Brake lever stiction

[jdosher]

I have a brand new 09 EC300 and I'm noticing a large amount of stiction on the front brake lever. Rather than a smooth motion when I pull it, it sticks, then releases, moves a little, then sticks again. Pinch your thumb and first finger together tightly then slide them across each other; that sort of grab, release, grab feeling is just like my front brake.

The lever itself isn't binding. It feels like it's the piston in the master cylinder. Have others experienced this? Could it simply be old brake fluid? It's "fresh" fluid, but it's been sitting in the bike for a few years. Still, even in a bike with old, used fluid (you know, all your buddies bikes, not your bike of course ) I've never felt the lever grabbing like that. Or do these brakes tend to do that when new?

-Jesse

[GMP]

Fluid change couldn't hurt. Nothing odd about the brakes, Nissins like on millions of Japaneese bikes. Remove the caliper from the fork, remove the pads, and work the pistons. If they move free then its likely the master, should be easy to tell at this point. Also check that the caliper floats properly.

[jdosher]

Originally Posted by GMP

Fluid change couldn't hurt. Nothing odd about the brakes, Nissins like on millions of Japaneese bikes. Remove the caliper from the fork, remove the pads, and work the pistons. If they move free then its likely the master, should be easy to tell at this point. Also check that the caliper floats properly.

Thanks GMP. I'll start with a fluid flush and go from there. It feels (and sounds) like it's up at the master, so I'll look there first. One thing that just occurred to me is that I've trimmed 1" of each side of the bars, plus I'm tall so I like my levers angled down quite a bit; they're probably 45deg from horizontal. The result is that because of where the brake is clamped onto the curve of the bar I have to run the pin that pushes the master cylinder all the way out. I wonder if what I'm feeling now is due to the increased angle of the pin with respect to the piston. Hrm.

I'm kind of missing the levers that were on the Magura clutch and Brembo master cylinder on my Husky TE310. You could set screws on both sides to adjust where it rested, and you didn't need any tools to do it. Is there a better replacement lever for the Nissin (and AJP clutch master)?

[bchatt]

Mine felt like this at one stage. It simply needed a a touch of lube on the end of the pin (that pushes the piston). Worth a look.

[jdosher]

Originally Posted by bchatt

Mine felt like this at one stage. It simply needed a a touch of lube on the end of the pin (that pushes the piston). Worth a look.

That makes sense, esp with the steeper angle I have since the pin is screwed all the way in (towards the master). Fresh fluid and a dab of lube, coming right up.