Ok - my 01 Road King Classic has horrible front brakes, in that the lever pulls darn near to the throttle when I apply the brake. The gap is small enough I can't even stick a finger in between. This hoses me up cuz the amount of effort causes me to wobble when coming to a stop (break "could" be pulling more to one side too I suppose, I dunno) I assume cuz my balance is off up top on the handlebars.

At ANY rate - I tried to bleed the brakes by myself - and that made zero difference - and I'm not even sure I did it right. With that said - what's the consensus here on advice:

1. Try to bleed the brakes again with help from an experienced friend
2. Replace the pads (if so - any particular type/brand I should get? Do I have to turn the rotors when I do this?)

or is there something else at fault I may not be aware of?

I just turned 9k on the odometer and am the 3rd owner of the bike, for whatever that's all worth.

Thanks for any/all replies!

 

Your pads and rotors have nothing to do with your mastercylinder not pumping up tight.

If you pump on the lever, does it not get tight?

 

That's correct, it does not get tight. Occasionally, it has gotten tight- but I can't figure out any rhyme or reason to it; it does it when it wants to...

 

If the master cylinder will not pump up, then you need to get a rebuild kit. They do not cost much and are very simple to install.

 

Ahhhh - that sounds like it makes sense...now to figure out which one I need...dealership says they have a kit for $36...but online, I see kits for $10-$17 on average...the only thing is they're looking for a bore size which I don't know off the top of my head. I imagine I can check my service manual when I get home unless someone knows it off the top of their head...thanks for the info xxx! Much appreciated!

 

FYI, the last kit I used was one of the 10 buck aftermarket ones. It worked just fine.

 

Your rotor's have alot to do with a soft brake pull.

First you need to raise the front wheel then apply the brake and watch the pad as it pushes on the rotor, if your rotor is warped it will push the pads back into the caliper which means the pads have to travel further to apply preasure.

This can also be checked by using a dial gauge to check the run out.

You can also feel your brake lever pluse when applying light puesure when coming to a stop.

I fix alot of this type of problem and is the first place to check.

My own RK has one disc at the front and will stop better than most that have twin discthat I work on.

Just rember it,s not the brake setup that gives the best overall stopping performance but the ability of the tire to controll a non skidding quick stop. To have brakes on a bike that has no feel with alot of grab with little or no presure is going to bring you down.

 

I have had warped rotors and I have had bent rotors. Warped rotors, the bike will still stop, you just feel pulsing in the lever. I had one bent so badly that the mastercylinder would pump up tight and then loose all pressure with one turn of the wheel because the rotor was getting to the bent spot and pushing the pads back in.

In his case, his has little brake lever pressure even when sitting still. He can rule out his rotors.

 

Look at this and try it. http://www.lyndallracingbrakes.com/service_tech.htm

Also, use a diferent color brake fluid and make sure you get a complete replacement (royal purple if you have stock).

There are other concerns as well, search for brake cables and look at what other have suggested about old brake lines.

...gene