rear brake keeps fading

[SkooterG]

....and replacing the "hard" lines along with the "soft" ones???

According to parts diagrams you don't have a choice.

Quick look-up shows six lines needing to be replaced if going OEM. That is including front brake lines and also the clutch line.

Approximate OEM price: $885. Ouch! And that doesn't include the banjo bolt washers and brake fluid. So figure $900+ if you pay full retail and do it yourself. Approximately $1100+ to have it done by a dealer? Yowsa! 20% the value of the bike.

With a discount vendor that $885 goes down to $615. Still an owie. A rear master cyliner (the whole thing) goes for $113/$75 retail/discount.

Not sure how much a Galfer or Spiegler kit would go for but that would be the route I would go if I were to replace all the lines which of course I would not do.

Edit: Spiegler ABS 8 line brake kit + clutch line kit = $450 before shipping and at least you get the banjo bolt washers. And best of all? Lines last the *lifetime* of the bike. Hope moondog went this route so he doesn't have to do it all again four years from now. :blink:

 

[moondog]

Yes sir, you sound like you know what you are talking about. But what every one here is ignoring is what the owner's manual says: "Replace the brake hoses every four years." And in my case I'm 2 years over due. They are on order.

Well, I guess that will make you the single smartest feller on this forum. Cause in the 6+ years I have been here, you are the first I have heard replacing their brake lines because 'the manual said so'.

So what does that say about the hundreds of us 7, 8, and 9 year old FJR owners with original brake lines and no brake issues?

You started this thread seeking help. You are getting a lot of good advice from folks with a lot of knowledge. Not sure why you are choosing to ignore it.

Best of luck to you.

And just for general fyi - are you replacing ALL the brake lines? How many are there for a Gen I abs FJR? How much did that cost? Oh, and replacing with OEM? Or aftermarket?

 

[moondog]

Yes sir, you sound like you know what you are talking about. But what every one here is ignoring is what the owner's manual says: "Replace the brake hoses every four years." And in my case I'm 2 years over due. They are on order.

Well, I guess that will make you the single smartest feller on this forum. Cause in the 6+ years I have been here, you are the first I have heard replacing their brake lines because 'the manual said so'.

So what does that say about the hundreds of us 7, 8, and 9 year old FJR owners with original brake lines and no brake issues?

You started this thread seeking help. You are getting a lot of good advice from folks with a lot of knowledge. Not sure why you are choosing to ignore it.

Best of luck to you.

And just for general fyi - are you replacing ALL the brake lines? How many are there for a Gen I abs FJR? How much did that cost? Oh, and replacing with OEM? Or aftermarket?

I didn't write the owner's manual ok? I'm not "ignoring" anything. I like the way so many dudes think they know more than the designers and engineers of this bike. Like they know more than the folks who wrote the book on this bike. Did you take a poll of all FJR riders to see what they replaced? I merely asked if any one had a similar experience. Good luck to you too.

 

[SkooterG]

:blink:

 

[TheZsdad]

:blink:

gunny + 1 :blink: :blink:

 

[wfooshee]

Lines have no moving parts. They have nothing in them to stop working. The only thing a line can do is leak if it breaks or cracks. Replacing lines because the brakes are failing, but you're not spraying fluid all over creation from a split line, is barking up the wrong tree.

The only way a line (that's not leaking) could fail the brakes is by being plugged, which bleeding will fix.

This is why replacing lines is very very very far down on everybody's list of what to look at.

And I'm still not clear if the "fade" experience is as soon as you get on the bike (mechanical or hydraulic fault) or only after it's been ridden a while (heat build-up from stuck pedal or stuck caliper piston.) That kind of information would really help us assist.

 

[drjfjr]

Not on a bike but I have had auto brake lines seal up internally. They looked good outside but swelled closed inside. It was not clogged by goop just the line closed up.

 

[exskibum]

:blink:

Guess he told you, Skoot. :lol:

Not sure why the OP would be asking, if it wasn't to get the unvarnished collective wisdom about maintaining this bike. So if you already know that the service manual trumps the collective experience and wisdom, why waste the time typing? Wait 'til he torques the oil drain plug to the specified value and feels something give way as he's finishing -- not realizing that was printed in error and has led to numerous cases of stripped threads in the pan. (BTW, they did finally correct that in later versions of the service manual, didn't they?)

 

[LAF]

All that comes to mind is something about a horse, and some water.

 

[wheatonFJR]

All that comes to mind is something about a horse, and some water.

I say we MAKE him drink it.

:lol:

 

[redtail]

Dude, just drink the water!

 

[nkavanau]

Just have to say “Thanks guys” (and gals). With the wife out of town for the week, I was really missing all the bitching and pointless arguments. After reading this thread I feel all is right again. The only thing that would make it better is if I could get the audio version. That way I could crank it up, pour a glass of scotch, and try to ignore it

This could be the next best thing to a substitute wife

But seriously, either you are:

1-Getting bleed back through the master

2-Loosing fluid thus reducing pressure. If there are no signs of fluid leaking. Not the problem so leave the lines alone,

for now.

3-Rear rotor glazed

4-Air in line

5-Pad not fully releasing and heating the heck out of rear brake.

6-Master cylinder is low.

To check:

1-If you (by hand) apply the rear brake until it resists, then it slowly creeps down until it bottoms out, it is bypassing one of the seals. Buy a rebuild kit and rebuild it, or replace with new.

2-If you are loosing pressure due to a bad line, you will see fluid dripping out (or squirting). If that is the case then replace the line. Heck, if you need to do that, then go SS. It will probably be cheaper than OEM, and last a lot longer.

3-Possible glazed rotor if rear brakes overused, resulting in overheating. As the bike is not that old, that would not be my first suspect. Can easily be deglazed. Remember that 70% of you effective braking comes from the front, with only 30% off the rear. The front end dive (Spring travel) is what transfers the braking energy……..

4-This would be my 1st thought. I would bleed the rears again. I don’t know if you are bleeding by hand application or using a vac system. I highly recommend the vac systems as they are faster and leave less room for error.

5-If the pedal pivot is dirty, or the caliper is not functioning correctly, that could cause the pad to not fully release, leaving it contacting the rotor while you are riding. Depending how bad it is, you may not even notice it. This will develop an incredible amount of heat in a very short period of time, boiling the fluid and making you rear brakes inoperable. This could also damage the seals in the caliper, and glaze the pads. Easiest way to check this would be go for a short ride, but DO NOT USE the rear brakes. Check how hot they feel when you get back. If they are really hot, well you know what you have to do.

6-If that is the case, top it off and figure out why.

 

[Fred W]

Just have to say "Thanks guys" (and gals). With the wife out of town for the week...

This could be the next best thing to a substitute wife

Nah. You still have Palmela and her five ugly sisters.

 

[nkavanau]

HEY!! Who says they're ugly

 

[SkooterG]

Yo moondog - did replacing the lines fix your problem?