Soft front brake
Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 3,255
Likes: 112
From: Florida
I know this is an old thread, but here is something that worked for me: Pump the brake lever a couple times, then wrap a bungee cord around the lever AND grip while depressed and leave it over night. Be sure to pump the lever as soon as you remove the bungee. By doing this all the air bubbles come to the surface in the reservoir. The local Indy told me about this and it worked for me.
Stage I
Joined: Jul 2015
Posts: 1
Likes: 0
From: Central North Carolina
Great suggestion
The caliper cleaning idea turned out to be a huge help and a real frustration-buster. We just got a 2004 Road King with 36K miles on it. Spongy front brake. Bleeding helped very slightly. Rebuilding the front master cylinder and a lot more bleeding helped a little bit more, but nowhere near enough. (Still had to pump the lever 2-3X to get a decent feel, and within a minute it would return to its spongy state.
Based on this thread, I took the front calipers off and squeezed the lever just to see what the response was. Turns out only one of the pistons reacted at first, then the second would extend with a lot more pumping of the lever. Ultimately got all the pistons extended, sprayed them clean with brake cleaner, retracted them and did it again. Then reinstalled the calipers. Instant gratification!! Firm lever feel like a new bike. Total 20 minutes work time.
This tip saved me from rebuilding the calipers and installing new lines, which was going to be my next move. No need now. Thanks!
Based on this thread, I took the front calipers off and squeezed the lever just to see what the response was. Turns out only one of the pistons reacted at first, then the second would extend with a lot more pumping of the lever. Ultimately got all the pistons extended, sprayed them clean with brake cleaner, retracted them and did it again. Then reinstalled the calipers. Instant gratification!! Firm lever feel like a new bike. Total 20 minutes work time.
This tip saved me from rebuilding the calipers and installing new lines, which was going to be my next move. No need now. Thanks!
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