Weak front brakes

[1989kawasaki]

Hey guys , ive been having a problem with my front brakes today, when i squeeze the brake lever down it takes too long for the bike too slow down, i strongly believe it is the pads but they have lots left but they are quite old, maybe that is the problem?
oh yeah the brake is bled just fine with a rock hard lever pull feel

[Motorrad]

Hi kxriders , ive been having a problem with my front brake today, when i squeeze the brake lever down it takes too long for the bike too slow down, i strongly believe it is the pads but they have lots left but they are quite old, maybe that is the problem?
oh yeah the brake is bled just fine with a rock hard lever pull feel

How old is the fluid?

Wet in your area?

brake fluid is hygroscopic....    and water doesnt compress...

[1989kawasaki]

freshly bled 2 weeks ago or so, only ridden twice.

it is wet in certain areas but not so much where i was riding.

if you want to see the problem it is at the end of this video below

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XlTpjm3mNvk

[sylvester]

Like Motorrad, the age of fluid will be an issue.
Supposing all the fluid in the master, line and caliper is new, I would take the caliper appart, clean the bore where the pistons ride I think you may find a edge of rust in there, you should also find contaminated fluid in the caliper which needs removed.

[Motorrad]

Like Motorrad, the age of fluid will be an issue.
Supposing all the fluid in the master, line and caliper is new, I would take the caliper appart, clean the bore where the pistons ride I think you may find a edge of rust in there, you should also find contaminated fluid in the caliper which needs removed.

Was the fluid in the Bottle New... or had been opened before?

If you didnt have to Pop the Foil off the top.... get new fluid..

[1989kawasaki]

the foil was removed before i changed the fluid.
should i rebuild the caliper and master? does that mean i have to buy new brake pistons? if so thats going to be a problem cause they are discontinued which is c-rap because they used them on 1994 models. well i guess ill have to look around for a set of NOS pistons . the back brake is the same so that will have to be rebuilt too

[Friar-Tuck]

 Hey 89er,
  It may be less expensive to replace the Whole Mary Ann with a newer model 
 Tuck\o/

[Motorrad]

You do understand what I was trying to say about the foil right?

If the bottle of fluid has sat on the shelf for a while (doesn't take long, even here in California) and had been opened once before... It has water in it. It pulls it out of the atmosphere just Sittin on the shelf in the bottle..

I always buy a new bottle every time I bleed somthing... (the reason they make small bottles).


If I'm just repeating myself I'm sorry.  But couldn't tell if you understood me from your response..



I have had many friends go through what you are because of 1 month old fluid off their chemical bench..  And drop all kinds of $$ rebuilding stuff...


Another thin that helps..   De-glaze the rotors. And pads..

Quick hit with a scotchbright pad on a angle grinder does wonders..

What part of the country you live in again?

[sandblaster]

Hey 89er,
  It may be less expensive to replace the Whole Mary Ann with a newer model 
 Tuck\o/

The only problem with trying to adapt a newer brake to this model is the spacing on the brake mounts is 78mm.
On the next brake improvements they used 61MM spacing and then 102MM spacing.
So, you would have to make an adapter to get anything else to fit, or replace the the forks....
Of course then, you would also have to replace the triple clamps, front axle, and front wheel.....
I have a bunch of this stuff recorded here for the K2.5
http://oem-cycle.com/KAWASAKIKX250BIKEID.aspx
If you can't find a re-build kit anywhere I would contact these guys:
http://www.procycle.us/
Just a thought

[1989kawasaki]

You do understand what I was trying to say about the foil right?

If the bottle of fluid has sat on the shelf for a while (doesn't take long, even here in California) and had been opened once before... It has water in it. It pulls it out of the atmosphere just Sittin on the shelf in the bottle..

I always buy a new bottle every time I bleed somthing... (the reason they make small bottles).


If I'm just repeating myself I'm sorry.  But couldn't tell if you understood me from your response..



I have had many friends go through what you are because of 1 month old fluid off their chemical bench..  And drop all kinds of $$ rebuilding stuff...


