Hello all,

I have a 03 Sportster Sport (XL1200S) that has the dual disc brakes up front. 2 disc's, 2 caliper's. I have noticed that the brake lever feels spongy and has a lot of slop in it. I assumed it was normal but I am now thinking that it is not. Basically the lever has 1" to 1.5" of slop before the brakes begin to work. Once they do begin to work the lever feels a bit spongy and the brakes feel inadequate. For a bike that has 2 disc's and 2 calipers, I would expect much more braking power. The rear brake is tight and sensitive, which I like. I drove a friend's Honda Shadow and his brake lever was very tight with no slop and his front brake worked way better than mine, and that's a single disc setup.

My first inclination is that the brakes need to be bled. How is this particular system bled? The service manual explains how to bleed a hydraulic system but does not say anything about the dual system. Do I just bleed one caliper at a time? Any help is appreciated.

Hopefully I can improve the front lever some.

 

You bleed them one at a time, starting with the left side first. You also probably need to change the brake fluid if it's over 3 years old.

 

Thanks. I was not sure if there was a particular method involved or not. I have bled the fronts on jap bikes, but never on a Harley as this is my first one.

I also read that if bleeding does not fix it, to take the master cylinder cap off, squeeze the front brake and fasten the lever in the squeezed position overnight. Then tap the brake components softly with a rubber mallet to help remove any air bubbles that may remain after the bleeding process. Not sure if I need to do that yet, as I will start with bleeding them. Just figured I would add that in in case anyone else has the same issue and reads this.

 

Be careful not to use the wrong brake fluid, they don't mix well, some will turn to cement in the lines.

 

Well, I bled the brakes today. The master cylinder cover said to use DOT5, and I did. Wow, that stuff is expensive!

Anyhow, a little air came out but not much. It did not make much of a difference at all. I am really surprised at how **** poor the brake lever feel is. For a bike with 2 calipers and 2 discs, it should at least be tight. It just feels very inadequate. Oh well, guess I will have to live with it.

 

Keep bleeding her. also, a good braided brake lines really help the feel and working of the brakes.

 

Spongy brakes dual or single says there Is still air in there or the pads
are getting thin, or glazed, disks may need attention.
Use 800 grit and circular motions on the disk', both sides.
Did you just bleed some or did you Change out ALL the brake fluid??
Even a single disk has plenty of power and feel.
You missed something,,,,
A caliper hanging up,,,

 

I have the same setup as you, the same problem as you, I did the same thing as you did, and ended up with the same results. In the end, the brakes work, there is just extra play in the lever so I decided to live with it...

 

Thanks for the replies. I flushed the old fluid out and put fresh DOT5 fluid in. One thing I did notice is that the brake pads tend to drag a little on the disc. I have always heard it, but after bleeding the brakes, it seems louder now.

I scoured the net for info on this and a few replies have said it's normal, others have said it's not. Not really sure what to believe, but I find it a bit absurd that a Honda Shadow 750 that costs less has way better front brakes and shorter stopping distance. What else can I do?

 

dot 5 can be a problem, it tends to hold tiny air bubbles also since it does not absorb moisture it pools in the lowest point ,the caliper and causes corrosion, thats why its not used in abs systems. i drained and flushed the dot 5 out in my 06 sporty, i used dot 4 for flushing also a mighty-vac to suck out system. that was my first brake upgrade just after purchasing the bike new in 06 realizing the poor 2 piston single brakes on the lo model needed help, i later installed a six piston setup with sintered pads, it WORKS!! your brakes are better than most later sportys. never mix dot 5 with other fluids!!!!!! the only good thing about dot 5 is it won't harm paint