[Bring_Back_Shantz]

Originally Posted by hulkrogan

I don't ride motor bikes, but won't grabbing only the front brake throw you over the bars? On a mountain bike if you're on level, smooth ground locking up the rear is really easy to recover from if you keep it locked until you bleed off most your speed. Is the danger locking it up and instinctually letting go while still at speed? (I ruined myself biking doing this once)

Yup, that's exactly it.
It's pretty much a myth that you'll go over the handle bars if you hit the front breaks too hard.
Once you lock up your rear wheel, if you let it go and it actually catches the pavement and starts putting power down again, that's when you get in the most trouble, and if you're leaning/turning it's pretty easy to high side it.