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[Jarrett]

I just took my new DSR out for a spin and noticed the rear brake is really weak compared to every other motorcycle I've ridden.

So weak, I can't get ABS to engage.  Once I disabled ABS, it stopped better in the dirt, but will not skid the rear tire on asphalt even with me standing on it.

Front brake fine.  Rear brake not so much. 

Normal for these bikes?

[Jarrett]

Also, anyone make a longer kickstand for it? 

I don't like how far it leans over.

[alko]

I just took my new DSR out for a spin and noticed the rear brake is really weak compared to every other motorcycle I've ridden.

So weak, I can't get ABS to engage.  Once I disabled ABS, it stopped better in the dirt, but will not skid the rear tire on asphalt even with me standing on it.

Front brake fine.  Rear brake not so much. 

Normal for these bikes?

That's what I thought at first, but thats because the abs was on and ive never before had a bike with abs. Since i turned it off, skids easily on pavement.
What I hate is I can't turn it off permanantly. Everytime you cycle the bike off and back on, it turns abs  back on automatically. It's BS!

[BrianTRice@gmail.com]

Yes, Zero's brakes up until the SR/F have been weaker than average. Before 2015, the braking is even weaker than you're used to. This is one reason to raise the regen level to the maximum allowed during braking, to make the most of stopping power.

When braking on my DSR, I brake early and use regen earlier.

The SR and DSR are easier to get into trouble with acceleration than they are to relieve it by braking.

The SR/F's braking by comparison is super-muscular and arguable more than most need.

[Jarrett]

That's a bummer.  I almost got in trouble with it off pavement last night.

Do aftermarket brake pads help?

[NEW2elec]

You may want to pull the fuse on the ABS if your doing much off road riding.
Here is the part number for the long kickstand.  It comes with the medium.

LONG KICKSTAND LEG W/MAGNET - ZM20-05662

[Jarrett]

Thanks for the kickstand info.

I *almost* got in trouble off pavement yesterday.  Came into a hard corner and hit the back brake and nothing happened pretty much.  Got stopped on the edge of the corner, did the ABS disable trick and then rode the rest of the way with ABS off and it was dragging the rear tire in dirt.  It won't skid the rear tire on asphalt though with ABS off.  Going to take it back to the dealer soon.

[Jarrett]

Is the long kickstand the same as the one on the FX?  Or something in-between?

[madcow]

LONG KICKSTAND LEG W/MAGNET - ZM20-05662

Woah, that's cool! Has anyone tried that yet? I'm experiencing the same problem. Should have upgradesd when I replaced my failed kickstand switch.

[BrianTRice@gmail.com]

Sintered pads do help with grip and tend to make squeal less of an issue.

The brakes are manageable, but overall I find myself going on them earlier than on (say) my V-Strom even if I'm just trail braking.

[alko]

Thanks for the kickstand info.

I *almost* got in trouble off pavement yesterday.  Came into a hard corner and hit the back brake and nothing happened pretty much.  Got stopped on the edge of the corner, did the ABS disable trick and then rode the rest of the way with ABS off and it was dragging the rear tire in dirt.  It won't skid the rear tire on asphalt though with ABS off.  Going to take it back to the dealer soon.

I would take it back to zero. As I said with my dsr, the rear brake skids easily on pavement with abs off. I think the front brakes on my dsr are very strong. It makes sense that rear brakes feel weak with abs  on, because there's no weight. I don't understand the negative views about the brakes, because mine stops on a dime. Maybe my bike is the acception.

[carldev]

You mentioned the bike is new, the pads probably need some time to bed in.  The ones on my S did.  Other thing to do before taking it back to the dealer is clean them.  Hit the auto parts store and grab a can of brake cleaner to get any oil or grim off the pads.  On a new bike some fluid might be on the pads after initial setup and brake bleed.

Good Luck
-Carl

[Jarrett]

Is 160 miles enough?

[flattetyre]

Not being able to lock up the rear brake has nothing to do with bedding in. You should be able to do it right away with totally fresh pads if the system works.

You probably have contaminated pads. You'll need to clean the disc off and replace them for ideal resolution. It's cheap.

Other option is that you did lock up the rear on pavement, but just think you didn't because it dragged smoothly.

[NEW2elec]

You may want to just bleed the rear brake just to make sure it didn't get a rush job out the door.