Hello all,
2003 F4i with almost new pads. I have adjusted the lever in and out to suit my hand size, so I am familiar with that lever adjustment. I recently swapped to some new Galfer SS dual lines and bled everything correctly. I now have much nicer feel at the lever and the bike is better to ride but I have always, since I got this bike, found the lever has to be moved much too far(compared to all my previous bikes) before I encounter any braking force...

At present, I have the lever adjusted so that I can get two finger front lockup without crushing my other fingers on the throttle....just... When I adjust the lever farther away from the bar ( to an uncomfortable distance that makes it difficult to keep my fingers on the lever during fast technical riding), I still seem to need the same amount of lever movement until the pucks engage the rotor... No matter where I adjust the brake lever, it seem like I have to squeeze it almost half it's travel before I get any braking. Is that normal? I'd rather see less 'slop' in the system...have the brake begin to engage with just a little freeplay, not almost half the lever travel. I know I have a good bleed. The brakes are quite firm, not at all squishy...they just don't start working till the lever comes halfway to the bar...every time...no pumping up makes a bit of difference....I know what good brakes feel like and these are good, they just start with a lot of lever travel first.

Is there a way to adjust that or revise a piece to improve the action so that I can get quicker braking without moving the lever a couple of inches each time I want to slow up? I recently replaced the whole mechanism of the brake lever with an OEM Honda one, so it's not a cheap lever from China...The hydraulics seem fine everywhere, the discs look fine and are within spec. Help!

Don Hanson

 

Mine acted similar. Had to pull it half way before it did anything, sometimes crushing my fingers. It felt s little better after a bunch of stops, but not much.

I solved it by bleeding the system over and over. I'd bleed all the air out and it would feel better for awhile, then go back after sitting a week or so. Finally after months of this, I was able to get that stubborn air bubble out. Been good ever since.

 

Well, I go at the bleeders again then. Thanks....This is my first CBR and I thought it might be something like the R.R problem or the CCT problem... "a CBR thing" Stubborn air in the system, I can deal with that now that I know it isn't something 'engineered in'....
Don Hanson

 

Make sure your banjo bolt on the master it tight too. If the crush washers are sealing good, you will never get the air out.