| Author | Message | ||
     Interex2050 |
My rear brake is close to being useless... It is so weak that if I pull up on a hill it requires substantial pressure to prevent the bike from rolling backwards. If I am moving, pressing the rear brake has virtually no effect. I have a feeling that even if I put all my weight on the rear brake it would not lock up the rear wheel... I am wondering why that would be the case... It does not feel spongy, so I do not think that it needs to be bled. Are there any suggestions or possibly resolving this? And has any one else have a similar problem? I miss having a rear brake... | ||
| Zac4mac |
Not here. My rear brake works like I would expect. Haven't tried locking the rear, but i believe it would. Front brake is awesome. Very linear, quite strong. Quite simply, The Perfect Brake™ Look at the linkage and make sure nothing is in the way of free movement. Experience tells me when my front brake on the Wide Glide isn't effective, the lever's rotated to hit the throttle and stops short. Should be more than enough to skid the rear tire. Z (Message edited by zac4mac on January 01, 2008) | ||
| Donutclub |
My rear brake works fine also. It sounds like you need to bleed the brakes....or have the dealer do it under warranty. | ||
| Wahoo |
My brakes are great, front and rear. The first time I used the front I thought it was weak compared to the ZTL on the 12R, but it just needed to be bedded in. It is awesome now, the rear brake stops the bike by itself well also. Sounds like you need to have it looked at. | ||
| Dtx |
Yes, it may need to be bled. But remember, the rear brake is not supposed to be real powerful. | ||
| Dalton_gang |
"And has any one else have a similar problem?" Actually yes. I wasn`t going to post this but since you asked. When I test rode mine I was very mindful to test everything mechanical to make sure that it all worked. Well the back brake didn`t. And I did try twice to skid the back tire (wouldn`t do it even on wet asphalt). I haven`t found out what the problem was as of yet but I`m fairly certain that it leaked its fluid. It did have a small puddle under the rear tire when I moved it but it had just been washed so I didn`t think much of it until it wouldn`t stop. As soon as I find out what the problem was I will let you know. I hope it`s fixed by Sat. because thats when I`m planning to bring it home. | ||
| Arillius13 |
I have the same issue with mine. I have to floor the brake to get it to respond. i wonder is there an adjustment for it? Maybe the lever is set to low so its not engaging soon enough or something? | ||
| 1badbuell |
Yes, I have the same issue...I am going to try the Scotch-Brite pad rub down first...as I think the dealers are having a little fun with the bikes before the sell them. Could be glazing the brakes. | ||
| Doerman |
Peter, you mentioned in another post that you thought you had an oil leak but you found out that the brake cap was loose. Maybe you got some air in the system? | ||
| Interex2050 |
I bled the system with no luck... The fluid was "crystal" clear with no bubbles. Although I did not have a lot of brake fluid available, so I may have not cleared the whole system... | ||
| C4bird |
I am having this same issue as well, barely any slowing power and it won't even get close to lock up. Hoping someone can figure it out, the techs a the local shop were scared to set up my bike, I can only imagine what will happen if they have to try and fix an issue... At least until training happens... | ||
| Baggermike |
brakes need to be broken in and if you are a heavy rear brake user you can ruin the pads and rotor, I got a bike that had little front brake and lucky I was not going fast when it happend on the way home from buying it so cleaned the rotor and after a couple of hundred miles it was fine, both my front and back work really good but I do not use the rear brake much anyway just tried it so I could see how mine was working and it is more powerfull than my ex ulysses single piston. Mike | ||
| Brad1445 |
After 5 different Buells I would say three of them had weaker than average rear brakes when compared to other sport bikes. I was told by dealer in the first case that it was within factory speck no change was made. Next visit same complaint they magically adjusted during that visit it and it made a huge difference. I understand and believe of you when you say NO back brake, serious, NO brake, been there. Those saying you don't need rear brakes I understand what your saying as I use mine sparingly all around, but when it's not thereat all it does feel odd. Otherwise why have the pedal at all. | ||
| 1324 |
A while back I remember reading that Buell had to dumb down their rear brakes because of the large percent of previous HD riders mashing down the rear brake and high siding into oblivion. Granted, I don't know if there is any truth to that, but I can see where it may be true. Cruisers do have a different disposition when it comes to braking than sportbikes. Not sure when this 'change' was made, but the article or book I was reading implied it was a while back...like a long while. I can say that the rear brake on my XB9S is noticeably weaker that the rear on my SV650. The SV's rear will lock up very very easily compared to the Buell. Not really a concern to me since I don't use the rear nearly as much unless I'm on dirt or gravel or I'm doing some slow parking lot-speed maneuvers. I use it more or less as a stabilizing force AFTER I begin serious deceleration from the front (on the street anyway). On the track, I don't even touch the rear brake. That being said, the rear brake is important, especially on a new bike. If it won't even lock up on wet pavement, I'd make sure you bed the pads. If that doesn't do the trick, take it to your dealer! | ||
