| Author | Message | ||
     Cyclonedon |
I was riding my Uly on Monday morning when my front brakes froze up and completely locked up. It won't move at all! Sunday evening I changed my front hand brake lever and it seemed tight but the wheel moved and I rode the motorcycle for about 20 miles when all of the sudden it just plain locked up! They ended up towing my motorcycle and now I have to go and get it. Know of any quick fixes to get it back on the road? | ||
| Steveford |
How much fluid is in the resevoir? It might simply be overfilled. | ||
| Natexlh1000 |
Wait! you say you changed the front lever? Was it one of the Chinese knock offs? If so, there were issues with them not having enough clearance to let the master's piston all the way out. You can correct that issue with a file (or the correct factory lever) | ||
| Pontlee77 |
Natexlh1000 is right i had that issue with CRG levers when i contacted them they fastly replied and sent me the correct part but mean while the real mechanic form the dealer filed down the lever. | ||
| Cyclonedon |
it was a Buell front hand brake lever but I don't think it let the brake fluid back off enough. By replacing the brake lever will that let the fluid lever return or will I need to bleed the brake line? I didn't change the brake fluid or add any when I put the lever on. | ||
| Natexlh1000 |
If you just replaced the lever, there should be no reason to bleed the lines. Here is something to try: Remove the front lever and see if the front brakes are released. If all else fails, you can crack the bleeder fitting on the caliper to release the pressure. This isn't a fix of course, the same thing will happen again if the other conditions are the same. I'm still thinking there is insufficient clearance in the "heel" of the lever where it contacts the piston. Even if it's the correct factory part! | ||
| Hughlysses |
You can easily "unlock" the caliper by cracking the bleed valve open to relieve the pressure. The problem is something is preventing the fluid from flowing back into the master cylinder reservoir when you release the handle. What happens is the brake pads always drag very lightly and they begin to warm up. That starts heating the fluid in the caliper causing the fluid to expand, but it has nowhere to go so it presses the pads against the disk, increasing friction and heating the fluid more, which expands it more, etc., etc. until the brakes just lock up. The most likely cause for that would be a handle that didn't fit quite right. There's a tiny relief port at the bottom of the reservoir that allows fluid to flow back in when you release the brake lever which moves the piston past the relief port to allow the fluid to flow back into the reservoir. If the handle doesn't let the piston move completely back, or if sludge or dirt plug up that hole, you'll get this problem. | ||
| Froggy |
You sure it is the right Buell lever? The ztl2 bikes use a different lever than the ztl1, also tubers have a different lever too. | ||
| Ratbuell |
How many miles on the bike? Might just be time to rebuild the master cylinder and/or caliper. | ||
| Johnshore |
I have had two old Jap bikes do the same thing. There is a small hole in the reservoir that allows fluid to return when you let off the lever and they had crap in them that looked like corroded aluminum. These were older bikes but it came on quickly. On one of the bikes ( a Virago) the hole was so filled by corrosion It took me a while to find the hole to clean it. Not saying this is your problem but it is a common one. | ||
| Hughlysses |
I have had two old Jap bikes do the same thing. There is a small hole in the reservoir that allows fluid to return when you let off the lever and they had crap in them that looked like corroded aluminum. These were older bikes but it came on quickly. On one of the bikes ( a Virago) the hole was so filled by corrosion It took me a while to find the hole to clean it. Not saying this is your problem but it is a common one. That's the relief port I mentioned in my post above. If the fluid's never been changed in your Uly, the port being plugged is a definite possibility. It's a VERY small hole; you can use something like a piece of guitar string to clean it out. | ||
| Cyclonedon |
THANKS for your help guys! You nailed the problem, it was the brake lever I put on the motorcycle on Sunday evening. It wasn't allowing the master cylinder to bleed the brake fluid back and it built up and locked the front wheel. i removed the hand lever and it worked ok. I then ground the point down to allow some play in the lever and it worked ok. It was a Buell lever but not the same as the original that came on my Uly. It was black but didn't have the adjustable turn cam on it! Anyway the bike is back on the road and running great! Thanks again! | ||
| Natexlh1000 |
Win! | ||
| Imaposer |
Since this is now a solved issue, I'll tag my front brake question on here instead of starting a new thread. Do they make a rebuild kit for the front master cylinder? My front brakes feel like crap. The lever gets sticky/notchy as you get to the point where braking force is applied. It happens just past the point of initial brake contact, so you don't notice it under normal stopping conditions, but when the pace gets a bit more aggressive, you can't get a good feel for what the brakes are doing, and you can't smoothly apply more pressure. I remember the exact same feel on a bike years ago, and it ended up being the master cylinder. A rebuild kit fixed it right up. Is there one for the uly, or other suggestions as to a cause? | ||
| Crusty |
The same thing happened to my ex-wife's Ss. The back of the piston wears where the lever pushes against it, and that's what causes the sticking. If you take the brake lever off, and look at the piston, you'll see an indented area. For the time being, you can put a dab of grease on it, and it will work better. However, you will have to rebuild the Master cylinder eventually. A rebuild kit is pretty inexpensive and easy to install. When I did the Lightning's Master Cylinder, I took the opportunity to flush out the line and Caliper.That way, I knew her brake fluid was fresh and clean and didn't have any accumulated water in it. Healthy, smooth brakes are a necessity. | ||
| Xbimmer |
http://www.americansportbike.com/shoponline/ccp0-p rodshow/17190.html | ||
| Imaposer |
Ahhh! Excellent! Exactly what I was hoping for. Added to cart, and will order this week. Thanks. |
