Slip slide and away. click cluck
 

I've noticed under heavy braking the rear tire will lock and skids can be produced for up to 10 seconds. This is not very satisfactory but luckilly infrequent.

This usually occurs when ambient tempature is under 45 or over 85F, or when tires are cold for the first 3 minutes of riding.

The Ninja 500R would do this with its bias-ply tires pretty regularly, less so with the Suzuki Katana and Ninja 250R, for undoubtedly different reasons.

Tire pressure is at 33 psi cold on both with 6200 miles on the 2005 model.

Pirelli Diablos recommended?

Are you using the rear brake under heavy braking? Maybe just ease up on the rear brake (or don't use it).

My friend had Diablos on his bike and loved them. I've never tried 'em, but I have tried the Diablo Corsas (one step up). Even with them, I still lock up the rear under heavy (rear) braking.

Do you still have the OEM rubber line on the rear? I ask as mine does (for a few more days) and I find that the rear brake is severly lacking in feel. I already have HH pads on and so, partly for preventive maintenance too as the line is getting old, I will be replacing it with a Galfer line. If it does for the rear what it did for the front, I expect that fedback and control will be much improved, thereby allowing me to use the brake wthouth locking it up (mind you, I don't use the rear brake very much)

cheers
Mikstr

First of all, under heavy braking, you should never be applying much rear brake, the front brakes are the ones to use for heavy braking.
How fast (mph) do you have to be traveling for the rear tire would skid for 10 seconds? doesn't the bike start to fishtail like crazy? :confused:
It takes approx. 200 ft. to slow a motorcycle form 80 to zero mph, you are skidding pretty large of a distance when you skid for 10 second continueously, that nearly impossible. It probably takes less than 10 seconds for most people to read my post.

Was probably more like 5 seconds. Seemed an eternity. Fishtailed a lot, yes. Front tire will grab and lock easilly too but not as much. Both tires were locked-up and skid was about 300 feet or more. I was going about 75mph on the highway when a red-light (Hwy 119 has a few in CO) changed from green to yellow. At 400 feet I applied brakes and began to slowly apply pressure. By 300 feet they were locked and I was going 70, and then the bike stalled at 70 mph because I forgot clutch like a dork because I was confused why the bike was fish-tailing when I got zero feedback from brake feel and I was applying mild pressure only. Temp. was about 90 degrees or so. OEM tires tend to suck above 85 degrees and below 40 and slide-out pretty consistantly under mediocre manuvering. White plumes of smoke from burning tire were present in the skid, but soundless. I was able to shift into Neutral and re-start the bike and clutch-shift up back to 6th and keep going but I went through the then distant light that was now red. Sucked.

Brake pads MUST be fine if they lock the tires. Getting better ones would only lock them faster. Tires must suck.