| Author | Message | ||
     Roger123 |
Just bought my first Buell. The problem I'm having is the front brakes. they just don't seem to stop. the brake line isn't swelling or is the brake lever pulled all the way into the throttle. I'm not sure what type of pads are on the front, but right now. there has to be a solution. My 900lbs Harley has a better front braking feel. I have a feeling it's a cheap pad. | ||
| Greg_e |
I would replace pads and completely change the fluid. If you grab four fingers of break, it should lock the wheel right quick, normally one finger is enough to bring it to a very quick halt. Mine had similar crap breaks until I changed them, just went with stocks pads and they are good enough for me right now. Also the back break is complete mechanical passive "antilock", I've put serious weight on mine and have never been able to get it to lock up, we think it is designed this way. Again stock pads and fluid change in mine. A popular mod is to upgrade the rear caliper and maybe master cylinder. | ||
| Schleppy |
Agreed, put in new pads, and get fresh fluid in there. Also, if your bike has an aftermarket front brake lever, make sure there is a small gap between the plunger and the brake lever. A lot of aftermarket levers seem to need a little grinding in order to fit perfectly. | ||
| Fast1075 |
Sounds like the brakes have been ignored and one or more of the pistons in the caliper is stuck. Take the caliper off, put something between the pads (like a piece of cardboard). Slowly squeeze the lever to see if the pistons/pads move freely. If not bled/fluid changed regularly, water will get in the caliper and cause corrosion that sticks the pistons. This is a special problem if the previous owner was one that was afraid of the front brake and stopped the bike by standing on the rear. And the rear brake is purposely weak because of the engine braking in the lower gears to help keep the rear tire from sliding. When the front brake is working properly, it will stoppie with one strong finger. Mine does. | ||
| Greg_e |
Can you really stop the cycle with the rear break? I know mine works and is bled properly, but it never seems to do a lot no matter how hard I press. It does however stop the cycle in a much shorter distance when used with the front brake, just like it is supposed to work. This is also the first cycle that I've used the back break on every out for fun ride because I know I can't lock the rear and because it does help the stopping distance. | ||
| Nillaice |
Check the fork seal by pumping the suspension and wiping the fork leg with your finger. When mine leaked onto the caliper and rotor, it reduced the stopping power dramatically (that's how I noticed the leak) | ||
| Reepicheep |
On a cruiser, because it is too long and too fat, a rear brake actually matters. On a sportbike like any Buell ever built, the rear brake is useful for transfering weight to the front tire, or hunkering down your suspension going into a turn, but when the stopping gets serious it is all about the front. The Buell front brake probably saved my life when a Corolla made an illegal left in front of me. A perfectly executed stoppie right into the rear quarter panel would otherwise have been a throat to an a-pillar. Not a good day. The rear brake didn't help me there (beyond the fact that i was dragging it coming up to an intersection anyway) for most of the stop, as the rear tire was between 1" and 5' in the air for most of the duration of the stop. The perfect panic stop is with the rear tire about 1" in the air... You need the rear brake to start that stop, but once you are into it, the rear is irrelevant. And it is something you should train for in a parking lot. (Message edited by reepicheep on August 25, 2013) | ||
| Onespeedpaul |
The front wheel/s alone will always slow a vehicle (car or motorbike) down more efficiently than the rear/s alone, and the rear applied alone will almost always lock up easier/controlled skid, than the front applied by itself....science is real. As far as some of the statements above, please don't take this as a personal attack....in the interest of keeping this useful forum full of useful knowledge, I must rebut the following statements such as: the rear is "purposefully weak" .......the rear is very easy to lock up even with it's small-ish single rotor, if you cannot lock yours up you have something wrong with it. and..... 'the rear break is a complete passive mechanical antilock' ......what does this even mean?? do you know what an antilock brake is? and it's 'BRAKE' not 'break' for the record. or "On a cruiser, because it is too long and too fat, a rear brake actually matters"....the rear brake on a cruiser works just like the rear on a sportbike...it does all the same things you stated in your following statements... again, please don't take my rebuttals as personal attack... | ||
| Roger123 |
thanks so much from everybody. I changed my brake fluid and bought some OEM pads and now my bike stops on a dime.  | ||
| Natexlh1000 |
That's good. Those dimes add up!  |
