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1100 EVO Front Brake Issue

408 Views 7 Replies 5 Participants Last post by  Beauwulf
Alright people I need some advice regarding an issue I'm having with my front brakes A few weeks ago I took my EVO to a trackday, it performed beautifully and I had a blast and just parked it in the garage afterwards. On Saturday I fired it up to go on ride and when I went use the front brakes and the lever came back to the bar. After another grab the pressure came back and it performed as normal. I decided to continue my ride and see if it would get better but it happened every time. I turned around and came home and parked it. Sooo what do you all think I should look for that would cause this issue?
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When was the last time you flushed the fluid?
What fluid level do you have in the reservoir?
As pads wear out the level will drop.

Fluid might have boiled during the track day and now you have air in the line.

Potential quick fix if your fluid level is not too low: Zip-tie the front brake lever to squeeze the brakes and leave it overnight. Next morning with the zip-tie still on, open slightly the bleeder on the master cylinder to let the air out while having a rag to catch the fluid. I use a tube to see the bubbles. If there was air in the line you will feel the difference.
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Those are classic symptoms of having air (gas) in the system. The gas has probably been created when the calipers got hot during the track day, and the brake fluid 'boiled' which created some bubbles. The problem with the air is that it is compressible, and the first squeeze of the lever compresses the bubbles into smaller bubbles before any movement of the brake pistons occurs. Once you've done that first squeeze the built up pressure in the lines will keep the bubbles small, for a while, and the brakes will work almost normally. But after its been left idle the pressure in the lines will drop again (through a tiny port that connects to the master cylinder called the compensation port that is only open when the lever is fully out) and the bubbles will expand again.
You need to bleed the air out of the system.
Luckily the 1100evo has a bleed valve at the master cylinder banjo bolt, and you can start there.
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Thanks! I'll start with bleeding the brakes and see if it helps.
So I bled the brakes at the master cyl last night and it didn't make much of a difference. The fluid wasn't low and it wasn't a dark color. Do you think I should bleed the brakes at the front calipers now?
So I bled the brakes at the master cyl last night and it didn't make much of a difference. The fluid wasn't low and it wasn't a dark color. Do you think I should bleed the brakes at the front calipers now?
Yes, you need to do the whole system, Start at master cylinder and then LH caliper followed by RH. If as above you've boiled the fluid you'll want to ensure that your bleeding operation ends up flushing the entire system and replacing with new fluid. You will need to start again at the master cylinder.
Also try removing the LHS (from perspective of the rider ie: the clutch lever side) caliper and suspending from a high point on the RHS of the bike, so-as to straighten out the section of brake hose that loops over the front mudguard (fender).
This will allow any air that has accumulated in the high-point of the loop to travel up to the LHS caliper where it can be extracted. Also try lightly tapping the bodies of the calipers with a metallic object (like a small spanner) to help dislodge any bubbles that are 'sticking' to the walls of the calipers.
Before you bleed calipers that have been removed from the rotors try pushing the pistons fully into the calipers as well, that will push out any bubbles that have accumulated in the slave cylinders, then put something firm (like a piece of wood) between the pistons before you start pumping the lever so that you don't end up with the pistons jammed hard up against each other.

cheers, Keef.
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Also, get better fluid (Motul or Castrol) 600 before your next outing. Plan to bleed the brakes with fresh fluid BEFORE you go and at least once a year otherwise with these fluids as they they collect water after a while.
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