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Boru posted:Doing a little work on my '81 CX500c today You do have brake pads on both sides of that rotor don't you? Weren't you having problems with the piston popping out of the caliper? I'd disassemble everything and make sure nothing is bound or damaged and the piston isn't hosed up.
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Jul 21, 2012 20:07
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I am trying to change my brake fluid on my 2002 Ninja 250, and now I have zero pressure in my front brakes. What I did 1. Opened the front reservoir and cleaned it out of brake fluid with paper towels 2. Add new brake fluid in reservoir. 3. Open bleed valve 4. Squeeze lever, watch brake fluid shoot out 5. Close valve, release lever. 6. Repeated steps 3-5 until I started seeing clear brake fluid Result I closed everything up but when I pull the lever, it goes all the way to the handlebars and nothing happens with my brakes. When I open the valve and squeeze the lever, nothing comes out. I can hear it suck a tiny bit of air in, and when I squeeze it shoots air out. But if I keep repeating this, it isn't bringing fluid down to the caliper.
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Jul 21, 2012 20:51
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How quickly are you releasing the lever? It's key to do it slowly (~5-10 seconds) so you don't suck in air through the reservoir.
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Jul 21, 2012 20:57
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blue squares posted:I am trying to change my brake fluid on my 2002 Ninja 250, and now I have zero pressure in my front brakes. It looks like you sucked in air - maybe you didn't close the bleeder fully once. Leave the bleeders closed and loosen the banjo bolt at the master cylinder a bit and try bleeding it there (with the master cylinder cap on). Use a lot of rags as it creates a loving mess but in my experience this step can help get the lever feeling pretty solid. It's much, MUCH better on current bikes that have brembo style MC's where the reservoir is separate as they come with a bleeder on the MC itself. Makes getting the lever rock solid really easy. The other alternative is to just keep on bleeding and bleeding. Try getting wood or a deadblow hammer and tap your calipers as well, this can free up some loose bubbles in there. Don't whack the poo poo out of them though, just some taps on the calipers to dislodge stuck bubbles. Go to harbor freight and get a vacuum bleeder or find some clear tubing that you can use to help prevent air from making its way back into your lines to stop this from happening in the future if possible.
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Jul 21, 2012 21:00
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GnarlyCharlie4u posted:You do have brake pads on both sides of that rotor don't you? Yup, I previously was having piston problems. I pumped the front brake by accident when the engine was off, and I had to dismount the caliper and flush all the fluid to get the piston back in. There is definitely *something* wrong with the front brakes, and I'm going to try to isolate the problem between the caliper and the master cylinder. I am going to see if the piston freezes out when I have the brake tube disconnected at the master cylinder. If the piston does still freeze, then that means it is the brake tube, if it doesn't freeze then my master cylinder is probably seized. I guess a dissassemble and re-lube of the caliper and bracket wouldn't hurt either. Oi. Well at least I caught it. Too bad my speedo bracket and tail signal were collateral damage though!  Lanky_Nibz fucked around with this message at 21:06 on Jul 21, 2012 |
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Jul 21, 2012 21:02
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Internet Meme posted:How quickly are you releasing the lever? It's key to do it slowly (~5-10 seconds) so you don't suck in air through the reservoir. You can't suck in air unless the fluid level is too low.
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Jul 21, 2012 21:04
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I wish I could just take it to the shop now but it's not driveable now of course. So, the banjo bolt? I just loosen and tighten it just like the bleed valve? After that do I need to bleed the valves again? I didn't have a hose because the 5/16 one I had didn't fit. Is it really important to use a proper fitting hose, maybe into a catch container that has some new brake fluid at the bottom?
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Jul 21, 2012 21:16
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Right! I did a front brake piston test to see if I could isolate my problem. First I pumped the front brake to get the piston to extend a little bit. Next I ratcheted on my c-clamp and tried to push the piston back in. As expected, the piston was frozen fast. Next I disconnected my front brake tube from the master cylinder. Fluid went everywhere (I REALLY have to be faster with my catch basin, I threw some dirt over it instead  ). I tried the c-clamp again and, lo and behold, the piston went down with ease. At this rate, seeing as how the piston behaves when disconnected from the master cylinder, I'm looking at a seized master cylinder, huh?
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Jul 21, 2012 22:25
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I finished my brakes. All I needed was a proper fitting tube. Whew.
