| Author | Message | ||
     Rogue_biker |
My ’08 1125R has 32k miles on it. Around 18k miles, I replaced the front brake rotor (OEM) and the pads with Lyndall Gold pads. I also bled the brake fluid twice using a brake bleeder. One of the things I wanted to improve was the front brake lever travel and stiffness. Even after I replaced the rotor and pads, the brake lever travel has been at least 2” and a bit mushy. It has plenty of stopping power and all and the brake feel is pretty good. But the lever travel and mushy feel persists even after bleeding. What am I doing wrong? What can I do to address both these issues? I did not buy the bike new so I don’t know how the brakes were when new. On my '06 XB12R I had the same brake lever travel/feel even after repeated brake bleeding, new rotor and pads. What gives? | ||
| Jdugger |
Replace or rebuild the Master Cyl. They suck. The ZTL will always be a bit mushy because the caliper flexes. It gets better as it gets hot, but it's never going to give you that rock-hard Ducati feel. The stock MC on these bikes is an especially terrible piece of kit and needs to be replaced, especially with the age yours has on it. And, start flushing your fluid a couple of times a year. | ||
| Northernyankee |
Yeah I hated the stock MC on all my Buell's...I have a Brembo RCS now and it is awesome! Another option would be the Accossato unit that EBR uses. http://www.erikbuellracing.com/store/parts-accesso ries/brakes/accossato-radial-front-master-cylinder .html | ||
| Rogue_biker |
I was hoping it would not come to replacement. But yeah, I've been eyeballing the EBR upgrade kit. I think I will have to do that. I do flush the fluid once a year. Damn! | ||
| Jdugger |
The EBR part linked above is an excellent choice. For a little more money, the Brembo RCS19 is also a good choice. It has two advantages, IMHO: Levers for it are more broadly available, and it comes with a folding lever. And, it has an adjustable leverage ratio between 18 and 20, so you could get a firmer feel from the lever by adjusting for a 20x ratio. | ||
| Rogue_biker |
I think I will have to go with the Brembo. Does one need a different steel braided hose to make this kit work? Or will the stock hose work? | ||
| Jdugger |
Stock will work OK. It's not ideal because of the right angle, but it works OK. Works better if you use clip-ons since you get a titch of extra length. | ||
| Rogue_biker |
Thanks Jdugger. You don't happen to have a picture of your set up now do you?  | ||
| Jdugger |
What do you want to see? | ||
| Stirz007 |
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| Rogue_biker |
Just want to see the cockpit with the Brembo brakes. Thanks for those nice pics Stirz. | ||
| Thefleshrocket |
The quick fix to the mushy lever is to push the brake pads back into the caliper. I use a screwdriver and pry against the caliper. Be careful to not bend the caliper, obviously. Once you push the pads back into the caliper, pump the brake lever until it's firm. You'll notice that its mushiness is pretty much gone. In my experience, this will last for a week or two, or up to 400 miles or so (whichever comes first), and you'll have to do it again. | ||
| Mcelhaney14 |
I had a mushy front brake on mine as well, rebuilt that master cylinder and it didn't help. Bled the brake several time with no improvement. Finally pulled the caliper and made sure the bleeder was pointed directly up and tapped on the caliper with a rubber mallet and bled it in this position. That finally did it. I had an old brake rotor that I stuck in so the pistons wouldn't move so you may have to improvise something for that. Best of all, you can do it for free, minus the cost of fluid. But basically free. | ||
| Lospice1 |
Get radial mc from r1/r6 or gixxer. Can be had from ebay for less than $100. will | ||
| Georgehitch17 |
Could someone show me an example of a Radial Mc on ebay for around 100 bucks Im either not looking for the right thing or it doesn't exist. Thanks | ||
| Stirz007 |
http://www.ebay.com/itm/02-03-YAMAHA-YZFR1-YZF-R1- R-1-FRONT-BRAKE-MASTER-CYLINDER-STEEL-BRAIDED-LINE -OEM-/171085981401?pt=Motorcycles_Parts_Accessorie s&hash=item27d584e6d9&vxp=mtr http://www.ebay.com/itm/2002-Yamaha-YZF-R1-Front-B rake-Master-Cylinder-YZFR1-02-/360710150182?pt=Mot orcycles_Parts_Accessories&hash=item53fc001826&vxp =mtr | ||
| Nuts4mc |
go here - mine is off a 2004 GSXR 1000 - scroll down to see pix...about an afternoon's worth of work and about $90 on ebay...I do have a custom line on mine... about 1.5" longer, but it may NOT be req'd. http://www.badweatherbikers.com/buell/messages/290 431/701261.html?1355889126#POST2289948 I had an "inline" Hyabusa MC on it before but you could feel it flex when in a "high use" type situation ( track day) In the Pix - NOTE how close it comes to the fairing stay( left turn)...could be a safety issue if you don't check it before you "test ride" your new upgrade. hope this helps. (Message edited by nuts4mc on August 13, 2013) | ||
| Rogue_biker |
I replaced the brake pads on my 1125R this weekend. I did this at the same time I had the front wheel off to replace the tire. Following a couple of recommendations above in an effort to improve brake lever travel, and since I had the whole caliper off the bike, I pushed the pistons all the way back to their starting position then removed the old brake pads. Then I doused & cleaned the caliper pistons with contact cleaner. Then I propped the caliper up so the bleeder is facing up (not sideways when it's on the bike). While bleeding the brake, I tapped on the Master Cylinder using a rubber mallet a few times just to see if I could coax any trapped air bubbles in there. Once done, I was expecting the brake lever to go back to the 2" travel it always has but it didn't. Much to my pleasant surprise, the brake lever travel is now around an inch (basically half of what it was before) and feels much, much firmer! It's only less than 100 miles ridden so far after this procedure. I hope this lasts because it feels great now! | ||
| Mcelhaney14 |
Cool deal, did you tap the master cylinder with the mallet or the caliper? Hope it lasts for you. Mine still feels fine about about 2k miles. | ||
| Rogue_biker |
Rapped on the master cylinder with the mallet. Flipped the brake caliper to get the bleed valve facing straight up. Oh and pushed the brake pistons back (with the old brake pads still in place) before putting in new brake pads and before bleeding the fluid. | ||
| Thefleshrocket |
Rogue, how's your master cylinder feeling? I usually get 400-500 miles (or a couple weeks) out of mine before it gets mushy (after pushing the pistons back into the caliper). If bleeding the brake with the bleeder aimed vertically is a (more) permanent fix, I'll give it a shot. | ||
| Rogue_biker |
Fleshrocket, I'll let you know when I get to the 500 mile mark. I've only been commuting on the bike this week so still less than 200 miles on it so far. |
