Archive for category Motorcycle
Emergency Tire Patch
Posted by Randy in Motorcycle on November 2, 2009
I’ve come to realize over the last few years that when you put 20,000 miles on two wheels every year, you tend to pick up a lot of nails. So, what do you do when you come out to the bike in the morning to see your rim an inch from the ground? You patch it, that’s what. Now, I’m not saying that the patch I’ll show you how to use here is a permanent solution. To the contrary, the package of patch strings says exactly the opposite. What I can tell you is that I’m going to patch a high-quality tire and monitor it daily as it continues to get use.
First, a disclaimer: don’t ever patch motorcycle tires. They will deflate, overheat, rip apart, and eventually kill you. While you’re at it, don’t ride motorcycles at all, as they’ll definitely kill you even if you put new tires on every week.
Now, with that aside, why do I feel it’s safe to use a patched tire? Well, I don’t necessarily. What I do know is that I’ve ridden for months on a punctured tire under the assumption that it was the valve stem that was bleeding air. A few thousand miles later, I finally found the tiny finishing nail that had sunk its head below the tread surface and only leaked air when riding. Quality tires are pretty impressive beasts. Basically, you have a ring of steel belts or plies sandwiched between a whole bunch of layers of vulcanized rubber.
Vulcanized?
Yeah, vulcanization. You can read all about it over at Wikipedia; but what it really comes down to is that it’s good stuff that’s stuck together really really well. We’re not talking about horse glue here folks. Of course, there are stories of repaired tires ripping apart at speed, but there are also stories of wheels falling off, gas tanks exploding from static electricity, and rods being thrown through the head, seat pan, and rider. None of these stories are going to keep me off my bikes.
Alright, so we’ve got a punctured tire and we’re going to patch it. What do we need to do? Well, first things first:
Find the Leak
If you’re really well off, you’ll have a dunk tank in your garage and you can just air up the tire, dump the whole wheel in the tank, and watch for bubbles. Well, if you have dunk tank, you’re probably not here reading this article on how to patch a tire. Furthermore, you don’t really want to take the wheel off you bike, do you? I didn’t think so.
You’re going to need two things to find the leak:
- A source of air with which to inflate your leaky tire
- Some fluid that makes bubbles when you shake it up
For my source of air, I use a Craftsman 30 gallon shop compressor. (Which just so happens to be one of the best things I have ever purchased.) For bubble-fluid, most people recommend dishsoap in water. It works quite well. For this particular experience, I used a bottle of Method glass cleaner as I happened to have some in the car I drove over to the garage.
Line the bike up someplace where you have a good amount of light showing on the tread of the appropriate tire. Put the bike up on the center stand. Fill the tire up to the top rated pressure. Spray the entire tire with bubble-fluid. Start turning the tire and looking over the surface. Eventually, you’ll come across what looks like an acid leak from MacGyver.
Once you’ve found that, the hard part is over. Let the air out of the tire:
Now that the air is out and the tire is nice and inert, it’s time to break out the patch kit. I got my Slime Deluxe Tire Plug Kit at Walmart for a whopping $9. As you can see, it comes with an awl/reamer, some rubber cement, a glorified latch-hook thing, and a small selection of gummy worms. At the time of writing, you could get giant packs of more worms than you would ever use for $8 on the next rack over.
Now for the fun part. Break out your awl/reamer and jam in into the puncture. This will take some muscle. Make sure the bike doesn’t try to get away from you. Once you’ve got it in, work it in and out a few times to really clean out the wound.
Once you’ve got the hole good and clean, get yourself a gummy worm and thread it into the latch-hook looking thing. If you weren’t sure of the efficacy of these string kits up to this point, you’ll be convinced once you get your hands on one of the worms. They’re coated in some pretty interesting stuff. Once you’ve got the worm threaded into the latch-hook thing, you want to coat it with rubber cement. You don’t need a whole lot of cement as honestly, you’re using it as much for lubrication as you are for anything else. I put a thin bead across the top of the worm and worked it around with my fingers until I no longer stuck to the worm.
