So I noticed on my 01 FLHT the front break handle is really stiff after changing out the pads...it is also squeaking a bit when stopping as well as I think I can hear the pads rubbing on the caliber...it also is not a smooth stop as it seems to jump a little...my question is can this be because I need to bleed the sy .stem? My FXDWG front brake is softer...no squeaking, no noise and stops on a dime.

Any help would be appreciated. ..thanks

 

Air in brake lines typically leads to soft/mushy action, and not stiffer.
The jump, assuming pads installed correctly, might be due to pads not yet mated with rotors. Break in required.
The stiffness. Are they really stiff, of you are confusing stiffness with the breaking action starting very early in the lever travel?

 

the pads contact the rotor at all times on a disc brake , it may feel stiffer due to the new pads, and sometime they will squeek till the rotors and pads wear in together a bit, some pads seem to squeek no matter what, However that being said make sure that the calipers are retracting full, sometimes when the pads are worn down a lot the pistons in the calipers ill get a ring of brake dust and grime around them and want to hang up and not retract , if your front brake feels like it is dragging they may hanging up and you will need to clean the pistons on the calipers,.

 

I maybe confusing the breaking action early in the process...you barely squeeze the lever and your stopping...maybe I am not used to such good breaks.

 

You are right! I check the calipers out and the left one is hanging up...I can see a ring around it. Going to take it apart and see if I can clean it up.

 

With new pads, the increased thickness of them, will make breaking action start sooner.
Adjust your brakes.

 

Wait up there pal. Dont get too carried away Taking stuff apart unless you are sure of what you are doing.
You can clean the pistons pretty well without popping the pistons out of the caliper.Stick a pad in the calper and press the BRAKE with your hand and force the pistons out past the ring. If you take some steel wool you can pull out a ribbon of it and clean all the way around.Then take a thin piece of cloth with some metal polish and buff them all around for awhile. This should have them pretty clean. Push em back in and try it out. Ride some and dont use the front brake.(unless in a life threatening situation)Feel the caiper if it's not sizzly hot your probably ok.

 

Not true. The amount of lever pull is not affected by the pad's thickness. Since the pads don't retract after releasing the lever like it does with a drum style brake, the lever travels the same distance regardless of how thick or thin the pads are. As the pads wear, the hydraulic fluid level drops.

How exactly do you adjust a disc brake system?

 

If you don't know whether the brake system needs bleeding, it probably does. Brake fluid should be changed every two or three years anyway.

 

How many miles have you ridden with the new pads? It takes 50 or more miles to wear them in to the rotor properly. New brakes just feel grabby for a while.

Also, check your rotors. Are they grooved like a record?