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brakes locked up on me. not really

  • Thread starter Thread starter FreshStart
  • Start date Start date
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FreshStart

Guest
so i went for a short ride today and noticed when i pulled the clutch in the bike slowed unusually fast... oh crap my rear brake must be locked up. so first i got online and read up on it on basscliffs website. figured out that i probably need to rebuild the caliper, maybe even the master cylinder. so i headed to the garage to begin tearing down, but for shytsengigs i looked over my rear brake pedal assembly. found the problem! it seems somehow one of those little nuts for the battery terminal had gotten jammed between the pedal anpedal stop preventing the pedal from returning to position... just another example of k.i.s.s.
 
no i havent, just got the bike a couple weeks ago. i live by if it aint broke dont fix it.
 
I had one of the front calipers on my first GS700ES lock up when the bike was almost new. I let it cool down, and never had another problem in over 20,000 miles.
 
The brake pedal pivot can also cause it to stick due to rust
 
Hi,

Water in the brake fluid can expand when heated and lock up your brakes. That's why you put in new brake fluid every two years or sooner.

I'm glad yours was a simple fix. But it never hurts to go through the brake system completely to be sure everything is in good order. In fact, your life may depend on it.

Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff
 
It's amazing the time and money people will put into a bike or car, truck motor to make it run better or go faster and then skip or skimp on the braking system. My thought is what good is it if you can't stop it. :confused:
 
FreshStart said:
no i havent, just got the bike a couple weeks ago. i live by if it aint broke dont fix it.
Click to expand...

Nessism said:
Bad attitude.:oops:
Click to expand...

SqDancerLynn1 said:
The brake pedal pivot can also cause it to stick due to rust
Click to expand...
ESPECIALLY with a 'new' bike, it is rather important to go through EVERY system to assure a good baseline and, quite frankly, a SAFE vehicle.

Highly recommended is to go through the calipers to make sure there is no crud in there that will prevent smooth movement of the pistons. Clean up the pistons, make sure they have no pits on the outer surface that will tear up the seals. The brake lines probably need to be replaced, far too few of us actually do that (yeah, I'm guilty of that, too). The master cylinder has probably built up a layer of crud on the bottom that is likely plugging a small vent hole that commonly will cause the brakes to lock up (gradually, but FIRMLY) as the fluid heats up and has nowhere to expand. As Lynn menitoned (and I have experience more than once), the pivot for the rear brake pedal often corrodes into place. You have to remove the pdeal and the pivot shaft, then clean it all out, polish it with a wire brush, then grease it up and put it back together.

This is all the kind of stuff that can, and should, be done in the days while you are waiting for your carbs in 'the dip'. If all goes well, I figure that it takes a minimum of one week of working a few hours each day to get a 'new' bike in a condition that is safe enough to leave my driveway.

.
 
i visually inspected everything when i got the bike and it doesnt show any exstensive wear or is anything "dirty", im noy going to spend the time rebuilding everything just incase. you wouldnt buy a car and tear it down to the block would you?
 
A car has four brakes and wont dump ya on the road if brakes fails, or seizes.
If you take the master cylinder apart you'll be amazed you even had brakes at all.

I used to feel the same way as you till someone here talked me into doing this little task. Things may look fine on the surface but you cant see everything.
Its cheap and easy.
 
My motto is inspect it, clean it, repair it, test it, then retest it. Brakes arent a thingb that is negotiable at any stage of operation. If its not broke dont fix it will get your head cracked open some day.
 
IMG_1200.jpg
 
All that and then some in the master cyliders and calipers and they will still work..hope the visual gets the kids attention Ed. Hope he heeds the advice.
 
These bikes were built around 30 years ago, there will be junk in the system for sure. I did the lines and master cylinders on mine and was amazed at how the brakes improved. Cost about 300 dollars for all of it including new pads but worth it.
 
FreshStart said:
i visually inspected everything when i got the bike and it doesnt show any exstensive wear or is anything "dirty", im noy going to spend the time rebuilding everything just incase. you wouldnt buy a car and tear it down to the block would you?
Click to expand...


How much time is your life worth? Taking an one to two hours at night after dinner to take your brake master cylinder and calipers apart to ensure everything is clean and then putting in fresh brake fluid will save your life. Trust me. Yes, it is messy and can be a pain to get the parts quickly but we'd much rather see you posting than find out you were in a wreck because of it.:pray:

No one here says you have to tear down the entire engine but even on any car, the first thing I do to ensure it runs right is to replace tires if they look low, perform a tuneup, and check all the brakes. Like Octain said, the car has double the footprint, if you will, on the road that your bike does. Make sure your bike will keep you on the road and not in a hospital bed.
 
Absolutely #1 thing you should do with any used bike you get.

(If you care about your continued safe existence, that is.)
 
While you have the brakes off I would change out the brake lines as well. The outside may look perfect but they are double layered. I had all new pistons, seals, MCs, and pads, but even after all that my bike left me stranded one day when the rear brake locked up.

Turns out the inner layer had fragmented somewhere, and suddenly in the middle of a long ride, it wouldn't let the fluid out of the calipers after I touched the brake. Luckily I was on a road where I could stop safely, but it also could have stopped me in the middle of a highway.
 
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