Have you checked the pins? Could be that the pads/caliper are hanging up on the pins, and then suddenly letting go once the pressure gets high enough. C -- Dr. J. Christopher Krok John Lucas Adaptive Wind Tunnel Caltech MS 205-45, Pasadena, CA 91125> From: Zachariah Mully > Subject: Incredibly crappy rear brakes > > Hey all- > Weird brake problem that I have with both my KLRs and that I've not > been able to fix. On both my A5 and A12 the rear brake is nonexistent > unless you stand on the brake lever, then it simply locks up.
parting out ?
-
- Posts: 1166
- Joined: Wed May 10, 2000 10:33 am
rear brake
-
- Posts: 40
- Joined: Sat Apr 12, 2003 8:57 pm
rear brake
--- In DSN_klr650@yahoogroups.com, Chris Krok wrote:
that I've not been able to fix. On both my A5 and A12 the rear brake is nonexistent unless you stand on the brake lever, then it simply locks up.> > > From: Zachariah Mully > > Subject: Incredibly crappy rear brakes > > > > Hey all- > > Weird brake problem that I have with both my KLRs and
hanging up on the pins, and then suddenly letting go once the pressure gets high enough.> > Have you checked the pins? Could be that the pads/caliper are
... Sounds like the solution. I recently put new pads on both ends and changed the brake fluid. Also checked to be sure the pins at both ends were well greased. Even though the old pads had about 1/4 of their life left, there is a huge improvement in the braking. Well worth the $75 for pads and $3.00 for fluid and 1/2 hour or so. Milt Rudy>
-
- Posts: 7
- Joined: Sat Jan 22, 2005 7:59 pm
rear brake
I have a quick question to anyone patient enough. I've got 6,900 on
my A19 and the rear brake is now squeeking when I use it and it never
has before. I put the bike up on a stand and spun the rear wheel to
investigate. The brake pads sure seem to be gripping the wheel the
entire way round... I know it wasn't doing that before. This is
probably something really simple to adjust... I just don't know how or
what to look for. Please don't spare any details if you will, I have
no mechanical background to fall on. Thanks -Valerie
-
- Posts: 629
- Joined: Wed Sep 11, 2002 3:39 am
rear brake
No adjustments to be made on the brakes.
In my experience when pads start squeaking after many miles, the pads
are worn down past halfway and the resonance of them changes. Also
imbedded dirt in the pads and even lose bolts holding the rotor on the
wheel.
My riding has almost always used up the rear pad before the front, even
being almost a front braker only.
Squeaks and noises are always worth looking into but as I tell friends
a squeaky brake can be perfectly functional.
A dab of goop on the back of a pad can quiet it down.
maybe just a spraying with a can of brake cleaner on the rotor and pads.
My real guess is your pads are nearing the replacement point a 7kmi.
--- In DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com, "ravensval" wrote: > I have a quick question to anyone patient enough. I've got 6,900 on > my A19 and the rear brake is now squeeking when I use it and it never > has before. I put the bike up on a stand and spun the rear wheel to > investigate. The brake pads sure seem to be gripping the wheel the > entire way round... I know it wasn't doing that before. This is > probably something really simple to adjust... I just don't know how or > what to look for. Please don't spare any details if you will, I have > no mechanical background to fall on. Thanks -Valerie
-
- Posts: 837
- Joined: Wed Apr 21, 2004 1:41 pm
rear brake
On Wed, 6 Jul 2005, ravensval wrote:
Kawasaki uses sintered metal brake pads. They tend to be a bit noisy. That said, check the pads and make sure they are not worn out. Kawasaki has specs on minum pad thickness. You can get a caliper from Sears to measure thickness and use that to see, or if it seems to be getting thin, just replace the pads.> I have a quick question to anyone patient enough. I've got 6,900 on > my A19 and the rear brake is now squeeking when I use it and it never > has before. I put the bike up on a stand and spun the rear wheel to
By "gripping", what do you mean? Do you mean they make noise as the disk hits them? Or that they seem to be actually dragging all the way around?> investigate. The brake pads sure seem to be gripping the wheel the > entire way round... I know it wasn't doing that before. This is
Okay, here's the theory. Brake disk pads have no springs to pull them back. Instead, they rely on the fact that all brake disks are slightly warped. The high point on the warp will push the brake pads out a bit. So they should rub at a high point on either side (will not be same point on either side) because that's what shoves them out. Now, there is a complication here. The wheel cylinder is full of brake fluid. If the brake pads are to retract, that brake fluid has to go somewhere. The "somewhere" is back to the reservoir. But there is a master cylinder inbetween the wheel cylinder and the reservoir. This master cylinder has a little hole in it on one end (the end closest to the bottom, where the plunger goes in fron the brake pedal) to let fluid flow to or from the reservoir. When you start pushing down on the brake pedal, the plunger pushes upward, over this hole, and starts shoving the fluid in the master cylinder up into the wheel cylinder, where it then pushes the outside brake pad inwards, which also pulls the inside brake pad inwards since they are on a sliding carrier. As you continue pushing on the brake pad, the plunger continues trying to go upwards, exerting more force upon the brake pads. When you release the brake pedal, the plunger then drops back, and uncovers that hole, and the normal warpedness of the rotor pushes any excess fluid out the hole back into the reservoir.> probably something really simple to adjust... I just don't know how or
