No doubt that technology has made motorcycling safer, easier and more fun.  If you can remember total loss oil systems, manual spark advance and kick starters then you have an idea what I’m talking about and why I am so appreciative of how far the sport has come.  Today we have dual compound tires, anti lock brakes and traction control and it just keeps getting better.  

What if you have an older bike you like (that's totally paid for) and you just want it to be a better and safer ride?  That was my dilemma as I have a stock 2005 Harley Davidson Softail Deluxe.  I have enjoyed it immensely over the years of ownership, however it seems to be lacking in the braking department.  After 32,000+ miles I figured it was time to improve upon this I began a search of options for upgrading the stock brakes.  There are many solid choices, but some can break the bank. Then I came across a product by TCB Brake Systems.  The company’s web site claims it "Automatically increases riders ability to brake in a shorter distance in both regular and panic stops by as much as 20% at speeds from 35 mph to 55 mph."  It also claims to "help modulate your brake system, helps avoid premature brake lock up and improves brake control conditions in most cases."  Add to that a cost of only $79 per brake caliper and I was sold enough to give it a try. 

I contacted Mark Lipski of TCB and he agreed to supply the parts necessary to conduct a comparison test.  In fact, he was so sure of his product he suggested a test of 2 motorcycles.  One bike really seemed to need help: the Softail Deluxe. The other has adequate brakes: a 2007 Harley Sportster XL883R.  The Sportester is already equipped with triple disk brakes, and weighs in at relatively light 585 pounds when compared to the Deluxe at 726 pounds with only 2 disk brakes.

Testing Design

The first obstacle I faced was how to conduct a fair comparison?  After conferring with my son Dean, an MSF rider coach, we drew up some guidelines.  We decided on two riders, with similar riding experience, getting three runs per bike at 2 pre-selected speeds.  We’d then average the results to try and get a broad measure of the product’s effectiveness.

Well, then, there was the next problem. Who do I trust to ride my bikes at speed and lock up the brakes?  Only one name came to mind, my friend Roger White.   He is the same age as me, rode motocross in his youth and is the current Director of the Daytona Harley Drill Team so I know he rides well.  In addition we are both MSF Rider Coaches along with being Riders Edge instructors, so I was confident that we’d be able to push the braking system consistently close to the edge of traction.

Test Preparation: Baseline Data

Prior to conducting several base runs with the stock brakes we had to prep the bikes.  First, we set the tire pressure as per the owner’s manual, and then we inspected the tires and brake pads verifying they were better than factory specifications.  After all, we were going to conduct several panic stops at speeds of 35 and 45 MPH.  

If you have ever taken a Basic Rider Course you would have recognized the parking lot layout as it looked similar to exercise 9: stopping quickly.  However, the lane and stopping areas were longer as the speeds would be two to three time greater than in the basic class.  Furthermore, if test the rider showed any anticipation during the stop the run would not count and was to be done over. 

In 5 of the 6 high speed stops of 45 mph the rear wheel locked up on the Deluxe, number we saw repeated with the Sportster.  Similarly, on the 35 mph stops the rear locked in 4 out of 6 trials on both machines.