Brake woes
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Road Warrior
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 1,606
Likes: 29
From: Baytown Tx.
Brake woes
Well I was out riding my 95 Wide Glide today, enjoying the nice sunny day. I went to stop at a red light and I noticed my brake lever was hard to pull (stiff). The bike stopped fine, but the front brake just didn't feel right. The light changes and I take off. Something still doesn't seem right, like the front brake is dragging. Sure enough I begin to smell my brake pads. I pull into the nearest parking lot and there is smoke starting to come off the pads and rotor. I shut the bike off and quickly found that I couldn't push it. The front brake was sticking that bad. I didn't really know what to do, no tools with me. So I waited a bit for everything to cool down some. I could push the bike then, but still felt like the brake was dragging. I was close to home, and decided to try and make it to the house. I just wouldn't use the front brake to stop. Well as soon as I took off, I saw that the brakes had already gotten so hot that the front rotor is now badly warped. At that point I knew the damage was already done, so I just eased it home about 20 miles per hour for about a half a mile. I made sure to watch for anymore smoke from the brakes. I made it home, but definately no more riding for me this weekend. 
The front brake line is stainless braided. I know the stock rubber type ones will collapse sometimes and cause a problem like I'm having, but would a stainless line do that? I guess it could also be the front caliper or even the master cylinder. I checked the bolts that hold the rotor to the hub, and the mounting bolts for the caliper after everything cooled down. All bolts are tight. Man, I am bummed.
The front brake line is stainless braided. I know the stock rubber type ones will collapse sometimes and cause a problem like I'm having, but would a stainless line do that? I guess it could also be the front caliper or even the master cylinder. I checked the bolts that hold the rotor to the hub, and the mounting bolts for the caliper after everything cooled down. All bolts are tight. Man, I am bummed.
Road Warrior
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 1,286
Likes: 64
From: SoCal
I think it would be wise to disassemble your entire front brake system and rebuild/replace anything suspect. Check every, single, piece.
I'm glad ya made it home okay. Make the most of it by fixing this 100% right.
Give some serious thought to the condition of your rear brake too. Ya just might avert a problem there by giving it a good going over now as well.
Good luck.
As far as the stainless brake line goes, I personally haven't seen one of those colapse unless it was pinched (like bent too sharply). I have seen a few leak. There just isn't anyway to be sure it is okay but if you find the problem elsewhere, then it is PROBABLY okay. Flush it out with brake cleaner while your system is apart and see what comes out. If anything that looks like the nylon liner comes out, it is not worth taking the chance of reusing it. Also, watch for good flow through it by flushing it BOTH directions.
I'm glad ya made it home okay. Make the most of it by fixing this 100% right.
Give some serious thought to the condition of your rear brake too. Ya just might avert a problem there by giving it a good going over now as well.
Good luck.
As far as the stainless brake line goes, I personally haven't seen one of those colapse unless it was pinched (like bent too sharply). I have seen a few leak. There just isn't anyway to be sure it is okay but if you find the problem elsewhere, then it is PROBABLY okay. Flush it out with brake cleaner while your system is apart and see what comes out. If anything that looks like the nylon liner comes out, it is not worth taking the chance of reusing it. Also, watch for good flow through it by flushing it BOTH directions.
Last edited by megawatt; Aug 31, 2008 at 03:16 PM.
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Road Warrior
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 1,606
Likes: 29
From: Baytown Tx.
Thanks for the advise Megwatt. I probably will have a look at the rear brake too while I'm at it. I just hope it doesn't end up costing me too much to get her fixed. I was lucky it happened as close to the house as it did. Only person I know with a trailer is about 200 miles away on vacation.
Road Warrior
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 1,286
Likes: 64
From: SoCal
Yeah, I'm hip about the cost of fixing stuff but, you know, your brakes are just too important to not have 'em in tip-top shape.
Really sorry this screwed up your weekend but you have probably noticed, there ain't never a convenient time for stuff to crap out on ya.
I'm glad ya didn't crash as a result of this...that would really hose yer weekend.
Really sorry this screwed up your weekend but you have probably noticed, there ain't never a convenient time for stuff to crap out on ya.
I'm glad ya didn't crash as a result of this...that would really hose yer weekend.
Cruiser
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 237
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Or the line has air. Has it been sitting? The same thing happen with an old BMW of mine. With the cover of the master cylinder off I could see bubbles coming off as I squeesed the brake.I blead the brakes and all was well. (The same senario happened to me away from home as did you and I made the brake release by draining some fluid out through that release valve).
Advanced
Joined: Mar 2008
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From:
have you recently added/changed the brake fluid. i have heard that having too much (no room for expansion in the master cylinder) can cause this. the reason is when the fluid heats up it won't have anyplace else to expand except to push on the piston in the caliper giving the end result that you have
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Tourer
Joined: Mar 2006
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Megawatt's suggestion sounds like good sound advice and would be the route I would follow .It could be any one of these things that has been suggested and a number of things not mentioned yet.Megawatt's route may also flush out other future problems that have not shown up yet.Good Luck !
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Here's how to check the system......pump the brake system up or do whatever you need to do to get it to drag again, then, break loose the banjo bolt on the brake caliper. If the caliper releases and it quits dragging, it is not the caliper. If it doesn't release, it is the caliper. If it is not the caliper, tighten the banjo bolt and bleed the system. Get the brake to drag again and this time break the banjo bolt loose at the master cylinder. If the brake releases, the caliper and the brake line are fine and the master cylinder is bad. If the brake continues to drag after breaking loose the banjo bolt at the master cylinder, then the brake line is bad.
I had some severe issues with the front brake on my '85 FXEF last year. I wasn't getting consistant results, so I started replacing and rebuilding parts. Even after rebuilding the caliper and the master cylinder, I was still having problems. I have no idea what was causing it, but it turned out my caliper was a little bad and the master cylinder was also, even after the rebuilds, so I had to buy new ones of each. The heat got bad enough on the rotor that I had to repalce that also, as it created cracks that radiated out from the holes.....it also caused one of the brake pads to delaminate.
Here is a crack on the rotor....
Here's the pad...
The piston in the caliper was pitted, so I even replaced that when I rebuilt the caliper, but it didn't help (I even slightly rehoned the caliper before installing the new piston). Here's the old pitted piston...
I had some severe issues with the front brake on my '85 FXEF last year. I wasn't getting consistant results, so I started replacing and rebuilding parts. Even after rebuilding the caliper and the master cylinder, I was still having problems. I have no idea what was causing it, but it turned out my caliper was a little bad and the master cylinder was also, even after the rebuilds, so I had to buy new ones of each. The heat got bad enough on the rotor that I had to repalce that also, as it created cracks that radiated out from the holes.....it also caused one of the brake pads to delaminate.
Here is a crack on the rotor....
Here's the pad...
The piston in the caliper was pitted, so I even replaced that when I rebuilt the caliper, but it didn't help (I even slightly rehoned the caliper before installing the new piston). Here's the old pitted piston...
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