Spongy frt brakes, HD says NOT to bleed?

M

Mommy 2 Be(Due 1/25)

New member
Not true.

As these bikes age, the front brake lever will almost always get spongy over time. When you ride a new bike, it's painfully obvious, but because it's a gradual progression we do not notice so much.

The truth is that air in the line "can" cause spongy lever pull, but very often it's the calipers that need to be rebuilt. The seal kits are less then $20 / caliper. It's fairly quick & simple, but it does require a special tool (plate) to pop the pistons out of the calipers.
 
brand new bikes with a few K miles on them dont need brakes rebuilt...
I have seen many post with the same complaints about the ABS brakes being spongy and pump need to pump it up etc. My 2010 FLHX is the same way. They need re bleed..
 
I'd start by bleeding them. You might also check for leaks or bulges in the lines. Another possibility is the master cylinder or caliper.
It isn't normal, that's for sure. Any chance your warranty is about to run out?
 
My new '10 Electra Glide at work (police) has a soft lever the first time you grab it then pumps up after that. I checked with the dealer we lease it through and I have been told that there has been some issues with the '10's with ABS and this complaint. No solid asnwer yet. Not sure if the non ABS bikes have the same issue. It seems like air the way it pumps up after the first pull. If anyone has a solution I am all ears! I would like to hear more about the need of special tools (scan tool) to bled a brake system.

Neil
RDMC
 
Well, here's what I did.....after reading around this forum...I found this tid bit of information. When I bought my 03 EGC, I brought it to my wrench friend who went right for the front brake lever.....squeezed and said "yep,..typical". The lever traveled almost all the way to the grip. He said it was very common and not to worry. Well, I wasn't satisfied with that, so I came here and searched. What I found was a thread referring to this problem.....the problem is because of brake dust/road grime around the caliper pistons. This is not allowing the pistons to travel freely. I just went on a 1300 mile cruise through AZ, NM and CO...before I went, I pulled my calipers and cleaned them with a little brake clean.....re-assembled and they are like new ! Give it a try
 
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