Now, shove the worm-loaded latch-hook into the puncture. Make sure at least an inch of each tail stays sticking out of the hole.
Now, pull the hook straight out of the hole. Be especially careful not to twist or you might kink the worm which could lead to leaking (which is exactly what we’re trying to prevent in the first place, right?) If you do it right, you’ll be left with something that looks vaguely like this:
Now, cut the plug off even with the tread, air up the tire, and spray down the repair area with bubble-fluid. If you don’t get another cheesy 80’s acid leak, then you’re probably good to go. As of today, I have 30 miles on my patched tire and everything is holding just fine.
Honda CX650E Engine Removal
Posted by Randy in Motorcycle on October 21, 2009
Last time, we had just finished taking off the exhaust:
First thing we need to do is take out the battery. Nothing to this part. Just use a screwdriver to take the wires off the terminals then use a socket to open up the latch. After you’ve got the battery out, you’ll probably want to put the bolt back in the latch so that you don’t lose it.
Use a pair of box end wrenches to loosen the clutch cable adjustment lock nuts. Once they’re loose, you can pretty easily slide the adjustment assembly up and out of the way to separate the cable from the block.
Once that’s done, it’s a simple flick of the wrist to remove the cable end from the lower clutch lever.
Next, you want to make sure all of your electrical connections have been cleared so you don’t break any wires when you separate the engine from the frame.
Pull the boots off of the spark plugs and move them up out of the way.
Loosen the boot around the drive shaft joint. Be careful with the boot. It’s fragile and if you tear it road grit can get in and drastically reduce the life of the universal joint.
Leaving the boots on the carbs, disconnect the intakes from the cylinder heads. On my bike, someone had replaced a couple of the normal hex-head bolts with allen-heads, so I had to be creative.
Slide a trolley jack under the engine. Make sure you have something soft between the jack and the engine. Some people like to use a wood block. Personally, I like to use a stack of rags.
Bring the jack up just enough that it takes the weight of the engine without lifting the bike up at all. We don’t want the engine to shift up when the mounting bolts are removed any more than we want it to shift down.
Remove all of the mounting bolts. Be aware that two of the mounting bolts go all the way through the frame and have a nut on the other side.
Now, the fun begins. Gently rock the jack towards the front of the bike and the engine should come along with it. If the engine is caught up on anything, try rocking it back and forth. If it still won’t move, go back a few steps and make sure you disconnected everything. Assuming the engine moves, you’ll accomplish a few different things.
The cylinders will pull away from the the intake.
You’ll notice that some of the wires are still connected to the block next to the battery. Disconnect everything that moves.
The drive shaft will disconnect from the engine.
The starter will pull out from under the mounting tabs on the frame. Now that you can easily get to the bolt, disconnect the ground wire from the starter.
That’s everything there is to disconnect. From here, you can jiggle the engine forward and down and it will easily drop from the frame. If you’re fairly strong, you should be able to balance the engine on the jack by yourself as you work it out. It’s probably much safer if you work with a friend. I’m 6′5, 250lbs and it was a task for me to do it on my own.
That’s all there is to it. Next time, we’ll prep the new engine to go into the frame.
CB750F Engine Removal: Day 1
Posted by Randy in Motorcycle on July 20, 2009
A while back, I picked up a CB750F (aka Super Sport) for my cousin-in-law to go along with a learning bike on a trailer-ride to Brooklyn. At any rate, I got the thing fairly cheap, knowing that the engine was seized. I took a risk on the guy’s word that “It was running last year, but I left it out over the winter and it probably got moisture in the cylinders.”
