Front brakes Are Touchy

[davo5791]

I bought a 2nd hand dhz 140, and when i went out for a ride, the front brakes were really touchy and locked up very easily. Can someone give me some advice

 

[TyD]

don't press them so hard... Is it your first bike?

 

[rach88]

http://www.miniriders.com.au/running-gear/14996-video-brake-bleeding-masterspoon.html

Bleed your brakes

 

[mattbombers]

what you using the bike for? and lol when i used to ride on dirt i diddnt use front brakes, bad habbit that was.

 

[davo5791]

Thanks for the advice. This is my 2nd bike. I use front and back brakes, but when i use the front they seem to lock up very easily. Im going to bleed them tomorrow and see how that goes.

 

[rach88]

Have fun First time always takes hours! Make sure you use dot 4 and get EVERY bubble out !

 

[krazed0451]

Have fun First time always takes hours! Make sure you use dot 4 and get EVERY bubble out !

Better yet, don't get any bubbles in!

 

[fusedminis]

If they are locking up its most likely not a bleed issue, you bleed the brakes when they dont lock.

I would be checking the caliper and having a close look at how the "float" bolts are working, there will be two pins that the caliper can move side to side on, maybe its twisting when the brakes are applied, making them jam.

 

[davo5791]

I bleed the brakes, no bubble. I pulled the caliper off and i noticed that the pad are quite worn, could this be the problem. And when i did put them back on they arnt twisted

 

[mattbombers]

pree sure he means when you apply the brakes, the pressure jams them upwards because of the rotation of the disc, making more friction between the float pins and caliper

 

[davo5791]

What ones are the float pins??? Are they are the 2 bolts that release the disc pads??

 

[thump*140]

no, the float pins are the two pins that the caliper slides onto.... the two bolts that release the disc pads are the pad pins, or cotter pins, depending on who you ask..
if you remove the caliper from the fork legs, there are two thick pins that the caliper slides in and out on, so it has some movement when the caliper squeezes...
Out of curiosity, how many fingers do you use when you apply the brakes??
if they're that strong, which is generally a good thing, try using one finger... unless of course, using one finger, they still lock up as soon as you touch them.... then you have a problem...

 

[davo5791]

I use 2 fingers, when i pull the lever in about 1/5th of the way it seems to lock up. Could it be caused by worned pads.
On my other bike i just about had to use 4 finger and pull tightly to lock it up, and thats the way i like it

 

[sean01]

do you know if its always been like this?

might pay to ring ken from dhz.. if all the parts on the brake assembly are still standard then he may have had to fix this in the past on other bikes..

 

[nicko451]

are u sure theres a fault or are the brakes just good? i hear alot of ppl complaining about touchy brakes and i think touchy brakes are good!

 

[davo5791]

Yeah ill give him a ring tomorrow. If they are just good, then i like **** brakes lol haha. 1st ride on the bike, front tire locked up and slid resulting on me falling off lol

 

[davo5791]

Thanks for all the advice, i took the brake pads off gave them a quick sand to get all the **** off, made sure the cylinders were even, and now its great, so thanks everyone for the advice