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I have a 1984 Honda GL1200I (47K miles) that I bought in Salt Lake City 2 months ago. After I paid the seller, herevealed that the bike sat for 2 years.I unloaded the trailer here in Albuquerque and rode it home. I found the clutch re-engaged after a couple minutes at the stoplight; worse was that the front lever operated left caliper only allowed slow stopping from 3 mph. The foot pedal operated brakes were decent.
I rebuilt the lever operated Master Cylinder, and the clutch master cylinder. I flushed all lines with a pint of DOT4. I took all calipers apart, cleaned them with brake cleaner, and cleaned and lubed the sliding parts. I took the shoes to my mechanic and he said they were OK. I flushed all lines with 16 oz of DOT4. I then bledall lines with 8 oz of DOT4 using a 1 man brake bleeder bottle that prevents air drawing into the bleeder.
The clutch now works OK with a small amount of free play at both ends of lever travel. The pedal operated brakes work OK with a small amount of free play and then a nice firm pedal.
The left front caliper and lever operated MC have not improved after MC and caliper rebuilds, cleaning and lubing slides, and bleeding using 8 oz of DOT4 using my bleeder bottle and alsomy Mityvac (with 4 oz reservoir that maintains a constant vacuum and prevents reverse flow to the bleeder). I tried a steady 20 psi and a steady 10 psi. I always bled the MC 10 times first.
The lever has slight backpressure until 75% of travel; it then gets firm, but I can pull it to the grip with my right hand. I did testing step by step:Iplugged the outlet of the MC; I got only 10% free travel and it developed a FIRM feel. Next, I plugged the banjo at the left caliper; I now got 50% free travel before a good firmness. I could pull the lever to the grip using both hands. With the system reconnected and bled, I got 70% free travel to a good firmness I could pull through with my right hand.
I blame a soft left caliper brake line that is expanding way too much and eating my MC output volume; change from 10% free travel for plugged MC to 50% free travel for MC and plugged left caliper banjo. This is a low volume, high pressure system.
So, I blame the lever MC to left caliper lines for my inability to get decent braking. 2 of my neighbors helped me feel the expansion of the front brake lines just above the calipers. The 3 of us agree the left caliper line is expanding at least twice as much as the right caliper line.My gut thinks it is a bad line. My mechanic thinks it just needspower vacuum bleeding.I disagree because I have bled the system with the 1 man bottle, 2 different Mityvacs, and have used a half galllon of DOT4 on that 1 brake!
I have read several posts where people switched to stainlessto solve their brake problems. Age, flexing, and high pressure swell rubber lines. The bike sat for 2 years.The left front caliper was stuck when I bought the bike; my rebuilding the lever MC increased line pressure and weakened the line.
Comments appreciated. Bob Rust Albuquerque Wineberry GL1200I with 47K miles:shock:
I have a 1984 Honda GL1200I (47K miles) that I bought in Salt Lake City 2 months ago. After I paid the seller, herevealed that the bike sat for 2 years.I unloaded the trailer here in Albuquerque and rode it home. I found the clutch re-engaged after a couple minutes at the stoplight; worse was that the front lever operated left caliper only allowed slow stopping from 3 mph. The foot pedal operated brakes were decent.
I rebuilt the lever operated Master Cylinder, and the clutch master cylinder. I flushed all lines with a pint of DOT4. I took all calipers apart, cleaned them with brake cleaner, and cleaned and lubed the sliding parts. I took the shoes to my mechanic and he said they were OK. I flushed all lines with 16 oz of DOT4. I then bledall lines with 8 oz of DOT4 using a 1 man brake bleeder bottle that prevents air drawing into the bleeder.
The clutch now works OK with a small amount of free play at both ends of lever travel. The pedal operated brakes work OK with a small amount of free play and then a nice firm pedal.
The left front caliper and lever operated MC have not improved after MC and caliper rebuilds, cleaning and lubing slides, and bleeding using 8 oz of DOT4 using my bleeder bottle and alsomy Mityvac (with 4 oz reservoir that maintains a constant vacuum and prevents reverse flow to the bleeder). I tried a steady 20 psi and a steady 10 psi. I always bled the MC 10 times first.
The lever has slight backpressure until 75% of travel; it then gets firm, but I can pull it to the grip with my right hand. I did testing step by step:Iplugged the outlet of the MC; I got only 10% free travel and it developed a FIRM feel. Next, I plugged the banjo at the left caliper; I now got 50% free travel before a good firmness. I could pull the lever to the grip using both hands. With the system reconnected and bled, I got 70% free travel to a good firmness I could pull through with my right hand.
I blame a soft left caliper brake line that is expanding way too much and eating my MC output volume; change from 10% free travel for plugged MC to 50% free travel for MC and plugged left caliper banjo. This is a low volume, high pressure system.
So, I blame the lever MC to left caliper lines for my inability to get decent braking. 2 of my neighbors helped me feel the expansion of the front brake lines just above the calipers. The 3 of us agree the left caliper line is expanding at least twice as much as the right caliper line.My gut thinks it is a bad line. My mechanic thinks it just needspower vacuum bleeding.I disagree because I have bled the system with the 1 man bottle, 2 different Mityvacs, and have used a half galllon of DOT4 on that 1 brake!
I have read several posts where people switched to stainlessto solve their brake problems. Age, flexing, and high pressure swell rubber lines. The bike sat for 2 years.The left front caliper was stuck when I bought the bike; my rebuilding the lever MC increased line pressure and weakened the line.
Comments appreciated. Bob Rust Albuquerque Wineberry GL1200I with 47K miles:shock: