My anti lock non anti lock brake

[the Ferret]

Always felt the rear brake on my CB was a little powerless. Tonight I tried several times to lock it up. Could not do it. At one point I was running down a long straight road at 50 mph, no other vehicles in sight, so I pulled in the clutch and crushed the rear brake pedal. It just slowly slowed me down.

So even though I bought a bike without anti lock brakes, I got one anyway lol

 

[Deanohh_imp]

Might be a different story in the rain or a patch of sand.

 

[ChipBeck_imp]

I've felt the same way about my rear brake and thought it just needed to be adjusted. Do you think this is by design? That rear disc should easily be able to lock the rear wheel even on clean dry pavement.

Chip

 

[Greg_imp]

In the days before I bought my CB1100 I read up on break-in procedures the new bike would need. I've had disc brakes on my cars for many years and thought I understood them fairly well - I was wrong!

There's a variety of opinions on how to best "bed-in" new disc brakes. You can find them with the Google search " Motorcycle disc brake bedding in ".

I read a lot of them and had the most confidence in this one .

Quick summary (but read the references before doing it yourself): The brake system must be heated uniformly to a high enough temperature to burn off the resins from the pads and transfer an even layer of pad material onto the surface of the disc.

(BTW I have non-ABS) I found a two lane road, a couple of miles long that only had long driveways letting on to it. The terrain was flat with few trees so I had good visibility. I did a series of 8-10 fairly hard stops with the clutch pulled in from about 45 or 50 mph down to about 10 mph, immediately accelerating back up to 45 and braking to 10, never coming to a complete stop or locking up the rear. I did this separately for the front and the rear brakes and I did two sets of each.

The rear brake heated up much faster than the fronts because of its much smaller surface area and being out of the direct wind stream. The paint on the edge of the disc turned to ash and the surface of the discs are discolored. I couldn't get the front brakes hot enough to burn off the paint on the edge of the discs but they worked much better than before I bedded them in.

I can easily lock up the rear brake on dry pavement and both front and rear engage gently but can haul me down quickly and smoothly from any speed. They don't make any noise.

 

[Randy B]

I did a minor panic stop tonight on the way home from work and momentarily locked up the rear tire and it surprised me just a tad. It never got outta shape on me though.

 

[the Ferret]

In the days before I bought my CB1100 I read up on break-in procedures the new bike would need. I've had disc brakes on my cars for many years and thought I understood them fairly well - I was wrong!

There's a variety of opinions on how to best "bed-in" new disc brakes. You can find them with the Google search " Motorcycle disc brake bedding in ".

I read a lot of them and had the most confidence in this one .

Quick summary (but read the references before doing it yourself): The brake system must be heated uniformly to a high enough temperature to burn off the resins from the pads and transfer an even layer of pad material onto the surface of the disc.

(BTW I have non-ABS) I found a two lane road, a couple of miles long that only had long driveways letting on to it. The terrain was flat with few trees so I had good visibility. I did a series of 8-10 fairly hard stops with the clutch pulled in from about 45 or 50 mph down to about 10 mph, immediately accelerating back up to 45 and braking to 10, never coming to a complete stop or locking up the rear. I did this separately for the front and the rear brakes and I did two sets of each.

The rear brake heated up much faster than the fronts because of its much smaller surface area and being out of the direct wind stream. The paint on the edge of the disc turned to ash and the surface of the discs are discolored. I couldn't get the front brakes hot enough to burn off the paint on the edge of the discs but they worked much better than before I bedded them in.

I can easily lock up the rear brake on dry pavement and both front and rear engage gently but can haul me down quickly and smoothly from any speed. They don't make any noise.

Well after reading your post I went and googled and read a LOT about motorcycle pad break in. Just like oil, filters, tires, and octane ratings, there are certainly a diverse group of opinions out there. Many mirrored yours, just as many said drive it easy just normal use. This included opionions from brake parts manufacturers. Ying yang, synthetic v dino, oem v fram, 87 v 91 lol

All I know is mine are not working as I feel they should ( not nearly as well as the back brake on my ST which I rode last night as a comparative vehicle) and that this bike was not broken in any differently than the dozens I bought before it. So I may just swing by the dealer and talk to my service manager today and see what he recommends.

 

[Lord Popgun]

Ferret,

I thought it was just me and the way it was designed. If your dealer has a solution, please post it and I'll talk to to mine about whatever he says. My dealer is having a grand re-opening tomorrow (new ownership and all) so I'll talk to the service manager and see what he says.