So, I did what I always do and dumped some Marvel Mystery Oil down all four cylinders and let it set for a week. I tried the kickstarter and it was stuck. I tapped the electric start and it was stuck. I tried the bolt on the rotor and it was stuck. So I let it sit for two weeks. Three weeks. Two months. Still stuck. I decided a couple days ago it was time for more drastic measures. I mixed up a batch of “special mixture”, basically ATF & acetone and prepared to dump it down the cylinders. Prior to that, I wanted to syphon out the MMM so as not to dillute my new concoction. Well, #2, 3, and 4 were all empty. We have a winner. 99% chance that #1 is the piston that’s stuck. I put a little special mix down #2, 3, and 4 just for good measure and filled #1 to the brim. I let it sit two days and still no dice. Finally, I dug out my handy propane torch and went to town on the cylinder block hoping to expand my way to freedom.
Nothing. Fine. The engine is coming out.
First thing to come off was the exhaust. This is surprisingly easy on the Super Sport as compared to the K model.
Just for jollies, I decided to check out the points. Yes, that’s a nut drilled out and filled in with a smaller nut. I’ll have to replace that once I get this thing running again.
Next to come off was the oil filter. Not a lot to this, just a matter of using the proper socket on the bolt. You could tell some previous owner hadn’t done so and I’ll probably wind up replacing this bolt as well.
Next was the electrical connection to the points. Mostly, I took this picture so I could see which bullet goes into which receiver..given that both receivers are white.
Next, the electrical connection on the other side of the bikes:
Followed by the connection to the top of the solenoid:
Finally, the ground strap back on the right side:
Getting to this one of course requires pulling the top long engine mounting bolt. Continuing on to things I didn’t take pictures of, I pulled the long bolt out of the front of the engine along with the couple of short bolts holding onto the front of the frame. It feels like there’s still one more bolt holding the engine in in back, but I’ll figure that out tomorrow.
Another process I didn’t show was taking care of the chain. I didn’t want to cut the chain, nor could I get the engine out with the chain looped around the spreckets. I loostened the tensioners and pulled the rear axle. This gave me enough slack that I could get the chain around the rear sprocket and now it’s sitting slack on the ground. This still isn’t going to work, however, as it loops around part of the swingarm and won’t let me pull the engine out in the long run. Tomorrow, I’ll pull the master sprocket cover and hopefully find a way to loop the chain over the master drive sprocket. If not, I’ll just cut it and throw a new one on. Couldn’t hurt, anyway.
That’s where she’s at right now. The engine is basically disconnected from everything and tomorrow night I’ll lift her out of the frame, pull the head, and see what’s actually going on in there. Depending on how I’m feeling, I may get it running on the bench. I’ve never actually gotten an engine running on the bench before, so it could be fun.
That’s it for tonight. Ride safe.
Update 2009-10-21:
Unfortunately, there’s isn’t going to be a “Day 2″ or anything else. I wound up pulling the engine using a sling made of cotton cord and a three foot bar. It was a frustrating and irritating process, but I did manage it on my own. Didn’t take the time to do pictures because I was too busy straining my back and cursing at the bike. After all that work, it turned out that the engine was solid rust anyway. “Ran last year” my ass. In a bout of frustration and desire to have my workspace back, I sold the bike and the engine / block-of-rust to my buddy Tom for $100.
CX650E Exhaust Removal
Posted by Randy in Motorcycle on February 1, 2009
Once you take the engine guards off the next step when preparing to remove the engine is to take off the exhaust. This should go without saying, but please make sure the engine and exhaust are cold before attempting any of the work described on this page. Thanks.
The first thing you need to do is loosen the flanges that hold the exhaust into the port in the cylinder head. You’ll need a 10mm socket to get these off. Remember, these bolts heat up to 300+ deg and cool back down to air temperature every time you ride the bike. They also get all of the water and grime kicked up by your front tire. Basically, the nuts aren’t going to come off easily. I advise letting them soak in PB Blaster, WD-40, or Deep Creep (my personal favorite) overnight before going at them. If you break the studs, you’re in for a world of misery replacing them.
Next, remove the rear mounting bolt using a 14mm socket.
Next, you have to get under the bike and take out the through-bolts that hold the H-box to the bottom of the engine and frame. Sorry, but I don’t recall what size these are.
