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Wade Thiel·
Motorcycle News
··13 Comments·1 min read

BrakeBuTT Adds Linked Braking to Any Motorcycle

BrakeBuTT on a motorcycle

Link Up Those Brakes

If you don’t have linked braking on your motorcycle you’re just out of luck, right? Wrong. Now there’s BrakeBuTT. This new invention is on Kickstarter right now and it’s a system that will add linked braking to almost any motorcycle. It can be installed pretty easily and doesn’t require you to tear apart your brakes, according to New Atlas. Intrigued? Yep, so was I. 

BrakeBuTT has two parts. The first is a control box that gets attached to the front brake lever. When pressure is applied to the front brake, it detects it and tells the other part of the system to apply over 1,000psi of pressure to the rear brake via a cable. The Australian guys who put this together spent three years developing and testing the system.

The system will prevent those pesky issues that occur for a lot of newer riders who grab a handful of the front brake in an emergency or panic situation. The system is adjustable, too, allowing you to modify the amount of brake pressure applied. You can also just use the rear brake if needed without using the front brake. This is a must-have because you don’t always want to apply the front brake, especially when off-road.

In the end, this system is very interesting and something I’d love to see in production. Currently, the project is only about $1,100 towards its goal of $60,201. The price is set at $380 if the guys behind it have already designed a kit for your bike. If they don’t have one for your bike, you can put down a $120 deposit and they will try to design one for your motorcycle.

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Wade Thiel
Wade Thiel divides his time between motorcycles, cars, and the outdoors. He lives in Indianapolis, Indiana, and tries not to let the cold winter months get him down too much.
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13 Comments

  1. I can’t say exactly I’m thrilled to hear of a device that, well, patches the bike for poor riding technique. The problem with beginners putting this device on is that they will probably never learn proper rear brake technique as there will be little impetus to do so – the device will mask it. So, what happens when said beginner moves on to his/her next ride with that poor rear brake technique (until he/she either decides to move the device or learns proper technique, hopefully before they hurt themselves)?

    1. Hi Snake!

      This feature has been around for a while now on select motorcycles and it hasn’t ruined anyone’s learning yet to my knowledge.
      I understand where you’re coming from, but if we use that rationale as an absolute rule we wouldn’t put any technology on our bikes.

      I think motorcycling is a dynamic learning curve anyway. Even after riding for over 30 years I’m still learning new techniques and old techniques I didn’t know about.

      Thanks for commenting though. I appreciate your thoughts.

    2. Good point, suppose automatic vehicles should be band, shouldn’t be on the road if you cant drive a manual. I remember driving a car when vacuum assisted brakes were introduced, almost went through the windscreen. Evolution is a strange thing.

  2. I’m not sure this is going to be popular as many owners of bikes with ‘linked’ brakes installed from new, have ‘de-linked’ them (a good example is the Honda Blackbird). IMHO it would certainly be a safety advantage if a bike doesn’t have ABS (I’ve been to many fatal crashes where even seasoned experienced bikers have panicked & grabbed too much front brake in the heat of the moment), however most new bikes now come with ABS as standard. Sorry but I’m not sure its something a shrewd investor would be willing to risk their money on.

    1. It will be interesting to see what happens with this project. Definitely a safety advantage in certain situations, but as you point out, not a cure-all.

    1. The system is adjustable, so I would assume you can disengage it entirely, too, though I don’t see instructions on specifically how to do that.

  4. A solution in search of a problem–and I say that being aware of several brands that have gone this route on certain models, every one of which I disagreed with. ABS? GREAT! Learning to ride? Even better! ABS + Skils + MSF Course? BEST!

    1. Obviously the best combination is the proper technology and training. But I don’t think this is bad tech or a “solution in search of a problem” as you put it. It’s a rider aid just like many of the other types of technology out there. I have no problem with it as long as you can switch it off when you want to, I think it makes sense.

      1. Thank you for you article Wade, after riding with our BrakeBuTT system, we find it actually instills more confidence with riders. The ability to brake hard knowing that you will pull up safely is a great confidence booster. With over 45 years riding experience, I only now enjoy braking hard, as strange as that sounds. I could not imagine driving my car, the way I do, if I had to modulate the front and rear brakes individually while still attempting to control the vehicle and yes our system can be turned off or just adjusted on the fly. Thanks again.

    2. A solution in search of a problem? Drum brakes worked fine why use disks? Someone attempted to fit a balloon to the steering wheel once, how silly.

  5. Great comments all, this system can be turned on or off and completely adjustable, unlike any other linked brake. For those may think this system will have riders lose their braking skills, I know for a fact after driving an automatic vehicle I have no problem driving a manual vehicle at any time (even after a couple of years). I use a reverse camera but I can still turn my head. So an accessory that may keep a rider on his bike and off the tarmac is a bad thing?

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