brake lever travel

Had the same problem with my ER6 over the last week or so. Took calipers off today and pumping the pistons out dragged out the dust seals so it was obviously those pulling the pistons back in. New seals on order but this is the second time. I had the same trouble at the end of last winter due to the crud getting underneath the seals. Tokico's again.

Flushed with success at fixing the brakes on the GSXR yesterday I thought I'd have a go at the ER5. Same again,crap under the dust seals but main seals were OK. And what make is the caliper ? TOKICO !!

A few tips I'd like to pass on. "crack" all the bolts while the calipers are still on the bike,pump the pistons out by removing the pads while still on the bike as the disk will stop them coming right out. If the pistons still need pulling use a piece of rubber inner tube to grip them with pliers avoiding damage.( assuming you have split the calipers) Lastly I refilled the system very quickly with nothing but a metre of pvc tube. Just attach to each bleed nipple ,open and suck while continually topping up the reservoir. Best of luck.

All good advice. I've done it a few times now. Bought a Mityvac for bleeding. Great bit of kit.

Right then , my front calipers on the GSXR 1100 are still working better than I can ever remember them working and I've had the bike since 4000m . So today I thought I might as well whip my rear caliper off , split it , clean behind the seals ( if necessary) change all the fluid and put it all back together again. So everything went well, the pistons and seals were in surprisingly good nick so no issues until I filled the system and bled out all the air. The rear brake has always been a bit spongy but now the lever action is much firmer. So what's wrong? The pads won't come away from the disk that's what. I can turn the wheel by hand ( on paddock stand ) but its an effort. What worries me it that this is quickly going to get red hot and jam on . The lever does have free play so it isn't that . I'm just baffled. The only thing I can think of is that I shouldn't have used Red Rubber Grease on the seals and they are not gripping the pistons to pull them back in. Ideas / similar experiences eagerly awaited please.

Right then , my front calipers on the GSXR 1100 are still working better than I can ever remember them working and I've had the bike since 4000m . So today I thought I might as well whip my rear caliper off , split it , clean behind the seals ( if necessary) change all the fluid and put it all back together again. So everything went well, the pistons and seals were in surprisingly good nick so no issues until I filled the system and bled out all the air. The rear brake has always been a bit spongy but now the lever action is much firmer. So what's wrong? The pads won't come away from the disk that's what. I can turn the wheel by hand ( on paddock stand ) but its an effort. What worries me it that this is quickly going to get red hot and jam on . The lever does have free play so it isn't that . I'm just baffled. The only thing I can think of is that I shouldn't have used Red Rubber Grease on the seals and they are not gripping the pistons to pull them back in. Ideas / similar experiences eagerly awaited please.

Have you ridden it yet ?

Things may free up/ square up after a few uses .

Check fluid level .. if overfilled it can stop the piston returning

Depending on pad retention method it could be a bent retaining pin ..

I tend to give the caliper a few twats with a wooden/ rubber mallet after a rebuild and refitted to settle things in a bit

Thanks Tim , no I haven't ridden it yet . I've just had a fiddle with it . Its really odd , if I press the pedal the brake works fine but the pistons don't fully pull back afterwards. If I gently wiggle the pads with nothing but firm finger pressure it frees the disk immediately. Apply the brake and effort is required to rock the bike backwards and forwards after the pedal is released. Wiggle the pads again and its back to normal. As you say , it might sort itself out but I don't fancy sitting around waiting for a smoking caliper to cool down. I think new seals are in order and fitted exactly as Suzuki describe using brake fluid only and leave out the caliper grease.

If you have paddock or centre stand ..

Put bike on it .

Sit on bike

Start bike get it in gear

Feather back brake and release

Get a bit of speed up / higher gears .do a full clutch in and stomp on the pedal ..

Stop get off and check brakes out .

how much will the rear spin freely before stopping? or does it stop instantly?

how much will the rear spin freely before stopping? or does it stop instantly?

The rear will spin freely for ever provided I don't apply the brake after that its stiff but not actually locked up until I gently pull the pads off the disk a fraction of an inch. So the pistons are very easy to move but the seals are just not pulling them back that tiny distance to fully release their grip on the disk. Just been for a 45 mile ride with no issues but I didn't touch the rear brake . A dreadful habit I know and a whole topic in itself ( on other forums ) anyway the weekend's over so I'll order some new seals and have a fresh look at it next week. In the meantime all suggestions are still most welcome.

I would take the bike for a ride and use the brake then stick on on the stand and see how it is

I would expect up to about half a turn of the wheel if you spin it

Its hard to say whether you have a problem or not over the web and you may just be used to it not working right

Here we go again. I've just fitted new seals and bled the system and I've got the same problem . The wheel gets so hard to turn with the brake not applied that I can hardly move it. Its almost as it the master cylinder is acting like a one way valve so the more times I apply the brake, the stiffer the wheel gets.I've stripped-down, cleaned and inspected everything and I'm stumped! When I was pushing the pistons in to get the pads onto the disk without the line connected I could actually see them springing back so it definitely isn't stiff pistons. Help!

Is it a floating caliper? if so check the slides out if you haven't already

Not a floating caliper . I've been looking at what is happening with the caliper off the disk and using an old pad of similar thickness in place of the disk. It all seems to be working perfectly I.e gripping and releasing BUT eventually after about 10 or 12 pumps of the lever it gets tighter and tighter until caliper is gripping the pad. Opening the bleed nipple doesn't make it release but if I work it from side to side it comes out. Using a big screwdriver I can easily push the pistons back in ready to repeat the same bloody process all over again.

Check brake hoses for any signs of crushing/ damage . It may be the hose bore not allowing fluid back quick enough and it eventually closes under the pressure

Check brake hoses for any signs of crushing/ damage . It may be the hose bore not allowing fluid back quick enough and it eventually closes under the pressure

on the back of this I have also heard of hoses collapsing inside and not allowing the fluid to return!

Thanks again to all who responded. Its all working fine now. The only thing I did different was to put a bit of brake fluid on the pistons although I did use plenty during the assembly. Seems to be gripping and releasing as it should so I'm just going to have to keep an eye on things for a while. I seldom use the back brake anyway, not good I know but a hard habit to brake. ( sorry )

An update on quite an old thread. I thought I had solved the problem of my rear brake sticking on but a few weeks ago I went for an MOT and to my embarrassment the brake locked solid during the test. Oddly enough I passed without any advisories because the tester said there was no point if I couldn't ride it. At a loss I stripped the caliper again and in desperation turned the seals round although I can see no visible difference. I also applied red rubber grease. Result , working perfectly. I've pumped the lever hundreds of times and there is no sticking . The lever is firmer and has less travel so happy days but really none the wiser as to what was going on.