My brakes are B0llox

goodlad

Well lads.. my brakes are ****e.
By this i mean no matter how hard i stick the foot on the back break the bike just slowly grinds to a halt. In an emergency there wouldnt be a hope of me stopping.

Is this simply a need for new pads or could there be more to it?

dharma200

go to a mechanic... brakes are kind of important....

Wonda-Boy

Gary are you talking about just the back or the front is that bad too.....?
How is the master cylinder looking? Its hardly the pads as you would have plenty of warning. Brakes line might be perished, loose nipple on the caliper etc.

goodlad

dharma200 wrote: »

go to a mechanic... brakes are kind of important....

While my local Mechanic is great and always gives me prices im very happy with, currently there isnt the funds in the bank for it.
First stop off is to try diagnose the problem with the help of some people.

Wonda-Boy wrote: »

Gary are you talking about just the back or the front is that bad too.....?
How is the master cylinder looking? Its hardly the pads as you would have plenty of warning. Brakes line might be perished, loose nipple on the caliper etc.

Just the back from what i have noticed man. When filtering in slow movin traffic i use the front break and havent noticed anything wrong with that.

Thanks for the ideas of what to check. Gonna nip out now with a torch and see if i can notice anything.

gbob

Pistons seized, pads contaminated with brake fluid, air in the fluid, few more things to check.

dubscottie

Have a look for any scores on your disc as it could be a small stone caught in a pad.

Did you oil/lube the chain recently? Could be a bit spray of that. Ride with your foot lightly on the brake for 200yrds or so then try a heavy brake. If its still crap then I would be looking for airlocks, leaks etc.

A good way of getting rid of airlocks is to tie a block or something heavy to the pedal so its full on and leave it over night. (bungie cord or cable tie works for the front)

Wonda-Boy

Dont forget to check the res. on the back of the bike aswell for brake fluid.

Richard tea

goodlad wrote: »

Well lads.. my brakes are ****e.
By this i mean no matter how hard i stick the foot on the back break the bike just slowly grinds to a halt. In an emergency there wouldnt be a hope of me stopping.

Is this simply a need for new pads or could there be more to it?

Just to clarify, Has this always been the case with the back brake or did it just recently become bad? Back brakes are alot softer than the front anyway.

minidazzler

When was the last time you did maintenance on the brakes?

It could be any or all things mentioned above. I'd say it's a mixture of dirty as fook pistons along with badly worn pads if you haven't been keeping up a regular maintenance cycle.

Take of the caliper, it should come off easy enough, take a good picture looking into the pads and pistons and post it here. Someone might be able to tell you what's up.

goodlad

Richard tea wrote: »

Just to clarify, Has this always been the case with the back brake or did it just recently become bad? Back brakes are alot softer than the front anyway.

Ah its deffo a bit off man. Like no matter how hard i hit the back break i couldnt lock the wheel.

Nice one for all the other replies.
Ive checked what i could and nothing seems to be loose or leaking.

I will check out the discs for marks in the morning and give it a bash doin a stretch with the brake slightly on then hit it hard and see.

I cant see anything obviously wrong. Looks like i will drop it into the local lad on thursday evening.

goodlad

minidazzler wrote: »

When was the last time you did maintenance on the brakes?

It could be any or all things mentioned above. I'd say it's a mixture of dirty as fook pistons along with badly worn pads if you haven't been keeping up a regular maintenance cycle.

Take of the caliper, it should come off easy enough, take a good picture looking into the pads and pistons and post it here. Someone might be able to tell you what's up.

Honestly i wouldnt have a clue how to do that tbh man.
The bike was in for a service in December, that was the last time it was given a once over.

minidazzler

goodlad wrote: »

Honestly i wouldnt have a clue how to do that tbh man.
The bike was in for a service in December, that was the last time it was given a once over.

What bike have you got? It's usually just 2 bolts that you can't miss.... though if you're completely unsure I wouldn't just in case you took off the banjo bolt! :pac: Where are you based? If in Cork I'll have a looksee tomorrow, not particularly an expert on Motorcycle maintenance, but given how many times I've done my brakes, I've gotten quite good at it :pac:

Wonda-Boy

A service does not include the brakes Gary, hell in a lot of places a service does not include an oil change ffs!

gbob

minidazzler wrote: »

... but given how many times I've done my brakes, I've gotten quite good at it :pac:

I know what ya mean, i've gone through at least a gallon of brake fluid on mine recently. Seized bleed nipple turned into a drill/tap&die/new caliper/piston seals/disc/pads exercise..

But on the plus side, got good at reverse bleeding.

dubscottie

When you try the brake on thing wait about 10 seconds or so before hitting it hard.

If you notice a improvement try it a few more times. Dont keep your foot on it for long distances or the disc may overheat and warp.

Had to do it myself yesterday as I had left a bit copper grease on the disc or pad after cleaning the calipers.

Hotblack Desiato

goodlad wrote: »

By this i mean no matter how hard i stick the foot on the back break the bike just slowly grinds to a halt. In an emergency there wouldnt be a hope of me stopping.

goodlad wrote: »

Just the back from what i have noticed man. When filtering in slow movin traffic i use the front break and havent noticed anything wrong with that.

You should be using the front brake in an emergency and the back brake when slowly filtering and both for everything else.

aaakev

Did ya get sorted man? If your wearing a black Richa jacket ya drove passed me at newlands cross about 10 mins ago. Feckin traffic.....

goodlad

aaakev wrote: »

Did ya get sorted man? If your wearing a black Richa jacket ya drove passed me at newlands cross about 10 mins ago. Feckin traffic.....

Yeah man, that was me. Running late!

I'm dropping the bike into Andy on my way home today.

goodlad

ninja900 wrote: »

You should be using the front brake in an emergency and the back brake when slowly filtering and both for everything else.

Yeah i know man. I don't purely because hitting my back break is a pain in the hoop. I can hit it without lifting my foot off the peg and then pressing it. I couldn't hover my foot over the back break without holding my foot in the Air.

I just need to get the brake adjusted so its in a different place. About 4 inches lower would be grand. One day i will get it done...

aaakev

goodlad wrote: »

Yeah man, that was me. Running late!

I'm dropping the bike into Andy on my way home today.

Ah happy days so be sorted for the weekend. You meetimg for the spin on Saturday?

BrokenArrows

goodlad wrote: »

Well lads.. my brakes are ****e.
By this i mean no matter how hard i stick the foot on the back break the bike just slowly grinds to a halt. In an emergency there wouldnt be a hope of me stopping.

Is this simply a need for new pads or could there be more to it?

The back brake will never stop you quickly. The front brake does about 90% of the stopping.