Losing braking power

randomwalk101 · December 11th, 2011, 07:50 PM

I haven't touched my 08 Ninja 250R for about 6 months. Today I was moving to a new house and decided to drive the 600rr and the 250r over to the new place (about 10 mins ride). Amazingly, both bikes fired right up without any carb clog or anything.
Well, the 600rr was fine. But the 250r, my front brake feels like I lost about 30% of the braking power. It was actually a little scarely to ride like that but I took the small roads so all was good.

question is how do I loose brake when I didn't even ride it? I normally do all my maintenance and all so I'm going to fix this issue myself. Honestly, I haven't have much of a chance to look at it more closely yet to see what the heck the problem really is bc of the moving and all. But by glancing at it, the brake pads (OEM) has about 30% left so it's good, fluid is still full...Feeling the front brake, I have a couple drops of brake fluid...Master cylinder is dry. I'm hoping it's not a leak in the caliper. I'm thinking of bleeding the brake again and see if I get the braking power back before swapping out the whole caliper.

Any idea how to approach this?? Thx.

Skippii · December 11th, 2011, 09:18 PM

If you pump the brakes hard, can you see fluid leak out?

KELPHYN · December 11th, 2011, 11:08 PM

Take off your caliber and check to see if maybe one of the pistons seized. Free it up if it has, clean pads and rotor with some brake cleaner. Reassemble and bleed. Cautious road test and hopefully that's it. Something else to check is the front brake line. There was a recall on some 08's on the brake line bracket where it lets the hose rub against the fork tube during compression. Anyhoo good luck, hope it is something simple. Hmmm...maybe just after riding your 600 the brakes just felt weak.

alex.s · December 11th, 2011, 11:45 PM

your brakes need to pee

randomwalk101 · December 12th, 2011, 04:33 AM

Thx. Will try those recommendations. I have ss lines btw. I'm hoping that it's just air in the line although I don't see how air can get in without leaks.

cliff0529 · December 12th, 2011, 07:45 AM

I'd bet you just need to flush your brake system and then bleed it. Brake fluid is hygroscopic and absorbs water, I bet that it's absorbed quite a bit just sitting there over the past 6 months.

Rexbo · December 12th, 2011, 08:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cliff0529

I'd bet you just need to flush your brake system and then bleed it. Brake fluid is hygroscopic and absorbs water, I bet that it's absorbed quite a bit just sitting there over the past 6 months.

bingo!

Nemesis · December 12th, 2011, 09:15 AM

Just FYI -

Quote:

Originally Posted by KELPHYN

Take off your caliber and check to see if maybe one of the pistons seized. Free it up if it has, clean pads and rotor with some brake cleaner. Reassemble and bleed.

This is what happened to me last month riding @ Buttonwillow Raceway. My front wheel would spin only half a full rotation but I still rode it cuz I'm BAD@$$ like that!!

Bad thing about this was that it meant the bike was always on the brakes, so to speak, and I was losing speed in the straights aways & corners.

I just removed the caliper last week & cleaned it and the wheel spun a full two rotations but when I squeezed the brakes one of the pistons had seized and started to leak brake fluid. Leak is probably an understatement.

Tried to clean & loosen the piston with brake contact spray but no go.

alex.s · December 12th, 2011, 09:44 AM

nemesis uses brakes?! i don't believe it.

Nemesis · December 12th, 2011, 12:07 PM

They're required if you want to ride the track. Doesn't mean I use them.

randomwalk101 · December 19th, 2011, 09:22 PM

I bled the brake last weekends but braking power is still the same. I remembered it being a lot stronger than now even after the brake bleeding.

I will prob take the caliper out and clean it and may be bleed again. If still doesn't fix, prob will replace the caliper & master cylinder??

randomwalk101 · December 19th, 2011, 09:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KELPHYN

Anyhoo good luck, hope it is something simple. Hmmm...maybe just after riding your 600 the brakes just felt weak.

