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>>>like always applying the back brake first- had changed. <<<

The back brake provides not more than 15% the total braking power. The front brakes are by far the more used and the more effective.
On a motorcycle, the weight shift is even more predominate than on a car. This is one reason that the front brake predominates. For a clue - look at the relative braking surface between front and back on a modern bike. It will be obvious that the manufacturers think the front is more important!!

As to which to apply first - I do the front brake almost exclusively, except for two situations: (1) when there is danger of locking up such as on loose gravel or dirt on the road (you lock the front wheel, you go down!) and (2) when maximum braking power is required - then both should be applied simultaneously.

I guess things have changed.....

The rationale behind that was to apply the rear brake first to stabilize the bike ( "throw out the anchor" ) then apply the front brake for more effect. The fella who taught me that & a few other tricks had survived a 130+ mph tangle with a wild boar and his flathead 80. ( OK, he never walked right after that, but he did survive... )

always applying the back brake first

Not according to conventional wisdom-- Hard's right-- I got told "always apply both brakes simultaneously and steadily". I'll use back only for very subtle slowing and for gravel, like Hard said, but that's it...