Another thin that helps..   De-glaze the rotors. And pads..

Quick hit with a scotchbright pad on a angle grinder does wonders..

What part of the country you live in again?

yes i totally understood what you said - i was rushing to get out the door... i know that brake fluid draws moisture from the moment you open the bottle. i will soon buy a fresh bottle , new pads cause i need those any way and deglaze the rotor just like you said.

i live in toronto canada

[Friar-Tuck]

  I gotcha '89er,
 I also didn't know how difficult it was. (Thanks Blaster)
   I was under the assumption a newer clamp,lever and master bolted right up and you just had to screw in the the line, (Braided stainless preferably! CR style)  & bleed 'em..
        I guess I had just been lucky with my brakes.  Two fingers will lock up the front wheel...
I did put new pads on and like MoRad said scotchbright on the rotors and finish with alcohol spritz...I mean sprayed and wiped down the rotors and pads with plain old rubbing alcohol.   
    Tuck\o/

[1989kawasaki]

thats alright tuck, i have a new set of front brake pads but i stored them improperly and there's some grease on them, are they still usable ? how would i get the grease off? and i will do the scotch brite pad and the alcohol on the rotor and ill see how that goes.

[sandblaster]

  I gotcha '89er,
 I also didn't know how difficult it was. (Thanks Blaster)
   I was under the assumption a newer clamp,lever and master bolted right up and you just had to screw in the the line, (Braided stainless preferably! CR style)  & bleed 'em..
        I guess I had just been lucky with my brakes.  Two fingers will lock up the front wheel...
I did put new pads on and like MoRad said scotchbright on the rotors and finish with alcohol spritz...I mean sprayed and wiped down the rotors and pads with plain old rubbing alcohol.   
    Tuck\o/

You are right about the master cylinder.
I thought you were talking about the entire brake, caliper included.
I have ran into a couple of dirt bikes with a master cylinder from a street bike.
Talk about a light pull.....
Looks a bit dorky but hey, you could put a mirror on it

[Friar-Tuck]

 89er,
 A can of brake parts cleaner should blast off any oil or grease, but glasses and gloves are a must.
 (The Chlorinated stuff is best but it is bad for you!)
  Then after the pads are mounted & bled finish with the alcohol. 
     I reckon there plenty of other things you could use to clean the pads and rotors with, but this works for me.

 Save an old windex bottle or the like to pour the alcohol in
(it's easier to spray, instead of wetting paper towels or rags etc )

The last thing I do before I put the bike away after cleaning is Spray and wipe the rotors also.
  The soap from washing, lubing the chain, wax, etc, will build up and add to the glazing.

 It sounds like a pain in the butt, but after a few times it takes  probably 15 seconds or so per side of wheel.
     Just another part of the Routine.
  Tuck\o/ 

[1989kawasaki]

89er,
 A can of brake parts cleaner should blast off any oil or grease, but glasses and gloves are a must.
 (The Chlorinated stuff is best but it is bad for you!)
  Then after the pads are mounted & bled finish with the alcohol. 
     I reckon there plenty of other things you could use to clean the pads and rotors with, but this works for me.

 Save an old windex bottle or the like to pour the alcohol in
(it's easier to spray, instead of wetting paper towels or rags etc )

The last thing I do before I put the bike away after cleaning is Spray and wipe the rotors also.
  The soap from washing, lubing the chain, wax, etc, will build up and add to the glazing.

 It sounds like a pain in the butt, but after a few times it takes  probably 15 seconds or so per side of wheel.
     Just another part of the Routine.
  Tuck\o/ 

thanks tuck! i will do that when i get my bike back to my house (its at my buddy's house) and wash it all up spotless .
i could be out there for a good 15 mins just spraying the bike cause i dont like having a bike covered with dirt and mud in my garage. i was riding today and when i was blasting down a trail ,i go for the front brake and it takes a good 50  feet to slow down to make the corner (well maybe not 50 ft , it feels like it)