| Interex2050 |
After some further investigation it appears as though my rear disk is glazed... It also has marks from "chattering"... I have also heard that the rear brake was "dumbed" down because of the cruiser crowd. I believe that is a real shame. I will not touch the disk, I will let the dealership take care of that. Although if the brake is not sufficient after that I may resort to trying out a different master cylinder/pads. Something with a nice crisp "bite" would be nice. | ||
| Baggermike |
Hey guys, I read an artical that most people use the rear brake, and not the front, now the 1125R is made for people that use the front brake, I think if you get the bike new, and do not use the rear brake as your sorce of stopping power, you are all right, but if you are a rear break user, and not use to a rear race brake or buell brake and using it to much at break in, it will glaze up on you, and it will not work properly, both my brakes are really good, but I do not use the rear much. let's take a survey and see who is having problems with the brakes, the guys who mostly use the front, or the guys who mostly use the back, I am a front brake guy, and my rear works fine, now your turn? I could be wrong, and there is a problem with the brake, so do not take this the wrong way, just curios if it could be true. Mike | ||
| Zac4mac |
Engine brake Front brake Rear brake Rear brake skids at 30 and 50 mph, dry pavement, 45˚ F. Z | ||
| C4bird |
I'm a 100% front, unless I have to stop in a hurry, then I use the rear. I actually had not used the back on this bike before I read this thread, tried it just to check ans sure enough it doesn't do much. Also noticed the linkage is kinda sloppy, anyone else notice this? Checked the fluid level, looks like I may be low/out of fluid. I'll try filling/bleading before taking it back to the dealer. | ||
| Court |
>>>I don't know if there is any truth to that I do. There isn't. When you are working with a wheelbase on the order of 55" and the front/rear bias of the Buell there are design constraints (the habits, intellect and former behavior of former HD riders is not one of them) that enter the design of the rear brake. There is, during aggressive riding, darn little rear tire on the ground. Watch any race and you'll see daylight under the rear tire. A tire that is not touching the ground is incapable of providing any contribution to stopping. In addition, 8th grade physics comes into play. I always recall Mr. Peck, my physics teacher, taking the 2" x 12" and the wooden car. He'd start out by shooting the car down the ramp. Then he'd lock the front wheels, take it to the top of the ramp and the thing would slide straight as an arrow to the bottom of the ramp. When he repeated the experiment with the rear wheels locked the car spun down the ramp like a frisbee. You motorcycle ix subject to the same laws. Some of you may have asked why for so many years Ford (and others) had anti-lock brakes on the rear and not the front. Now you know . . . . . . . the rest of the story | ||
| Dalton_gang |
I`m with Zac. Except mine doesn`t skid........Yet! | ||
| Interex2050 |
Don't get me wrong I like the front brake (and the 1125R has the best front brake that I have ever experienced, especially at speed)... My Firebolt has roughly 15,000 miles on it, and I am finishing up my fourth set of front brake pads... The rear has 1/4 of the original pads left. I just like having/using brakes. Braking would generally be as follows: Engine braking Rear brake Front brake Rear brake On the XB; engine braking preloads the front tire but there is still more the rear could do. Then I linearly apply the front while releasing the rear. Then as I am coming to a stop and things begin to settle down I begin to let off the front and engage the rear which I keep engaged while at a stop. On the 1125R there is a lot less engine braking, and the lack of a rear brake does not help... So its almost purely front brake. I still apply the rear brake just like I would on any other bike, but not because its useful. I simply do not want to ween myself from the rear brake, it is there for a reason. I have mentioned this before but the rear brake on my 1125 requires substantial effort to prevent it from rolling back down a hill... That is not acceptable! I have already bled rear brake system, and inspected the linkage for binding/catching. Edit: I may have been a bit bitter and harsh in the above post. I am sure things will be resolved, and everyone will be happy. Best, Peter (Message edited by interex2050 on January 06, 2008) | ||
| Jedipunk |
Peter, I'm having the same issue with my back brake. My rear brake lever seemed like it didn't move freely so I removed it and sprayed the bushing surface with WD-40. That seemed to help but I'm going to remove the rear caliper and backbleed it to see if that helps. It seems like I get very little feedback from the rear brake. I may rough up the rear disc at the same time I have the caliper off. I don't have the pads broken in yet so, I'm hoping thats part of the issue. | ||
| Fast2win |
