[therapyrider]

After observing black brake fluid after 3k miles I upgraded to Castrol SRF

My mechanic put heat tape around the exhaust above the cat near the brake lines, about 6 inches of pipe. It seems like common sense that it will help - does anyone have any opinions as to whether there is any down side here ? I would never cover the whole exhaust as the heat would be far greater in the muffler and Cat , but this seemed reasonable.

 

[Redbrit]

I'd be curious to see what that does to the peformance of the rear brake and the longevity of the fluid. I've always avoided heat tape on pipes because every pipe I've seen post-tape looked awful. I would particularly wonder about immediately downstream from the catcon, as that's gotta be the hottest spot in the stream. Keep us posted.

 

[LaRossa]

A shield between the master and the pipe wouldn't have worked?

 

[duc96cr]

I think insulation anywhere between pipes and brakes is a good thing. Redbrit is right, though. The insulation usually does horrible things to whatever metal it covers. In a dry climate it probably wouldn’t be as bad. Where I live heat wrap ruins the pipe finish quickly. I have my rear brake insulated from exhaust on one bike, and I plan on removing it from time to time to check for corrosion.

 

[[email protected]]

If worried about the brake line, wouldn't it be most effective to insulate the line itself?

https://www.verociousmotorsports.co.../Heatshield-HP-Builder-Kits-trade-Brake-Lines

 

[Joe Vincent]

If worried about the brake line, wouldn't it be most effective to insulate the line itself?

https://www.verociousmotorsports.co.../Heatshield-HP-Builder-Kits-trade-Brake-Lines

Following, really seems to make sense ...

 

[pcv57]

I haven't used the SRF fluid but did buy the Motul 660. Instead of putting heat tape on the exhaust, I put it on the back of the master cylinder and brake hoses. I've bled the brakes by removing the caliper, inverting it, etc. The rear brake is better than it used to be but still leaves a lot to be desired. However, I have noticed that it doesn't get worse after riding for a while and the exhaust getting hot.

 

[TallOne]

Change the fluid on schedule. Or a bit before. High performance bike=high costs. Better fluid helps too.

 

[mollycbr123]

If worried about the brake line, wouldn't it be most effective to insulate the line itself?

https://www.verociousmotorsports.co.../Heatshield-HP-Builder-Kits-trade-Brake-Lines

Clicked to buy this on a whim. Got to checkout and the shipping cost for a little $9 buck item is ridiculous.

 

[[email protected]]

Clicked to buy this on a whim. Got to checkout and the shipping cost for a little $9 buck item is ridiculous.

Ouch, you're not joking. That's just stupid.

I did find the same product on Amazon and a number of other places where hopefully shipping is more reasonable.

I still haven't stuck my head up in there to see how possible or impossible it might be to get to those lines and insulate them...

 

[belter]

i don't think any of this stuff will make any difference at all.

 

[[email protected]]

i don't think any of this stuff will make any difference at all.

Any particular reason?

 

[belter]

all the rear brake issues i've seen with mts1200 have been abs bikes. non abs bikes have no rear brake issues. none. regardless of exhaust or anything else.

i remove the rear hose banjo bolt at the abs unit a few weeks ago to fit a bleeder to one, and there was no fluid there. not even a hint of it.

 

[Tamworth]

i don't think any of this stuff will make any difference at all.

Have to agree. Unless it's boiling the brake fluid the exhaust heat shouldn't be a concern. Seems like a lot of worry for over priced tape products.

I'm one of those who has little use for the rear brake so is never an issue for me personally.
The 1260 rear brake is as good as any I've ever had

 

[belter]

maybe they've fixed the issue on the later models. on the earlier bikes with abs the rear brake goes away over time. as in no pressure at the pedal at all.

there's lot of theories as to why it happens, but it's only on abs bikes and that's the only variation between the abs and non abs. seems like an issue with the abs unit to me, not being able to bleed it sufficiently, or possibly more it allowing air in over time.

you can make the pedal hard again with the usual tricks - caliper high, forcing fluid through from the caliper, etc, but it goes away again. a bleeder on the abs seems to help more.

 

[duc96cr]

If the brake line or components get too hot to hang on to then it will help keep fluid temperature down . You won’t know until you try, and it will be beneficial if the fluid is cooler.

 

[[email protected]]

there's lot of theories as to why it happens, but it's only on abs bikes and that's the only variation between the abs and non abs. seems like an issue with the abs unit to me, not being able to bleed it sufficiently, or possibly more it allowing air in over time.

ABS definitely seems to be the common denominator. Though the front brakes have never been an issue.

I agree that a good part of the issue is folks not getting a good bleed to begin with.

But the rapidly darkening fluid seems to point to heat issues. I bleed both front/rear/clutch at the start of each season. Clutch and front brakes still look clean. Lightly used rear brake fluid is dirt brown already. So far I haven't noticed a difference at the pedal.

This bike is new to me, so I'm just seeing how it goes. While I don't use the rear brake much, I do want to have it functional and available when I need it.