Grabby Front brakes
in [Motorcycles]
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From: don (Calgary) on 27 Jun 2010 20:20 On Sun, 27 Jun 2010 16:40:01 -0700, "CS" <dontshop(a)sears.com> wrote: > >"don (Calgary)" <hd.flhr(a)telus.net> wrote in message >news:6uaf26phmum2bdr3m4i4lkuq0rcieagca3(a)4ax.com... >> Last summer while on my way home from Russell Manitoba, the Venture's >> front brakes started acting strange. When I pulled the lever it felt >> like it would hit a stop, while only slightly engaging the brakes. ><snip> >> Has anyone had a master cylinder react in a similar way? >> >> My next attempt to fix it will be removing the lever, giving the >> apparatus a thorough cleaning and lubrication. I'll bleed the lines >> and replace the fluid too. It is getting pretty old. >> >> After that I guess I would have to look at rebuilding the master >> cylinder. I am not even sure if they can be rebuilt. ><snip> > >They can be rebuilt. The kit costs $50 if I remember right. > >I didn't trust myself to do mine (97 RSTD) so I brought it to a shop. Turns >out I didn't have to worry, as it wasn't significantly different from when I >did car master cylinders 20 years ago. Pull the stuff out, replace >everything with new stuff, then put everything back the same way it came >out. > >I did this because the brakes were mushy, and no amount of bleeding would >fix it. I also rebuilt the calipers and replaced the pads. > >Seems this is a common complaint with the Royal Stars. Even brand new ones >feel that way. Yup it is a common complaint > >Installing stainless steel brake lines cured the mushy feeling. Now it's >nice and solid. I keep looking at the stainless brake lines but have yet to pull the trigger. > >I think I spent around $600 in all for the front brakes, mainly because I >was too chickenshit to do everything myself. Otherwise I could have gotten >by on $200, which would have left me enough for new rotors. > >I don't regret spending the money. I learned a few tricks, and I have a >safe bike. Still, next time I'm doing it all myself. > Yeah some things are best left to those with the experience. I have rebuilt calipers before and wouldn't mind taking on the master cylinder. If I screw up I could package up the pieces and give it to a mechanic to fix or just buy a new one.
From: CS on 27 Jun 2010 21:26 "don (Calgary)" <hd.flhr(a)telus.net> wrote in message news:tqpf26d4sk5ntk6s2uc03vucsg2rbllfld(a)4ax.com... > On Sun, 27 Jun 2010 16:40:01 -0700, "CS" <dontshop(a)sears.com> wrote: <snip> > I keep looking at the stainless brake lines but have yet to pull the > trigger. Worth every penny. Highly recommend. There was a huge improvement of control. Being a rookie rider, I wondered how long it would take me to get a handle on fine control of the front brakes. Turns out it wasn't just my rookie-ness, and about two weeks after installing the SS lines I found my riding had improved dramatically. It may be my imagination, but there seems to be less effort required to apply the brakes. It makes sense, since I'm also not wasting effort in forcing the rubber lines to expand. I'm waiting for the next good rain this winter before I do the clutch. >>I think I spent around $600 in all for the front brakes, mainly because I >>was too chickenshit to do everything myself. Otherwise I could have >>gotten >>by on $200, which would have left me enough for new rotors. >> >>I don't regret spending the money. I learned a few tricks, and I have a >>safe bike. Still, next time I'm doing it all myself. >> > > Yeah some things are best left to those with the experience. I have > rebuilt calipers before and wouldn't mind taking on the master > cylinder. If I screw up I could package up the pieces and give it to a > mechanic to fix or just buy a new one. I believe your calipers are the two piston floating type. They should be much easier to rebuild than mine, which are fixed four pistons. You don't want to know what a new one costs... CS
From: George on 27 Jun 2010 21:34 On Sun, 27 Jun 2010 18:26:29 -0700, CS wrote: > "don (Calgary)" <hd.flhr(a)telus.net> wrote in message > news:tqpf26d4sk5ntk6s2uc03vucsg2rbllfld(a)4ax.com... >> On Sun, 27 Jun 2010 16:40:01 -0700, "CS" <dontshop(a)sears.com> wrote: > <snip> >> I keep looking at the stainless brake lines but have yet to pull the >> trigger. > > Worth every penny. Highly recommend. SS lines are great but the best solution for grabby brakes is to soak the pads in WD-40 or some 30 weight oil overnight. Works like a charm and you brakes will no longer grab.