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Jul 21, 2012 22:44
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Boru posted:Right! I did a front brake piston test to see if I could isolate my problem. First I pumped the front brake to get the piston to extend a little bit. Next I ratcheted on my c-clamp and tried to push the piston back in. As expected, the piston was frozen fast. Next I disconnected my front brake tube from the master cylinder. Fluid went everywhere (I REALLY have to be faster with my catch basin, I threw some dirt over it instead You can't push the piston back in easily in my experience if the system is closed off if that is what you are trying. You need to take the lid off the master cylinder if you want the piston to push back in easily. If your cap was already off you probably do have a stuck master cylinder.
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Jul 21, 2012 23:23
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I just passed my motorcycle test and soon I'm going to pick my bike up from my parents' place a couple of hours away! I'll have to ride it back to my place on the motorway (freeway?) -- any advice to a new rider doing such a thing? I drive on motorways in cars all the time with no problem, but I imagine there's a big difference between a 2002 Toyota Yaris and an unfaired 1982 Honda CB250 RS-A.
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Jul 21, 2012 23:30
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JP Money posted:You can't push the piston back in easily in my experience if the system is closed off if that is what you are trying. You need to take the lid off the master cylinder if you want the piston to push back in easily. Yeah. At this point I'm going to do a tear down of the master cylinder and caliper to see if anything is siezed or broken. Hopefully I can shake out whatever has been sticking up my front brake.
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Jul 21, 2012 23:44
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Mouko posted:I just passed my motorcycle test and soon I'm going to pick my bike up from my parents' place a couple of hours away! Erm, yeah, don't do it would be my advice. Not for safety but for sanity's sake. Motorways are dull in a car but like hell on a motorbike - find a nice A-road instead - almost all motorways will have good-quality A-roads either parallel to them or sometimes taking a more direct route to where you want to go. They're also generally quieter and give lots more opportunity to pull over and grab a drink or just a stretch, a couple of hours on a bike - especially a small one - can be much harder work than you're expecting. In fact on an aging 250 you might have serious problems keeping up with traffic even on NSL A-roads. Make sure you have a good bit of familiarisation - especially of the brakes and turning - before hitting traffic or a quick, unfamiliar road. Anyway the rules are the same on a bike as on a car, just times ten - leave plenty of room, be very aware of your surroundings (including what's going on 5 or 10 or more cars ahead and behind, and two lanes to the side) and - again, particularly as you're not going to be getting near the speed limit - shoulder check before deciding to change lane and then again just before you change. They're called lifesavers for a reason. Even if you are going slowly, make sure you properly own your lane, and be really loving careful overtaking trucks at motorway speeds - make sure you get a good look in their mirrors before starting to pass, stick to the outside half of your lane as you draw alongside, and be ready for the buffeting as you get to the front. Oh yeah, and have fun - and congratulations on the pass 
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Jul 21, 2012 23:59
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Mouko posted:I'll have to ride it back to my place on the motorway (freeway?) -- any advice to a new rider doing such a thing? I, like goddamnedtwisto, would suggest finding an alternate path. Hop on Google Maps and get directions, then click the little "show options" and check "avoid highways". That should direct you along 2-lane highways and frontage roads only -- they're usually much more interesting terrain than the superslab anyway. More stuff to see and more time to take it all in.
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Jul 22, 2012 00:15
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Sagebrush posted:I, like goddamnedtwisto, would suggest finding an alternate path. Hop on Google Maps and get directions, then click the little "show options" and check "avoid highways". That should direct you along 2-lane highways and frontage roads only -- they're usually much more interesting terrain than the superslab anyway. More stuff to see and more time to take it all in. Ya a young friend of mine bought his first bike in London, never having ridden before after he passed his test. He drove it back to Cambridge from London, but he made sure to only take back roads. It took a while but apparently was non-stressful. I recommend you do the same. I didn't find motorways that stressful in England, but if you're doing 80 you'll be getting passed quite a lot. On a 250, that might be stretching it. And the English are chronic tailgaters.
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Jul 22, 2012 02:06
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I like my GS500, but the seat is making my buttocks cry. Corbin used to make a seat for the GS500 pre-2001, and I have a 2005. It seems like my options are limited to general purpose seat covers like the air hawk. Has anyone used one of these, or equivalent? Are they worth it?
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Jul 22, 2012 02:41
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Bah, expressways are safer provided you have a bike that can keep up with traffic. Gentle curves, no intersections, and no tractors popping up out of nowhere!
