Front Brake Problem
Front Brake Problem
Developed a strange front brake issue. First pull break lever goes almost to the grip before they bite, then on second and every other pull full brake within 1/2 inch of travel. Ride 200 yards and it's back to almost the grip again. Not mushy. Indi shop replaced master cylinder - no change. Pressure bled brakes, no change. WTF. ABS
Ultra. Any ideas?
Ultra. Any ideas?
Tourer
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 412
Likes: 1
From: Northern Virginia
It sounds like you have a leak somewhere or air still in the lines. and every time you "pump" the lever you're building pressure. I don't know anything about ABS on these bikes though. It doesn't sound safe and I wouldn't ride it until you get it figured out.
Elite HDF Member
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 3,846
Likes: 173
From: Simi Valley, CA
Something is pushing the pads/pistons away from the rotors. The first pump gets the pads back to the rotor and then subsequent pumps don't require as much brake lever travel. Could be warped rotors, could be variations in thickness of the rotors, or anything restricting the free movement of the pads/pistons.
Jack up the bike, spin the wheel and observe the brake pads. See if you can identify anything abnormal causing the pads to retract. Check the wheel for any lateral movement as that can cause the issue you're describing. If you have a set of calipers or micrometer, measure the thickness of the rotors at various locations, and check for runout with a dial indicator (or even a fixed pointer and feeler gauge if you don't have access to a dial indicator).
Jack up the bike, spin the wheel and observe the brake pads. See if you can identify anything abnormal causing the pads to retract. Check the wheel for any lateral movement as that can cause the issue you're describing. If you have a set of calipers or micrometer, measure the thickness of the rotors at various locations, and check for runout with a dial indicator (or even a fixed pointer and feeler gauge if you don't have access to a dial indicator).
Last edited by 2black1s; Mar 31, 2012 at 12:11 PM.
Road Master
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 803
Likes: 3
From: Collegeville, PA
When they took the tire off to make the change they bent the brake rotor slightly. As the wheel turns it spreads the pads apart and that is what requires the long pull on first activation. Same thing with traveling down the road. I can almost guarantee that if you check the run-out on your rotors, one of them will be out of true by a nice little margin.
Road Warrior
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 1,296
Likes: 3
From: Cheltenham, UK
Trending Topics
If the rotor was warped would the brakes "pulsate" like in te car? Doesn't do that. Also, this happened one day to the next...not over time.
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