The CB1100 Community Forum

When I picked up my cycle today, the service manager made a point to tell me that I had been riding the brake lever, causing the rotor to overheat and warp. Really! 500 miles and the rotor warped?

I did not agree nor disagree, just took the warranty paperwork and hauled outta there. When I got home I devised this temporary "training aid" to help me keep my foot off the brake lever. Ideally, i'd like to find a big chunk of solid rubber and glue it onto the foot peg or better yet, find a longer foot peg so I can have more room to park my sz 11 shoe.

Here is a pic of a mod I made to keep my foot off the rear brake lever. Still need to do some cosmetic work and glue the top piece in place.

[url=http://s105.photobucket.com/user/WhiteDog14/media/DSCN5772_zps4z8fjxyn.jpg.html]

Ya know? a couple of times last year, my wife saw that my brake light was coming on when it shouldn't have. I couldn't figure it out at first because I felt my foot was in the proper position. I looked at bunch of things and finally realized that it was my size 11 boot. I made a slight adjustment to my foot position and my son dropped my bike which ever so slightly bent the lever peg forward on the bike. No problems ever since.

Knowing my son, if he read, he'd be asking to get paid for his "mod".

For once my girl sized feet are an advantage!!
Some searching around revealed a thread where a member in May of 13 managed to warp his rotor by riding the brake. Reading that thread was like Deja Vu all over again. Cormanus, that's another Yogi Bera quote...

Have you considered lowering the brake pedal ? Honda has provided this convenient feature to accommodate people of different sizes.

He may be doing it now. I sent him the page from the manual for that a short while ago this morning.

Seriously? 500 miles of dragging the brake is going to warp the rotor? Yes indeed!

Ya, I found out it takes, probably less than twenty miles to warp that sucker if you are riding it. Brakes create a lot of heat in a short amount of time.

I have some big wrenches, I think I took one of the larger pipe wrenches to the pedal and bent it in a bit. You need some hardwood to protect the metal from the teeth.

I've lowered the lever, thanks to the info Popgun sent me. I went a bit too far as the adjusting rod is tight against the brake lever, so I'll readjust it tomorrow.

I tried beating on the lever with a large hammer but could not tell if the lever shape changed or not. Replacement cost seems excessive in the event I were to break it.. I have a couple other ideas I'm gonna try before bending the lever.

Oh no, beating on it is not advised. Something that will give you good leverage (like my pipe wrench) that you can slowly bend that sucker over. If you have a good sized bench with a massive vise (I don't) you could remove the pedal and attempt to modify its' shape in the vise. Perhaps a length of steel pipe - but the front wheel would get in the way. As well as the frame and motor.

But no beating, no torches.

I never did price out a new lever.

Rboe,

On partsfish it was around $85.