Clueless question: Running in brakes

I shall give you a ring then, old bean. At a human sort of time in
the morning.

 

Using the patented Mavis Beacon "Hunt&Peck" Technique, Pip

What a *nice* man.

--
Wicked Uncle Nigel - Manufacturer of the "Champion-105" range of rearsets
and Ducati Race Engineer.

WS* GHPOTHUF#24 APOSTLE#14 DLC#1 COFF#20 BOTAFOT#150 HYPO#0(KoTL) IbW#41
ZZR1100, Enfield 500 Curry House Racer "The Basmati Rice Burner",
Honda GL1000K2 (On its hols) Kawasaki ZN1300 Voyager "Oh, Oh, It's so big"

 

I'm glad you said that. I wasn't sure if it was just me after only
having a couple of hours kip and depositing a couple of UKRMers at the
ferry terminal and being a bit tired, like.

--
Lesley
CBR600FW
SBS#11 (with oak-leaf cluster)
BOTAFOT#101A UKRMHRC#12
BONY#54P BOB#18
Real burds don't take hormones, they rage naturally

 

And there was me thinking I was just being stupid and that I should
believe what the garage told me. I'm glad I doubt most things.

I think they changed the fluid as well, whatever is part of the 15,000
mile service. I didn't ask for a breakdown of the charges, which is
silly.

One bloke in the workshop said to the other something along the lines
of "Were the pistons siezed?" "No, they were fine, pushed them back
with my finger" (replace pistons with pieson they they with it
depending on how many pistons there may be) but that's the only thing
I can remember with the word piston in it.

Is the span adjuster that big round thing with 1, 2, 3, 4? I had a go
with that as I thought they may have changed it, I have it on the
largest (big hands) setting, but changing it to any other didn't make
any difference.

 

So you still need a couple of sentient beings?

 

So we're all agreed, then?

"Stuart Gray, shut up unless you know what you're talking about!"

(This has been a public service announcement)

 

I've been given a tyre.

--
| ___ Salad Dodger
|/ \
_/_____\_ GL1500SEV/CBR1100XXX/KH500A8/TS250C
|_\_____/_| ..75409../..18748.../..3196./.19406
(>|_|_|<) TPPFATUICG#7 DIAABTCOD#9 YTC#4 PM#5
|__|_|__| BOTAFOT #70 BOTAFOF #09 two#11 WG*
\ |^| / IbW#0 & KotIbW# BotTOS#6 GP#4
\|^|/ ANORAK#17 IbB#4
'^' RBR Landmarks: 18 Pts: 305 Miles: 1193

 

If they did, that's where they fucked up.

Yes

 

Because if a brake hose is damaged enough to let air *in*, it's as sure
as shit going to let fluid *out*, quite a lot of it, quite fast, the
first time you use the brakes.

 

No, that's the tachometer.
--
| ___ Salad Dodger
|/ \
_/_____\_ GL1500SEV/CBR1100XXX/KH500A8/TS250C
|_\_____/_| ..75409../..18748.../..3196./.19406
(>|_|_|<) TPPFATUICG#7 DIAABTCOD#9 YTC#4 PM#5
|__|_|__| BOTAFOT #70 BOTAFOF #09 two#11 WG*
\ |^| / IbW#0 & KotIbW# BotTOS#6 GP#4
\|^|/ ANORAK#17 IbB#4
'^' RBR Landmarks: 18 Pts: 305 Miles: 1193

 

I've had banjo washers and nipples that were fluid tight but allowed air
to be drawn in. However if the /hose/ is damaged then you're right.

 

Brakes pads bedding in is a crock of shit. The pads won't be that
effective to begin with but won't cause excessive travel of the brake
lever in the manner you describe (I assume the lever travel is still
excessive).

Take it back on Monday and say they're worse than before and the lever
travel is excessive.

 

If you can get it to Brighton one evening this week I'll have a look at
it.

 

<VVBG>

 

AOL

 

Update:

1) *Thanks* for all of your replies - they have been very helpful and
your advice, as always, is invaluable.

2) Just as I was about to set off for work in The Cage I had a go at
the brake lever and it didn't travel all the way to the bar anymore,
there was enough travel in it to let it go back just a bit more than
it used to do.

3) "Oooh" I thought as I put my gear on, swapped the car keys for the
bike keys and had a go down the road, the brakes seem for better now.
I came back home again, grabbed a knife and a roll of gaffer tape,
lobbed them in my tank bag with my lunch and set off for work. The
brake worked a lot better than yesterday, but not as well as it used
to.

4) When I got to work, after using the brake a bit more than I
normally would I stuck the bike on its side stand, held the brake
lever as far back as it would go and wrapped gaffer tape around it and
the bar. It stood there from 08:20 until 17:10 while I made someone
else lots of money. Unwrapped it after coming out from work and had a
panic attack as the bike wouldn't start OH DID I LEAVE THE LIGHTS ON?
oh no I'd hit the cut off switch while taping the lever up. <sigh>

5) Brake lever travels pretty much as it used to (wahay) and the brake
feels a lot more firm now. I filled the petrol tank up on the way
home and reset the trip speedo and will let it count to 50 miles
tomorrow of stop/start town/city riding and then decide if the brakes
have got back to normal then.

If the brakes aren't still up to my required spec by Monday and I
don't have the opportunity to throw the bike back at the Garage, can I
take you up on your offer of paying a visit to you one evening next
week, sweller? Hopefully whatever air is in the system will have
buggered off by tomorrow anyway, so the problem will have fixed
itself.

 

No problem - you've got my email.

 

Thanks. Hopefully I wont have to take you up on it as the brakes have
improved somewhat. I had something like a 2+ hour bimble earlier on
around a few towns and the brakes are okay now. I tried a few
"emergency stops" on some quiet roads and they're more convincing now.
I'll see what happens tomorrow. They feel just slightly spongy, but
the excess travel has stopped.

They did bleed the brakes for me when I was there yesterday while I
was watching and I sa no air in the tube at the bottom or any bubbles
in the reservior when they had a pump then.

Hmm.

 

snip

Even so. Just cos they bled 'em doesn't mean they got all the air out.
Everything you've described makes it more and more likely
(i) Tying back the lever has let some of the air out & (ii) There's more to
come

Back to the duct tape (or string) then, cos riding *won't* shift it - Its
closed circuit innit ...... there's nowhere it can go if you think about it
: )

Mmm unless you know a handy person with one of those pump things [1] for
flushing a brake circuit right through with fresh fluid?

[1] You can buy one for a mere 70 quid ...... and then we can all pop 'round
and borrow it.
Maybe WUN will go halves on one? ;-)

--

--
Nidge
ZX6R J2 Stunning in zit yellow. KX 125 MX 'I'm snot green -fly ME'. A few
bits of CB500S in Norwegian Parrot blue. BOTAFOT#63 BOMB#5

'Just because I don't care doesn't mean I don't understand'.
Homer (Simpson).

 

I'll see how it is today, and I'll tape it up again while I'm at work.
I'm not sure now if it's a bit spongy or if it's me just not used to
the new pads.

I don't know anyone.

I'm always open to suggestions.