From here, I was hoping to be able to remove the exhaust as one complete unit, but it just wasn’t meant to be. So, next we take off the headers. Mine were attached to the H-box with a couple of (not very stock looking) 10mm hose clamps. YMMV.
This next shot makes it all look easy. Look, the header comes right off. In all actuality, I beat on it with a rubber mallet for a good 15 minutes before it finally gave in and loosened up. Be patient. Be consistent. Use a soft-faced mallet.
Some P.O. had made gratuitous use of exhaust tape (which disintegrates upon removal). I’m still finding this stuff all over my garage.
Same game on the other side…
More exhaust tape as well as proof that my E had a close encounter at some point in its life.
Once the headers are no longer an issue, you can jiggle the rear pipes and the H-box off as one unit. Again, this is not as easy as it sounds, but it is simply a matter of jerking it around until it falls off. Make sure the H-box is completely unbolted from the bottom of the bike or you could spend a half-hour or more jiggling and cursing while not accomplishing anything. Don’t ask me how I know.
And here she is with no exhaust…
And that’s all there is to it. Next time we’ll actually pull the engine out.
CX650E Engine Guard Removal
Posted by Randy in Motorcycle on January 25, 2009
Aquisition
In On February 22, 2008, I picked up a Honda CX650E from a very nice gentleman named Jim in Michigan. Since the Eurosport is quite rare in the U.S., I figured it was worth the trip around the pond. I still wonder if taking the ferry would have been easier and/or more cost effective. Anyway, here’s how she looked when I first picked her up:
Here you can see the faded paint, the lack of air horn, the extra running engine (as opposed to the bad one in the frame), and my buddy Chad who happened to be picking up an engine (which turned into 1.5 bikes) about 10 miles from where the E had been living.
Removing the Guards
Here she is sitting in my garage at home, waiting for me to tear her apart. The bike in the background is an ‘86 Suzuki Intruder that I bartered to my friend Steve.
My Eurosport happened to come with engine guards installed, so step one was getting those off. There’s one bolt attaching the guard to the frame near the rear of the engine:
There are two more connections at the front of the engine hanger, right by the radiator:
Once the engine guard is off, the engine looks something like this:
The other guard comes off just the same. One bolt in back:
And two in front:
By the way, getting these off makes use of three sockets: 17mm, 14mm, and 12mm.
The right side, cleared of guards looks like this:
Stay tuned. In my next post, I’ll go over removing the exhaust.
Charging System Troubleshooting
Posted by Randy in Motorcycle on February 26, 2007
How does this work?
Remember Choose Your Own Adventure books? Same idea. You can’t effectively read this page from the top down. You have to skip around using the links at the bottom of each test/question.
If you prefer something you can print out and take to the garage with you, download the original charts; they’re really useful. If you feel comfortable with choosing your adventure as you go, skip to start.
This page is based on charts published by Eletrex USA
Very Important:
This fault-finding chart assumes that the user has knowledge of the basics of electricity (Voltage, current, resistance, etc.), and about electrical systems on motorcycles in general. If you do not have this knowledge/experience, find someone that has and let her/him check the charging system on the bike. The use of this fault-finding chart is entirely at the risk of the user. The author cannot be held responsible for any damage that could arise from the use of this fault-finding chart.
Fully charge the battery. If the battery is not fully charged you may get wrong results using this fault-finding chart. You could just replace it with a battery off another motorcycle that has a good functioning charging system.
Use an accurate digital multimeter! RR means Regulator/Rectifier. This whole fault-fining chart only works if you have a bike with a combined regulator and rectifier (= regulator/rectifier) in a single case.
Take Notice of the Following:
Suzuki used on the older GS models three different colors for the three output wires of the stator. They were the only manufacturer doing this. The only reason for this can be to cause confusion, because the output of all three wires is the same. The colors on the wires from the stator are Yellow, White/Blue, and White/Green. On the Suzuki RR for these models we’re talking: Yellow, White/Blue, and White/Red. Just think them all being yellow, and then go on with the tests below.