Actually this crossed my mind too. I mean I havent ridden the 250 for six months so I couldnt remember how the brake feels like..but a lot weaker than the cbr for sure. I can stoppie with cbr but no way with the 250 like this. I think the 250 brake is stronger before than it is now but am I imagining things here?????? Does the 250 brake using front brake only stops the 250 on a dime or does it glide to a stop at like 25 mph or so??

randomwalk101 · December 21st, 2011, 05:37 PM

Thx to coung_nut letting me taking a quick spin on his bike to confirm my brake issue. Apparently we think the caliper sticks. Will pull it apart & clean. If that doesn't work, I have another used ebay set to swap out.

alex.s · December 21st, 2011, 05:55 PM

by "bled the brakes" do you mean you flushed the system? brake fluid brakes down over time as well as absorbing water. you probably have water in your brake fluid not to mention the state of the brake fluid itself. water is much more compressible than hydraulic oil so you wouldnt be getting all of your compression. does the lever feel the same still? if the lever feels the same as cuong-nuts, you are right its probably a stuck caliper piston. if the lever feels spongey, or you cant pull it to the point that it stops and you cant pull it anymore (and its not hitting your handle bar), then you probably just need new fluids

randomwalk101 · December 21st, 2011, 06:00 PM

Yeah flush but that didnt help. Lever pressure is good...just braking isn't doing it's thing.

alex.s · December 21st, 2011, 06:04 PM

sounds like its time for a caliper rebuild. get new seals too, they are cheap

randomwalk101 · December 21st, 2011, 06:08 PM

Where do you buy it? You have link or part #?
I was thinking if cleaning doesnt work I'd just swap out the whole thing.

alex.s · December 21st, 2011, 07:12 PM

you mean something like this? http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com...50R-Parts.aspx

randomwalk101 · December 21st, 2011, 07:19 PM

Yeah but for the newer gen of course

randomwalk101 · December 24th, 2011, 01:47 PM

I took the brake caliper apart and one of the piston is froze up....damn!!!
I tried to clean etc but no avail. I can push both in but when squeezing the brake, only one fully extended and the other one only comes about 1/2 way.

What now? I don't think there is a rebuilt kit for the new gen available nor do I see anyway to take the caliper apart.

cuong-nutz · December 25th, 2011, 01:52 AM

Soory on the phone out in BFE. If you have the caliPer off you can find a shorter bolt and screw it in place is the banjo bolt. Then clamp down the good piston do it doesnt move. Loosen bleeder screw. Hook up grease gun to bleeder screw. Pump pump away until piston pops off. Clean up grease, replaces seals/boots. And clean up the gunk crud on piston. Etc

randomwalk101 · December 25th, 2011, 10:11 AM

I japped it out with air compressor. The thing looks sparking new/clean inside. Not sure why it ceased up in there. Frustrating.

December 11th, 2011, 07:50 PM	#1
randomwalk101 self wrencher Name: john Location: houston Join Date: Dec 2008 Motorcycle(s): 08 250r and 07 600r Posts: A lot.	Losing braking power I haven't touched my 08 Ninja 250R for about 6 months. Today I was moving to a new house and decided to drive the 600rr and the 250r over to the new place (about 10 mins ride). Amazingly, both bikes fired right up without any carb clog or anything. Well, the 600rr was fine. But the 250r, my front brake feels like I lost about 30% of the braking power. It was actually a little scarely to ride like that but I took the small roads so all was good. question is how do I loose brake when I didn't even ride it? I normally do all my maintenance and all so I'm going to fix this issue myself. Honestly, I haven't have much of a chance to look at it more closely yet to see what the heck the problem really is bc of the moving and all. But by glancing at it, the brake pads (OEM) has about 30% left so it's good, fluid is still full...Feeling the front brake, I have a couple drops of brake fluid...Master cylinder is dry. I'm hoping it's not a leak in the caliper. I'm thinking of bleeding the brake again and see if I get the braking power back before swapping out the whole caliper. Any idea how to approach this?? Thx.

