Brake issues

[RammyRR]

I suppose it?s how my brain works. Self taught on riding Inc racing, mechaniching, technology, history etc. My brain sucks up info yet I can?t remember what I ate yesterday. I raced for a good while, 3 years contracted to Honda in British Championship. I also built my bikes and ?lent? them to Hizzy, Foggy etc. Carl?s only win in the world in ?91 was on my bike. Steve H won the Supersport 600 TT on my bike. Helped out lots of well known riders. I train people in TV for Apple, Adobe etc and do a lot of technical support. I?m always thinking when I?m doing something, I look at it and think why has it been designed that way. What the coatings are and can I make it better. I do about 40,000 miles a year on bikes and every time I think about every part of the bike and how it feels and how my riding is. You can ride the same bike in the same weather one day and it feels fantastic, the next day it?ll feel like crap. That?s down to how you feel that day. How you got out of bed. I?ve learnt something every time I?ve ridden in my life. I love working on bikes as much as riding them. Weirdly I couldn?t give a crap about cars. They do nothing for me and I hate working on them. It amazes me what the likes Newton, Archimedes and da Vinci could think of. J

Hey Jamie that?s a great read - high level but humble! Unlike you I?m likely a crap performer on the bike, but as a Chemical Engineer I?m absolutely with you on Newton, Archimedes & da Vinci.

 

[JamieMac]

I know nothing really about chemicals or physics but I do love how the tiniest changes make a big difference. From memory Diamonds have each carbon atom attached to 4 other carbon atoms. Graphite in your pencil, still all carbon but each carbon atom is only attached to 3 carbon atoms. One atom change but a big difference. Even which shell the electron sits in, makes a big difference. God I watch too much TV.... I don?t read apart from bike magazines. everyday is a school day. Quantum physics and universe theories can be in my mind a load of bollocks. Nothing is backed up with proof.
I must sound like a complete knob, but as I said I can?t remember what I ate yesterday and a lot of the time I can?t find the spanner/tool I had in my hand 10s ago and I haven?t moved. Drives me nuts.

 

[ianbullsey]

Is it just a flush thru..or a full change of lines or calipers or M/C?

Hi Jamie, it's a simple change of fluid. Front brakes.

 

[JamieMac]

Sorry for the delay in replying. I?ve been watching the exciting MotoGP. How no one was seriously injured today is a miracle.

Assuming there is no air in the system. The usual practise to be honest. Make sure the M/C reservoir never gets low. Pump thru new fluid to one calliper till clean fluid comes out.(I tend to do the left first as on most bikes it?s the longest line) Then the other calliper. Then I use a large rubber band to tie the front brake lever off overnight to let any air bubbles rise to the top i.e in front of the M/C piston. Then when you release the rubber band, most of any air is sitting by the bleeder valve of the master cylinder. Bleed that. Even with most brake lines having PTFE/Teflon inners to stop air bubbles sticking and tying the lever back to the bar compresses the size of the bubbles so they have less surface area to ?Stick?, gently and quickly ?tapping? the front brake lever whilst the bleed valve is locked off, can get more air out as it gives the air bubbles a ?nudge? and they?ll more likely rise towards the highest point. I?d say BMW are the worst for air in the brake system from new of all the brands. I have no idea why. They do have some complicated routing and metal pipe work in their braking systems, so maybe that?s the reason. Hope that helps, J