rachelefamighetti
New member
can anyone tell me why my front brake pedal is hard to press down. and the bike does not stop good with the front brake. 2006 elec glide thanks.
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front brake pad
- Thread starter rachelefamighetti
- Start date
jonatinho1
New member
If it's your rear brake pedal, might be the bushing. Clean your brake pistons if the bike doesn't stop good with the front brake. Have you bled the brakes at all?
x Twilight x
New member
yes i did bleed it twice thanks i am thinking master cly.
langlois 1-- If your rear brake pedal is hard and the rear brake pads are not activating against the rear brake rotor, you may have a piece of debris stuck in the master cylinder; or an air lock which is compressing air against the flow of brake fluid.
You said you bled the rear brake system twice so it could be you still have air in the system. You could try this:
obtain a clean empty clear bottle or jar and put some clean brake fluid into it.
fit a clean small diameter hose onto the bleed nipple at the rear brake caliper, and run the hose into the jar MAKING SURE the end of the hose stays in the brake fluid in the jar. You can add more fluid if the hose tries to come out of the bottle or jar.
with the correct size spanner slightly open the bleed nipple and press the brake pedal down, and when you get the pedal near the bottom of the stroke (near the footboard) close the bleed nipple then let the pedal return to the 'up' position.
repeat the process again and again until no air bubbles are seen coming from the bottle.
You MUST:
make sure you keep topping up the brake fluid in the master cylinder between bleeds and make sure the small hose stays in the fluid in the bottle or jar.
IF you open the bleed nipple and press the brake pedal down but it doesn't move, then you probably have a piece of debris blocking the master cylinder or in the brake line. If this is the problem, you will need to remove the master cylinder, take it apart, and clear the debris and/or install a rebuild kit in the master cylinder if the piston "O" rings are damaged, OR if it's in the brake line remove it and blow it out with compressed air.
Once you have no blockage, reassemble the system and bleed it as per the method above.
Let us know how it goes.
You said you bled the rear brake system twice so it could be you still have air in the system. You could try this:
obtain a clean empty clear bottle or jar and put some clean brake fluid into it.
fit a clean small diameter hose onto the bleed nipple at the rear brake caliper, and run the hose into the jar MAKING SURE the end of the hose stays in the brake fluid in the jar. You can add more fluid if the hose tries to come out of the bottle or jar.
with the correct size spanner slightly open the bleed nipple and press the brake pedal down, and when you get the pedal near the bottom of the stroke (near the footboard) close the bleed nipple then let the pedal return to the 'up' position.
repeat the process again and again until no air bubbles are seen coming from the bottle.
You MUST:
make sure you keep topping up the brake fluid in the master cylinder between bleeds and make sure the small hose stays in the fluid in the bottle or jar.
IF you open the bleed nipple and press the brake pedal down but it doesn't move, then you probably have a piece of debris blocking the master cylinder or in the brake line. If this is the problem, you will need to remove the master cylinder, take it apart, and clear the debris and/or install a rebuild kit in the master cylinder if the piston "O" rings are damaged, OR if it's in the brake line remove it and blow it out with compressed air.
Once you have no blockage, reassemble the system and bleed it as per the method above.
Let us know how it goes.
Kateyylovee
New member
happy to hear you are on the right track with this problem.
You do not have to use HD brand Dot 5 at all. It can be hard to find elsewhere sometimes as it's quite "HD specific". All I am saying is that it may be easier to find at a HD dealer.
For replacement of the fluid It may be a good thing if you can look through the fluid when the master cylinder is getting low on fluid (not too low) before you flush it through and maybe suck or mop any debris/dirt/rust out of the master cylinder before replacing with new fluid.
When it looks clean, just start flushing it through using the bottle and hose method, and keep filling the master cylinder.
Just a caution-- make sure you do not flush pieces of dirt or rust through the system when you flush through.
You do not have to use HD brand Dot 5 at all. It can be hard to find elsewhere sometimes as it's quite "HD specific". All I am saying is that it may be easier to find at a HD dealer.