December 11th, 2011, 09:18 PM	#2
Skippii Milkshake Drinker Name: Skippii Location: Richmond, Va Join Date: Aug 2011 Motorcycle(s): 2007 Orange DRZ400-S, 2005 Ninja 250 & Custom Thundercunt Dirt Chopper Posts: A lot.	If you pump the brakes hard, can you see fluid leak out? __________________________________________________ "What a sweetheart."- ninja_sleeper to me

December 11th, 2011, 11:45 PM	#4
alex.s wat Name: wat Location: tustin/long beach Join Date: Sep 2009 Motorcycle(s): wat Posts: Too much. Blog Entries: 5 MOTM - Oct '12, Feb '14	your brakes need to pee __________________________________________________

December 12th, 2011, 07:45 AM	#6
cliff0529 ninjette.org member Name: Cliff Location: Georgia Join Date: Apr 2011 Motorcycle(s): 1999 BMW K1200LT, 2001 Aprilia Falco, 2008 Ninja 250R and a whole slew of dirtbikes! Posts: 64	I'd bet you just need to flush your brake system and then bleed it. Brake fluid is hygroscopic and absorbs water, I bet that it's absorbed quite a bit just sitting there over the past 6 months. __________________________________________________ Georgia Fast Lane

December 12th, 2011, 09:44 AM	#9
alex.s wat Name: wat Location: tustin/long beach Join Date: Sep 2009 Motorcycle(s): wat Posts: Too much. Blog Entries: 5 MOTM - Oct '12, Feb '14	nemesis uses brakes?! i don't believe it. __________________________________________________

December 11th, 2011, 11:08 PM	#3
KELPHYN ninjette.org guru Name: Calvin Location: Quesnel, B.C Join Date: Aug 2009 Motorcycle(s): '08 250R (sold), 2013 300SE Posts: 276	Take off your caliber and check to see if maybe one of the pistons seized. Free it up if it has, clean pads and rotor with some brake cleaner. Reassemble and bleed. Cautious road test and hopefully that's it. Something else to check is the front brake line. There was a recall on some 08's on the brake line bracket where it lets the hose rub against the fork tube during compression. Anyhoo good luck, hope it is something simple. Hmmm...maybe just after riding your 600 the brakes just felt weak.

December 12th, 2011, 04:33 AM	#5
randomwalk101 self wrencher Name: john Location: houston Join Date: Dec 2008 Motorcycle(s): 08 250r and 07 600r Posts: A lot.	Thx. Will try those recommendations. I have ss lines btw. I'm hoping that it's just air in the line although I don't see how air can get in without leaks.

December 12th, 2011, 12:07 PM	#10
Nemesis CVMA #74 WSMC #750 Name: Nemesis Location: On the track Join Date: Oct 2009 Motorcycle(s): All of them Posts: A lot.	They're required if you want to ride the track. Doesn't mean I use them. __________________________________________________

December 19th, 2011, 09:22 PM	#11
randomwalk101 self wrencher Name: john Location: houston Join Date: Dec 2008 Motorcycle(s): 08 250r and 07 600r Posts: A lot.	I bled the brake last weekends but braking power is still the same. I remembered it being a lot stronger than now even after the brake bleeding. I will prob take the caliper out and clean it and may be bleed again. If still doesn't fix, prob will replace the caliper & master cylinder??

December 21st, 2011, 05:37 PM	#13
randomwalk101 self wrencher Name: john Location: houston Join Date: Dec 2008 Motorcycle(s): 08 250r and 07 600r Posts: A lot.	Thx to coung_nut letting me taking a quick spin on his bike to confirm my brake issue. Apparently we think the caliper sticks. Will pull it apart & clean. If that doesn't work, I have another used ebay set to swap out.

