THE PUNISHER
Turbocharged
And Sprint ownersPsydone said:
Spongy Brake Problem? Too Much Lever Travel?
- Thread starter owl
- Start date
bfreesun
.020 Over
Excuse my ignorance but my brakes get better when I pump them. Is this the solution for that problem?
The only brake grease I know is from a product from loctite company called permatex you can get it in an automotive store it's Ultra Disc Brake Caliper Lube, I use it when doing brake jobs,any time I encounted spongy brakes it involved some air in the lines hope this helps. It's used for the caliper slides and contact points. If they stick you won't get a good bleed on your brakes.
Stormrider
.040 Over
Replaced my front tire this weekend and boy what a difference! That front end sure handles nice again... :lol:
I noticed though, when I put the brakes back on, that I had to pump the lever quite a bit before actuating the brake pads. I remember the "spongy" feeling before and fiddeled with the lever to try and correct this. The bike was new so there was never any thought in something wrong, just the way the bike "was". Anyway, decided to look at the brake reservoir and was surprised at how little fluid was in there... I filled her up and boy are those brakes tight now! I never felt them this tight when I first got the bike, so my thinking was there was not a lot in there to begin with.
I noticed though, when I put the brakes back on, that I had to pump the lever quite a bit before actuating the brake pads. I remember the "spongy" feeling before and fiddeled with the lever to try and correct this. The bike was new so there was never any thought in something wrong, just the way the bike "was". Anyway, decided to look at the brake reservoir and was surprised at how little fluid was in there... I filled her up and boy are those brakes tight now! I never felt them this tight when I first got the bike, so my thinking was there was not a lot in there to begin with.
I've eventually found some "brake grease", which wasn't as easy as I thought it would be. (Well, I found some on ebay, but baulked at paying £5 for 5 grammes). Every motor parts shop I went in knew what I meant, but didn't sell it. I eventually ended up in a place which looked like it hadn't changed much since about 1962 - an old cellar in a Victorian warehouse in Hinckley (yes, that Hinckley - I work near the Triumph factory).
It cost 50 pence for a small satchet, so I've bought a few satchets and will be giving it a go some time in the next few days - I'll let you know if it makes any difference.
It cost 50 pence for a small satchet, so I've bought a few satchets and will be giving it a go some time in the next few days - I'll let you know if it makes any difference.
Stormrider
.040 Over
I never did learn the values you Brits use...
How much is a "pence" and the same with "satchet"?
I always thought a "satchet" was another name for purse.
How much is a "pence" and the same with "satchet"?
I always thought a "satchet" was another name for purse.
£1 = 100 pence (or pennies) so 50 pence = approx 94 cents.
A sachet (no "t" - sorry, my mistake) is "a small closed container made of paper or plastic, containing a small amount of something, usually enough for only one occasion"
Anyway, back to the subject
I've greased my pistons. Unfortunately I ended up bleeding the brakes as well, because on the first caliper I followed the instructions in the workshop manual on how to remove the pistons. The manual tells you to detach the brake hose from the caliper, then remove the caliper, then re-attach the hose, then remove each piston in turn. Of course each time you remove a piston the brake fluid drains out, meaning a constant cycle of topping up and bleeding. On the second caliper I didn't detach the hose, just pushed each piston out (but not quite all the way out) in turn, and greased them in-situ.
Initial impressions (without going for a ride) are good. The lever is a lot firmer, but obviously I don't know if this is down to the greasing or the bleeding.
A sachet (no "t" - sorry, my mistake) is "a small closed container made of paper or plastic, containing a small amount of something, usually enough for only one occasion"
Anyway, back to the subject
I've greased my pistons. Unfortunately I ended up bleeding the brakes as well, because on the first caliper I followed the instructions in the workshop manual on how to remove the pistons. The manual tells you to detach the brake hose from the caliper, then remove the caliper, then re-attach the hose, then remove each piston in turn. Of course each time you remove a piston the brake fluid drains out, meaning a constant cycle of topping up and bleeding. On the second caliper I didn't detach the hose, just pushed each piston out (but not quite all the way out) in turn, and greased them in-situ.
Initial impressions (without going for a ride) are good. The lever is a lot firmer, but obviously I don't know if this is down to the greasing or the bleeding.
bfreesun
.020 Over
I've left my bike with a Harley builder who claims to know about brakes and faxed him the comments on this forum. His brake guy seemed to think it was to do with the pistons.
This is after two tries by my Metropolis, my local Triumph dealer, including replacing the master cylinder.
They then told me that "they're all like that" and seemed to have a total lack of interest in fixing what I see as a major problem.
BTW another Triumph dealer described my brakes as "scary"
This is after two tries by my Metropolis, my local Triumph dealer, including replacing the master cylinder.
They then told me that "they're all like that" and seemed to have a total lack of interest in fixing what I see as a major problem.
BTW another Triumph dealer described my brakes as "scary"
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Standard Bore
- Joined
- Nov 20, 2006
- Messages
- 5
Had the same problem with mine, spongy, lots of lever travel, and would pump back up after repeated applications.
Turned out that the big ol pads on the front of the Rock had worn enough, that the calipers were storing more fluid than new, leaving my master cylinder nearly dry.
Some fresh fluid and a brake bleed fixed the problem for me.
Turned out that the big ol pads on the front of the Rock had worn enough, that the calipers were storing more fluid than new, leaving my master cylinder nearly dry.
Some fresh fluid and a brake bleed fixed the problem for me.