Let’s Get Started
Switch the multimeter to DC Volts (DCV or Vdc). Switch the range to 20 or 50V. Connect the multimeter leads to the battery terminals. Start and rev the engine up to 2500 rpm. Check the battery vo
ltage.
[ Higher than 13.5V | Lower than 13.5V ]
Rev the engine up to 5000 rpm. Check the reading on the meter.
[ Higher than 14.8V | Lower than 14.8V ]
Charging system perfectly OK. You could still disconnect most of the connections on the bike and spray them with contact cleaner or WD40. This could prevent problems in the future
Count the Wire Colors
Count the number of different wire colors emerging from the RR. If there’s a yellow wire on a Yamaha RR, don’t count it. (It is a special output wire for switching the lights on and off.)
[ Four or Less | More than Four or No RR on the Bike ]
Permanent Magnet System
You’ve got a permanent magnet alternator system. Let the engine idle, and connect the black multimeter lead up to the battery(+). Connect the red multimeter lead up to the red (or white/red = Kawasaki) output wire of the RR. Leave the RR connected up to the bike. Check the reading on the meter. Leave the engine idling!
[ Less than 0.2V | More than 0.2V ]
Bad connection in the positive lead from RR to battery(+). Check the whole lead (suspect the connectors as well as the fusebox and fuses). Good connections are extremely important in this high current lead. Solve the problem and return to [start].
Connect the red multimeter lead up to the battery(-). Connect the black multimeter lead up to the negative output of the RR (Honda: Green, Suzuki: Black/White, Yamaha: Black, Kawasaki: Black, Other: Normally Black). If you can’t find a negative output wire, then the casing of the RR is normally the negative lead to the frame. Check the reading on the meter. Leave the engine idling!
[ Less than 0.2V | More than 0.2V ]
Bad connection in the negative lead from RR to battery(-). Check the whole lead to the battery(-). If the RR doesn’t have an output lead but uses the case as connection to the frame, clean the area where it is bolted and use new screws. Also check the connection between battery(-) and frame. Also suspect the plate on which the RR is mounted (sometimes it is rubbermounted and uses an extra cable frome this plate to the battery(-) or frame). Disconnect all suspect terminal and clean. Best solution: connect the RR straight up to the battery(-) with an extra lead. Solve the problem and return to [start].
If you have an RR with four different wire colors emerging from it find the switched +12V supply input. (Normally Honda: Black, Suzuki: Orange, Yamaha: Brown, Kawasaki: Brown, otherwise check the wiring diagram for the extra wire coming from the ignition switch). Connect the red multimeter lead to the battery(+) and the black multimeter lead to the switched +12V input wire (the one you just found). Leave the RR fully connected up to the bike and let the engine idle. Switch on the lights. Check the reading on the meter
[ Less than 0.2V | More than 0.2V | Less than four different wire colors ]
Bad connection from the battery(+) through the ignition switch to the switched +12V supply input on the RR. Check the whole electrical circuit. This is one of the most difficult faults to find. Suspect the ignition switch itself, the fusebox and its connections. The RR thinks the battery voltage is too low while the actual voltage is correct or too high. Disconnect all terminals and clean them with contact cleaner. If you have solved the problem, return to [start].
Stop the engine. Disconnect the wires emerging from the stator. These are usually three yellow (or white = Yamaha) wires. Switch the multimeter to Ohms, the lowest range on the meter. Measure the resestance between all three wires coming from the stator, so you need to take three readings.
[ At least one reading is greater than 2Ω or less than 0.5Ω | 5Ω > all readings > 0.5Ω ]
Bad Stator
Stator is at fault. Replate the stator and return to [start].
Connect one of the multimeter leads up to one of the three yellow (or white = Yamaha) wire. Connect the other multimeter load up to the engine casing. Check the reading on the meter. Make sure the connection to the casing is good!
