadn't known about such things as tunnel cooler, carb heat, Engine shrouding, t-stat,etc. etc.
As far as the search feature, yeah, I'm surprised they haven't fixed it yet. I haven't had an error message like you, but the regular search feature doesn't work very well. That said, what you have to do is click on advanced search, go down to the forms you want to search in and find snow bikes. It is right below Yamaha. I usually have to click on it twice I think to make sure it's the only forum I am searching in. When I do that, it seems to work a lot better.
As far as the brake goes, in my opinion, just run the handbrake. You'll search for the foot brake a little bit the first few rides and then maybe after that a time or two in scary situations but that's it. You'll really be used to it in no time.
Keep posting on here. Get the information you need to make your snow riding more enjoyable!
Oooo....
I like that Rekluse combined rear lever......that would be handy on all surfaces....... Once I tweaked my brain to use it....
I like that Rekluse combined rear lever......that would be handy on all surfaces....... Once I tweaked my brain to use it....
I like that Rekluse combined rear lever......that would be handy on all surfaces....... Once I tweaked my brain to use it....
its the only way to go.
Everybody is different. I prefer hand brake only as it keep my brain in sled mode. I spent some time on a bike last week that had the foot brake only and it was foreign to me and also packed up with snow quite often.
KISS principal, ride with hand brake only its safer in the long run.
KISS principal. Keep It Simple Stupid.
If you ride in the mountains especially in the spring you have to have a hand brake. I sympathize for stabbing for the rear brake peddle thats a hard habit to break for us long time dirt bikers but it can be done. Back in 2012 I too thought about the dual brake with foot brake peddle until I realised that too much snows would build up there and would actuate the brake when not wanted and some times to hard to access to make it the goto spot. Just try and find the shifter after just shifted into netural on a steep decent in soft snow. My strong opinion is to learn to ride with hand brake only its safer in the long run.
KISS principal. Keep It Simple Stupid.
If you ride in the mountains especially in the spring you have to have a hand brake. I sympathize for stabbing for the rear brake peddle thats a hard habit to break for us long time dirt bikers but it can be done. Back in 2012 I too thought about the dual brake with foot brake peddle until I realised that too much snows would build up there and would actuate the brake when not wanted and some times to hard to access to make it the goto spot. Just try and find the shifter after just shifted into netural on a steep decent in soft snow. My strong opinion is to learn to ride with hand brake only its safer in the long run.
Plus every time you're stabbing for the foot brake, your break is already locked up from your hand. Instinct is there for motocross. You hit both brakes at the same time when you really need to stop.
By the way Mototrax, you guys aren't the only ones who Moto. I don't even know A snow biker who doesn't Moto.
By the way Mototrax, you guys aren't the only ones who Moto. I don't even know A snow biker who doesn't Moto.
