Strange front brake thing

[hawc]

So this is weird... I got on my bike today and pulled the front brake after getting up to speed and it pulled all the way back to the bar with no effect. just like pulling the clutch lever in. I immediately hit the back brake hard to stop just in time. I then gave the front brake another pull and all was fine. Like it had never happened. What the heck? Was there a bubble in the brake line? I've pulled the lever hundreds of times since and it's never done it again.

What happened?

[Mhe225]

Air bubble is one possible explanation. Or .... have you been "playing" with the brake-pads, cleaning the bike, spinning the wheel, .... If the pads are (partially) retracted, you don't pump enough fluid in one stroke to get them up and against the disc(s) again.
Glad you didn't go down, hitting the rear brake hard. You should have kept your cool (easier said than done, I admit) and pump the front brake a few times.

That's part of my start-up routine: squeeze the brake and clutch a few times while sitting in the drive-way, hit the rear-brake.

Anyone more suggestions?

RonB

[dietrichpfeifer]

You say you just got your bike back.....from where? Was the front wheel removed? Pads were probably just pushed back a bit, and like Mhe225 said, lever was never squeezed enought times to get them back up against the disc. Should NOT have been delivered to you this way, and should have been test ridden before being turned over also. That way the tech gets the pucker factor, not you.

[DUCeditor]

Maybe we ought to do a thread on pre-ride habits. I view the pre-ride checklist much as does a pilot. My personal list:

• Engine oil level
• Tires (pressure and general condition)
• Sprocket and chain
• Headlight (upper and lower beam)
• Taillight
• Brakelight (actuation of both levers)
• Turn signals (left and right, front and back)
• Horn (unless it is early in the morning)
• Throttle response
• Brake lever and pedal feel
• Mental Condition and focus

The later is not a joke. When I'm preparing for a ride my household rule is that I not be asked questions on other subjects, or have "issues" raised. When I ride I want my mind on riding, not on work or household affairs. And more than once I have turned off the motor when my mental state was less focused than it ought to be.

Oh, and no alcohol. None.

-don

[tsmgguy]

Don,

Those are largely the same mental processes I have been taught to use before strapping on a B-737 at work. We add weather and fatigue to the list. We have the added advantage of working in pairs, with other talented folks watching at every turn. We plan it, do it, check it, and check it again, always staying within the boundaries of prudence, limitations, and SOP.

For those reasons, our safety record is very nearly perfect.

What is missing from the mix is fun!

Riding is much more intuitive and spontaneous, and that's the attraction. We ride alone (even if in a group) sharing the road with some real toads. Our initial decisions are acted upon of they seem reasonable at the time. Only later do we reflect, if we still can!

Ride safe, now, hear?

[DUCeditor]

Originally Posted by tsmgguy

Those are largely the same mental processes I have been taught to use before strapping on a B-737 at work. ...What is missing from the mix is fun!

My son and daughter in law are pilots and I love watching my methodical son go thru the preflight. He rides a 996 and she an R6 as well. Both remain busted-bone free.

Whether this is fun or ruins the riding experience depends, I expect, on one's psychological make up. I am an artist by nature and tend to be spontaneous as a way of life. To me, then, the slow methodical approach to doing the pre-ride is a lovely change. The fact that it has kept me safe thru over forty years of riding is a definite added plus!

-don