Front Brake Problems

[jraice]

Hey guys, as you may or may not know I am currently riding a "toy" as most of you call it , its a 50cc two stroke Honda MB5... Until I can get a larger bike in a few months.

Anyways the front brake has always given me trouble and I feel as if it is going to effect me far beyond when I sell this bike because I am learning all my techniques now...

Its a small disc brake but from what I hear from other MB5 owners its a pretty solid brake.. Mine feels weaker then my bicycle brake (significantly) and sometimes I feel as if the rear is stronger...

Another problem, after changing the stock (glazed and worn) pads with new ones it has started to squeal unless I give LOTS of pressure...

Today I decided to "blast" the rotor and caliper (didnt remove it from bike) with brake cleaner to get any grease or oil from touching the rotor. For the first 5 miles it felt a little better and didnt make any noise

Within the next 10-15 it came back sometimes and then went back to normal.

The rotor wasnt to dirty but when I hit the caliper a good amount of dark liquid came out after spraying the clear brake clean in.

Thoughts?

I plan to (when I have time) take it all apart again, see how the pads are (glazed etc...), really clean it up (any ideas on things to hit?) and perhaps bevel the leading edge of the pad's a bit, I hear that can help....

Oh and if they are glazed up and smooth, what grit sandpaper or what other abrasive material is recommended to bring them back to life?

[pinky44]

jraice. When you changed the pads did you take the piston out of the caliper and clean the seal groove and the seal, As over time muck can accumalate and cause brake ineficency also the brake lines do perish (if you belive the manual`s,might be worth getting one if you dont have one already) Gives you some hints in the trouble shooting section and info on how to do maintanance. What condition is the disk in, has it reached minimum thickness, does it have grooves ?

As for cleaning the surface of the pads any sand paper will do in a pinch a a file just dont go mad while cleaning as the dust might be toxic.

A way to stop brake squel is to put a thin smear of copper grease on the back of the pads

[Easy Rider]

Originally Posted by jraice

I plan to (when I have time) take it all apart again, see how the pads are (glazed etc...), really clean it up (any ideas on things to hit?) and perhaps bevel the leading edge of the pad's a bit, I hear that can help....

This will be another good learning experience. It's always good to know how to do your own disk brakes.

Your ideas and a couple added here are all good.

It is possible, however, that NOTHING you do will "fix" the squeal. Some brands of pads just squeal with certain rotors.

[jraice]

Ill try the copper grease...

Bike is old but only has 4000 miles, I have not checked rotor thickness but it does have some circular lines I believe...

Lines are 25 years old, but will it cost much to replace them? I plan to sell this thing in 6 months.

Lastly, when I took the brakes apart I squeezed the lever (was totally soft... nothing to push on) and the "piston" came out all the way, I dont know if this helps you guys to help me but pushing it back in took essentially my entire body weight to force it back in...

Im about to go for another ride, Ill see how they feel...

If they are quiet and then get louder into the ride like they did last time, perhaps it has something to do with heat?

Sounds like I need to atleast clean the caliper better, and consider new brake lines... Rotor maintenance might be a little much for how long I plan to keep the bike.

Lastly, pads were Honda brand. On e-bay I have seen some, the company was a three letter initial, believe it was EBC or something along those lines. Would it be worth it to pick up those, perhaps they are a bit higher quality?

[Easy Rider]

Originally Posted by jraice

If they are quiet and then get louder into the ride like they did last time, perhaps it has something to do with heat?

Lastly, pads were Honda brand. On e-bay I have seen some, the company was a three letter initial, believe it was EBC or something along those lines. Would it be worth it to pick up those, perhaps they are a bit higher quality?

Re: Heat. Feel them after a ride. I doubt that there is a heat "problem" but they might sound and act differently when warm.

It's not a matter of quality really as much as it is a matter of "match".
Oddly enough, the OEM parts are sometimes the worst. The fronts on my bike squeal; have since new. Others report the only fix is different brand pads.

Changing pads again would be a last resort.

[jraice]

Thanks guys, I think Ill take it all apart to inspect everything when I get a chance, use some of the copper grease, really clean up all the parts...

And Ill look into new brake lines, at the least Ill bleed the brakes again but after its all flushed Ill pump threw a few more master cylinders worth just to really flush the system out.