93 VFR Brake Question

Hello All...I've had great luck getting help from members on this board in the past, and since I'm stumped, I'll try it again.

I've got a 93 VFR w/31000 miles. (Posted before about a head shake prob...resolved with new tires Rock solid now.)

My question is in regards to the front brakes. They work. Under normal braking conditions like stop and go traffic, there is no issue. Under heavy braking the lever feels notchy. I can't come up with a better word. Same when the bike is stopped...light pressure on the lever gives nice linear resistance...(the harder you pull, the firmer the lever feels) When you pull harder, like you would if someone pulled out in front of you or you were about to flatten the neighbor's dachsund, there a notchy feel to the lever.
Let's say that braking is at 50% before the first notch...After you pull through braking may be 75%. Does that make sense? It is not possible to apply the brakes at 60% because the notchy situation at 50% sends you right to 75%.
There are no leaks. Thinking it could be the pads, I replaced them with OEM pads and nothing changed.
The rear brake is normal.
Lever has same feel when moving as when stopped.

Master cylinder??? Gunk in something???

I used the word notchy a lot...I don't think there IS a notch like you might find in a steering head bearing...it just feels weird and that's the closest word I could think of.

Thanks in advance for your help.

Tracy

 

weird, mine is doing the same, just after i rebuilt the brakes. after i washed my bike it almost went away, so i thought there might be something in the pivot. i figured i just need to grease something.

 

I had also that notchy feeling in front brake. I ordered a master cylinder piston repair kit, and it fixed the front brake.

 

Hi,
Glad to hear the front tire fix worked!
I have no clue about the notch, but I do know that changing all the brake fluid on my 1993 VFR
every Spring has kept the corrosion and sludge build-up from occurring.
I'm still on the original master cylinder and clutch cylinder.

 

no brake repair on a VFR is complete without cleaning and regreasing the slider pins on which the caliper floats !!

 

my manual says do not take those apart unless necessary, but i guess if it feels like that it is.

 

UPGRADE BABY!!! the nissin calipers are fine. its the solid rotors that are not up to par & went to EBC pads. It's a personal opinion but the floating rotors off the CBR seem to help a lot.

 

Timbersnake, my 93 does the same thing, I'm about to rebuild the master cylinder, I'll up date you if this fixes it.

Robert

 

Hey there,

Check the brake lever for notchiness!

I've done a lot of work to my brakes, and what you describe sounds like a worn out brake lever. Yeah, that sounds stupid, but I had the exact same symptoms on my 92 VFR which I bought with identical mileage to yours.

Take out the lever and look at it. The place where it presses against the piston, it's aluminum-to-steel(?) contact, and there's a little bit of sliding action happening during the travel. On mine, I found a shallow notch worn into the piston face - but worse, yet, the otherwise round contact point on the lever had a decidedly flat spot worn into it, and the surface was very rough.

I replaced the brake (and clutch) lever with an aftermarket set at ~$20.00 and added a little lithium grease at the contact point. I haven't replace the piston, yet. I also replaced a slightly warped rotor, replaced the pads, rebuilt the calipers, and bled the fluid - but the new brake lever was by far the single biggest improvement to my brakes. It was also one of the last things I would have thought to check, if I hadn't ridden around my parking lot with helmet off, trying to figure out what was wrong. I finally heard a little creak coming from the lever. It's amazing how bad a worn brake lever will mess up your braking. It "stacks" and gets notchier as you brake harder, so at the point where you need the most feel and control, you have the least.