My local motorcycle dealer doesn't work on bikes older than 10 years, so getting my newly acquired "vintage" viffer up and running again has been a challenge. The previous owner hadn't taken very good care of her. Up till now, the only work I had done on a motorcycle was the oil changes. And on my car, I had once changed my brake pads. That's it. I finally got a set of used forks and rotors and a new chain installed. I get around to changing the fork oil, using the guides from the forum, and gotta say "what a damn mess." But the forks feel great - 100% better than before. So I take it out a couple weeks ago in triumph.. or so I thought. Something is still terribly off - it's the brakes. There's no bite and there's noticeable pulsing at low speed. So much for 40 bucks I spent on rotors... hey it was worth a shot, right? Whilst pondering what else it might take to get the brakes up to snuff, I picked up a new set of brake pads and a can of DOT4, which sat around doing not much of anything for the two weeks. The screws that hold the pads in were frozen solid... and I didn't have any plastic tubing to bleed the brake fluid. And the bleeder bolts are also stuck, anyway. I sprayed some WD40 on them all and continued to ponder. I perused the net for a good deal on new rotors and had narrowed it down to new set of EBC's. I put a set of used calipers on my Ebay watch list while I wondered what a big*ss can of worms I was about to open. At the same time I was feeling quite sad at the thought of all the money and time I had already spent and wondering if my motorcycle would ever be rideable at the end of it all. So's finally I lift the front end to see what's really going on. (Now there's a thought, right?) I turn the wheel... it sticks pretty badly. The caliper pistons aren't sticking. I already checked that. So I sit there staring stupidly with a blank look on my face for a good 5 minutes. I turn the wheel again. It's still sticking. This cycle repeats itself a few times. And then it finally dawned on me to do something which is probably "mechanic 101." I loosened the screws and banged on the rotors a few times while turning the wheel and retorquing. Problem solved!?.. Could my numbnutted rotor installation have been the only problem all along? There was a huge, immediate improvement, although still not completely friction free. Maybe if I mated the pads a bit? Excited about my new braking prowess, I gear up for a midnight run around town. I made it about a block before turning back in. The pulsing is completely gone, but the brakes somehow don't feel any bit better. I'm desperate to figure this out. I cruise to 30, pull in the clutch lever to remove any engine braking, and I progressively squeeze the brakes. Pathetic braking, slightly less pathetic braking... have to add a second finger, then Womp! Brakes are there alright! But there's no progression. In the stillness of the night I half hear it, half feel it through my riding gloves. There's a definite "creak." It seems to be coming from the lever, itself. Removing the lever reveals a film of residue that appears to be the stuff that's left after removing old duct tape! Is this really what happens to old grease!? Clean/polish/lube, and wow, what a difference. It's amazing what a sticky brake lever can do to your riding confidence. Backing her into her spot, she absolutely glided (glid?)! Finally, my viffer, along with my riding confidence, is well on the road to recovery. Whew. I guess if installing rotors is "mechanic 101" stuff, the brake lever thing should be "mechanic 1." Oh! Thanks to everyone that helped with my fork and chain questions!
My '96 had the EXACT same problem when I first got it. I thought something was seriously f**ked with the front brakes. I cleaned that pivot point and the mating master cylinder surface, and re-lubed everything, and it's as smooth as can be. As a matter of fact, it was my very first thread on VFRWorld. Makes me all warm inside.:treehugger:
I just looked up yer old post. Yeppers... sounds so familiar. I have more sympathy to those "scammer" mechanics after this experience. I have often suspected them of replacing elephants when the problem is really a mouse. Yet, even with a 5 cent problem right in the palm of my hand, I was already shopping for 300 rotors.
