Front brake question
 

Hello all! I just got my first bike last week, a 97 F3 :icon_razz:. Everything has been going great so far and it's a blast to ride, everything feels real natural on it (unless I try to turn off the blinker and hit the horn instead or keep switcing from right to left lol) The only thing that's throwing me off a bit is the front brake. If I squeeze a little bit it slows me down some, but if I keep squeezing it doesn't smoothly slow me down. It kinda pops. It's like it has 3 settings, I think it's working, hey there's the ground, and i'm flyyying. Is this normal and something I just need to get used to? It hasn't been a serious issue yet because I leave my self alot of cushion on the road and all my braking has been engine braking and light brakes, but in an emergency when I need to brake hard (I know it's coming) I don't want to lock it up. Thanks!

when you say it pops do you mean you feel a pulsing feeling when you hit the front brake.

No, the lever pulls smooth to where I can barely feel and brakes being applied and then it stops moving. When I squeeze more nothing happens until I really squeeze and then the lever pops and the front end dips way down and I feel like i'm about to slide over the bars. It's like I said before, it feels like I have 3 ways to brake very lite, very hard, or locked. It doesn't pull smoothly from lite to stop, it's hard to explain.

Have a look & figure out what kind of pads you have. If they are the originals & you have a few miles on the clock, they may be worn & your brake system could do with a service. Bleed the system/change of fluid & throw in a set of new pads. There are a lot out there from good makers (EBC are one of my favourites & a great product) & there will be a set of pads to suit your riding style. Since this is your 1st, then an organic compound will serve you well. If your not up to doing a change of fluid, then just go with the pads. (both jobs are straight forward, just patience & a clean working environment)
Every 2nd hand bike I've had gets an overhaul on the basics, plugs,oils,air filter & brake overhaul, all cheap insurance & something less to worry about.

Like Pacemaker said, new brake pads and brake fluid is the best place to start.


Moses

you have ss lines?
jeez i remember when i went to ss lines and the front brake felt like i was gonna go overboard.

fluid, adjusting the lever, making sure the pads are good
also maybe getting some brake cleaner, and cleaning the whole caliper.

are you using the back brake when breaking?
have you considered getting adjustable levers to fit your needs?
*i got some knockoff pazzos for about 50 bucks.

finally, have you considered down shifting to ease the use of the brake?

What you're describing is the classic symptoms of old brake fluid. How does the fluid look in the little site window on the master cylinder ? If it looks brown, the easiest thing to do would be to just flush out the brake fluid with fresh fluid. It's a fairly easy proceedure to do.

Whats the history on the bike ? How many miles ? Did it sit for any amount if time ?

Wow, thanks for the responses! I checked the pads and they don't have much wear on them. The bike has 11k on it, i'm the third owner. The first owner stopped riding it for awhile so he sold it to the guy I bought it from. He said he rode it frequently. The brake fluid is a light brown color and not much air came out when I bled the brakes. The guy I bought it from said the first owner dropped at low speed. The fairing is a little scratched up but the frame is strait, and the more I dig around the bike the more zip ties I find. I sprayed some WD-40 on the brake lever and that helped some, but do y'all think something might have been damaged in the brake system when it was dropped?

In addition to old brake fluid, there is corrosion on the master cylinder. You'll have to disassemble it and then clean it with really fine steel wool. Be sure to clean the piston and cylinder really well. Once clean, reassemble and you should have a nice linear feeling to your front brakes. It probably wouldn't hurt to also check the pistons on the caliper end too. There is probably corrosion at that end of your brake system too.

OK, the brake fluid should be clear, not brown of any shade. When you bled the brakes, did you keep bleeding it until completely clear fluid came out ? You need to flush the fluid until all the fluid in the master cylinder has been replaced and new clear fluid has replaced it. Otherwise you haven't done anything to fix it.