brakes

[TONIO]

I have not got my 81 eleven special to start but when I depress the brake lever on the handlebar it comes all the way in is it suppose to do that or do i have some sort of air in my system there are no visible leaks on the bike or the floor.
Thanks Tonio

[79XS11F]

NO the brake lever is not suppose to do that . Check to confirm that the brake lever adjusting screw is in place. If it is... I see a brake job in your future.
Rob

[TONIO]

79XS11F thanks for the reply. I was afraid you were going to say something of that nature. I am going to start reading up on brakes so I can tackle that issue as soon as I get it running. I am excited to get this baby on the road.

Tonio

[TONIO]

brakes

79XS11F do you think it may be out of brake fluid or is that wishfull thinking.

Tonio

[Ken Talbot]

Four screws to take the cover off the master cylinder reservoir and the guessing will be over. Time to get our the tools and get to know your new ride!

[fredintoon]

ATE brakes

Hi Tonio,
fix the brakes FIRST. All that power and no brakes and you are a 100 yard smear of forensic evidence.
No, your brake lever should not pull all the way back to the grip. Hopefully it's just got air in the lines and bleeding will fix it up.
BTW, you have a Special and Specials have ATE style front calipers that swivel. They also have tapered pads. One thick edge & one thin edge. Don't panic when you check out the pads for wear (like I did, "what moron filed these tapered?" and needlessly bought new ones) I know it defies anything a sensible person would suppose to be right but the El Wierdo things actually work OK.
Fred Hill, S'toon.

[TONIO]

brakes ?????

Thanks Fellow's I will be doing some wrenching on this girl I may come up with some questions once I open her up. I can handle remove and replace but if it gets more complicated I will be asking questions I am not as mechanically inclined as I hope to be but I do like to get in there and try.

Tonio

[TONIO]

brakes

O.k. I got around to opening the brake box and the diaphram was opened like a cup shape and there was fluid both in the cup part and under the cup part? Also when I was working on the wiring i see some thig round plastic container that may also hold brake fluid can anybody tell me about that Do you guy's think I would be able to handle the brakes or are they over complicated?

never done brakes before.

Tonio

[TopCatGr58]

Hey Tonio,

The rubber "CUP" is just a seal, and it's designed to go into that cupped shape as the fluid is drawn out of the master cylinder, to take up the lost fluid, keeps air and water from condensing inside it. There shouldn't be any brake fluid on top of the rubber seal. Remove it, flatten it back out, clean it off, and then fill the MC with the DOT 3-4 fluid to just under the lip edge, allowing a little room for the rubber seal to fit down onto it, have a good plastic drape over your gas tank, or take it off, to catch brake fluid and keep it OFF of anything with paint, will remove paint quickly!!

Put the cap on loosely for now, and proceed with the brake bleeding part! Brakes aren't as complicated as carbs.

Put some clear plastic tubing over the caliper bleed valve going into a catch bottle, put a nice IIRC 5/16" box wrench on the bleed nipple, slowly pump the brake lever 3 times, and hold, and loosen the bleed nipple enough to allow air/fluid to escape the valve, squeezing the handle till it bottoms out...hold it, retighten the bleed valve, THEN release the brake lever, REPEAT process till you don't see any more air bubbles in the drain line! Then do same for other caliper!

But you may want to remove, disassemble, and clean the calipers first??
T.C.

[TONIO]

Tom But you may want to remove, disassemble, and clean the calipers first??

is this as easy as you make it sound? and do you have a thread laying around I can read to guide me thru this process?

Tonio

[mro]

Curious

How long has this bike been sitting?
Where was it stored?

Got any pic's......
____________
Brakes are not difficult, but came be a little frustrating sometimes. Clymer manual is a pretty good guide and as TC pointed out the tech tips here are very good.

mro

[TONIO]

bike

Mro not sure how long it was sitting did hear it run mommentaily before i picked it up. but the po had it out side in the driveway.

Tonio

[TopCatGr58]

Originally posted by TONIO
Tom But you may want to remove, disassemble, and clean the calipers first??

is this as easy as you make it sound? and do you have a thread laying around I can read to guide me thru this process?

Tonio

Hey Tonio,

First of all, it's T.C., not "Tom"!

Secondly, yes, here's a post/thread from a few months ago with photos showing how easily the calipers come apart, what to look for in cleaning, etc.!
T.C.

[TONIO]

sorry t.c `my mistake wont happen agian
thanks for the post will let you know how it goes, I may have questions i am not as mechanically inclined as i should be,

Tonio