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excessive front brake lever travel

glimmerman

Active Member
noticed last month the 01 rk had a lot of travel on the front brake. not using it too much but did notice i had maybe 3/8-5/16 space before the grip. bled out brakes with a hose on the fitting and a jar to catch the fluid. very dark yellow. bled about 2 res. full per side. felt fine and had maybe 3/4-1/2 inch space when done. pads have about 12k on them and 3/16 inch showing. after 2 hrs. went to put bike away and no front brakes. didn't do a test run because of the heat today. any suggestions would be helpful. now why does 11 oz. of dot 5 cost 9.99 and 32 oz. of dot 4 cost like 3.00? only in america.
 
Hope you're not using DOT 5 in there?

It sounds like you have a bad master cylinder if you bled it properly.
 
probably bypassing master, quick check for this is pinch off front brake hoses, if the lever still is weak rebuild or replace the master. with the hoses pinched the lever should be very firm:s
 
Thought you were talking about the 2010 ultra classic in your avatar, should have re read it again.:D
 
Jack, It was because of the ABS they went to DOT 4 again. The older cop bikes ran 4 even when the others were using 5. Has to do with moisture retention also.
 
Jack, It was because of the ABS they went to DOT 4 again. The older cop bikes ran 4 even when the others were using 5. Has to do with moisture retention also.

Thanks for clearing that up, I still say we have a bypassing master cylinder here:s
 
glider, you scared the daylights out of me there. went out and checked again. dot 5. brakes will pump up slightly now- 6 hrs. later. how about an overnight sit as per the archive thread. went there 1st for the real scoop. will see in AM. now about the price....
 
glider, you scared the daylights out of me there. went out and checked again. dot 5. brakes will pump up slightly now- 6 hrs. later. how about an overnight sit as per the archive thread. went there 1st for the real scoop. will see in AM. now about the price....

Just seeing if you are paying attention :bigsmiley20:

Best bet is to check the manual for the bike instead of relying on the cap. They can be changed.

If you mean this thread, give it a try and see what you get.

Brake Bleeding Tips - Harley Davidson Community
 
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