Broke down

[CanberraR3]

That is not the shadow of a Railway Cap I see is it ,

Looks like that's a helmet on the handle bar.

 

[cusso ken]

I was looking at the shadow of the photographer,

 

[forklift]

I agree, it's got to be an ABS problem. Even if you somehow had water in your brake line, I don't think the caliper would have corroded so quickly that it stuck, especially while riding.

The 1st symptoms of water in the brake line is not corrosion but the water boiling at a much lower temp then brake fluid causing expansion and then the brakes possibly locking up or dragging. Corrosion can occur but usually takes years. I have a 2014 Roadster with less then 2000 mi. and noticed my rear brake had blued after the first 800 mi. I've ridden for over 35 yrs. And have taken several riding courses so I know the importance of proper braking using the front brake for most stopping power and the back brake to control the rear of the bike. I raised the rear wheel of the ground to see if I felt any drag from rear brake and everything seems ok at this time. Guess I'll mention it in an email to the service dept at the shop where I bought it in case this becomes an issue later I'll have it in print.

 

[idk]

Another possibility is that the return path for the brake fluid to get back in to the master cylinder is blocked or restricted. This would cause a build up of pressure in the slave cylinder.

 

[ricochet]

This has happened to me before on another bike.. the pads are too close to the rotor, causing friction making a lot of heat, the fluid in the brake lines are boiling up and expanding and putting pressure on the brakes in turn.. thats why it rolls freely when your stopped.

 

[TURBO200R4]

i put a master cylinder on my el camino and after i drove it for a while the brakes started to lock up. i was sitting there thinking about it and it dawned on me that there was not any free play in the brake. i backed off the bolts a couple of turns and the brakes were fine.
maybe this is whats wrong with jims bike. just needs a little free play in the lever.
any valves or restrictions in the line that prevents fluid from returning to reservoir will apply brakes.
carrying wrenches to bleed off pressure might get you home but might also be dangerous.

tight lever the bars

 

[alpental]

This has happened to me before on another bike.. the pads are too close to the rotor, causing friction making a lot of heat, the fluid in the brake lines are boiling up and expanding and putting pressure on the brakes in turn.. thats why it rolls freely when your stopped.

You think the pads would've been shimmed too close to the rotor from the factory or the dealer during its initial setup? His bike is only a year old. Unless there's water in his brake lines/caliper which I doubt, pure brake fluid boils around 500F. I can't imagine the caliper would be getting that hot without the rider noticing the drag from the pads rubbing that much. I had brake fluid boil in a car at the track once during heavy braking into a hairpin, and the brake pedal went to the floor as I lost braking ability (scary), the opposite reaction from the same experience as you and possibly this guy. Even if there's somehow water in his lines, it couldn't have been there long enough to cause sticking problems with a corroded caliper piston. I don't know...

 

[1olbull]

I suppose you can't rule out the ABS but could someone please explain how an ABS malfunction could cause the brake to lock on. Frankly I can't see how it could cause that but open to suggestions. I'd be more inclined to suspect a sticking piston could have left pads pressing against the disc, leading to excessive heat and expansion.

Really gl;ad it didn't turn nasty Jim. Be careful.

I agree. If the ABS went south you would still have normal braking.
More likely an issue in the caliper?

 

[alpental]

I agree. If the ABS went south you would still have normal braking.
More likely an issue in the caliper?

Most ABS systems work by Hall-effect sensors, a hydraulic pump and valves, and a controller. In a braking condition requiring ABS (locked wheel), the controller senses the condition and opens hydraulic valve to temporarily reduce pressure in the line and get the wheel spinning again. Once the wheel is back up to speed, the controller allows the pump to reintroduce pressure into the line to approach the braking limit. This cycles maybe 15 times per second, depending on the system. If the ABS controller or ABS pump is acting up, it could be applying braking force when it's not supposed to. This is a pretty far-fetched scenario, but they all seem to be for this new of a bike.

 

[cr0ft]

While far from an ABS expert, I wouldn't imagine it applying brakes. I would expect breakage to possibly mean it disabled the brakes entirely or just have no effect if the electronics went south.

Since the brakes work normally after a break, logic would dictate you have something going on while moving. By far the most likely answer is heat, which would come from the pads not disengaging completely and generating a lot of that. And a bike this heavy can generate a fair amount of energy into those giant discs. I managed to lose rear brake completely once due to heat in Norway (massive hills and nervously rear-braking when I should have been purely engine braking) but that was from the fluid boiling (the brake pad just dropped down to the stopper).