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excessive front brake lever travel

glimmerman said:
thanks but i'm kind of scared about brakes. with 36k on the clock and no response to bleeding, i'll take the hit for piece of mind. if i have to replace every piece to the axle nut, this baby is gonna stop-quick. just a personal quirk. brakes is better'n speed. imo.
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I hear you. I have just been in the same situation on my 04 Roadking a few times. So far, cleaning the pistons gave me the lever back. If yours are anything like mine were about a week ago, it will be obvious why the lever was soft. It becomes that way gradually over time. So you don't really notice until your pulling the lever back to the bar. At least if you get the pistons really clean before the mc you will know were the problem was.

I am intierested to see how it turns out.

Good Luck
 
Excessive travel on front brakes of big harleys is a ROTOR problem! One or both of the front rotors has excessive runout consequently pushing the pads back into the caliper.Easy fix. Jack front wheel up. Attach something,like screwdriver,to fork on each side up against each rotor.Spinwheel and notice if rotor is wobbling side to side.If it is, take a dead blow hammer to rotor and BEAT it straight. Don't be afraid to hit it hard. This might not be the way your friendly harley dealer will fix it-they like to install new parts-but it works. My 2004 ultra never had front brakes untill I got serious with it myself :safter spending lots of money and no results.Harley mechanics want to replace master cyls, pads,calipers,etc,etc, but this back yard approach worked!
 
have swapped places in garage w/ ultra and rk. rk to work area. if mic ing calipers shows plenty of meat then i will proceed to cleaning and do a new m/c. if rotors show more than allowable t i r (total indicated runout) i will replace w/ new. backyard mechanics are great and sometimes you need a bigger hammer. not with brakes. I want to stop and quick.
 
DRAGONTAILJUNKIE said:
Excessive travel on front brakes of big harleys is a ROTOR problem! One or both of the front rotors has excessive runout consequently pushing the pads back into the caliper.Easy fix. Jack front wheel up. Attach something,like screwdriver,to fork on each side up against each rotor.Spinwheel and notice if rotor is wobbling side to side.If it is, take a dead blow hammer to rotor and BEAT it straight. Don't be afraid to hit it hard. This might not be the way your friendly harley dealer will fix it-they like to install new parts-but it works. My 2004 ultra never had front brakes untill I got serious with it myself :safter spending lots of money and no results.Harley mechanics want to replace master cyls, pads,calipers,etc,etc, but this back yard approach worked!
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Say you did not hit a rotor with a hammer to true it?
 
glimmerman said:
Thank you, Jack. sometimes i wonder if i'm sane. your safety rope pulling me back only confirms my beliefs.
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Glimmerman, you can not be too careful with brakes, clean, well lubed contacts like the slider pins and backing plates, I would never try to true a rotor with a hammer,let alone trying to machine one again it can be done I have its just not worth it. If you think you have a bad Master Cylinder, clamp off the front brake hoses slightly , if the lever is still mushy the master is no doubt by passing as you are now not working fluid to the calipers, give it a try see how it works and good luck, Jack:s
 
i'm starting at the calipers and cleaning. then i'll work work my way up to the new m/c. if the run out is outside specs then new parts. i'm planning on
a long return on the ex's retirement account. sorry to be such a nasty person here but the truth is real. i'm all for factory specs. that's why they're there. k.
 
glimmerman said:
i'm starting at the calipers and cleaning. then i'll work work my way up to the new m/c. if the run out is outside specs then new parts. i'm planning on
a long return on the ex's retirement account. sorry to be such a nasty person here but the truth is real. i'm all for factory specs. that's why they're there. k.
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Nasty? When Where? Its all good get that bike to stop good :s
 
thanks. i don't need to feed the worms just yet. wanna see the first grandchild in feb. i'm real on specs. you guys are the top shelf on harley maint. planning on being a quick stopper for awhile. ex may not want it but............. k.
 
Guys, listen.A dead blow hammer will not hurt those rotors.A dead blow is a plastic hammer filled with shot.The rotors are probably only a few thousands out of running true anyway,but it is enought to make you have to pump that lever to get a decent brake.I have great brakes now and have never had a decent brake after pads, master cyl,etc. If you check the runout and it is excessive get new rotors if you desire but make sure ,after installation ,they run true. I just got fed up with the (EDIT) that I would have to LIVE WITH mediocre front brakes on a $28,000.00 bike.

Please read this...

A Friendly Reminder - Harley Davidson Community

 
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