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[Iglide]

Hey...

Rode the ride hard this past fall, round the enchanted loop in New Mexico. That lead me up, around, and down, the passes in the Taos area. A real rush to be experienced by all.

Anywho... yes I feathered the rear brake when necessary all the way down each mountain pass. The rear pads didn't appreciate that and started to smell. And the rear calipers heated up and likely compromised the brake fluid. So the peddle became mush and the rear brake became unusable.

So we came down the mountain using the front brake only. And... that slowed down things considerably, errrrr.

I don't need opinions on my riding style. What I would appreciate is your opinion on a better brake fluid (synthetic) and weather or not I should replace my rear brake caliper and pads.

 

[Twolanerider]

Hey...

Rode the ride hard this past fall, round the enchanted loop in New Mexico. That lead me up, around, and down, the passes in the Taos area. A real rush to be experienced by all.

Anywho... yes I feathered the rear brake when necessary all the way down each mountain pass. The rear pads didn't appreciate that and started to smell. And the rear calipers heated up and likely compromised the brake fluid. So the peddle became mush and the rear brake became unusable.

So we came down the mountain using the front brake only. And... that slowed down things considerably, errrrr.

I don't need opinions on my riding style. What I would appreciate is your opinion on a better brake fluid (synthetic) and weather or not I should replace my rear brake caliper and pads.

 

Pads are cheap.  If you're worried replace them.  Lyndall and others that are much better than stock anyway.  One of the single best safety mods you can do for cheap money.

If the caliper works and doesn't leak it's ok.  Is the rotor warped?

As for fluid; there are synthetics in either DOT 4 or DOT 5 that have higher boiling points than stock.  I'd not screw with changing to DOT 5.  It can be a hassle to work with.  Flush/refill with a good synthetic DOT 4.  Change the pads.  Keep riding.











(and gear down more going down hill)

[Puzzled]

I'd change the fluid for peace of mind and install a new set of good pads while your in there. The 06 and up bikes I believe are DOT 4 already or at least are DOT 4 compatible. I don't know how compatible or how tough it is to change to DOT 5. If it isn't a PITA I'd opt for the DOT5.

[grc]

Stick with a name brand DOT 4 fluid, thoroughly flush the m/c, caliper, and line.  The pads are probably severely glazed, replace them with something better like the Lyndall's.  And if you plan to do a lot of mountain riding while constantly dragging the rear brake, expect this to happen again.  I suppose you could take a page from the NASCAR boys when they run road courses, and install some ducting to provide a steady stream of cool air to the rear brake.  If you look at a bagger's rear brake, it is rather shrouded by the bags, the passenger's legs, etc.

BTW, definitely do not use DOT 5 in an ABS system, period.


Jerry

[Twolanerider]

BTW, definitely do not use DOT 5 in an ABS system, period.


Jerry

Oh yeah, forgot all about the ABS system on the new bikes.  To reinforce Jerry's point the ABS system means DOT5 fluid isn't a poor choice.  It means it shouldn't be a choice at all.

DOT5 is a pain in the ass to work with.  A very little agitation in just handling the bottle will cause it to entrain air within the fluid.  So the stuff can be a bitch to bleed because the air you're trying to bleed isn't separate from the fluid.  It's actually within it.  In other words it literally can not be bled until it's simply allowed to settle for awhile.  Sometimes quite awhile.

The pumping action of the ABS system will do the same thing.  It's an agitation that can cause problems with DOT5 fluid.  So if you've got ABS you don't use DOT5.  Not even a consideration.

[Talon]

I ride in the mountains all the time, I alternating front and back coupled with some down shifting. If you smell the pads time to replace, glazed at least, they can also break down/crystallize if you get them really hot. Cars and trucks do that all the time here, end up with no brakes at all.

[Puzzled]

I learned something today through this thread! 

The DOT5-ABS info will come in hand one day.

[Iglide]

Stick with a name brand DOT 4 fluid, thoroughly flush the m/c, caliper, and line.  The pads are probably severely glazed, replace them with something better like the Lyndall's.  And if you plan to do a lot of mountain riding while constantly dragging the rear brake, expect this to happen again.  I suppose you could take a page from the NASCAR boys when they run road courses, and install some ducting to provide a steady stream of cool air to the rear brake.  If you look at a bagger's rear brake, it is rather shrouded by the bags, the passenger's legs, etc.

BTW, definitely do not use DOT 5 in an ABS system, period.


Jerry

Will do, thanks to all for the info.... Any preference on brake fluid...  HD, Amsoil, Redline, whatever???

Yeah this will likely happen again...