Motorcycle Brakes For Brakes
Mathias Schnudbiergur
As essential as motorcycle brakes are to the health and well-being of the motorcyclist, their care and maintenance is often neglected by amateur bikers. Most bikes today feature disc brakes both in the back and the front. Although some older bike models may even feature a different kind of brake on the rear wheel, such as a drum brake, by far the vast majority still have a disc brake up front. What kind of brakes does your bike have?
Here’s how to tell if you have disc brakes. Look at your front and rear wheels and see if you can spot a shiny disc slightly smaller than the circumference of the wheel itself. This disc should be full of tiny holes. If you can spot that piece, you have disc brakes.
There are several components to a good disc braking system. The master cylinder, found on the right side of your handlebars is connected to the brake lever itself – an item with which you should already be quite familiar. Nearby you should be able to locate a small plastic or metal container that holds the brake fluid. Brake lines stream out from the master cylinder and connect to the braking assembly on the wheels themselves. These brake lines are filled with brake fluid. The lines are attached to a small piece called a calliper, in which is housed the pistons. Two brake pads can also be spotted near each caliper. The caliper fits onto the rotor, which is that shiny disc you spotted earlier pockmarked with holes.
When the brake lever is pulled, brake fluid is pushed through the brake lines. This fluid causes the pistons inside the calliper to eject slightly, pressing the brake pads firmly against the rotor and stopping the motorcycle.
It’s important that you check your brake fluid often and change it annually to avoid your brakes overheating. Make sure to replace it with the right type of fluid that comes recommended for your bike. To bleed your brakes and change the fluid, first cover your bike with old newspaper or towels to avoid a mess. Remove the cap from the brake fluid container then locate the bleeder nipple on the caliper and remove the rubber cap from there as well. Find some tubing that will fit onto the nipple and place the other end into a waste container. Use a wrench to open the nipple about half a turn then squeeze your brakes as hard as you can and hold. Only release the brake lever after closing the bleeder nipple.
You can repeat that process, adding fluid carefully into the reservoir as needed, until all the old, darker brake fluid has been bled out. Make sure to add fluid before the lines run dry as you do not want air getting into your braking system. To make sure all air has escaped, keep bleeding the brakes until no bubbles can be observed coming out of the nipple.
To finish things off, remove the tubing and close all the caps. Make sure there is the recommended amount of brake fluid in the reservoir and pump the brakes repeatedly until they feel right to you.
By Brian Senor. tenis
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