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Jul 22, 2012 03:38
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Crayvex posted:Bah, expressways are safer provided you have a bike that can keep up with traffic. Gentle curves, no intersections, and no tractors popping up out of nowhere! Don't outride your sight lines  I have heard that there are fewer accidents per passenger-mile on the expressways than on other roads, though, yeah.
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Jul 22, 2012 04:40
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In the MSF course the teach that something like only 1% of accident fatalities happen on highways.
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Jul 22, 2012 05:32
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It's not about dangers on or off the highway, it's about a new rider that just passed the MSF and their comfort and skill level on a tiny little bike.
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Jul 22, 2012 06:01
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I'll be going on my first very long distance ride next week. I normally ride a Ninja 250, I'll be on my dad's wife's Vulcan 500. What should I expect in differences between the bikes and what are some easy things I could do to make the long highway sections more comfortable? I already got a throttle lock.
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Jul 22, 2012 06:52
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Thanks for the advice, guys. I'll look into an alternative route. My 250 should comfortably do the speed limit (70mph) but I know nobody else on motorways does!nsaP posted:It's not about dangers on or off the highway, it's about a new rider that just passed the MSF and their comfort and skill level on a tiny little bike. I rode a 125 scooter for a couple of years and I did all of my other learning on a CB500, so I do have a little experience. Dual carriageways and A-roads are fine, but I expect that motorways are trickier. If I do end up having to take the motorway, I'll do it at night so there's less traffic about.
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Jul 22, 2012 07:39
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Don't do it. That's when the crazies are out. You won't be able to see road conditions and you already said you are nervous about them. Heck, riding at night is something even I try to avoid. ...unless its completely different where you live.
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Jul 22, 2012 12:53
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nsaP posted:It's not about dangers on or off the highway, it's about a new rider that just passed the MSF and their comfort and skill level on a tiny little bike. I thought it was a good idea 
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Jul 22, 2012 15:08
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MonkeyNutZ posted:Wait, so you're telling me I shouldn't ride the Ninja 250 (I plan on getting) 125 miles to school only two days after I finish the MSF?! In fairness, from his language, it sounded like he was in the UK and our testing procedures are quite a bit stricter than yours - he will have spent at least some time, accompanied, on open roads and A-roads, albeit on a much more modern and more powerful bike (not sure what they use these days, it was CB500s and ER-5s back in the day) and would have done A-roads on his test, so it's not that hideous an idea. Like I said, my main concern would have been being bored and way too slow on a motorway, A- and B-roads are much more fun. Although, after a very dispiriting trip to High Beech this morning, I'm beginning to wonder if there's any fun left anywhere...
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Jul 22, 2012 15:20
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LooksLikeABabyRat posted:Has anyone taken the MSF with absolutely no experience whatsoever? My girlfriend wants to learn to ride, but she's never driven a manual car or motorcycle, though she has at least ridden a bicycle. How long to they spend teaching you clutch? Trip report: The first day of class was easy as hell for me. My roommate faired equally well and we both should pass the test at the end of the course today. Girlfriend was dismissed after dropping the bike twice. She actually felt like she was just starting to get the hang of it, and luckily she's not discouraged and plans to take the class again next week. She's going to ride around on my roommate's bicycle in the mean time to refamiliarize herself with two wheeled balance (which I had mentioned before we took the class as a good practice exercise, but she brushed it off)
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Jul 22, 2012 17:00
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I was in the same boat entering the MSF: The most experience I've had riding anything was a bicycle I owned when I was thirteen. Once you get the hang of it it's pretty straightforward though. She'll be fine on the next round.
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Jul 22, 2012 20:12
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goddamnedtwisto posted:In fairness, from his language, it sounded like he was in the UK and our testing procedures are quite a bit stricter than yours - he will have spent at least some time, accompanied, on open roads and A-roads, albeit on a much more modern and more powerful bike (not sure what they use these days, it was CB500s and ER-5s back in the day) and would have done A-roads on his test, so it's not that hideous an idea. Bang on, even to the bikes I learned on, haha. I'm looking into alternative routes. Perhaps I could make a day out of it and ride on some fun roads!
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Jul 22, 2012 20:46
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Xovaan posted:I was in the same boat entering the MSF: The most experience I've had riding anything was a bicycle I owned when I was thirteen. Once you get the hang of it it's pretty straightforward though. She'll be fine on the next round. When I did my CBT (one-day course you legally have to take before allowed to take an up-to-125cc onto the road in the UK) I dropped the bike three times in the first hour. I'd been riding pushbikes almost daily since I was about 4 but my brain just refused to transfer the skill over, it was the weirdest thing. Mouko posted:Bang on, even to the bikes I learned on, haha. Yeah go for it. Just eyeball it on Google - find a road heading in roughly the right direction, follow it until it's not, then find another. You can find all sorts of weird and wonderful roads that way.
