He's A Shee Posted November 4, 2010 Report Posted November 4, 2010 Getting frustrated with my front brakes. Replaced the pads, rebuilt the cylinders, and rebuilt the master cylinder. I'm confident that I put the plunger in the master cylinder correctly, I know this can really cause problems. I've bleed what seems like a gallon of fluid equally between sides, also tried gravity bleeding. Also have lots of grease on the pins, lots of rotor, and correct level of fluid in the resivor. I still can't achieve that right there, tight feelling on the lever. Now they do work quite well, but they are still spongy. The only thing that I haven't invested is bradied lines. Will rubber lines really make them that spongy? Granted they are 10 years old, but still in great asthetic condition. Anything I'm missing here?? I've done many brake jobs on cars/trucks, including new master cylinders, lines, bleeding, pads/shoes, and rotors/drums. All of my automotive brake jobs end up fantastic! I feel like a novice working on this simple system because it doesn't feel like anything is working! I know somone is going to say "get bradied lines", but I'd like to see if I'm just stupid before I go and make an unnessicary investment. Quote
rdzbangshee Posted November 4, 2010 Report Posted November 4, 2010 sounds like stock banshee brakes Quote
He's A Shee Posted November 4, 2010 Author Report Posted November 4, 2010 I suppose you could be right. I wish mine felt like my buddies yfz450's!!!!! Right there right now! What mods can be done? Can you do a swap to the yfz brakes without changing spindles? Quote
crustydemon Posted November 4, 2010 Report Posted November 4, 2010 Braided lines might help a bit , I'm not sure. I like having the fronts a little on the spongy side, kind of like old school antilock. Quote
He's A Shee Posted November 4, 2010 Author Report Posted November 4, 2010 Having a bit of spongy-ness makes sence so you aren't locking them up, but mine are so spongy that if i pull hard enough I can pull the lever back to the grip! Again I bled the lines equally over and over and over. I was just out in the garage (at 8am) thinking about it, I double checked that no lines were kinked or anything. I'm not saying that I want my brakes to feel just like a brand new 450's, I just want to have some lever! Quote
forrest411 Posted November 4, 2010 Report Posted November 4, 2010 Having a bit of spongy-ness makes sence so you aren't locking them up, but mine are so spongy that if i pull hard enough I can pull the lever back to the grip! Again I bled the lines equally over and over and over. I was just out in the garage (at 8am) thinking about it, I double checked that no lines were kinked or anything. I'm not saying that I want my brakes to feel just like a brand new 450's, I just want to have some lever! I use a large syringe with a piece of hose on the tip that fit over the bleeder screw. Just fill the syringe with brake fliud making sure that you get all the air out of it before you attach it to the bleeder. Then with the cap off the master, attach hose to bleeder, open it and fill from each cailper. This will get 100% of the air out of the system. Keep an eye on the fluid level in the master. You may have to suck out some of the fluid so that it doesn't over flow. Quote
He's A Shee Posted November 4, 2010 Author Report Posted November 4, 2010 I use a large syringe with a piece of hose on the tip that fit over the bleeder screw. Just fill the syringe with brake fliud making sure that you get all the air out of it before you attach it to the bleeder. Then with the cap off the master, attach hose to bleeder, open it and fill from each cailper. This will get 100% of the air out of the system. Keep an eye on the fluid level in the master. You may have to suck out some of the fluid so that it doesn't over flow. Very interesting method. Never thought of doing it backwards! I'm eager to try that, now just gotta find a big syringe! Quote
hercalmighty Posted November 4, 2010 Report Posted November 4, 2010 You can swap the stock calipers out for the 450 calipers. They bolt pretty much right up. The only thing you really have to do is either cut the metal shield or remove it. With the 450 calipers and braided brake lines it is like a whole new bike. Quote
He's A Shee Posted November 4, 2010 Author Report Posted November 4, 2010 (edited) You can swap the stock calipers out for the 450 calipers. They bolt pretty much right up. The only thing you really have to do is either cut the metal shield or remove it. With the 450 calipers and braided brake lines it is like a whole new bike. Oh I know just what I'm doing this winter! Do you need to change the master cylinder or the rotor at all? Edited November 4, 2010 by He's A Shee Quote
hercalmighty Posted November 4, 2010 Report Posted November 4, 2010 Nope. I heard the 450 master cylinder is a little better but the major thing is the calipers Quote
sootman73 Posted November 4, 2010 Report Posted November 4, 2010 Have you adjusted the lever at the master cylinder? there is a bolt and jam nut that you can adjust for more or less lever movement.... i've been adjusting mine out to get about half lever until the front tires lock. My pads have been wearing pretty fast since i dont have rear brakes and i got to the point where i could pull the lever all the way back to the grip and be barely stopping. I adjusted the lever and it was much better. try that and see what it does.... Quote
matt1 Posted November 4, 2010 Report Posted November 4, 2010 Could be a bent braket that your caliper rides on. I got my calipers off a 450 and had the same problem. Got to investigating and fount that when the caliper applied it would rock just a little bit and cause be to have spongy lever. Quick fix in the vise with a hammer and now I can almost stand it up on the front tires. 450 brakes are awesome, get rid of the banshee calipers! Quote
forrest411 Posted November 5, 2010 Report Posted November 5, 2010 Very interesting method. Never thought of doing it backwards! I'm eager to try that, now just gotta find a big syringe! I got mine from a pet store for $2.00 Quote
He's A Shee Posted February 3, 2011 Author Report Posted February 3, 2011 Ok, returning to this thread months later... Front brakes still are terrible. Been wrenching on bike all winter and now have it all back together. Fixing up a few odds and ends. I did add the yfz450 calipers, didn't help too much. I can be riding a decent speed, yank the handle all the way back to the grip and the wheels do not lock up. The adjustment on the lever is correct. I noticed when I was installing them that the stock banshee brake lines are a bit smaller than the YFZ's lines. It was obvious by looking at the banjo bolt. Should I try switching to YFZ lines? Obviously they will hook up to the Master Cylinder and the Calipers, but will they bolt right up to the bike? Quote
WINDYCITYJOHN400 Posted February 3, 2011 Report Posted February 3, 2011 Your problem is obviously in the master. Swap that with one from a YFZ450 and You'll more than likely see and end to your issue. Quote
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