Weak front brakes

[1989kawasaki]

if the brake hose is a genuine part from 1989 poss is mullered , if you checked all else , seals in master cylinder ok ,if fluid is not passing out past the pistons , prob hose!! try hel performance hoses , got them on my buell good quality! i take it you have flushed right through with new fluid , bleed nipple seat ok? not been overtightened? i would clean banjo areas and caliper  with brake cleaner  when dry , pump the brakes a few times check areas with dry tissue to see any weeps?? hope this helps

there are no leaks in the system at all..

but if i do need a hose , there is a hydraulic hose place litterally 1 min away from the kawi dealer and they say i can have a custom stainless line made for around $40

now about cleaning...  when i get all the stuff in , should i take the pistons out of the caliper and give them a good clean?
or not?

bleed nipple is A O.K

[1989kawasaki]

finally got the stubborn bolts out . and i can tell ya it was a BI*** to do it.

i had to use the dremel to cut a slot in the head for a flat blade screwdriver , so do that and the slots round out cause it was really tight, so i had to hold the screw driver at an angle and hit it with a hammer a bunch of times then it loosened .
and the bolt had RED locktite on it.

so im glad it came out . so putting on the new rotor will be a breeze... 

[royceymon@hotmail.co.uk]

you can see now why its best to heat and melt the locktite and why i used a drill etc, snap on do a brilliant stud extractor kit ,you drill it (supplied in kit) tap in a spline and then a special nut gos on the spline and just undo it!!! unfortunatley i lost the kit!!! i wouldnt remove the pistons unless you have to technicly its a sealed system so shouldnt have much if any cack in there i would just flush through with lots of clean new fliud and try!!.... not on a fast corner just incase its still not up to much!!

[1989kawasaki]

so i should only clean the part of the pistons that are sticking out? without removing them

[royceymon@hotmail.co.uk]

yep i recon so just make sure with new pads the pistons will be in further so make sure theres no cack on the outside , id claen off with brake cleaner and blow off with an airline

[1989kawasaki]

yep i recon so just make sure with new pads the pistons will be in further so make sure theres no cack on the outside , id claen off with brake cleaner and blow off with an airline

ok i will do that , my brake disc was shipped today (and a bunch of other stuff)

[Friar-Tuck]

 I second that emotion, and don't forget to try an alcohol spritzer!
                  if they start to feel like they are losing their Bite!
    Tuck\o/

[1989kawasaki]

just an update: i got my tusk brake disk in among a few other things, and after just feeling the disk i can tell its a solid well made piece, i hope its the same when its on the bike.

now i have ordered some spoke nipples at the dealer and it should be here wednesday or thursday, so the front wheel will be re assembled when i get those
and i also bought a new bottle of dot 4 brake fluid


i took a couple of pictures




side view

[1989kawasaki]

been a while since i posted in this topic...

well the brakes are still kinda whack, gets scary into the corners

do you think it could be a bad front master? is it true that a honda master would be alot stronger?
if so which year and model of master to get?

[royceymon@hotmail.co.uk]

on my buell i run twin front discs with twin billet 6 calipers ( 12 pistons ) i changed my standard one to the largest front master cylinder you can get from a sports moto guzzi just to get the billets to work correctly.
i would however rather than spent $$$ check out the simple things like hose ,if the lever is adjustable getting max leveridge by adjustment , is the disc run in properly , are the pads standard kawasaki ( bullet proof reliable) seal kit for master cylinder?

[royceymon@hotmail.co.uk]

to be honest the tusk disc looked a bit "cheap" never heard of tusk perhaps its big in the states ? i would have gone for a well known replacement myself , ive got an oversize on the front of mine and its not much better than standard so dont waste your money there!! sorry to slate the tusk just looks like a cheap blank ( bit like cheap diamond blades)

[1989kawasaki]

on my buell i run twin front discs with twin billet 6 calipers ( 12 pistons ) i changed my standard one to the largest front master cylinder you can get from a sports moto guzzi just to get the billets to work correctly.
i would however rather than spent $$$ check out the simple things like hose ,if the lever is adjustable getting max leveridge by adjustment , is the disc run in properly , are the pads standard kawasaki ( bullet proof reliable) seal kit for master cylinder?

no the pads are not OEM . they are some other brand that i cant remember which.

so on ebay there is a set of oem pads for $41 and probably $13 shipping. probably $40 for a master rebuild from kawasaki

and the little screw that is built into the lever is all the way in so its always contacting the piston.
its a magura lever if that matters...

to be honest the tusk disc looked a bit "cheap" never heard of tusk perhaps its big in the states ? i would have gone for a well known replacement myself , ive got an oversize on the front of mine and its not much better than standard so dont waste your money there!! sorry to slate the tusk just looks like a cheap blank ( bit like cheap diamond blades)

the tusk has many many great positive reviews on their site


http://www.rockymountainatvmc.com/productDetail.do?navType=type&vehicleId=433&navTitle=Brakes&webTypeId=30&webCatId=15&prodFamilyId=3135

[royceymon@hotmail.co.uk]

to be honest at this stage i dont think any disk will work wonders ,if it was me i would plumb for a hel brake hose, i wish you were in the uk i would have a look at it for you .
when you pull the lever in just standing still does it go to the bars?? not wishing to offend at all but do you know how to bleed the brakes properly ?? sorry if thats a stupid question !

[1989kawasaki]

to be honest at this stage i dont think any disk will work wonders ,if it was me i would plumb for a hel brake hose, i wish you were in the uk i would have a look at it for you .
when you pull the lever in just standing still does it go to the bars?? not wishing to offend at all but do you know how to bleed the brakes properly ?? sorry if thats a stupid question !

the lever feel is good and no longer goes to the bars.

i am not experienced with bleeding brakes, i think i may of done a somwhat good job this time.. i wonder if it would be worth it to take the bike to the dealer and tell them to sort it out for me 

[royceymon@hotmail.co.uk]

should be a sintch to do yourself, basicly make sure the resivoir is full and does not run out during bleeding ( keep an eye on ) poss even fill up twice or three times .
hose on bleed nipple ,loosen nipple squeeze lever , with still held in do up nipple ( nip up or you will muller it )release lever. repeat process until all cakky fluid has nun through and air bubbles! keep an eye on that resevior you will need to keep toping up or will have to do all over again.
finaly do up tight , do go mad though.
the lever now should be rock solid no where near the bars although saying that if you have strong forearms its still possible to touch the bars , have a visual chech of the hose when you pull the lever if at any point there is a noticable swelling thats your problem.
hope this has helped and not trying to teach you how to suck eggs as it were