Purchased a 09 RKC several months ago and now the snow is gone
I've been riding and accumulating miles . Overall I'm very pleased with the bike , but , the front brakes become very grabby with little lever modulation once their warm . Is this typical of the Brembos ? Bikes got about 7k on it , pads look good .










i

 

What did you have before the '09 King? I ask because I had Brembo calipers on my '04 EG for a year before adding the '09 master cylinder and there is a distinct difference between the brake lever effect with the newer master cylinder. The difference is that any lever movement with the new master cylinder engages the pads; not so (or it wasn't noticeable) with the older version master cylinder).

The Brembo system is a higher pressure system than the older system. I don't think there's anything wrong with your system; just that the Brembo system on the '08 and newer bikes is higher pressure and, consequently, more sensitive to lever inputs.

Carl

 

I am working on that issue now. At slow stops brakes grabed,though is was ABS system Checked my high $ rotors one was out 12th other 18th Going to service caliper and put on new rotors

 

I have an '09 RKC and ntice that I got a bit ofvfront end bounce when I apply the brakes. It's like a pogo stick. I find that I also need to use some rear brake at the same time I stabilize the chassis. Not a big problem. I have Bremo Golds on my two other bikes and it has much better feel than the Harley brakes. But they also have steel braided brake lines which make a big difference as well.
Jim

 

[quote=karter;6435565]Purchased a 09 RKC several months ago and now the snow is gone
I've been riding and accumulating miles . Overall I'm very pleased with the bike , but , the front brakes become very grabby with little lever modulation once their warm . Is this typical of the Brembos ? Bikes got about 7k on it , pads look good .


Key point: the front brakes become very grabby with little lever modulation once their warm

I posted something along this line before, and I think that this is your problem. (hell yeah I could be wrong)

When a disk is warped (from heat or thightened unevenly) or bent (from hitting something) it pushes against the pad (instead of sliding smoothly) and as the disk rotates, the straight part pushes with less force, then the bent part pushes against the pad again, and the more you ride, the hotter the bent part gets, and the more it pushes against the pad, causing that "grabby" feeling you are talking about.

The brakes should be smooth, and very linear, even with ABS, unless you are in a panic stop. (it will pulsate then)

Take a look at the first two pics. The brake disk should be an even silver color. If you see a darker part, like in the pics, the disk is bent, or warped, whatever the case may be. The darker parts can be on the outside of the disk or on the inside, depending on which way its bent, so check it carefully.










If this is the case, you should document it before going to the dealer asking for warranty work, otherwise the dealer might try to blow some smoke on you, telling you that there is nothing wrong with it.
The darker parts are the most obvious indication of the disk being warped, but........ Documenting it is what really helps. Try this:

Lift your bike. If you don't have a jack, then park it on the ground, put some 2X4's under the frame until the bike is more or less upright, then dig a little under the front tire until it rotates freely.
Remove both calipers and tie them out of the way. This is crucial for the tire to rotate without friction.
Tie or tape a stick or pencil to a jackstand, a cement block, or anything about that size that is stable.
Move the jackstand close to the disk, so that the stick will be right next to the OUTSIDE edge of the disk. (this pic was before I adjusted the jackstand)
Rotate the tire, if the disk is bent, you will see it come close to the stick and then move away from it.
If it is bent, take a video of it, put it in your laptop, and take it to the dealer, with the video there is no denying anything.





Things go a lot smoother when you document a fault, when you have absolute proof. Don't ask me how I know, lol.

I hope this helps.
Regards,