Riding the Brake Lever

[White Dog_imp]

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.

 

[emptysea]

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".

 

[Lord Popgun]

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...

 

[rocket_imp]

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

 

[Lord Popgun]

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

 

[Motogeezer1949_imp]

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

 

[rboe]

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.

 

[White Dog_imp]

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.

 

[rboe]

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.

 

[Lord Popgun]

Rboe,

On partsfish it was around $85.

 

[White Dog_imp]

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.

With my non-mechanical apptitude it would just be my luck I would pop that sucker in half. Unless I find a longer footpeg or a way to build it up, I'll get my welder friend to add an extension, then paint it with chrome paint. Function means more than cosmetics.

 

[rboe]

Maybe your welder friend can fab one up from scratch, then you have the original unmolested one to put on if you sell it.

 

[White Dog_imp]

Here is my latest idea to avoid riding the brake lever. Maybe I'll get around to shaping the block under the factory peg later. I lowered my brake lever the maximum 1/2" but with the riser I have 3" from top of peg to top of brake lever. If I ride the brake lever now i might as well sell the cycle.

 

[HikerToo_imp]

nobody mentioned foot position in this thread...I've heard others say, and being from a sport bike background, I usually keep my toes or balls of feet on the foot pegs, so my toes do not get near the brake lever.....how are you guys sitting, where is your foot placed on the peg, on the arch??

 

[emptysea]

Good catch, Hiker. I should have mentioned that, in my case, foot position was definitely ad contributing factor. I usually have the balls of my feet on the pegs when riding on curvy roads, but on longer trips, I sometimes move my feet forward to get comfortable. I figured out that my wife was seeing my brake light mostly on the long, straight stretches of a ride. After figuring that out, I usually just rest my heal on the peg on that side for a minute or two with my toe raised slightly to avoid hitting the brake lever.

 

[White Dog_imp]

Here is my latest idea to avoid riding the brake lever. Maybe I'll get around to shaping the block under the factory peg later. I lowered my brake lever the maximum 1/2" but with the riser I have 3" from top of peg to top of brake lever. If I ride the brake lever now i might as well sell the cycle.

I'm thinking I might put another block of rubber on top of the other and do away with the Honda cover. I found some old bedliner with nubs on the backside so that should give my shoe some gripping power. Gorilla glue should do the trick to mate both blocks of rubber as well as the bedliner.

 

[rboe]

worth a try for sure.

 

[emptysea]

I honestly think you'll be fine if you just try to not ride the brake. Being conscious of the problem will probably solve the problem in this case. If you have the opportunity, go for a couple of longish rides with someone else so they can see if your brake light goes on at seemingly inappropriate times. You'll get it figured out by habit rather than by modification. BTW, I have the same size foot as you and I was able to change my habit.

 

[gossman_imp]

I scoot my size 13's back to the ball of the foot and this keeps my clodhoppers from riding the brake

 

[White Dog_imp]

I honestly think you'll be fine if you just try to not ride the brake. Being conscious of the problem will probably solve the problem in this case. If you have the opportunity, go for a couple of longish rides with someone else so they can see if your brake light goes on at seemingly inappropriate times. You'll get it figured out by habit rather than by modification. BTW, I have the same size foot as you and I was able to change my habit.

You don't know my wondering brain. It is constantly in motion and difficult to focus for any length of time. Not to say I can learn a new habit but it takes me awhile to do that.

I have made a point, OTOH, to constantly look at the clearance between the rotor and caliper. That's a dead giveaway of brake riding if those two pieces of steel get closer together. Before you know it, a groove will appear in the rotor indicating it is warping IF you ride the brake.