Should Rear Brake be able to lock up wheels?

[XJSRider]

MAybe a really dumb question, on my other bikes the answer is OF COURSE.

With linked brakes maybe it is different. I have bled and bled and rebled rear master but the pedal still feels a bit soft.

I used a mitivac, sucked from the front then the rear, then pump pump pump HOLD - crack and close bleeder till no more air (at the front), then same thing in back, then back to front and back to rear several times. A tube connected to the bleeder nipple held vertical shows just straight clean fluid, no air bubbles at all.

But even if I stand on rear brake nothing locks up. There is what I would consider (coming from sport bikes) a fair amount of travel in the pedal before it starts pushing back. On the center stand with rear wheel spinning it stops after pushiong the pedal about an inch.

Is this all normal? Looking to put back saddle bags today.... thanks.

[bellboy40]

First off, the brakes on the Goldwing are not going to feel as strong as the sport bikes. They will feel softer. Now with that said, it may be that your rubber brake hoses are expanding causing you not to have good braking. I would look into that aspect of it. Those hoses are getting a lot of years on them now and may be soft. The braided stainless steel brake hoses are kind of expensive and a pain to install, but everyone I have heard of that installed them rave about how much better the brakes feel.

[XJSRider]

I put all stainless lines on when I had the bike apart... They feel better, especially the front, but the rear is still not as tight as I would like. My main gripe is the travel distance of the rear pedal before they start doing anything. I took it out just now to run to Lowes and I feel like they aren't unsafe, maybe I just need to get more used to this kind of thing... like driving a truck vs a miata.

[DenverWinger]

With the linked brakes the idea is to prevent rear lockup. I don't think you are going to get the rear wheel to lock up unless the front is almost to lockup, too and if that were to happen it could be bad.

I have had my rear tire skid just a little in a very hard stop. But that was with the fully loaded camper trailer behind me "pushing" the bike.

[4given]

That amount of brake travel sounds about normal to me. My 96 Aspencade is about the same travel wise. The machine weighs just south of 900 pounds. I don’t recall ever having the brakes locked up but I’ve always been able to stop safely.

[WingAdmin]

I have 100% been able to lock up my rear tire before, under hard braking (braking both foot and hand brake). I don't let it skid for long, I immediately release and reapply the foot pedal, but it definitely does lock up.

I have also locked up my FRONT wheel twice. Once was on a tar snake doing practice panic stops on an MSF Advanced Rider course, the second time was the real thing, at a rural intersection when I realized that cross traffic was going to run his red light and hit me. Both times I recognized it quickly and got off the front brake soon enough to prevent the bike going down, but you have to do it FAST.

I have stainless braided brake lines, front and rear, but yes, the brakes on the GL1500 are more than capable of locking the wheels.

[WingAdmin]

A quick addendum: since I have had the Austone Taxi tire on my 1500, I have NEVER had the rear wheel lock up - it just has so much friction. I suppose it would be possible maybe in the wet (although the taxi tire does have stupendous adhesion in the wet) but I haven't tried it.

[oakback]

I know of a great local tube & hose shop than can make ss lines for a great price, but does replacing them require removing a lot of panels?

[XJSRider]

You need to remove quite a bit. Getting to the rear master is a bear. There is a small hose that goes over the front of the swingarm, just behind the alternator. That one was real fun. Pretty much every panel except the main fairing in front of the pegs needs to come off, the lower panels by foot pegs, both saddle bags, the rear wheel, even the exhaust and collector to get to the rear master all come off.