Front brakes stuck - ish

Slaanesh

Ok, the brakes still work but it's as if one of the pads is stuck against the disc.

This is only after a minute analysis, I then had to go to work.
The bike is currently in my mates house because I luckily 'broke down' near there.

It seemed to happen after I washed the bike last night, I only got a few miles this morning when it happened. The front started knocking/grinding on something. Put the bike up on the stand and felt resistance when trying to rotate the front wheel.

Is it a simple case of freeing it from the disc?

My knowledge is not good in these situations.

sutty

Sounds like one of the pistons on the calliper have seased. Happens if the brakes aren't serviced and cleaned out. Best not to drive the bike as you might warp the disk as well. Which will be way more expensive to replace

Slaanesh

I was worried that this might be the case, thanks Sutty.
There is a local bike enthusiast, might get him to have a look because there are no bike local bike garages. Would my Aon insurance cover bike recovery in this instance?

madrab

yeah, sounds like one of your calipers are stuck

The easiest way to fix it temporally, BUT I TAKE I TAKE NO RESPONSIBILITY IF IT GOES WRONG, is to get a soft mallet/block of wood & give the outer part of the caliper a light tap, this frees up the piston

What needs to be done is the caliper removed & the pistons pushed out (not fully) so they can be cleaned. Easiest way to clean them is using very very fine wet&dry paper with a fair amount of brake cleaner on the piston so as not to damage the piston

Where is the bike located?

Run_to_da_hills

Just book the bike into a competent bike mechanic who will strip down the components, usually corrosion builds up in the cylinder at the back of the piston especially noticed when you change from worn to new pads

When you replace the pads the pistons are pushed further back into the tight and less used part of the cylinder. This is will not free up again and your bike will always stiff to push. A mechanic will use a brake cylinder hone to clean / smoothen out cylinder. This is not a DIY job as with anything else to with brakes on a bike. .

bushy...

Slaanesh wrote: »

It seemed to happen after I washed the bike last night,

If you power washed it and it happened after that , don't use it until you get it looked at , the power washer can kill the seal in the caliper.
If they are stuck on there is a chance it has split the seal and it is jammed between the piston and the bore in the caliper.
Don't use it at all until you get the brake looked at, it may fail suddenly and splatter you. (almost had it happen b4, seal failed in driveway)


It could just be something preventing the brake lever from returning all the way when you release it ( cheap replacement maybe ?) . What that does is cover the tiny bleed hole in the master cylinder on the bars. Or maybe something is blocking the tiny hole in there ( you can usually see it if you open the master cylinder cover where you put the fluid in and lift the tiny metal plate) ---anyway usually gets worse the hotter they get though.

If it was there all the time, gradually getting worse and you just happened to notice it , the usual thing is dirt and moisture sneak in behind the seals , making them squeeze the pistons too tight , making them stiff.


Either way , it will need new fluid ( brake fluid absorbs water ) and more than likely new seals . The pistons down there are usually plated , once the corrosion breaks through the plating they will quickly die


http://motorcycleproducts.co.uk/catalogue/brakes-brake-calipers-kits-c-108_115.html

Hotblack Desiato

madrab wrote: »

The easiest way to fix it temporally, BUT I TAKE I TAKE NO RESPONSIBILITY IF IT GOES WRONG, is to get a soft mallet/block of wood & give the outer part of the caliper a light tap, this frees up the piston

Risks warping the disc though!

Easiest way to clean them is using very very fine wet&dry paper with a fair amount of brake cleaner on the piston so as not to damage the piston

NEVER use sandpaper on a brake piston. There's no way the seals will work properly unless the piston surface is perfectly smooth. If the pistons are in a bad state and won't clean up with just a soft cloth/toothbrush and brake cleaner, then they need to be replaced and new seals put in.

Pigeon Reaper

Is this a suzuki? Happens the whole time with them. New seals will sort it out if you haven't warped the disc.

omb0wyn5ehpij9

ninja900 wrote: »

NEVER use sandpaper on a brake piston. There's no way the seals will work properly unless the piston surface is perfectly smooth.

Was just about to say the same.

Bring the bike to a mechanic and get him to sort it for you. Definately sounds like the the piston is stuck. It's not an easy fix if you tried yourself to do it and you need to know that your brakes are 100%