[RefCat]

On the street, you should use only the front. The bike automatically balances the braking ratios to optimize stopping power. The moment you press the rear lever, it disables the automatic proportional braking and leaves it up to you. Unless you're a pro street rider, you're probably not going to do it as well as the computer.

Off the street, I make no comment as I'm new to that world....just put a deposit down on a new 1250 GSA after riding a K1600 GTL for the last 6 years.

 

[ricky racer]

95% of my braking is rear. My 2014 GS has over 102,000 miles and have replaced the rear brake pads 5 times and the rotor once. The front are factory original.

Wow! That's scary! I watched a Harley rider, a few weeks ago, not paying attention and didn't see a red light until it was too late. He locked up his rear brake and slid through the intersection without slowing down a bit. His rear tire was smoking but probably didn't decrease his speed by 2 mph. He must have never hit his front brake. He was a rear brake only guy too. He made it through the intersection without getting hit so all is good, I guess...
In a panic situation, you'll brake the way you always do so it's best to always brake properly. That's my 2 cents.

 

[DirtDog]

See, he knew if he used his front brakes he'd flip right over.

 

[IMProtos]

I'm concerned for the lack of input from riders in this thread. For safety sake please take a riders course for off road riding at a certified training center. The breaking techniques put forth are weak and dangerous, if taken literally. Terrain, slope, off camber surfaces, tire selection, combined rider & load contact and attachment points / bike weight, ABS function, intervention level and available traction all play a part of your breaking style or technique. Being specific to bike, situation, rider skill and braking is a very broad topic. Mastering front break modulation, ABS active/ inactive, adjusting for weight transference and correctly reading road conditions are all part of the answer. My advice is take a course, or learn the hard/ expensive way.

 

[DirtDog]

Actually, I would rather brake than break!