Front breaks locking up on me!!!!!

2000 r1 bought wrecked but with no structural damage, mainly farrings and pegs and dented tank. The front breaks are locking up gradualy after 2-3 mins riding till they totally lock up. I have bled the breaks a few times.The bike is lowered and I have re-routed the lines so there are no kinks. The break pads are good and there are no leaks in the line. Any ideas on what would be making me build up pressure like this? I'll entertain any ideas! thanks! (wife of cbibb) Anyone know if rotors are reversable? i have the back on the back and front on front but would it matter if say the front rotor flips from one side to the other would that make a diffrence?

Is the front brake lever damaged or recently been replaced? I ask because if the wrong year lever has been fitted, or a cheap aftermarket copy, that could be the culprit. Sounds like the lever isn't allowing the master cylinder to release all the pressure when it is at rest by allowing fluid back into the reservoir So each time you brake pressure is gradually building up. Or the wrong/damaged lever is constantly pushing slightly on the master cylinder causing drag resulting in heat ultimately locking the wheel.

Is the front brake lever damaged or recently been replaced? I ask because if the wrong year lever has been fitted, or a cheap aftermarket copy, that could be the culprit. Sounds like the lever isn't allowing the master cylinder to release all the pressure when it is at rest by allowing fluid back into the reservoir So each time you brake pressure is gradually building up. Damn good call William (and congrats on the 2000 posts!) :thumbup If you let the brakes cool down and free off, does the front wheel spin freely when it's raised off the ground? The rotors are reversible left-to-right but it's not the best idea to swap worn ones round though. That probably isn't the cause of your problems though...

Damn good call William (and congrats on the 2000 posts!) :thumbup Thanks Marc PS I can't really take any credit for the possible cause, I read it on another Forum a long time ago - Jay posted it I think. :secret:

We think that's exactly the problem!! We bought one off e-bay (aftermarket). He ground the thing down and is about to take it on a ride to test it out. Thank you so much!! Any thoughts on where to get a good lever? Do I have to go to yammaha to get one??? thanks! Sbibb wife of Cbibb

In my experience, the really cheap ones are very hit-and-miss with the quality. You can quite often 'modify' them as you have done but nothing beats OEM or very good quality aftermarket levers. Hope it all work's out for you :thumbup

PS I can't really take any credit for the possible cause, I read it on another Forum a long time ago - Jay posted it I think. :secret: Yeah but you remembered the info and that's what's important. It's more than I can do these days, I just wish I could forget to come to work some days! LOL

We think that's exactly the problem!! We bought one off e-bay (aftermarket). He ground the thing down and is about to take it on a ride to test it out. Thank you so much!! Any thoughts on where to get a good lever? Do I have to go to yammaha to get one??? thanks! Sbibb wife of Cbibb Hope it sorts the problem. I would stick with a Yamaha one or quality aftermarket (I use Pazzo's). You need confidence in your front brake.:rock

In my experience, the really cheap ones are very hit-and-miss with the quality. You can quite often 'modify' them as you have done but nothing beats OEM or very good quality aftermarket levers. Even CRG and Pazzo Racing had issues with their front brake levers. And they are supposed to be 'good' companies. One guy who wrecked his bike was going to sue Pazzo. He had loads of pics showing the difference between the OEM lever and the Pazzo unit. When looking at the side by side, you could see a difference. Suddenly, after the talk of the lawsuit hit the various forums, Pazzo suddenly changed thier design. CRG recalled several levers too. Maybe it really only affected a few bikes, but try telling that to the guy who either wrecked or damaged his bike due to the companies not doing the right amount of R&D. Stick with OEM.

feel free to think in my church, as i pray in your school. Just make sure you do it as quietly as i do. that way neither of us will disrupt the other.

Well after grinding quite a bit of the material away and riding it home for about 30 min. Everything seems to work great! Thanks for the help, and beers are on me if you ever get down this way (although thats a hell of a trip lol!!)

feel free to think in my church, as i pray in your school. Just make sure you do it as quietly as i do. that way neither of us will disrupt the other. :).

I could not help myself :) You can buy an EMGO lever for that bike, and it will work as it should. Will be half the cost of an OEM levar and it's exactly the same.

This happened to me the other day, a Honda lever was in a Yamaha and it caused my bike to lock down after 1.5 miles.... I couldn't get off the right side of the road due to a culvert about 5ft deep so left it was... I made it half through the left lane and the bike came to a dead stop and I couldn't move it, luckily no one was coming at the time... When they started coming I jumped up and down to make them see me and ask the guy if he had a screwdriver :P... Replace your brake lines though, or I would recommend it. After heating up like that they will be more spongy and have a greater chance of bursting one day, you always want stopping power!