Rear Brake pedal Travel?

[91cruzer]

I just installed new pads & bleed the brakes. Pedal is firm But has 1" of free travel. Brakes just seem weak. They are new pads & not broken in. Is it a matter of need to brake them in or a problem? Seems like enough pedal just slow to stop. Calipers were free & not biding.

[MikeB]

The pads need to be broken in to give you good solid friction fit and proper braking.

[Nlmman47]

i have done the same thing but my brake pedal is almost al the way down and i don't have good brakes. i hear my front break make a sound like it is not compressing in al the way. is there a proportional valve in the system? or is it i just need to rebuild my master cylinder. which is a pain to et to...

[91cruzer]

I had same issue until I bled the system. I used a vacuum bleeder. 26.00 at harbor freight. Keep in mind Honda tied one of the front brakes to the rear. So bleed all the way around. It's a pain but a must do. No short cut on this one. Use a tie strap on the bleeder hose to get a tight fit.

[91cruzer]

Also pull the front back a part. Clean & light lube your pad pins. Clean & lightly lube the caliper slides. I light sanded the pins & slides. Wipe off almost any trace of lube.

[Nlmman47]

thanks for the info. i did use a vacuum pump to bleed them and they were in need , real dark fluid. but its all fresh now front and back. but its possible i still have air. but i thought about the cylinder of the caliber, maybe they need lube of some sort, but do you think is the best way to lube it? there is no proportional valve on it right?

[kerravon]

Hello Nimman47. After I rebuilt my front and rear brake callipers, put in new pads, bled the brakes and bedded in the new pads, the brakes now work fine but I also find there is about 1 inch of travel on the rear brake pedal before the brakes really start activating well. Once I push the rear brake pedal more than 1 inch down, I get great braking action. This is my first wing and it feels like I have to push the rear brake pedal further than I am used to with other bikes, so like you, I was also wondering whether this 1 inch of travel was normal. I think it is but I could be wrong.

As far as I am aware, there is no brake proportioning valve on the GL1500 like there would be on a car.

You asked "i thought about the cylinder of the caliber, maybe they need lube of some sort, but do you think is the best way to lube it?". If your question is "do I need to lube the brake calliper pistons before I put them back into the brake calliper?" then the answer is yes they should be lubed with brake fluid when you put them back into the calliper during the rebuild process.

I hope that helps you.

[Drew-wing]

I have the same problem on my 98 as most of you. Tried everything suggested without success to include a new rear master cylinder. THAT was a pain in the keister...

Has anyone tried using a hydraulic conduit press to bend the brake lever shaft up an inch or so between the foot peg and the foot pad? Small bend - test, small bend - test until you're happy. That's my next try...

[plain]

A few months ago I replaced the kit in my rear brake master. Honda calls it "unified" system since the left front on mine is tied into the back. It took a lot of pumping and bleeding AFTER using my vacuum bleeder tool. I was finally able to get some pedal and rode a little. Then, because like you, I wasn't satisfied with pedal height, I bled both front and back again and this time got even more old fluid out. Just vacuuming what comes out easy isn't enough. I have bled a couple of times since and now get new fluid out the bleeder and my pedal is much better.
Now you know Honda isn't going through all this so once when I was doing my clutch slave cyl. I filled the clutch system from the slave cyl. Presto! No more pump and bleed! I'm going to try filling brakes from each slave cyl. next time instead of the master and see how it goes.

[perkinsbe]

It most likely still has air in the front caliper circuit. Use a pop bottle and piece of hose stuck under the fluid. Push alot out. It will come around.

[plain]

I want to add:
If you bleed too long on each pump up you won't move the air bubbles. Even though you held the pedal down till you closed the bleeder, you still must move the air bubbles out and bleeding too long keeps them from moving. Pump, pump, pump, then just open-close the bleeder. This will help move them down the tubing. The front is tough because you gotta climb all the way to the steering neck then back down so lots of room for bubbles. I get a feeling Honda pumps fluid through the open line to sweep out the bubbles then hooks everything up but maybe they do it another way.