The question is whether the pads are being allowed to retract. Check that one first. Remove the rear brake caliper (it is held to the big aluminum bracket with two hex head screws), and make sure it works properly. I.e., that the carrier can move back and forth with ease on its bracket. Lubricate the bracket with brake lube if that is not true, this will cause the inner brake pad to be a bit 'sticky'. Examine the pads for thickness. Try to push the outer brake pad towards the wheel cylinder to push the wheel cylinder back. Half a wooden clothes pin is good here, it will not break the brake pads and you can pry from both sides with the two halves. If you can make more room between the two brake pads, there's no problem with retraction. Put the brake back on (make sure the pads on on either side of the disc!), bolt it down, spin the wheel. It should spin fine. Press the rear brake pedal a few times. There should be some drag. If this is all okay, then your rear brake pads are just being noisy, it's normal, and don't worry about it. If you couldn't seem to pry more space between the two brake pads (note that it won't be a *lot* of space), first try the "if first don't succeed, use a bigger hammer" approach. That's a big C-clamp. If that's not doing it, there's two main possibilities here. The first is that the master cylinder's plunger isn't retracting all the way, thus not allowing that hole to be uncovered. Check to make sure there's not a mechanical problem keeping the plunger from retracting all the way, such as a loose bushing or junk caught in the brake lever keeping it from returning to its normal starting position. Try pulling the brake pedal up and see if it comes up, if so then try lubing the brake pedal shaft (see the repair manual) and see if the spring is present and pushing on th ebrake pedal. Try pulling the plunger down manually and see what happens. The second is that the hole itself is gunked up somehow. That is a harder one, but if there was gunk in the hole, your big C clamp should have made it come loose. So using your new theoretical knowledge of how the brake system works, and the cut-aways that you can find on Kawasaki's site, plus the contents of your Clymer manual, you should have a good start on figuring out what's the problem. Let us know what you find! -E> what to look for. Please don't spare any details if you will, I have > no mechanical background to fall on. Thanks -Valerie
-
- Posts: 837
- Joined: Wed Apr 21, 2004 1:41 pm
rear brake
On Wed, 6 Jul 2005, klr6501995 wrote:
You shouldn't ride the rear brake pedal.> My riding has almost always used up the rear pad before the front, even > being almost a front braker only.
My current set of rear pads have around 8k miles on them. They still have plenty of "meat" on them. By contrast, my fronts have only around 4k miles on them. I'm replacing them as soon as the new pads come in from Fred, because the right hand one (the inside one) is just about gone. These were EBC sintered pads (the thick ones). Granted, many of these miles were highway miles, which are easy on brakes. But rear brakes should still last more than 7k miles if you're not constantly using them. If they're not, you should see about cleaning up your rear disk, it's doing something to chew pads up. -E> My real guess is your pads are nearing the replacement point a 7kmi.
-
- Posts: 321
- Joined: Sun Jun 27, 2004 10:05 am
rear brake
-
- Posts: 7
- Joined: Sat Jan 22, 2005 7:59 pm
rear brake
disk> By "gripping", what do you mean? Do you mean they make noise as the
around? Yes, it's dragging all the way around right now. By contrast, the front wheel just drags in a few places like it's supposed to, and otherwise spins freely. The rear wheel does not spin freely at any point.> hits them? Or that they seem to be actually dragging all the way
that one first. Okay, I'll take the caliper off tomorrow and see what I can learn.> The question is whether the pads are being allowed to retract. Check

-
- Posts: 14
- Joined: Sat Jun 25, 2005 9:44 pm
rear brake
Valerie,
Well I have had a rear brake squeak since about 500 miles. I looked
High and low for anything that would seem out of the norm. So since
being a mechanic I tried a trick I use on automobiles. I took the pads
off and lightly sanded them with 200 grit sandpaper. Installed them
again and they stopped the sgueaking.
My only question is are they squeaking when you apply them or all
the time. If it is all the time you can try to apply dry graphite to
the slides the could be hanging in you a bit. Other than that I can
only come up with the pads have a good amount of metalic compound in
them . That will make them last longer but they do make noise. It is
like metal rubbing metal.
Let me know if this helps.
Don
A19
-
- Posts: 7
- Joined: Sat Jan 22, 2005 7:59 pm
rear brake
Hi everyone thank you for your input about my rear brake squeak. I
bought a hex bit socket set and took the calliper off. The brake pads
seem fine, over 3mm. It seems the annoying squeak must be from what
you described as glazing of the pads and rotor. It's good to find the
answer. I didn't realize how simple the braking system was until it
was in my hands and I was looking at it. I couldn't get the brake
pads out at first, but that turned out to be easy, too. Valerie
Who is online
Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 49 guests