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Jul 22, 2012 20:58
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Zool posted:You can't suck in air unless the fluid level is too low. Unless your MC piston seals are shot.
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Jul 23, 2012 16:49
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Why don't you stop stressing and just use one of these
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Jul 23, 2012 16:55
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Or just take the front brake off entirely! Layer Dan knows that it's just something THE MAN makes them put on there anyway, it's a death sentence if you ever use it.
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Jul 23, 2012 17:02
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Boru posted:Doing a little work on my '81 CX500c today. It sounds like you need to take a more thoughtful approach to what you're doing. You can relieve the pressure in a caliper by undoing the bleeder screw and draining the brake fluid, no need to whack at it with a mallet.
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Jul 23, 2012 17:55
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I have a question about saddlebags. I've got a little 250 rebel as some of you may know from the "tell me what bike to buy" thread and I'd like to get saddle bags for it. The bike is (obviously) really small, and I'm concerned about the size of the bags. Is it more important to worry about the mounting hardware or the size of the bags? Would there be a problem with getting bags that essentially cover the rear wheel suspension as long as I can figure out how to make sure that they won't touch the shocks while I'm riding? Mostly asking because I found a pair of leather bags listed on CL for $25, and when I measured I found that if I mounted them right up to the rear turn signals they would definitely overlap the suspension.
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Jul 23, 2012 19:09
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clutchpuck posted:It sounds like you need to take a more thoughtful approach to what you're doing. You can relieve the pressure in a caliper by undoing the bleeder screw and draining the brake fluid, no need to whack at it with a mallet. I think that whack was BEFORE we told him to remove bleeder screw. iirc he was also told to use a c-clamp (with the assumption he'd have removed the bleeder screw first)
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Jul 23, 2012 19:10
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LooksLikeABabyRat posted:I have a question about saddlebags. I've got a little 250 rebel as some of you may know from the "tell me what bike to buy" thread and I'd like to get saddle bags for it. The bike is (obviously) really small, and I'm concerned about the size of the bags. Is it more important to worry about the mounting hardware or the size of the bags? Would there be a problem with getting bags that essentially cover the rear wheel suspension as long as I can figure out how to make sure that they won't touch the shocks while I'm riding? Mostly asking because I found a pair of leather bags listed on CL for $25, and when I measured I found that if I mounted them right up to the rear turn signals they would definitely overlap the suspension. I'm pretty sure this is a common thing with saddlebags. Mine sit on top of my rear spring and I've had no problems.
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Jul 23, 2012 19:13
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I have a question about tire selection. I am buying a 2004 Ninja 500r in fairly good condition, but with tires that have zero tread left. I need new ones, and I'm not sure what to look for. Sizing is 110/70/17 front and 130/70/17 back, and I really need a tire that can handle the conditions the Pacific Northwest (Seattle in particular) throws at riders. Something that will give me appropriate traction in wet or dry condition, and be able to handle occasional crap roads without having traction issues. I am looking at these http://www.bikebandit.com/kenda-k671-cruiser-st-motorcycle-tire due to price point and the reviews, but if anyone has an opinion I'd love some input.
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Jul 23, 2012 19:25
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Zubumafoo posted:I'm pretty sure this is a common thing with saddlebags. Mine sit on top of my rear spring and I've had no problems. Great thanks. I don't know why, but I'm always convinced that if I'm not sure what I'm doing I should ask around lest I blow something up accidentally.
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Jul 23, 2012 19:27
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clutchpuck posted:It sounds like you need to take a more thoughtful approach to what you're doing. Haha, that's the understatement of the year man. I need to have tons more finesse and thought when I work. As stated above: my current work mood is "spastic ape on bath salts." When I tried to remove the caliper it was completely fused on the disk, so I had no way to push the piston in. I guess unless I bled, and pressed the outside of the caliper into the disk to work the piston in? Live and learn I guess.  I'm bummed that my next work day is at least a week and a half away. 
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Jul 23, 2012 21:11
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e: nevermind
Splizwarf fucked around with this message at 14:01 on Jul 24, 2012 |
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Jul 23, 2012 21:26
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