From: don (Calgary) on 27 Jun 2010 21:48 On Sun, 27 Jun 2010 18:26:29 -0700, "CS" <dontshop(a)sears.com> wrote: > >I'm waiting for the next good rain this winter before I do the clutch. The clutch is easier to do than replacing the front brake pads. If your clutch is slipping it might not be the friction disks. Common to the second generation Venture is a weak diaphragm spring. More often than not the slipping clutch is due to the weak spring as opposed to the clutch plates. It might be the same on the earlier Royal Stars. I replaced mine with the Barnett SR-2 Spring Conversion and Pressure Plate install. http://www.venturers.org/Tech_Library/index.php?action=article&cat_id=002006&id=310 It was an easy swap. You don't even have to drain the oil and that pressure plate looks so pretty it's a shame to cover it up. But you were probably aware of all this already.
From: S'mee on 27 Jun 2010 23:22
On Jun 27, 5:46 pm, "don (Calgary)" <hd.f...(a)telus.net> wrote: > On Sun, 27 Jun 2010 16:18:39 -0700 (PDT), "S'mee" > > > > > > <stevenkei...(a)hotmail.com> wrote: > >On Jun 27, 2:19 pm, "don (Calgary)" <hd.f...(a)telus.net> wrote: > >> Last summer while on my way home from Russell Manitoba, the Venture's > >> front brakes started acting strange. When I pulled the lever it felt > >> like it would hit a stop, while only slightly engaging the brakes. > > >> I was only a few hundred miles from home so I nursed the bike back to > >> the shed using mostly the back brake. Given I had the RK to ride I > >> didn't get around to checking the Venture's brakes before winter set > >> in. > > >> Having a little free time this weekend I finally got around to > >> checking them out. > > >> I thought the pads might have been worn out and the pistons were > >> extending too far. Since I had some new pads in the closet I started > >> by installing them. The old ones were actually still in pretty good > >> condition, showing maybe 50% wear. After giving the calipers a good > >> cleaning and installing the new pads the problem remained. > > >> Let me try to explain what the lever action feels like. The pull on > >> the lever is smooth up until strong force is applied, as you would > >> apply in a rapid stop. Then the lever action makes a creaking noise > >> and tends to move in successive jerks. It definitely feels like the > >> restriction is in the lever or the master cylinder, not the calipers. > > >> I tried lubricating the lever pivot points with silicone spray. That > >> seemed to help a bit, but not significantly. Next I hit the lever > >> pivot points with some penetrating oil. After this and by working the > >> lever several times with firm pressure the action gets smoother, but > >> it is only temporary. > > >> Has anyone had a master cylinder react in a similar way? > > >> My next attempt to fix it will be removing the lever, giving the > >> apparatus a thorough cleaning and lubrication. I'll bleed the lines > >> and replace the fluid too. It is getting pretty old. > > >> After that I guess I would have to look at rebuilding the master > >> cylinder. I am not even sure if they can be rebuilt. > > >> On another minor mechanical note, last week, somewhere in Utah, the > >> shifter linkage on the RK decided to fall apart. It is kinda > >> disconcerting to try to down shift and discover the shift lever is > >> flopping around on the floorboard. It was a three wire tie roadside > >> fix. Yesterday I picked up a couple of new parts and did the proper > >> repair. > > >> Two morals of the story. > > >> 1. Never ride anywhere without wire ties. They are more versatile than > >> duct tape. > > >> 2. There is a sense of satisfaction in being able to do your own > >> mechanical repairs. While still a novice, I am getting better at this > >> mechanical stuff, and it feels good. > > >warped disk? > > No, the front end stuff seems to be in order. Every time I have > experienced a warped disk I have felt a pulsating motion in the pedal > or lever. The clicking/creaking in the lever/master cylinder that > coincides with the jerky lever and grabbing brakes seems to narrow the > problem down to one of those. > > I should add there is no fade in the application of the brakes that > might indicate a problem with the master cylinder. > > I have a club meeting tomorrow evening and our resident Venture > mechanical expert should be there. I'll see if he has seen this > before. It was just idle speculation...couldn't hurt to flush the system. |