[SurveyorDude]

Kind of a rat. 117,000 miles. I put new brake pads on the front and cleaned the rotor with brake cleaning fluid. There is not a lot of stopping power with the right hand brake lever. I've gravity-bled the line. Does anyone have a recommendation for me?

 

[DaveO430]

Is the lever firm? Have you bled the system? The front brake is only on 1 rotor, left on a 1200 if I remember correctly. What kind of pads did you sue?

 

[SurveyorDude]

They were not OEM pads. The Honda dealer found some that were the correct size. I've thrown the packaging away already.
The lever is not real firm - it goes clear to the handle bar

 

[Sprocketrocket55]

Needs bled or rebuild master cylinder.

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[CrystalPistol]

Yes, on a 1200 the handlebar mounted master cylinder is the left front caliper. The right front caliper is operated by a port on the frame mounted rear master cylinder along with the rear caliper. This is opposite from the 1500. I tried aftermarket pads on my '85, always found OEM to be best in grip … and no blued rotors. If the bike is an Aspencade or ltd or sei,l it has hollow rotors up front, take care of them. I never had a soft lever, but by itself the single front caliper is hard pressed to "whoa" the heavy Wing in a hurry, it takes both hand & foot … best habit is always. A good bleed never hurts.

 

[Bike...and Dennis]

Yeah, first FLUSH and BLEED the system, then use only OEM pads.

 

[redwing52]

Don't forget that the rubber hoses structure gets old and broken down. When you apply the brake then the hose expands rather than push the piston on the caliper out.

 

[Bryanlj]

This bike is 36 years old and the most common reason for brakes not performing properly at that age is being stood up doing nothing allowing crud to build up behind the seal in the groove making the piston too tight to move out or back properly.
Strip down clean with dental piks new seal and piston if corroded or pitted bleed and away

 

[SurveyorDude]

Thank you guys very much. I will get to work.

 

[cihilb]

Gravity bleed will not remove any air trapped in the system You have to pressure bleed it.

 

[bb1040]

Kind of a rat. 117,000 miles. I put new brake pads on the front and cleaned the rotor with brake cleaning fluid. There is not a lot of stopping power with the right hand brake lever. I've gravity-bled the line. Does anyone have a recommendation for me?

Yes bleed the air out..You say it is kind of a rat, at only 117,000 miles ? I have a 1986 GL1200i with 125,000 miles on it and still going strong, in fact I drove it 100 miles yesterday, bought it new in 1986 and put every mile on it myself, the rear brakes seem to wear out faster than the front, and I buy after market pads, by the set, that is pads for every one front and back, they are all the same so that gives me extras for the back, because they wear out twice as fast, I only use my hand brake for holding position when I am stopped at a light or something, the foot peddle operates one front and the back brake. and after driving this bike for 34 years I have learned to use down shifting as I come to a stop, instead just slamming on the brakes when I get to the stop sign.. LOL-- After all these years I have got so I can change all the pads in about a half an hour or so, and she still looks like new, pin stripes faded a little but the rest is still good, even the murals I had painted on it in 1988 still look like new and and I still ride it with the Patriot Guard Riders for vet funerals and escorts , 300 funerals so far and still going...

 

[Bike...and Dennis]

Okay, I have to say something here.

The rear master provides a 30/70 pressure ratio. Meaning only 30 percent of only one front caliper is being used. That leaves 170 percent of the front breaking not being used if you use only the pedal. Add to that the fact that habits die hard, and when you get in a spot and need the brakes, chances are you will not use them to their full effectiveness.

 

[milzlong]

I recently gave my 1984 Interstate to my son. It has over 250k miles on it. It's got it's issues but it still gets down the road.

 

[Sprocketrocket55]

I believe it 70% front 30% rear

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[Bike...and Dennis]

I believe it 70% front 30% rear

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No, I'm pretty sure it's 30 front, 70 rear.

 

[adecood]

I also have a 85 std . it only has 55k on the clock. I am the 3rd owner. And seance I have had the bike I had notice that it didn't break like I wanted. it will never be as good as the new bikes. But you can make it better. Like said for some of the others you should train your self to use the foot brake as the primary and the hand break as the secondary. Like said earlier the hand break only affect the front left rotor.
Anyways back to what I did. I rebuilt all 3 break caliper. And I put new OEM pads on. I also changed the rubber hoses to be steel breaded. And I only use synthetic fluid in the system. I believe that synthetic is better to prevent hydroscopic problems (water in the system) over time. And I vacuum bleed each break caliper to make sure there is no air in the system. And with these changes I would think that you will notice a better breaking system. Like I said earlier not as good as a model bike bike but good enough to squeal the tires under a really hard stop.

 

[DaveO430]

BRAKE, not break.

 

[Sprocketrocket55]

It only makes sense that the front has more brake pressure.
Here

Road Science: Braking Part 4

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[Bike...and Dennis]

BRAKE, not break.

Thank you.

 

[AZgl1800]

BRAKE, not break.

I was going to edit that post, but it is so full of wrong terms, I left it