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Brake question

Breeze, thanks for that. All I can remember is the front used to spin easy, but I never had a reason to count revs.

I will check out what TQ said (thanks). It just seems strange this started with me cleaning the pistons.

I was thinking I did not have enough of the piston exposed while cleaning and maybe was missing some crude. But like I said, I was worried about popping them out. I had a putty knife between the pads which is much thinner than the rotor.
 
Zap; You are welcome. I like TQ's suggestionn to ride it for a while. Any number of small things could be making one caliper drag, like the edge of the shoelace could have put a thicker line of crud on the piston in just one spot, or a chunk could have gotten in the folds of the rubber seal. Good luck.
 
Zap, TQ has you covered with regard to checking that when you depress the brakes a small spurt should be seen in the M/C reservoir. Also when moving your bike, you should hear a varied "swish" when pushing forward due to disc(s) having a bit of "runout" and since the calipers rely on this to "nudge" the unpressurized piston back into the bores a bit when moving.
 
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I do get the little spurt when I pull the brake lever. So if I am understanding correctly, the MC is doing what it should.

I will continue to ride and see if things free up a bit. Thanks again for the comments.

Jeff
 
zap427 said:
I do get the little spurt when I pull the brake lever. So if I am understanding correctly, the MC is doing what it should.
Click to expand...

Sounds like it. The MC cartridge has a port in it that if plugged or blocked, will cause pressure to remain applied to the caliper pistons. Based on your comment, it does not seem to be your issue.

Another thing you might consider is checking the alignment of the front end. Your manual should have a fairly detailed procedure for this. Also you can see the procedure Glider posted here even though you probably have not removed your axle:

Front Axle Installation Tip - Harley Davidson Community

TQ
 
you may have got some liquid on the pad. will cause to grab and kinda freeze also the cleaning took all the dust from the pad off everything (a little dust will act as a kind of lub to help things move a little more free. Ride it in some stop and go traffic and try this again. You are probabley ok and a little frustrated Good luck. Disk brakes are as simple as you can get (untill you ad ABS) :cheers:cheers:cheers
 
Yea, I will give it a whirl just need the temps to raise a bit here in the North. I did my warm air dance this morning but no luck yet.

I cleaned those suckers good and lubed the pins put it all back together and get the drag I have described. I know it is the piston not retracting because if I take a screwdriver and gently push the pads back the wheel spins freely.

I can also hear them rubbing while riding at low speeds. The rotors don't overheat like a real brake drag. I did not remove the front wheel during the process so I know I did not screw the alignment up.

Interesting little problem just enough to bug you, if you know what I mean.

Thanks Guys
 
zap427 said:
Yea, I will give it a whirl just need the temps to raise a bit here in the North. I did my warm air dance this morning but no luck yet.

I cleaned those suckers good and lubed the pins put it all back together and get the drag I have described. I know it is the piston not retracting because if I take a screwdriver and gently push the pads back the wheel spins freely.

I can also hear them rubbing while riding at low speeds. The rotors don't overheat like a real brake drag. I did not remove the front wheel during the process so I know I did not screw the alignment up.

Interesting little problem just enough to bug you, if you know what I mean.

Thanks Guys
Click to expand...
Hey mah calipers do go bad! hope not. may actually be some thread stuck in the piston sleeve!
 
Disc brakes are set to work with zero clearence the pads are in contact with the rotors at all times I would also check the runout on the rotor and check for too much fre travel in the master cylinder if a master cylinder goes bad it can apply the brakes by itself it happens with cars and trucks more often than u think, a quick check on a car would be too loosen the nuts holding the master and see if it lets the pressure off good luck
 
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