| Author | Message | ||
     Dynasport |
My FXDX had been pretty trouble free, but there has been one area that has been a bit of a recurring problem. My front brakes go mushy over time. I have had it at the dealership several times over the years for this issue and each time it has been repaired, but the repair has been temporary. I have had the pads replaced as a fix one time. Another time I was told the pistons in the calipers were sticking and needed cleaning. Then another time I was told the rotors were warped and were causing the problem. Each time I paid for the recommended work and the brakes did return to normal. Each time the problem returned in a couple thousand or less miles. Finally, the last time the mechanic told me this was a common problem on the dual front brake set up on my bike and on V-Rods, but not on the dual set up on the touring bikes. He admitted he had "fixed" this issue many times only to have it return in about 1000 miles. My brakes are mushy again and I would really like a more permanent fix. I am willing to go aftermarket if necessary, but I don't want to just start replacing parts in hopes that the problem will go away. Especially since it normally gets fixed for 1000-2000 miles each time they work on it, but then comes back. Does anyone have any ideas what the problem is? Thanks | ||
| Trojan |
All the fixes that you have mentioned seem to be 'sticking plasters' that are just helping to mask the original problem for a while. When was the last time you changed the brake fluid? This could be part of the problem if it hasn't been changed for a few years, as brake fluid absorbs water over time and becomes less efective. Another improvement could be to change the stock rubber brake lines for braided steel items, as this will give more feel and pressure without the hoses 'bulging'. Also, if you have dual front brakes it is definitely worth changing the layout of the brake lines. Get rid of the stock H-D setup of a single line into a T piece and then split into two lines, and replace it with a 'race style' system of twin lines direct from the master cylinder straight to each caliper. This again should give much more feel. Finally, make sure that every connection is fully sealed and there are no leaks anywhere. Getting even a little air in the system will drastically reduce the braking effectiveness. I had a similar problem with a rear brake a little while ago, adn found that when I changed the brake line it completely disapeared. On inspection of the old line I could see that the banjo fitting wasn't fully sealing to the braided hose, so although it wasn't leaking fluid it was obviously taking in air  Hope this helps  | ||
| Gentleman_jon |
+1 Matt. The FXDX brake line system has a combination of rubber hoses and metal tubes that go to a distribution block and then via metal and rubber hoses to the calipers. There are just a lot of connections and even the smallest leak can degrade the system over time. That being said, I have over 10,000 miles on my FXDX and the brakes work great. The stock system may have it's faults, but it is tidy. Another possible fix might be to just replace the entire brake line system with a new one, but Matt's idea will work better. Of course your Harley dealer won't be much help there, but Pammy should be able to handle it. | ||
| Dynasport |
Thanks guys. I should have mentioned that shortly after I purchased the bike I upgraded to braided steel lines. I did keep the stock layout, however, of the t-fitting. It does seem like you are on the right track with air getting into the system over time. It could be that air is getting into the system somewhere. Tracking that down doesn't sound too easy though. One question, if I wanted to replace the current t-fitting system with the "race style" system, would that require a new master cylinder? Thanks | ||
| Trojan |
One question, if I wanted to replace the current t-fitting system with the "race style" system, would that require a new master cylinder? No, I have done exactly the same mod on my XR1200. You will need a 'double' banjo bolt fitting that goes into the master cylinder, then you just run two separate lines from there, one to each caliper. A new master cylilnder would help, but if there is a problem with the system then it would probably be back to 'squishy' in another 1000 miles I happened to have a Yamaha R1 master cylinder in the garage that I had left over from the race bike project, so I opened the clamps out to 1" and fitted that to the XR1200 instead of the bulky H-D item. It definitely feels a lot more solid and the brakes are now superb. If you ever want a relatively cheap caliper upgrade I would recommend the XR1200 4 piston calipers They are the same units fitted to the Honda SP2 (RC51) and early Honda Fireblade models, so are well proven |