[ No Reading | Anything between 0-100Ω ]
Switch the multimeter to AC-Voltage (Range at least to 100 Vac). Make sure you DON’T switch it to DC-Voltage (DCV or Vdc). Connect the multimeter leads between two of the three yellow (or white = Yamaha) wires emerging from the stator. Start the engine and rev it up to approximately 5000rpm. Check the reading on the meter. Switch one of the multimeter leads to another yellow (or white) wire and check the reading again. Switch the other meltimeter lead to another yellow (or white) wire, and check the reading again.
[ Three Equal Readings. All Higher than 50V | Not All Equal or One is Below 50V (AC). ]
Regulator/Rectifier Positive Test
Disconnect the RR from the bike. Switch the multimeter to the DIODE-TEST function. (The reading on the display will be in Volts now, not in Ohms!) Connect the Red multimeter lead to the Red (or White/Red = Kawasaki) output wire of the RR. Connect the Black multimeter lead to one yellow (or white = Yamaha) wire. Check the reading. Repeat this procedure for the two other yellow wires.
[ 1V or Lower on At Least One Test | 1.5V or Higher on All Tests ]
Bad Regulator/Rectifier
RR is at fault. Replace it with a new one and return to [start].
Reverse Regulator/Rectifier Positive Test
Connect the black multimeter lead to the red (or white/red = Kawasaki) output wire of the RR. Connect the red multimeter lead to one yellow (or white = Yamaha) wire. Check the reading. Repeat this procedure for the other two yellow wires.
[ Lower Than 0.2V or Higher than 1.0V on At Least One Test | ~0.50V on All Tests ]
Regulator/Rectifier Negative Test
Connect the black multimeter lead to the negative output wire of the RR (Kawasaki: Black, Yamaha: Black, Honda: Green, Suzuki: Black/White). If there is no output wire, connect the black multimeter lead to the RR case. Connect the red multimeter lead to one yellow (or white = Yamaha) wire. Check the reading. Repeat this procedure for the two other yellow wires.
[ Lower Than 1.0V on At Least One Test | 1.5V or Higher on All Tests ]
Reverse Regulator/Rectifier Negative Test
Connect the red multimeter lead to the negative output wire of the RR (Kawasaki: Black, Yamaha: Black, Honda: Green, Suzuki: Black/White). If there is no output wire, connect the black multimeter lead to the RR case. Connect the black multimeter lead to one yellow (or white = Yamaha) wire. Check the readiing. Repeat this procedure for the two other yellow wires.
[ Lower Than 0.2V or Higher Than 1.0V on At Least One Test | ~0.5V on All Tests ]
Bad Battery
As this was the last test, the only thing that can be at fault is the battery itself. Replace it with another fully charged one and return to [start].
Do You Have a Regulator/Rectifier?
Is there an RR on the bike? (Somewhere on the frame under the bodywork)
Integrated Generator
You have an integrated generator (car-type, with built in regulator and rectifier). Most of the problems with this kind of generator are bad connections, from generator to battery (battery doesn’t change), or a burned out regulator (battery-voltage too high). Sometimes, the generator itself is at foult. You could check the resistance of the fieldwinding (around 5 Ohms) and the state the brushes are in. Otherwise, leave it to an expert. After solving the problem, return to [start].
High RPM DC Test
Switch the multimeter to DC-Voltage (DCV or Vdc) Range 20 to 50V. Connect the multimeter leads to the battery terminals. Start the engine and rev it up to approximately 5000 rpm. Check the voltage reading.
[ Higher Than 14.8V | Lower Than 14.8V ]
Stop the engine. Disconnect the block connector to the generator closest to the engine. This connector must have at least three yellow (or white = Yamaha) wire in it and one or two extra ones. Switch the multimeter to the lowest Ohms-range. Measure the resistance between the two other wires, or between the single extra one (apart from the yellow ones) and the engine casing
[ Between 4 and 6 Ohms | Lower Than 3Ω or Higher Than 10Ω ]
Fieldwinding & Brushes
The fieldwinding in the generator or the brushes to the rowor are at fault. If there are any brushes inside the generator, disconnect them and measure the resistance between the two copper sliprings on the rotor. These are the rings on which the brushes run.
