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brake problem

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01 rk

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The front brake lever on my RK was soft, so I put new Lyndall pads on, replaced the fluid and bled the system, but the lever is still soft.
Any suggestions?
 
By soft do you mean that it never comes to a point where the lever stops. and comes back against the grip? Or just feels spongy even when the brakes are stopping the bike? When was the last time you changed your brake fluid? Sometimes the brake lines as they get older expand as you apply the brakes and can also give you that vague feeling at the lever or pedal
 
HDDon said:
By soft do you mean that it never comes to a point where the lever stops. and comes back against the grip? Or just feels spongy even when the brakes are stopping the bike? When was the last time you changed your brake fluid? Sometimes the brake lines as they get older expand as you apply the brakes and can also give you that vague feeling at the lever or pedal
Click to expand...

The lever stops before touching the grip, and just feels spongy as the brakes are applied, the bike stops ok. I just changed the fluid yesterday when I replaced the pads.
I would like to have a firmer feel of the lever when appling the brakes , I use the front about 80% of the time vs. the rear.
 
There are many suggestions in the help section ...tieing the handle over night, but the one I used, mostly because I messed up the front fluid change was to remove the calipher and turn it so the bleed screw was straight up and do the standard bleed from that point...seems the bleed screw is just a bit off center and some air can remain in there. I would say this method is the last resort because it is labor intensive.
 
Is this a new condition or has it always been this way and now you want to do something about it? Any chance you have ABS? I ask about the ABS because my son's machine with ABS has a spongy feel to the lever. When riding his machine, the brakes feel the same, I couldn't tell one machine from the other so his slightly spongy lever has no negative impact on brake performance.
 
btsom said:
Is this a new condition or has it always been this way and now you want to do something about it? Any chance you have ABS? I ask about the ABS because my son's machine with ABS has a spongy feel to the lever. When riding his machine, the brakes feel the same, I couldn't tell one machine from the other so his slightly spongy lever has no negative impact on brake performance.
Click to expand...

The spongy feel has developed over the last few months, I thought it was due to worn brake pads, not the case.
No ABS. The bike stops ok, I would just like a firmer feel.
 
Try this the next time you start the bike. Put your hand around the brake line and grab it tightly while squeezing the lever. If you feel the brake line expanding this may be the spongy feel you have.
 
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