Honda-SOHC
SOHC.co.uk Forums => CB500/550 => Topic started by: Glynnrg on April 06, 2016, 03:44:07 PM
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Long time since I've had a bike with a single pot calliper should you be able to pull the lever virtually right to the grip?
Recently stripped the calliper cleaned it up put in new seal and new washers on the banjos and bled it through dosnt seem to be any air in the system but the lever seems to pull in a long way?
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Long time since I've had a bike with a single pot calliper should you be able to pull the lever virtually right to the grip?
Recently stripped the calliper cleaned it up put in new seal and new washers on the banjos and bled it through dosnt seem to be any air in the system but the lever seems to pull in a long way?
it may be the pads aren't bedded in,
does the wheel spin freely?
you could try loosening the two mounting bolts,to give about 6mm gap,then pump the leverso the piston grips the disc,then gradually
do the bolts up again,it sometimes flushes bubbles back up the system,be careful not to splash the bike with brake fluid !!
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Have you adjusted the caliper setting bolt correctly? How old and what type of hoses are fitted?
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Not sure how old the hoses r as I bought a box of bits But they're not new not sure about the calliper screw?
The wheel spins freely and stops when I pull the lever in but seems t pull in a long way but I've not got anything to co pair with
Thanks
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Start by adjusting the caliper setting bolt. To do that, slacken the locknut, then using a screwdriver, screw the bolt anti clockwise, until the fixed pad is touching the disc, then clockwise a fraction so that a 6 though feeler gauge is a sliding fit between the disc and fixed pad. Hold the screw and tighten the locknut. Then pump the brake lever a couple of times, then how does it feel?
Sent from my D2303 using Tapatalk
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The calliper bolt is adjusted still pulls in a long way?
Check what on the upper mounting bracket?
Cheers
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Thanks i'm pretty sure that's ok but Ill Double check
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Just noticed that with the mastser cylinder lid off when the lever is pulled in fluid is flicked up from the master cylinder is this telling me it is sucking air from somewhere ?
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That tells you that the tiny hole is not blocked
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can't work out where the air is as the brake seems very spongy
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If the hoses are more than a few years old (black rubber type) they can get weak and expand under pressure and give the symptoms of a spongy lever even if there is no air in the system. The only way to find out is to renew the hoses, if you're not bothered about originality use braided stainless covered ones, they have far greater resistance to expansion, and are a useful upgrade.
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Thanks is this a common problem?
Is there any things I might need to check?
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Rubber brake hoses SHOULD be changed every 3 years for safety reasons, a lot of people wait until they start to crack with age or fail the M.O.T. for it, They are cheap to replace, and make an incredible difference to the braking, which is never a bad thing on a bike!
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Rubber brake hoses SHOULD be changed every 3 years for safety reasons, a lot of people wait until they start to crack with age or fail the M.O.T. for it, They are cheap to replace, and make an incredible difference to the braking, which is never a bad thing on a bike!
Believe it or not, mine are on since 1976 and show no cracks.
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Rubber brake hoses SHOULD be changed every 3 years for safety reasons, a lot of people wait until they start to crack with age or fail the M.O.T. for it, They are cheap to replace, and make an incredible difference to the braking, which is never a bad thing on a bike!
Believe it or not, mine are on since 1976 and show no cracks.
I believe you, if they are protected from direct sunlight, they don't suffer as much from cracking caused by U.V. degradation, but if you fitted new hoses you would certainly notice a difference!
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Hi. Going back to your original question, my response would be
Yes it's not uncommon for the lever to come back almost to the bars. I agree that new brake lines are a excellent idea as are the rest of the responses so far; but don't expect the feel of a modern set up.
Having said that I would be interested to find out from other forum users how far a well set up single caliper lever will actually move toward the bars, because it's not impossible that I've just got used to mine.
Rob
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I've never measured the gap, but I know you can leave two fingers on the grip without squashing them. (Before remembering which bike you're on and starting to use all 4 again due to the effort required)
Small adjustments to the caliper arm can also have an impact on how far the lever moves.
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Mine varied from bike to bike, but if I could get the brake leaver within 5mm of the grips I regarded that as fix it time, on the sidecar which was the highest milage 500/4 bike, I always was happy to have 2 fingers still on the grips whilst breaking, bar when I needed all 4 on the brake leaver for an emergency stop. On all my 500 and 550/4s the brake lines have always been braided stainless from master to caliper, the only exception being the twin disked k3 that retained a splitter on the yokes and one of the 500s had the yoke mounted brake switch assembly - not much if any difference made to braking whether this was retained or not, just more cost in having extra joints in the line.
Even with a sidecar to add weight the single disk was capable of locking the front wheel at 30mph with a decent haul on the leaver, but in the wet or at higher speeds the brakes needed a bit more warning to stop you. I found just lighly trailing the front brake on by light application of 1 finger on the brake leaver kept the front brake nice and sharp in the wet. There was plenty of room behind the leaver for my other 3 fingers.
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Just found a very very small weep at the master cylinder piston looks like a rebuild kit is needed
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Well, if you've got to dismantle the hydraulics anyway, now would be a good time to fit new hoses as well, then the whole system has been sorted. Glad you found the issue!