Hard to push

[LAB3]

What would cause the brakes to engage when the bike is sitting unattended? Even if the calipers seized up they'd already be in a neutral position relative to the disk and would need to be pushed in to cause the drag.

[DiverRay]

There is little room between the pads and the rotor when brakes are at rest. As things build up behind the seals, they push out. The only way out is engage pads.

[cajun31]

Talk about rabbit hole diving!

Here's what we KNOW:

1) The bike rolled into it's winter storage spot with no known issues

2) The owner tried to move the bike while it was relatively cold outside and noticed the problem for the first time

3) Clutch drag due to cold oil makes the most sense barring any other further evidence

If this thread continues it will eventually lead to other theories such as Bigfoot and Aliens. Given enough time it will decay into political motives at which point the forum will completely fall apart!

Stick with the basics! KISS

The brake system on these bikes was never the best to begin with and is the first suspect. Not saying that everything else mentioned is not a possibility but if I were sitting with that bike the calipers and masters are my first thing. In my opinion that is using the kiss method. Chasing anything else until you prove those are working properly is chasing your tail. By the way Peter owns a special and it could be something as simple as the calipers are not centered on the rotors.

[Larrym]

Talk about rabbit hole diving!

Here's what we KNOW:

1) The bike rolled into it's winter storage spot with no known issues

2) The owner tried to move the bike while it was relatively cold outside and noticed the problem for the first time

3) Clutch drag due to cold oil makes the most sense barring any other further evidence

If this thread continues it will eventually lead to other theories such as Bigfoot and Aliens. Given enough time it will decay into political motives at which point the forum will completely fall apart!

Stick with the basics! KISS

I concur. Not bigfeets oar aliens. That's the usual sightings/stories in the PNW (O_O)

Ain't oldyam80sg in New Jersey? (O_o)

Then we gotta include the recent mysterious D R O N E S sightings in our analysis. (^_^)

Note- Sadly, NJ was one of the five continental states I actually didn't drive/ride my Special. Drove thru it in my vehicle "Moby" but never unloaded the bike and vroom vroomed. (っ˘̩╭╮˘̩)っ

[oldyam80sg]

I will hopefully check it more tomorrow. My Jeep failed vehicle inspection in November and I found a shop that will look at it tomorrow. My bike is a 1/4 mile from my apartment so I will go there while I wait.

[gtem]

My first move with old bikes (like the CB900C I just picked up this weekend) is to a) put air in the tires and b) give all of the brake calipers a solid whack with a rubber mallet. If the bike is in neutral, that *should* do it.

[oldyam80sg]

I didn't get a chance to look at the bike today, but did get my metric wrench set from my Mothers house so I can look at the front brakes this weekend.

[DiverRay]

The rubber mallet will work if the seals have been pushed out, as it will push the piston back in just a fraction. I would give that a try first, as it's quick and easy with immediate results one way or the other.

[MarkD]

My 79F was hard to roll this fall. I took bike on center stand and it wasn't the rear binding up. Took one caliper on front off, wheel spun freely. Put it back on, was very hard to spin wheel. Took caliper off, disassembled, cleaned all parts, including piston, reassembled, installed, and bled the lines. Front wheel spins freely. Forgot to mention, cleaned sponge hole before I took off calipers, but that wasn't the issue, it was the sticky piston and gunk.

[oldyam80sg]

I got to try this. This past weekend was too cold, and my storage unit parking lot is a sheet of ice. I have my Yamaha and also another bike in there, so 1 bike has got to be moved in order for me to work on the other. I have my full set of metric wrenches in my Jeep so I can take the caliper off.

[oldyam80sg]

So a bit warmer today (35 degrees) in N.J. after single digit temps. I went to my storage unit and tried to push the bike. Still hard to push, I managed to loosen both front calipers mounting bolts a tad. I didn't have a rubber mallet with me but hit the calipers with a rubber coated jack handle. I can move the bike a little bit easier now. I will try the rubber mallet tomorrow.

[DEEBS11]

Bingo.

[DiverRay]

So it seems you need a quick rebuild of the calipers and new brake fluid. The good news, probably no parts needed. The bad news, two or three days of work, once it warms up a little more. Yeah, I know, it can be done in one day, but as we are getting older as our bikes are, things take longer.

[DEEBS11]

...And that repair will last for many years to come.

[oldyam80sg]

So tonight I got a rubber mallet from my garage and smacked both front calipers several times. The bike rolls like nobody's business now. I did notice the last time I moved it into the storage unit the front end was squeaking. I will have to wait until warmer weather to fix the brake issue. Thanks all!!