For replacement of the fluid It may be a good thing if you can look through the fluid when the master cylinder is getting low on fluid (not too low) before you flush it through and maybe suck or mop any debris/dirt/rust out of the master cylinder before replacing with new fluid.
When it looks clean, just start flushing it through using the bottle and hose method, and keep filling the master cylinder.
Just a caution-- make sure you do not flush pieces of dirt or rust through the system when you flush through.
Danish Deshmukh
New member
sir, how hard is it to replace the rear pads.after i looked real close the rear pads look real thin.the brakes feel better. but not quite right.thanks for all the help.
Under The Bridge
New member
langlois1-- I just "lost" a half a page on how to do this when I tried to submit my reply for some reason....
I can't re-write it today so sorry, I will submit again tomorrow if no one else chimes in with this.
I can't re-write it today so sorry, I will submit again tomorrow if no one else chimes in with this.
Hi again langlois1,
Here is a re-write of the procedure you can use to change your brake pads. Oh yeah-- no need to call me sir- I'm no different than you. :->
1—remove saddlebag from the caliper side of the rear wheel.
2—remove the cover from the rear master cylinder.
3—loosen the caliper brake pad pin bolts, but do not remove.
4—remove the bolts holding the caliper to the frame.
5—while watching the fluid volume in the master cylinder, rock the caliper against the rotor to push the pads back into the caliper. When you do this the fluid will rise so make sure it doesn’t overflow. You may have to remove some of the fluid.
6—once the pads are pushed back into the caliper, remove the pad pin bolts you loosened earlier.
7—you want to do this next step one at a time. Remove one old pad from one side and replace it with a new pad, then remove the other old pad and replace it.. You want to do this one at a time so you won’t have to mess with re-positioning the spring tabs in the caliper.
NOTE: The following torque requirements may not be exact for your model but should be OK for your use. It would be better if you could find out what the requirements are for your 2006 model.
8—once both pads are seated in place tighten the pad pin bolts to 75-102 in-lbs (8.5-11.5 Nm).
9—remount the caliper over the rotor and onto the frame and alternately tighten the bolts to 43-48 ft-lb (58.3-65.1 Nm).
10—press the brake pedal a few times to set the pads against the disc rotor, then check the fluid level and top up if needed.
11—put the bad back on and test ride the bike slowly while using the brake to make sure it’s working properly.
12—don’t make hard stops for 100 miles (160km) or so to condition the new pads to the rotor.
Let us know how it goes.
Here is a re-write of the procedure you can use to change your brake pads. Oh yeah-- no need to call me sir- I'm no different than you. :->
1—remove saddlebag from the caliper side of the rear wheel.
2—remove the cover from the rear master cylinder.
3—loosen the caliper brake pad pin bolts, but do not remove.
4—remove the bolts holding the caliper to the frame.
5—while watching the fluid volume in the master cylinder, rock the caliper against the rotor to push the pads back into the caliper. When you do this the fluid will rise so make sure it doesn’t overflow. You may have to remove some of the fluid.
6—once the pads are pushed back into the caliper, remove the pad pin bolts you loosened earlier.
7—you want to do this next step one at a time. Remove one old pad from one side and replace it with a new pad, then remove the other old pad and replace it.. You want to do this one at a time so you won’t have to mess with re-positioning the spring tabs in the caliper.
NOTE: The following torque requirements may not be exact for your model but should be OK for your use. It would be better if you could find out what the requirements are for your 2006 model.
8—once both pads are seated in place tighten the pad pin bolts to 75-102 in-lbs (8.5-11.5 Nm).
9—remount the caliper over the rotor and onto the frame and alternately tighten the bolts to 43-48 ft-lb (58.3-65.1 Nm).
10—press the brake pedal a few times to set the pads against the disc rotor, then check the fluid level and top up if needed.
11—put the bad back on and test ride the bike slowly while using the brake to make sure it’s working properly.
12—don’t make hard stops for 100 miles (160km) or so to condition the new pads to the rotor.
Let us know how it goes.