(If there are no brushes inside the generator, replace the fieldwinding or if that’s not possible separately, replace the whole stator and return to [start].
[ Between 4 and 6 Ohms | Lower Than 3Ω or Higher Than 6Ω ]
Bad Brushes
Wiring to the brushes or the brushes themselves at fault. Replace the brushes, check the wiring to the brushes and return to [start].
Bad Rotor
Rotor at fault. Replace it with a new one and return to [start].
AC High RPM Test
Connect one spare wire to the battery(+) terminal and connect it up to one of the extra wires that are in the block connector, apart from the yellow (or white = Yamaha) wires. Connect a second spare wire between the battery(-) and the other extra wire in the connector block. If you have only one extra wire, only connect the battery(+) wire to this one. Make sure the battery(-) is still connected to the frame. Switch the multimeter to AC Volts, range at least 100V (ACV or Vac). Start the engine and rev it up to approximately 5000 rpm. Connect the multimeter leads up between two of the yellow (or white = Yamaha) wires. Check reading on multimeter. Switch one of the multimeter leads to another yellow wire and check the reading again. Then switch the other multimeter lead and check the reading again.
[ All Readings Equal and Above 50V | Not All Equal or At Least One Below 50V ]
Stop the engine. Switch the multimeter to DC Voltage (DCV or Vdc). With the block connector disconnected as above, connect the multimeter leads up to the two extra wires in this connector (apart from the three yellow wires), this in the connector block emerging from the wiring loom, not the other side going to the generator. If there’s only one extra wire, connect it to one multimeter lead and connect the other multimeter lead to the engine casing. When you switch on the ignition, check the reading.
[ No Reading or Reading Less Than 10V | Higher Than 10V ]
1978 CX500 Front Brake Unstick
Posted by Randy in Motorcycle on February 26, 2007
There are a few things that will tell you that your front brake is stuck:
- Engine feels strong, but the bike is lacking pep
- After a short jaunt around the block, your front disc is burning hot
- The bike has been sitting for any prolonged period of time
To prove once and for all that your brake is stuck on, put the bike up on the center stand. Have a friend (or some other source of 200 lbs) sit on the passenger seat to get the front wheel off the ground. You should be able to easily spin the wheel by hand.
Whatcha gonna do about it?
This repair is much easier than you would think. Steps are as follows, pictures coming soon.
- Put the bike on the center stand.
- Take out the two bolts that attach the brake cylinder to its bracket.
- Slide off the brake cylinder.
- Push the pressure cylinder back into its housing
- Put everything back together
- Pump the system back up.
In theory, this isn’t necessary, but I would be afraid to work on the bike on the side stand.
There are four bolts here. Two hold the mounting bracket to the fork. Those aren’t the ones we’re looking at. The other two attach the cylinder itself to the mounting bracket.
This is probably the hardest part. The harder your brake is stuck on, the harder this is going to be to remove. Sometimes you can shake it loose. Trying to jostle it along the circumference is much more productive than perpendicular to the plane.
On my CX500, it came off in a couple seconds just jostling by hand. I did a CB450SC a couple months before and it required persuasion with a rubber mallet. Do not use a hard-faced hammer as you could mar the casing or worse, miss and mar the disc. Once you’ve got the cylinder out of the way, this is a good time to check out the brake pads.
The reason the brake is locked is that the pressure cylinder isn’t returning back into its housing when the brake lever is released. Generally, if you push it back once, it fixes the problem. If not, you’re looking at a brake cylinder rebuild which is beyond the scope of this document.
You can press the cylinder in with a C-clamp and some wood blocks or rags to avoid marring the surface or you can try neat leverage tricks using only a couple of wrenches.
That’s it really. The cylinder should go back on much easier than it came off now that you’ve pressed the cylinder back into its housing. Make sure the bolts go back in tight. This is your main brake, remember.
Moving the cylinder manually usually screws up the pressure in the system. Pump on the brake lever until it is once again firm and feels like a brake.