Nc30 front brakes dragging

keithcar · Post by **keithcar** » Thu Oct 30, 2008 1:39 am

Hi everybody. Ive discovered that i have an unusal amount of front brake drag on my nc30. brakes are stock however I did replace the original front wheel with a CBR600 F2 wheel as the VFR wheel was in rough shape. I did notice a bit of drag with the original VFR wheel too, just not as bad. The f2 wheel seemed to fit perfectly, the brake disc spacing looked spot on with my eyes.

Here is what i did while installing the F2 wheel.

I manually pushed the pistons back a wee bit to make it easier to slip the discs into the calipers. The front wheel was then able to spin free after snugging up all the caliper bolts and spindle bolts.

I noticed that it took several pumps of the brake lever to get the brakes working again. im not sure if that is normal.

Once the brakes were working again, they were dragging.

Is there a problem with my master cyl. ?

Thanks in advance for the help. ive been a member of this forum in the past, but it seems my login isnt working..
& hello from the usa!

duh_ave · Post by **duh_ave** » Thu Oct 30, 2008 6:43 am

So there's a couple of things:

1-- did you bounce the forks to make sure the forks were aligned properly ( this can force the calipers to sit funky and drag)
2-- the NC30(especially it seems) calipers get gooey inside. if you have not cleaned them, I highly recommend it. Clean the pistons with a 3M pad ( red). If they are pitted, replace them. Also, good idea to replace the seals (~$100)

Anyways, most of us with them have had brake problems and 90% of the time, it's gooey calipers.

Welcome to the sickness!

and welcome from California!

Post by **wullvfr** » Thu Oct 30, 2008 7:23 am

hello-keithcar........

after putting the front wheel back on,it is quite normal having to pump the brake lever to bring the pads back into contact with the disc.
how easy was it to push the pistons back into the caliper?is there any chance they may be a little seized?
if everything is lined up as it should then there should be no problem,i can not see it being your master cylinder!!!!
also try what duh_ave says about the forks........

william

Post by **superlite** » Thu Oct 30, 2008 10:15 am

Check to see that the master cylinder piston is returning properly - it should return quickly to its fully out position. It's easier to take the lever off and push it in with a drift or similar to check. Could also be the style of lever you're running. Pattern levers are notorious for it.

Aside from that, I'd give the brakes a good bleed after changing the discs/wheel.

keithcar · Post by **keithcar** » Thu Oct 30, 2008 4:59 pm

superlite wrote:Check to see that the master cylinder piston is returning properly - it should return quickly to its fully out position. It's easier to take the lever off and push it in with a drift or similar to check. Could also be the style of lever you're running. Pattern levers are notorious for it.

Aside from that, I'd give the brakes a good bleed after changing the discs/wheel.

hmm yes it seems that the master cylinder piston is returning..

The pistons did seem pretty tight when i pushed them back.. I had to use a screwdriver to pry the brake pads apart. .. It sounds like i need to take these calipers apart and inspect/clean them.

this time i'll bounce the forks too.. sounds like a good idea

Thanks for the suggestions.

fastdruid · Post by **fastdruid** » Thu Oct 30, 2008 5:45 pm

You should be able to push the caliper pistons in with your fingers, if you need force then they're too gummed up!

Druid

keithcar · Post by **keithcar** » Thu Oct 30, 2008 5:56 pm

fastdruid wrote:You should be able to push the caliper pistons in with your fingers, if you need force then they're too gummed up!

Druid

yeah..

they are definately gummed up then.

rossman_999 · Post by **rossman_999** » Thu Oct 30, 2008 9:29 pm

keithcar wrote:
superlite wrote: It sounds like i need to take these calipers apart and inspect/clean them. .

dont split the calipers, simply remove each piston and clean/reseal them. Id also recommend some red rubber grease on assembly

fastdruid · Post by **fastdruid** » Thu Oct 30, 2008 10:23 pm

As a 'bodge' I've pumped the pistons out as far as possible, cleaned any crud off them, used red rubber grease and pushed them back in, repeat a few times and they typically become 'OK'.

Not as good as a full take out the seals and clean behind them etc but enough to get a bike with sticky brakes past an MOT for example...

Druid

keithcar · Post by **keithcar** » Thu Oct 30, 2008 11:05 pm

rossman_999 wrote:
keithcar wrote:
superlite wrote: It sounds like i need to take these calipers apart and inspect/clean them. .
dont split the calipers, simply remove each piston and clean/reseal them. Id also recommend some red rubber grease on assembly

tooo late! I already had them pulled apart before you typed this!

Im taking all of the brake parts to work tomarrow in hopes of sneaking them in the parts washer tank. There is a ton of dirt and brakedust caked up inside the calipers!!

The pistons look okay. They arent pitted, but have some gummy build-up on them. I think i might spin them in the lathe and give them a light polish with some jewelers rouge. probably un-needed, but it would make me feel good.

The seals i havent got a chance to look at too close. I'll pick them out of the calipers tomarrow. hopefully a little rubber grease will make them happy again.

I have another question-

There is one thing ive noticed about the master cylinder piston. The brake lever isnt letting the M/C piston to return all of the way out. Its still pressing down on it maybe 1/16th of an inch or so when i let go of the lever. is it normal to be like that? I think this is a real honda lever...

Nc30 front brakes dragging

Nc30 front brakes dragging

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