Front master cylinder

[Flfuzz]

Greetings,
I had my 2008 Gl 1800 in a shop for tires and brakes. Was told by the mechanic (not Honda certified) that my front master cylinder was "crunchy" and that it would need to be rebuilt. The brake fluid is a honey colored and the brakes work just fine. The bike has a little over 24,000 miles. I have 3 Wings and have never had a master cylinder rebuilt. The 1st one had over 97,000 miles.

Has anyone rebuilt their master cylinder? At what point did you feel it needed rebuilding?

Thank you,
Rory

[WingAdmin]

I generally do it once I start to feel a bit of binding instead of smooth movement. Of course, if it's leaking, that's a given as well.

Rebuilding the master cylinder is really not that big a job. Maybe an hour's work, most of which is cleaning things.

See: How to rebuild your front master cylinder

That's showing the 1100, but they're all pretty much the same.

[newday777]

I have 162,000 miles on my 08 and haven't had to rebuild it yet. Grease the bushings and pull the plunger and inspect it for worn areas. The bushings in the levers get worn and wobbly which can make it feel binding.

[joecoolsuncle]

i have rebuilt many. not so many on those who changed brake fluid at regular intervals. when i bought this 1200 i have now, i hd to rebuild the front, and went ahead and rebuilt the rear because i knew the fluid had been neglected. BTW, that manufacturing company certification means very little. i had stacks of them, its the experience that is of value.

[Flfuzz]

I lubed the bushing on the front brake. Works fine now, nice and smooth. Thanks all for the comments.

[blupupher]

The only times I have rebuilt master cylinders is when they start to leak.
Not really that hard to do, just make sure you put the right seals in the right place facing the correct position.
Biggest issue is if it has been leaking a while, the c-clip can be a real pain to get off.

If the fluid is changed regularly, you should not have to worry about any "crunchies" in the master or calipers.

I actually have my clutch master and slave apart awaiting parts.

[rockford75]

I usually just bleed the Brakes first. I never had to rebuild my Master Cylinder. Bleeding the Brakes has cured alot of Brake problems Ive had. What do you think? How does the bike ride? Whats it feel like to you? Does it stop well and all? In the end its how you feel about riding your bike and how it is mechanicly.