question for hand brake owners

[cuznjohn]

hi, do you feel the hand brake handles the bike's stopping ability as much as the foot brake does. now i have not had the bike on the road yet and the hand brake is bled but i just pushed the bike back into my shed and for some reason the hand brake feels like it does not stop the bike like the foot peddle, thanks for any answers you can give me

[jerpinoy]

Did you disabled the foot brake after you installed the hand brake? Can you have them both?

[strictlyred]

I think you can have them both? I am saving for some hand brakes..will take forever though..

[ARCTIC]

hi, do you feel the hand brake handles the bike's stopping ability as much as the foot brake does. now i have not had the bike on the road yet and the hand brake is bled but i just pushed the bike back into my shed and for some reason the hand brake feels like it does not stop the bike like the foot peddle, thanks for any answers you can give me

The hydraulic system of the isci brake activating the spyder braking system feels a little "squishy" I rely on the hand brake for all my daily riding. Plan "b" is to try for the pedal for supplemental force. I can get nearly all the brakes with the hand brake but every time I test it.... there's just a slight bit more you can get with the pedal.


Did you disabled the foot brake after you installed the hand brake? Can you have them both?

The isci kit leaves the factory pedal in place

[Chupaca]

what is really wanted is the fronts to function with the hand brake. This is not the case so I have heard that it works but not as effectively as the foot pedal. Hopefully those that have the system will chime in and get you the answer..!! :thumbup:

[ARCTIC]

what is really wanted is the fronts to function with the hand brake. This is not the case so I have heard that it works but not as effectively as the foot pedal. Hopefully those that have the system will chime in and get you the answer..!! :thumbup:

I would love a brake lever on the left side that replaces the foot pedal:thumbup:

[cuznjohn]

the system is set up to apply pressure to the foot brake so you don't disable it the lever is not made for small hands lucky i have big mitts but i really need to ride it and try it out as soon as the rain stops

[BajaRon]

what is really wanted is the fronts to function with the hand brake. This is not the case so I have heard that it works but not as effectively as the foot pedal. Hopefully those that have the system will chime in and get you the answer..!! :thumbup:

I don't think you want the front brakes working independently any more than you would want that in a car. The ABS is much better at stopping the Spyder without doing a Superman than segmented braking by human input.

The ISCI as well as the cable system I have simply link to the current brake system. The foot peddle will go down when you actuate the hand brake because they are linked. That's the way you want it to work.

Because your foot is stronger than your hand, you will get more braking with your foot. But the hand brake is a great addition to the Spyder.

No, you don't NEED a hand brake. But then you don't need a windshield, fenders, adjustable shocks, trailer, etc.

[bullant12]

I don't think you want the front brakes working independently any more than you would want that in a car. The ABS is much better at stopping the Spyder without doing a Superman than segmented braking by human input.

The ISCI as well as the cable system I have simply link to the current brake system. The foot peddle will go down when you actuate the hand brake because they are linked. That's the way you want it to work.

Because your foot is stronger than your hand, you will get more braking with your foot. But the hand brake is a great addition to the Spyder.

No, you don't NEED a hand brake. But then you don't need a windshield, fenders, adjustable shocks, trailer, etc.

When ISCI designed the handbrake, it was made to work WITH THE FOOT BRAKE because like Ron explains, it is an actuator: the Spyder's brake system works on a ABS and stops the unit just like a car. If you want a handbrake to work like motorcycle handbrake (only front tires, foot controls the back) on the Spyder, this would be come a overhaul of the brake system and we are talking big $$$$ AND someone with the knowledge (i.e. Chopper manufacturers) to re-furbish this on the Spyder.

As it has been said before, the ISCI (and others) handlebar brake system for the Spyder taps on the actual system. Remember the Spyder is different from a motorcycle...

[Bob Denman]

ISCI now offers an improved lever to increase the effectiveness of their system... :thumbup:

[BajaRon]

If you did separate the brake system, hand brake to front wheels, foot brake to rear wheels, like a motorcycle. It is my humble opinion that the average rider would have their Spyder in a ditch in short order. You just don't want to go there.

One of the reasons that the Spyder is such a safe, easy to ride machine is the excellent ABS braking system that BRP has engineered into it.

ISCI is doing it right and they have made improvements to their system and it gets better all the time.

[Bob Denman]

:agree: They're almost "Ronlike" in their desire to provide the best product! :thumbup:

[ARCTIC]

I don't think you want the front brakes working independently any more than you would want that in a car. The ABS is much better at stopping the Spyder without doing a Superman than segmented braking by human input.
No, you don't NEED a hand brake. But then you don't need a windshield, fenders, adjustable shocks, trailer, etc.

AGREE 100% on the bold!!! The only reason you split brakes in a car is when you get REALLY advanced and are going for maximum sliding corners with a brake bias adjuster. I don't know too many spyder riders that want to do controlled sideways slides on their machines :yikes:



One of the reasons that the Spyder is such a safe, easy to ride machine is the excellent ABS braking system that BRP has engineered into it.

ISCI is doing it right and they have made improvements to their system and it gets better all the time.

Yep... Simple & Safe is what the spyder is about. ISCI is the best in the business. They're limited on what they can do with an add-on kit though. In all my dissection and reassembly of the spyder and lots of time spent on the brakes... I don't know if BRP can supply enough fluid to a handbrake to run all 3 wheels at the same time. Look at the foot pedal system. There's a little reservoir down on the master cylinder and then 2 hoses running to a pretty big reservoir under the passenger seat. There's a lot of fluid there and I assume there's a reason for it.

[Pennyrick]

We added the ISCI handbrake to my wife's 2102 RT because she has neuropathy in her feet and is sometimes unable to put full pressure on the pedal.

At first the hand brake was too large for her hands to gain enough leverage to pull it back. We changed to the alternate hand brake lever designed for smaller hands and while that helps she still cannot get the same amount of leverage as she can with the footbrake.

It would almost have to be power assisted to get the same stopping power... either that or very strong hands.

Nothing is going to stop the Spyder faster than the foot brake..... legs are just stronger than arms.

[BajaRon]

Power assist is not out of the question. It would be expensive, most likely, but doable.

[ARCTIC]

Power assist is not out of the question. It would be expensive, most likely, but doable.

A hydro-booster would be VERY NICE. It would be easier to pull but I wonder how much more braking power you would get? There's a lot of flex in the way that the handbrake slave cylinder operates.

[BajaRon]

A hydro-booster would be VERY NICE. It would be easier to pull but I wonder how much more braking power you would get? There's a lot of flex in the way that the handbrake slave cylinder operates.

I was partner in a business where we made custom brake systems for handy-capped people. We had to put switches in the peddle brake system because a normal person couldn't drive it without standing the vehicle on its head. We did hand leaver braking systems for people with no legs, etc. too.

Some power boost systems are very compact and I know the Spyder wouldn't take much. You wouldn't even need to double the pressure to make a huge difference. But it would be expensive, I'm sure.

My cable system isn't nearly as good as the ISCI product and I still appreciate it a lot.