I seem to have rather a lot of foot brake travel on the coupled brakes on my V50. The calipers were “overhauled” by a motorcycle shop for the previous owner and I have fitted new pads all round and reverse bled the brakes. I believe there is no air in the system as the brakes do not feel spongy. They also do not pump up and the pedal feels solid at the end of its travel so I think the pad to disc clearance is minimal. I have checked the free play on the pedal before it moves the master cylinder piston and that is within limits. Is there anything else I should check or adjust?
I was expecting the brake pedal to start activating the brakes after 1/2" or so.
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Every time I bleed and play around with my brakes, I think the foot pedal travel seems to be excessive, but it usually feels right when out on the road.
My bike is parked up and out of reach at the moment so I am unable to check. Is there any suggestion of brake ‘knock off’ ? That is, does the problem get worse after a period of riding without using the pedal … which would point to a warped disc.
I had the same problem with the pedal touching the exhaust which I put down to possible wear in all the components but I ended up drilling a new hole in the operating rod where the clevis pin fits to the master cylinder, which effectively shortens the operating stroke of the brake pedal
CHRIS
In the end I shortened the rod from the brake pedal to the master cylinder. This raised the pedal position so I did not have to flex my ankle so much to brake. I have come to the conclusion that the long pedal travel is probably due to the small diameter of the master cylinder and the amount of fluid needed to activate two calipers.
I was out on the bike yesterday and the brakes were fine. I have now ridden 625 miles since buying the bike and really enjoying it. Mechanically and electrically it seems a good one, I gave it a very comprehensive service and checked the compressions, 170 psi on both cylinders, full just some rusty frame paint to touch up.