Rear Brake Hanging

[the Ferret]

On this afternoons ride I was thinking about this thread and got to thinking about where my feet were in relation to the levers. So I concentrated on being in my normal riding position, was going down the road 55 mph and held the camera out and facing down and snapped these pics

Shift side

[url=http://smg.photobucket.com/user/theferret111/media/CB%20ride%20April%2010%202015%20006_zpslth2fwsp.jpg.html]

brake side

[url=http://smg.photobucket.com/user/theferret111/media/CB%20ride%20April%2010%202015%20004_zps7aemh90y.jpg.html]

Concentrating I could feel my heel was slid up against the rubber on the pegs and it looks as though I splay my feet a bit. I moved my feet to where the ball of my feet were on the rubber and this is what it looked like

shift side

[url=http://smg.photobucket.com/user/theferret111/media/CB%20ride%20April%2010%202015%20016_zpsxxy0sihw.jpg.html]

brake side
[url=http://smg.photobucket.com/user/theferret111/media/CB%20ride%20April%2010%202015%20015_zps4fxnysle.jpg.html]

for reference I wear a size 9 boot

[DAC]

Thanks for the pics. I'll have to watch myself. I tend to ride on the balls of my feet unless I'm in traffic but I'll take a look anyway.

[rboe]

I wear a 10.5 Sidi boot. Tend to point my toes down too. The Sidi is well armored which prevents me from getting a good feel for the pedal. The Tour Masters feel like tennis shoes in comparison. They are a wee bit narrower too, never seemed to have a problem with the those boots; but the Sidi's are easier to walk in and feel safer.

So when I've checked my feet, they are more like your first picture, dang close to the pedal.

[White Dog_imp]

I pledge to use my highway pegs as often as I can in the event I've been riding the rear brake pedal but I don't think I have. You can bet I'll have that foremost in my mind from now on.

[DGShannon_imp]

Thanks for the pics. I'll have to watch myself. I tend to ride on the balls of my feet unless I'm in traffic but I'll take a look anyway.

Must have off-road experience, where that is the norm. After almost 50 years, it is instinct for me, and I don't even think about it. On the balls, ready to lift your butt off the seat in a split second, is critical to off-road survival. Helps on the street when those nasty expansion joints sneak up on you, as well!

[rboe]

I don't, tend to put the foot peg up against the protruding heal of the boot. That could explain a lot in my case.

[White Dog_imp]

Well I got my bike back today with a new rear rotor Honda shipped overnight. I was lucky that the head mechanic did the work. Here are two things I learned and hope everyone can remember.
1. The distance from the rotor surface to the caliper is about .050" with a new rotor.
2. It only takes about 1/4" depression on the brake lever to activate the pads to move tighter onto the rotor. That's not enough to stop the cycle but it is enough to build up heat and eventually the rotor will warp and the caliper will start touching the rotor causing it to bind.
While at the Honda shop today, I asked the Service Manager if the rear brake lever could be adjusted downward and he said they could do it for a fee. So, I politely declined but asked him how they did it. He pointed to this nut and said "turn it to lower the lever." Well I did, but it did not change the height of the lever up or down.
[url=http://s105.photobucket.com/user/WhiteDog14/media/DSCN5765_zpsqusoyjzh.jpg.html?sort=3&o=1]http://s105.photobucket.com/user/WhiteDo...sort=3&o=1
Does anyone know how to lower the rear brake lever?

[White Dog_imp]

Happened to me twice. First time; warranty. Second time I paid.

If you look at the edge you'll see that the black paint has burned off and turned white - light grey. When they pull the disc it will be warped like a cone (only very slight).

After watching myself carefully, with my Sidi adventure boots on my feet tend to dip down a lot, catch the rear brake lever and I would ride with the while applying brake pressure. Naturally this created a LOT of heat. This warps the disc and causes it to bind against the caliper housing.

I eventually ended up bending the brake pedal in a wee bit; and I try very hard to avoid the pedal. This did not happen with my Tour Master touring boots but they feel like slippers compared to the Sidi's. Part of the problem with the Sidi's, they are so robust that I could not feel riding the brake pedal.

Compared to my 650L and Griso, the CB1100 brake pedal sticks out further than I'm used to; too much in my humble opinion. Certainly too much for my inseam, HD boot combo and seating position.

The disc was almost $300, but it's pretty easy to replace. When Honda warrantied the first one my bike was only the second one they had seen do this. Riding the brake was one of the first things I thought of but I'm an experience rider and never caught myself doing that until much later.

Was bending the foot lever a difficult job? Did you have to heat it before bending?

[Lord Popgun]

Well I got my bike back today with a new rear rotor Honda shipped overnight. I was lucky that the head mechanic did the work. Here are two things I learned and hope everyone can remember.
1. The distance from the rotor surface to the caliper is about .050" with a new rotor.
2. It only takes about 1/4" depression on the brake lever to activate the pads to move tighter onto the rotor. That's not enough to stop the cycle but it is enough to build up heat and eventually the rotor will warp and the caliper will start touching the rotor causing it to bind.
While at the Honda shop today, I asked the Service Manager if the rear brake lever could be adjusted downward and he said they could do it for a fee. So, I politely declined but asked him how they did it. He pointed to this nut and said "turn it to lower the lever." Well I did, but it did not change the height of the lever up or down.
[url=http://s105.photobucket.com/user/WhiteDog14/media/DSCN5765_zpsqusoyjzh.jpg.html?sort=3&o=1]http://s105.photobucket.com/user/WhiteDo...sort=3&o=1
Does anyone know how to lower the rear brake lever?

From the manual:
Loosen the push rod joint nut and turn the push rod until the correct pedal height is obtained.

If the brake pedal is adjusted to the lower position, make sure the clearance between the lower end of the push rod and the brake pedal does not fall below 1mm.

If the brake pedal is adjusted to the higher position, make sure the lower end of the push rod is visible inside the joint.

All that from the manual means the threaded shaft, or rod, needs to have some threads showing inside the linkage piece, or at least 1mm clearance with the pedal. Realize there are two nuts, the lock nut, and at the top of the shaft by the rubber boot, a nut you turn to adjust the shaft length.
White dog, if you need a pic of this, PM me your email address and I'll send you the page from the manual. They can't be posted here as they are copyrighted.

[rboe]

I used a big pipe wrench (don't we all have those? ), wasn't all that hard. I did nick the metal with the teeth as I did not choose the protective wood wisely.

It's not bent in all that much, but it seems to have done the trick. I was on the XR650L today, its' brake pedal is tucked in pretty close to the engine - a dirt bike thing I suppose. For both the Griso and the XR I have to really think about twisting the foot over to hit the rear brake if I choose to use it.

I think I looked at lowering the pedal for some reason decided against it.

The comment earlier about riding on the balls of your feet got me to thinking, I noticed on the XR I also tend to put the peg in the slot of the boot in front of the heal. I suspect I have too many years of riding experience to change my habit on this but I'm looking at trying. In any event, it was an eye opening statement and something that was not even on my radar.