Question-------------------------
Followup To
Question -
Dumped a 1982 Honda Nighthawk on a gravel drieway
going about 10 mph the front disk brake just locked the wheel. As I sit on the bike now with the handlebars parallel to the gas tank, the front wheel points slightly left, mabye 1/2 inch. When I look across the forks, the right fork appears not to be even with the left from the frame down. It seems to run slightly forward to the wheel. Your thoughts would be appreciated. Can the one fork be straightened? could it be the axel? What would cause the front brake to grab so quickly?
Thanks
Your advice worked perfectly, that was the problem at least with the
alignment. My new question. I inspected the front disc brake assembly,
it was filled with crud, I disconected the brake line and drained the
old fluid, here's the catch, how do I get the new fluid to flow down
into the cylinder. I see a small nipple on the assembly, does that
have something to do with it? Does it have to be filled from the bottom
up, because pumping the brake handle does not send any fluid down
the line. Do I need a special tool maybe?
Thanks so much for the help.
Gary
Gary
Answer -
I doubt the forks are bent. When you do a slow speed crash like that, the handlebars hit the dirt and it twists the relationship of the handlebars, fork tubes, fork clamps and front fender.
Put it on the centerstand, or on blocks to take weight off the front end. Loosen the clamp bolts for the fork tubes on the upper and lower fork bridges. Usually you can just clamp the front wheel between your knees and then twist the handlebars back and forth until you get it back aligned again. The handlebars could be slightly bent from this incident, too.
If the brake self-applied, then the brake caliper should be overhauled, and perhaps the mastercylinder too. You should have nice clear brake fluid in the reservoir. Don't ride it until you get the brake repaired.
Bill Silver
AnswerAny hydraulic fluid system must be free of air. When you opened the brake line, air entered and is trapped in the brake line.
You need to keep the master cylinder filled at all times.
The fitting is used to bleed the air/fluid from the system.
Pump the master cylinder a few times, hold the pressure while you open the brake bleed fitting (attach some clear tubing to it, so it doesn't splash all over the place) and release any air/fluid. Close the fitting and repeat the process over again until you get a firm brake lever pressure. Brakes on bikes are difficult to bleed successfully in many cases due to the small amount of fluid being pushed through on each stroke. Most bike shops use a vacuum bleed system, which can be purchased at most auto parts stores, to draw fluid through the system.
See: http://www.xs11.com/tips/maintenance/maint6.shtml
http://www.motorcycle.com/mo/mcnuts/braketech.motml
Bill Silver
