tigmaster

Here at Mototips, our goal is to keep you well informed and therefore keep your bike running great. In this article we will be covering all aspects of your braking system. Seeing as your brakes are the most important thing on your bike, I suggest that everyone should read and perform these simple tasks.

I guess I will start from the top, the controls for your brakes. First off, it’s always good to keep yourself a spare brake handle in the kit when you ride. For the price of $10 you can usually pick one up and this is well worth having. Next is the actual pivot for the brake lever. This process will also apply to the brake pedal. After every 5-6 rides, remove the pivot bolt and apply a hefty amount of grease to it. I personally use Valvoline synthetic grease. I would suggest using a nice synthetic grease or assembly lube for your bike. Make sure to clean off the bolt and hole in the lever before applying fresh grease. Also, apply a dab of grease to where your
brake lever contacts the brake reservoir. This will provide smooth brake operation. Next in line is the brake perch. Many suggest wrapping some Teflon tape around the bar where the perch will set. The overall objective is to make sure that in the event of an impact, the brake assembly will pivot on the bar. This can generally be achieved by not overly tightening the perch screws. To test the tightness, give it a fairly firm twist and it should barely move.

Next on our checklist is brake fluid. I personally change mine every 6 months to a year depending on usage. To “flush” your brakes you will only need a few tools. Get yourself some nice DOT 4 or 5 brake fluid. In my brakes I also run Valvoline’s synthetic fluid. You will also need an 8mm wrench, Philips screwdriver, some tubing the same size diameter as your brake bleeder nipple, and some sort of container. Start off by removing the reservoir screws, either on the rear brake or front. Use caution when removing these screws, they are notorious for stripping the heads. A lot of down force will prevent this. If the reservoir is completely full, go ahead and fill it with your new fluid. Next off, break the bleeder screw open just barely. Then connect the tubing to the nipple and turn the screw until fluid begins to flow out. If you keep up on brake maintenance, the fluid should be clear. Once the reservoir is half way full, fill it again and let it drain until just under halfway. This ensures all old fluid has been purged. During this session, do not let the brake fluid level drop below ¼ of the way or you could risk bubbles entering your brake line. Now tighten the bleeder screw back. Once you have finished flushing your brakes make sure the reservoir is full and put the rubber seal back in the reservoir and the cover. Be sure to not overly tighten the screws and be ready with a paper towel to clean up any spilled brake fluid.

Lastly we are concerned with are concerned with your brake calipers, pads, and rotors. We will start with the pads. If your pads are under the thickness of a penny, it’s time for a new set. Remove the caliper assembly and remove the pads. This process is self explanatory so I won’t go into detail. Now, if you notice any uneven wear on yours pads it’s time to question the rotor. Support the bike on a stand or 5 gallon bucket and spin the tires. Watch the caliper assembly for any movement side to side. If you notice any, your rotor is warped but most likely fixable. To determine the exact location of the bend, spin your tire again while holding a permanent marker on the rotor. If you notice any breaks in the line, this is where the bend is. To cure the bend, blow torch the spot lightly and correct it with a crescent wrench. Now for the caliper assembly. Since modern technology has given us floating rotors, we always need to be checking the slide pins for grease. Remove the slide pins, clean, and re-grease every 5-6 rides.

These tips will help your ride stay safe and at its highest level of performance. Also remember to check the brake lines for cracks and any bubbles in the line. Now you may have a few tips of your own you would like to add. So if you have some tips, post them and I will incorporate them into this post and then delete your post to get this article clean and easy to follow.

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wr250f95

tig, your making it hard on me, your taking ideas on how tos lol.

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"LIFE'S JOURNEY IS NOT TO ARRIVE AT THE GRAVE SAFELY IN A WELL PRESERVED BODY, BUT RATHER TO SKID IN SIDEWAYS, TOTALLY WORN OUT, SHOUTING'...HOLY S**T... WHAT A RIDE!"

this, is why I ride.

tigmaster

ya, and ive got a few more coming.

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JThompson

Wow I will have to move this to the front page in a few days . Thanks tig!

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tigmaster

ya, like i said ill try to get the how-to's flowing again. i really just ned to set myself up with a camera. maybe just a disposable and photograph a few how-to's and then get a cd of the pics.

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wr250f95

do you have a cell phone tig?
you can send pics straight from that to your photobucket account.

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"LIFE'S JOURNEY IS NOT TO ARRIVE AT THE GRAVE SAFELY IN A WELL PRESERVED BODY, BUT RATHER TO SKID IN SIDEWAYS, TOTALLY WORN OUT, SHOUTING'...HOLY S**T... WHAT A RIDE!"

this, is why I ride.

tigmaster

nope, dont have one. i am liking the disposable camera idea.

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