Rear Maxim Brake difficulty

[glenng]

Hi guys; first off - I did search and didn't feel I found info to proceed competently. The rear brake on my recently purchased Maxim 1100 wasn't doing too much so I attempted to bleed it out to get a firmer pedal. Now I seem to have lost any pressure at all (it was barely - but grabbing before). Pumping and attempting to bleed didn't work after many times. Then I read about the integrated braking and figured out why I couldn't bleed the front left. So can anyone give me a reasonably easy way to get some pressure back in the line? Was there anything to taking master cylinder off and holding while attempting to press lever. Should I be using front bleed screw in this process? Any help MUCH appreciated.

[xj11john]

glenng,

First of all you should always bleed the caliper farthest away from you first to get all of the air out of the longest line so you dont play with air bubbles that maybe still trapped in the long line after you have bled the short line-rear caliper.

So to bleed the front it is easier to have a second person to help you by pushing the brake pedal - not pumping as to not cause more air bubbles- but to steadily push the pedal down several times to build up pressure and then hold the pedal down while you loosen the bleeder screw on the front left caliper and let any air out, as soon as you see a solid flow of fluid with not air close the bleeder screw and repeat process till not air comes out - only fluid.

Also you may need to totally flush the brake master and calipers on the front and rear, since brake fluid does collect moisture and debrees after sitting awhile, I would just go ahead and get the bigger bottle of brake fluid and bleed out all the old fluid with the meathod I suggested above-

*IMPORTANT* - Dont let either master cylinder run out of fluid as you are bleeding the calipers and the system or you will get air back into the system- in fact dont let the master cylinder even get low just in case, so you dont get air back into the system.

I just keep filling up the master cyl. as I bleed the system to be safe, also watch break fluid it likes to break down paint-it will take the paint right off what ever it gets on, so be sure and keep a wet spong or rag maybe with soapy water on it just in case.

Another thing I found with my maxim is that I had to get rebuild kits for both master cylinders right off the bat, a 23 year old bike probably needs them, I know mine did, read some of the threads on rebuilding master cylinder, be sure and watch carefully taking them apart, especially the front, on the rubber boot that the lever pushes against there is a metal keeper ring inside holding the boot in place it like to crumble into pieces and it is like a snap-ring inside there.
Good luck with it and keep the questions coming there are alot of brake gue rues here.

One more thing, on the rear master there is a rod that goes up into it and a rubber boot there to keep out contaminants this boot likes to dry rot and tear, and then all the crud front the road goes into the bore of the master cylinder and rust and etc. needless to say the pressure eventually goes away when you don't have a good clean cylinder.

[MAXIMAN]

Make sure you have the right pads in the rear caliper. I have seen instances where these were wrong. You'll know by the fact the pads "look" like they are installed at an angle.

If they look flat or parallel to the rotor than they are the wrong pads. This can cause a loss in surface area contact between the pads and the rotor.

Secondly...invest in a Mighty Vac. That is a very effective way to bleed the brake lines.

Last ut not least make sure the brake lines are not "spongey". If you grab the brake line firmly and squeeze the handle and feel the line flex then it's likely the lines need be replaced.

I never could get good brake on my 82 Maxim until I replaced the lines with SS. Now I can almost flip the bike with the front brake.