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SMOKN Left Hand Rear Brake

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woodsguy

woodsguy

Ride Red
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Aug 15, 2006
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Rob
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Vaughan
Anyone familiar with this brand? I've never heard of it till today. Used one for sale on KTMTALK. I've got a bum knee and old age problems, not limber anymore. Sometimes it's difficult to use foot brake but I'm not needing the Rekluse clutch to go that LHRB direction. This sure looks "busy" on left handlebar, not sure how co-ordinating both would work out. Thoughts?
255487

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There was a time when I did the LHRB w/ my rekluse. I found it quite useful, aint gonna lie. But b/c my brain was retooled to use my left hand to brake, everytime i got on my other bike w/ foot brake and clutch lever, i'd almost kill myself b/c I couldn't throw the switch in my mind to use the footbrake until about 5 mins into the ride. Can't tell you how many times I biffed into trees and rocks b/c I pulled the clutch in to brake and the bike just kept going straight into trees. Sounds stupid, i know...but until you've lived w/ one, then you'll know how real this mental block is....
 
Good point and one reason I haven't done it. Screw up on the street might not be a 2nd chance.
 
After riding at Hidden Falls for the first time on my 500 with the recluse clutch , I can see where that hand brake could help .
 
I haven't used one, but I really don't think it would be that hard to adapt.

I just rode last weekend for 80 miles on my GS with standard shift and then jumped on my R1 that runs GP shift and rode 200 more miles. I didn't miss a shift on either bike even though they are exactly backwards from each other.

Yes...this is braking, but my point is that you can get used to either option and go back and forth. Your brain can and will adapt.

Back to the benefit. I talked to a tight woods / single-track rider the other day and he said a Rekluse and a left hand rear brake is the cat's meow. You can just leave you feet in one place on the pegs and just brake or slide the rear around whatever and whenever you want with the left brake. The bike never stalls and all you have to work on is throttle and brake without ever moving your feet.

I did ride some single-track with a Rekluse and can see how it could be pretty cool.
 
I have a few friends I ride with that swear by them especially in off camber spots on climbs if you have to stop

as far as retraining the brain, I have one street bike with standard shift pattern, one with GP pattern and the KTM is standard and I never get confused. Ok I never miss shifts those that know me would argue about the never confused part
 
1 up 4 down allows easy upshifting when deep cornering to the left an easy swap on most street bikes that use a linkage for the shifter
 
All you do is reverse the arm on the shift lever linkage, that way 1st is 1 up instead of down and 2- are all down you are just basicly reversing the direction of the linkage

Often in road racing on long lefts as you acccelerate you run out of RPM and need another gear, if you are leaned way over its easy to catch a boot toe on the ground going for that next shift with the normal pattern.

The old way to remember was head and foot down to go sit up and toe up to slow
 
budzrex said:
I have a few friends I ride with that swear by them especially in off camber spots on climbs if you have to stop

as far as retraining the brain, I have one street bike with standard shift pattern, one with GP pattern and the KTM is standard and I never get confused. Ok I never miss shifts those that know me would argue about the never confused part
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Interestingly, I test-rode a bike with GP shifting once, and my brain had no problem quickly adapting to the new shift pattern in just a few minutes.

That said, that the left hand lever on my road bicycle operates the front brake still annoys me.
 
CS_Speed said:
Interestingly, I test-rode a bike with GP shifting once, and my brain had no problem quickly adapting to the new shift pattern in just a few minutes.

That said, that the left hand lever on my road bicycle operates the front brake still annoys me.
Click to expand...
I flip he brake setups on my bicycle to mimic motorcycles so maybe the left hand rear brake would not be an issue.
 
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