Front brake not working good.

[eazyrider]

My front brake has really gotten bad, hardly any stopping power. I have plenty of pad left and i have done nothing to them. It seems like I was riding the other day and the brake just started to feel spongy. I have a set of Lyndall z's on the way and I was wondering if I should do anything else while I am installing them. Should I tear apart the caliper and rebuild it?

[Gojira]

what year and model bike,have you ever changed the fluid,how many miles on the bike ,need more info

[mjbogrand]

Yes.

:rolleyes:



Well that is the answer,but if it feels spongy it is either the caliper or the MC.
And if you know how to rebuild them,and they are about the same age,why not do both and be done with it?
An extra $20? and 20 minutes?

Don't know of the Lyndal z's

Good luck:smoke:tour

[shotgun46]

Try Changing the fluid and bleed it real good see if that helps and check the rubber on your brake line if it's cracked and spongy change it !

[mjbogrand]

what year and model bike,have you ever changed the fluid,how many miles on the bike ,need more info

If the system was larger it could be the fluid,but again I would rebuild.
There is only so many parts here to go wrong.
Well that said,how are the hoses?

[eazyrider]

06 14k. I have not changed the fluid. I just can't understand why it would start doing this.

[Gojira]

have you checked all the banjo and bleeder bolts,if they are under torqued youll get air in the line

[mjbogrand]

06 14k. I have not changed the fluid. I just can't understand why it would start doing this.

You have checked it?
Air will get in there if the level is low,empty.

[Gojira]

You have checked it?
Air will get in there if the level is low,empty.

+1 on that

[eazyrider]

I have done nothing to it. I am just trying to get some ideas.

[perdiehm]

06 14k. I have not changed the fluid. I just can't understand why it would start doing this.

06 what? There was a Recall on the 04 and 05 1200Rs for the master cylinder. My 06 1200R did the same thing as my budys 04 1200R but HD wouldnt cover it so I used my extended waranty and paid the 50 bucks deductable and had them rebuild it. But it was the same way. One day it just didnt work right kinda spungy and the piston would stick in it making the lever loose. Oh and my brake light was staying on. I didnt notice the brake light because I dont ride down the road looking at it someone had to tell me that it was staying on. I would say start with the M/C

[mjbogrand]

Cool.
Just take the top off the MC.Check for fluid.If there isn't any then you need to bleed the brakes.Try this before you go buying anything.

Now in my experience,you can't bleed these the same as a car.The MC plunger doesn't push enough volume to fill the entire line.
So when you release the lever it creates a vacuum in the line and you have air in the MC again.
Now after they are bled,it doesn't need to push this much fluid,just supply pressure.

When I had my Ironhead,the guys over there taught me the syringe method.
Fill the MC with fluid
Draw some fluid into the syringe and place it on the bleeder.
Open the bleeder and push the fluid from the syringe into the bleeder.Close the bleeder and repeat until you have no more bubbles coming out of the MC.

Try it out.If it doesn't cure the problem then you are at the rebuild point.
Good luck again.

[Weo]

All good suggestions. In addition, I wanted to add to check for any fluid coming from the copper washer at the master cylinder. If you see any (I noticed spray on the grips after riding for a few minutes) than the washer needs to be replaced.

IMO, get this figured out before you do any more riding. When my front brake went squishy I didn't notice at first, and applied a normal amount of rear brake, only to find my rear wheel braking loose.

[eazyrider]

The best way I can describe it is that it doesn't stop any better no matter how hard you squeeze. It seems to have only one mode.

[XLXR]

There are two things to try before bleeding. The easiest is to tie the front break lever back against the hydraulic pressure and leave it there overnight. When you untie the lever in the morning, the lever will be much farther out. If I forget to tie the lever back, and find it too soft, I pump it 10 or 20 times at a stop light and the lever also moves out. This is supposed to untwist the caliper/piston seals. I have to do this every 4 or 5 rides.

I have also read guys who push the pads and pistons back into the caliper. Be sure to squeeze the lever enough times to get the pads back against the rotor. If you don't, you will not have any front brakes. And that can lead to some very exciting times.

I have not had any problems like this with my rear brakes.

[FoxsterUK]

Try this:

Get a good grip on the caliper and push it in towards the hub as far as it will go. It will feel feel very tight but if you push hard enough it will move in about 1/2" or so. Then pump the brake lever until firmness is restored on the lever. Repeat for the other caliper if you have two. I guarantee that afterwards the brake lever will feel much firmer and have less travel.

This is an excellent and very quick way to bleed the brakes with no tools or dismantling.

Of course this will do zero for you if you have a fault in the brakes.

Fox

[khaskins]

Maybe I'm over doing it but, I change my brake fluid and bleed the brakes about every 2500 miles. I really want my brakes to work at the best of their ability.

You really should do standard maintainance on the brakes. That's a good starting point on troubleshooting the problem. Also buy a service manual, you'll find the troubleshooting info in there.

[FoxsterUK]

Just a timely reminder to folks that if it says DOT5 (silicon-based) on the master cylinder and/or in the handbook then use DOT5. DOT3, 4 and 5.1 (all glycol-based) are not compatible and mixing them can get you killed. The mixture creates a sludge that seizes the calipers.

Fox

[cantolina]

Just take the top off the MC.Check for fluid.If there isn't any then you need to bleed the brakes.

If there ISN'T any?!? :yikes

If there isn't any, you have MUCH bigger problems than needing to bleed..

My bet is on the M/C rebuild....

First, I WOULD check the level and condition of the brake fluid.....

Brakes are a closed system, but condensation COULD get in after a while and cause problems...

Most likely, it has caused problems at the M/C or caliper...

Awfully new bike for brake problems.... :frownthre

If you've done NOTHING to them since it was new, the problem is MOST LIKELY the M/C....

[mjbogrand]

If there ISN'T any?!? :yikes

If there isn't any, you have MUCH bigger problems than needing to bleed..

My bet is on the M/C rebuild....

First, I WOULD check the level and condition of the brake fluid.....

Brakes are a closed system, but condensation COULD get in after a while and cause problems...

Most likely, it has caused problems at the M/C or caliper...

Awfully new bike for brake problems.... :frownthre

If you've done NOTHING to them since it was new, the problem is MOST LIKELY the M/C....

And all total would be less than $100 to do the entire rebuild,without pads,as you said they are good.

Is there any fluid leaks anywhere?If there isn't then the plungers are bad.
If the MC is bad the caliper will follow.Or vise versa.

Didn't someone mention a recall?

[eazyrider]

I pump it 10 or 20 times at a stop light and the lever also moves out. This is supposed to untwist the caliper/piston seals. I have to do this every 4 or 5 rides.
I did what you said and it did indeed help, however it seemed to go back to the way it was after a while. I will try the other solutions.