 

[the Ferret]

Apparently at least 3 of us with you, Chip Beck and myself.

I'll head down there in an hour or so ( just took a break from cleaning gutters) and will let you know what he says.

 

[the Ferret]

Ok heres what my service manager said.....

Me: Hi B. J., wonder if you'd have time to test ride my bike?

SM: Your new one? What's the problem?

Me: It's the rear brakes. They don't seem to be working very well. They won't stop me, they will only slow me down, very slowly.

SM: Does it feel like a bleed problem ie: loss of pedal pressure.

Me: No

SM: is there any discoloration in the rotor

Me: No, they just won't bring the bike to a stop, they will only slow it down.

SM: In all likelihood your pads are glazed, they need to be removed, laid on a flat piece of glass covered in sandpaper and glaze removed.

They couldn't do it today or tomorrow. Since I am leaving on a trip with it Monday, I will deal with it when I get back home.

 

[Jayimpalaman_imp]

Ok heres what my service manager said.....

Me: Hi B. J., wonder if you'd have time to test ride my bike?

SM: Your new one? What's the problem?

Me: It's the rear brakes. They don't seem to be working very well. They won't stop me, they will only slow me down, very slowly.

SM: Does it feel like a bleed problem ie: loss of pedal pressure.

Me: No

SM: is there any discoloration in the rotor

Me: No, they just won't bring the bike to a stop, they will only slow it down.

SM: In all likelihood your pads are glazed, they need to be removed, laid on a flat piece of glass covered in sandpaper and glaze removed.

They couldn't do it today or tomorrow. Since I am leaving on a trip with it Monday, I will deal with it when I get back home.

Mine is like that too. I am starting to think they are made that way so the Back end won't lock-up. Jayimpalaman

 

[Deanohh_imp]

Tried it and got a nice little skid out of it.

 

[CA200_imp]

I think everyone should keep in mind that the rear brake only " Helps "
to stop the bike. The fronts do 60-90% of the stopping power.
When I had our store we sold lots of brake pads. New pads can get glazed
but most time they will make more noise when they do.
My rear feels good but I don't use it much. This is the first new or used bike that I have had in the last 15 years that I haven't replaced the pads
right away with my favorite brand. ( DP )
( It might also be because I don't have a display with 100's brakes pads
on it:-/)

 

[the Ferret]

I know CA, but there is a distinct difference between a solid firm brake and an ineffective one. My front brakes are awesome and get most of the work, but my rear brake is truly ineffective, and does little right now to help with the slowing down process. Its good while sitting at a light to keep from rolling backwards. I'll get it figured out.

Wonder how Popgun is making out at the open house.

 

[Lord Popgun]

Well,

It rained so I didn't go. But I'll stop by after work Monday and talk to the service manager.

 

[the Ferret]

I picked up some scotchbrite pads at the grocery tonight. Think I'll hit the rear disc with them tomorrow and see if it makes any difference. If not the pads will have to come out next week when I get back.

 

[the Ferret]

Well I scotchbrighted the heck out of the rotor and went for a test ride. No difference.

 

[Lord Popgun]

Ferret,

I tried that too with no difference.

I talked to the service manager about it. He was interested but his first response was they are designed that way as most braking is done by the front. So we talked some more and he said he would have to ride it to fully see, but he though they should be able to stop the bike. Keep in mind that my bike is the only one they have delivered and have not ridden it. I took it with less than 1 mile on it. They have one more on the floor they are not going to ride.

I told him that I think they are working as designed and built, they just don't work worth a crap. I'm going to call the Honda people about it and see what they think.

 

[ChipBeck_imp]

Well I scotchbrighted the heck out of the rotor and went for a test ride. No difference.

The most likely cause of this is air in the rear brake system. Unless the dealer can find a mechanical failure, I'm going to have mine bled and refilled with fresh brake fluid. The brakes on my Glasair III are hydraulic and unusual attitude flying often introduces air through a vent line and then they feel spongy just like the rear brake of my CB11 does now. I am constantly bleeding the brakes to give them proper feel and bite. The rear brake on my CB has never worked properly.

Chip

 

[Guth_imp]

Just as another data point, no problems to report with my rear brake.

 

[Lord Popgun]

Guth,

Are you saying you can get the bike to stop, from say 35 or 45 mph without using the front brake? Cause I can't. Heck it won't stop it going 10 or 20, although I am going to test it some.