Searched the forum and read a lot of questions about too much brake pedal travel, but I've got the opposite problem. Bought my 2009 Ultra with 6500 mi; now has 14,900 miles on the odometer, and I have never been satisfied with the stopping power of the rear brake. Rear brake has had the "shudder" since I got it and I have never relied on just the rear brake to stop. Recently noticed my rear brake light switch leaking so I replaced it and now have even less brake when stomping on the brake pedal. If the pedal traveled all the way to the floor I'd say I have air in the system, but ... my brake pedal only travels about an inch or less, then stops. If I bleed the brakes, then the pedal will travel to the floor, but with the system closed, very little travel and very little stopping power. At 11,000 mi. my indy said my rear brake pads were 70% (70% left or 70% used up? Don't know) How much travel is acceptable for the rear brake and shouldn't there be a firm feel as soon as I step on it? I'm taking it in next week to have the brakes looked at but I'd like to at least sound like I know what I'm talking about when explaining to my indy. Any ideas what I might be dealing with?

 

Ok, since I got so many helpful replys ...(?)....I decided to get a vacuum pump to try to get my rear brakes into working order. I ran a full large container of DOT4 thru my rear brakes and still can't seem to get it right. This is driving me crazy. When I open the bleed valve, I get a full range of motion on the pedal and I can get plenty of fluid thru. When I use the vacuum pump I get plenty of fluid thru the system. When I close the bleed valve, my brake pedal will only move about an inch, and there is absolutely no resistance thru the one inch range of motion. If anybody's got any ideas or advice, I'm all ears.

 

Do you have abs? if so you are activating it, if not your master cyl rod might need adjustment, do you have a service manual?

 

how are you bleeding the brakes, you pump them till the pedal is firm hold the pedal and open the bleeder till the pedal is down hold it there and close the bleeder if you letting the pedal up before you close it your letting air back in

 

and there will be some slack in the pedal before it get really firm when you step on it and it is working correctly it wont be firm right from the start of moovement bout a inch doesnt sound excessive to me if I am understanding what your saying

 

If I look at a set of brakes and tell the customer 70% I mean 70% left still to go otherwise if they were 70% worn I would be replaceing them ..You can set up the rear pedal to have an inch or even 2 of play with the master cyl rod ..that is up to the rider ..my own is set up for 1 inch of play then the pedal is hard and with enough pressure I can lock the rear wheel at any time ...I DO NOT have ABS ...with ABS.the system stops you from locking the rear wheel by very quickly releasing the pressure and then reapplying it which gives the shuddering feeling ..
under wet or loose sand or whatever the cause of a slippery road the ABS has proven to stop a bike or car faster and straighter than without... also preventing the rider from going into a skid.......it works .....
I don't know how you ride but under normal conditions the front brakes do almost 90% of the actual stopping power..once you initiate the braking process the weight of the bike and rider pushes down the forks which transfers the weight to the front wheel ..unloading the rear... which if applied too hard will result in an out of control skid ....I have ridden many rigid frame choppers with only a back brake and I can tell you that a full on rear wheel skid is no fun plus it takes ..FOREVER to stop ..all that rubber on the road does not mean you can stop fast
If you really want the rear brake to grab more ..your indy can replace your pads with a softer composition ..which will grab better but wear out quicker and may not be as good under heavy hot load like coming down a mountain 2 up and loaded with luggage ...your choice ...also the softer pads leave more break dust on the rear wheel ...your indy can help you choose the composition as there are many choices on the market ....hope this helps you as this is the most I have typed at a single time in years .....................So ...Do you have ABS or not ??

 

ABS - no. Service Manual - yes. I'll have to read up on the master cylinder rod adjustment. I didn't know it was adjustable.

 

I can pump the brake pedal until my arm falls off and it never firms up. I pumped a whole large container of brake fluid thru the system, thought I got all the air bubbles out, and there is still no firmness to the pedal after pumping the brake pedal for ten minutes straight. With the bleeder open, the pedal goes to the "floor". With the bleeder closed, the pedal travels an inch, then stops, but does not actuate nearly enough to lock-up the rear brake (not that I want it to), just barely enough to notice a little braking action. It's enough for parking lot maneuvering, but is useless for slowing down on mountain roads. If I REALLY stomp on it - a little more braking and the shuddering starts, and my bike turns to the right because I am leaning so hard on the brake pedal.

 

No ABS, and I use my front brake way more than the rear. I don't need the rear brakes to lock up as soon as I lay a foot on the pedal, but shouldn't there be a progressively firmer feel the harder you push the pedal? My pedal starts out light, light, light - virtually no firmness - then stops abruptly. There's no spongy feel, it just stops. And it wouldn't even be enough to slow me down on a medium-sized hill.

 

Do the brakes feel like they are staying on once you do get them to work? if you can put the bike in the air and hand spin the rear wheel and then apply the brake ...now after the wheel has stopped turn the wheel by hand ..does it turn freely or feel like it is stuck first and then lets go or can you feel the brakes dragging as you turn it ? I am wondering if your caliper is siezing up ...shouldn't be being fairley new ..what colour is your disc/rotor ..is it blued from heat ?is it super shiney looking ? ..if you do have to tear down the caliper the rubber o ring kit to reassemble it is cheap I am looking at a kit with new pistons and the rubbers sitting on my desk right now ..I think they were about 30$ but don't quote me on that ....
If you brought this bike to me I would be tearing down the caliper and inspecting all the pistons ..reassembleing with new rubbers and pistons (if needed ) and then flushing out the old brake fluid and bleed the system ..you should have a "feel "to the pedal and yours sounds like it is on/off ...I am wondering if as you bought this bike used if the former owner put a set of hard or "racing" pads in there ..I would also replace the pads with softer ones ,,,,,