Why on earth would anybody use the rear brake 1st. Please get yourself a motorcycle safety course. In the past Buells have always had a higher effort rear brake, for all you rear brake happy folks as to help prevent a high side crash.It still sounds like theirs a problem if you can't even hold on a hill. | ||
| Interex2050 |
Eric, I will try to get a shot of my rear disk... It certainly has a very interesting "pattern" on it. Good luck, I will let you know if I come up with anything. Fast2win, Its probably about time I take another MSF coarse, its been a while... I apologize for being an ass in advanced but, if you cannot use a rear brake without endangering yourself thats fine (just don't use it). A powerful rear brake with good feel is very controllable and potentially very useful. Also there is little finesse that can be used with a high effort rear brake, because it does not "tell" you anything unless its too late. Point is the rear brake is not out for blood , only if used improperly is it dangerous (but then aren't most things)... Anyway why are we even arguing about this? So far we have only been discussing straight line stopping, there are so much more to discuss; But that is not what this thread is about... Again I am sorry for making assumptions that you cannot use the rear brake (I am sure you are fully capable of doing so, it was simply for the sake of making a point) Now back to the point... I believe that a "monoblock" dual piston caliper would offer fantastic feel and feedback, so it is just a matter of figuring out what is going wrong or the weak point. Best, Peter (Message edited by interex2050 on January 06, 2008) | ||
| Zac4mac |
The 1125R doesn't have ABS, right? As long as the brakes are a simple hydraulic mechanical system, the fix should be easy to find. Is the master cylinder working? Are the lines FULL of fluid, ie no air. Is the slave working properly? Has the protective Teflon tape been removed from the pads? j/k  The design is good, obviously, because most of them work fine, so there has to be something to fix. Look for something not right - fluid level, fluid flow, master cylinder movement, slave movement. Check the pads, that they move freely and aren't binding. Brakes that don't shouldn't be this big of a problem to fix. Good luck to you with fuzzy brakes, keep hunting and posting. Just had a thought - With the new caliper mount, make sure the pads are parallel with the disk. Being blind mounted, maybe some are cocked a tiny bit, like my exhaust tips. Get a good back-light and check for contact between disk and rotor. Z (Message edited by zac4mac on January 06, 2008) | ||
| Interex2050 |
Well here are some photos: Here are the "chatter" marks that I was referring to...  Upon closer inspection the pads seem to be parallel to the disk all the way around:  Also when the brake is applied the pads close smoothly and effortlessly... After 1000+ miles I would have expected the factory surfacing marks to have gone away:  | ||
| Sheridan_bueller |
I've noticed on mine, when I use only light pressure on the rear pedal, I get the chatter and squall. After doing the book recommended brake 'break in', no more chatter and no more squall. Judging from your the pics of your disc, your pads haven't set in yet. They should be like a grinder at first, until they're set in. Then they should be nice and smoothe with any amount of pressure. That's my 2 cents. Barring any mechanical problems, I hope this helps. JJ | ||
| 1324 |
I mentioned it before, but to reinforce it significance, please make sure you always bed new brakes (and rotors). For a decent how to, see: http://www.fjrforum.com/forum//index.php?showtopic =18175&mode=threaded&pid=222402 For a little more theory: http://www.stoptech.com/tech_info/wp_bedintheory.s html For a little more theory, see the Automotive Handbook (SAE). I ALWAYS bed ALL brakes I install on EVERY vehicle...whether I just drove it off the lot or I did the replacement in my garage. Many/most people know very little of this practice, but it is in fact very critical to good brake performance (performance, feel, longevity, durability). I'm certainly not saying this is the cause of anyone's brake issues, but you need to do the obvious before you go doing the not-so obvious. So yes, while I agree that many of the problems in this thread seem to indicate that the problem may be more severe than improperly bedded brakes, it doesn't hurt to be exhaustive. Has anyone tried adjusting the brake lever height? Depending on the bike's setup and the rider's ergos, you may need to readjust for proper response. As far as the first picture in the post above, some of those witness lines remind me of how a rotor looks when brake pressure is firmly applied after a complete stop from a normal speed stop. You'll see this on people's cars who like to bake their brakes down hills or from highway speeds...then they stop and leave full pressure on hot pads/rotors. Plus, it looks like the pad isn't fully warn into the rotor (radially)...I'd definitely try bedding (again perhaps). Ok, the broken record is done... | ||
| Josh_ |
I'd have to say the rear brake on my 1125R is about useless also, which is not how the prototypes were. Even when I hit the pedal instead of the engine case, there's practically no stopping force. | ||
| Chadhargis |
Rear brakes are evil. I typically only use mine in slow speed riding in parking lots. Otherwise, I leave it alone. Don't like highsides. They suck! |