December 21st, 2011, 05:55 PM	#14
alex.s wat Name: wat Location: tustin/long beach Join Date: Sep 2009 Motorcycle(s): wat Posts: Too much. Blog Entries: 5 MOTM - Oct '12, Feb '14	by "bled the brakes" do you mean you flushed the system? brake fluid brakes down over time as well as absorbing water. you probably have water in your brake fluid not to mention the state of the brake fluid itself. water is much more compressible than hydraulic oil so you wouldnt be getting all of your compression. does the lever feel the same still? if the lever feels the same as cuong-nuts, you are right its probably a stuck caliper piston. if the lever feels spongey, or you cant pull it to the point that it stops and you cant pull it anymore (and its not hitting your handle bar), then you probably just need new fluids __________________________________________________

December 21st, 2011, 06:00 PM	#15
randomwalk101 self wrencher Name: john Location: houston Join Date: Dec 2008 Motorcycle(s): 08 250r and 07 600r Posts: A lot.	Yeah flush but that didnt help. Lever pressure is good...just braking isn't doing it's thing.

December 21st, 2011, 06:04 PM	#16
alex.s wat Name: wat Location: tustin/long beach Join Date: Sep 2009 Motorcycle(s): wat Posts: Too much. Blog Entries: 5 MOTM - Oct '12, Feb '14	sounds like its time for a caliper rebuild. get new seals too, they are cheap __________________________________________________

December 21st, 2011, 06:08 PM	#17
randomwalk101 self wrencher Name: john Location: houston Join Date: Dec 2008 Motorcycle(s): 08 250r and 07 600r Posts: A lot.	Where do you buy it? You have link or part #? I was thinking if cleaning doesnt work I'd just swap out the whole thing.

December 21st, 2011, 07:12 PM	#18
alex.s wat Name: wat Location: tustin/long beach Join Date: Sep 2009 Motorcycle(s): wat Posts: Too much. Blog Entries: 5 MOTM - Oct '12, Feb '14	you mean something like this? http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com...50R-Parts.aspx __________________________________________________

December 21st, 2011, 07:19 PM	#19
randomwalk101 self wrencher Name: john Location: houston Join Date: Dec 2008 Motorcycle(s): 08 250r and 07 600r Posts: A lot.	Yeah but for the newer gen of course

December 24th, 2011, 01:47 PM	#20
randomwalk101 self wrencher Name: john Location: houston Join Date: Dec 2008 Motorcycle(s): 08 250r and 07 600r Posts: A lot.	I took the brake caliper apart and one of the piston is froze up....damn!!! I tried to clean etc but no avail. I can push both in but when squeezing the brake, only one fully extended and the other one only comes about 1/2 way. What now? I don't think there is a rebuilt kit for the new gen available nor do I see anyway to take the caliper apart.

December 25th, 2011, 01:52 AM	#21
cuong-nutz RIP Alex Name: Cuong Location: Houston, TX Join Date: Apr 2011 Motorcycle(s): '10 250r, '09 265r Posts: A lot. Blog Entries: 2	Soory on the phone out in BFE. If you have the caliPer off you can find a shorter bolt and screw it in place is the banjo bolt. Then clamp down the good piston do it doesnt move. Loosen bleeder screw. Hook up grease gun to bleeder screw. Pump pump away until piston pops off. Clean up grease, replaces seals/boots. And clean up the gunk crud on piston. Etc __________________________________________________ HalfFast Racing Team Serving Greater Houston Area Riders:WFO Riders MotoHouston HPC CMRA Ride Smart Fastline Lone Star Track Days

December 25th, 2011, 10:11 AM	#22
randomwalk101 self wrencher Name: john Location: houston Join Date: Dec 2008 Motorcycle(s): 08 250r and 07 600r Posts: A lot.	I japped it out with air compressor. The thing looks sparking new/clean inside. Not sure why it ceased up in there. Frustrating.

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