LOL... Tuf you beat me to it. I was scrolling through, and saw your post.
Well, on my 2001 bike I still have my original stock rear pads. I press the lever once on every ride to scrub any possible rust on the rear disc and to make sure the rear brake works.
If I need to brake in the gravel (Pocono track with the shiitty gravel pit area they give us), playing with the rear is fun. Or holding your bike on the incline if you are at a light. Or, if you need to slowly ride down the incline with gravel/sand on the road. Or if you went into the grass on a track day and need to gradually slow down. These kind of situations.
Other cases involving normal/aggressive riding, the rear is useless. The rear is even more useless in the wet as it will lock up much easier. The main problem in using the rear is that the quicker you need to slow down, the more useless the rear becomes. So those riders who use the rear to gradually slow down develop a habit of using the rear. So, that one time when you need to slow down quickly, out of habit, those riders will be using the rear - with predictable consequences.
I also feel that engine braking slows the bike better than using the rear brake, and without the risk of locking up the rear. For example, you need to take an entrance ramp which is a downhill decreasing radius 180 deg turn with some questionable stuff on the road. Just downshift and go through. If you need to slow down, just roll the throttle off a bit.
There are advanced uses of the rear brake in racing, but we are not talking about this. And those are meant to save you 0.1 sec here and there - not something anyone would care for street riding.
Now would be a good time to discuss what is the right way to brake hard using the front only - if anyone wants to know...
