Front brake travel

[steve hughes]

Hi bit of advice please I have an 08 F650GS 7300miles , Issue is front brake travel. When riding front brake feels ok if slightly spongy. When stopped I can pull the lever back to the grip to the point where it catches at the base.

Clearly you dont get this travel whilst on the move because the brakes will be active but it does seem a bit excessive and Im troubled if I really grab a handfull will I stop.

I read some threads on bleeding but all types of problems on ABS were raised.
Next service will be 5 K off . Im tempted to take into dealer if I can get in between work.

Any thoughts

Steve

 

[Greggers]

Same here and it came back like that from its last service.

I'm also not convinced it should be so spongy, but by the same token haven't had any brake issues either ...

Greg

 

[steve hughes]

Thanks Greg, I feel a bit better
Steve

 

[GS Ted]

Hi, i'm far from knowing much about the technicalities, but it doesn't sound right to me. When i apply my brake, there is a little give but the lever stops well before the grip on the bar. I haven't much experience of bikes having just passed my test, but one of the checks i was told on my DAS to do on the front brake was to check the lever doesn't touch the grip when applied as this indicates too much wear or a problem.
Ted

 

[Sooty09]

GS ted, the DAS courses now give good advice on things we used to find out the hard way. Good Idea to glance at the fluid level once in a while, its hard not to on the GS800. The lever travel is not effected by pad wear as the system is self adjusting.
There are several possibilities why the lever travel is so much,
1) Old fluid which has absorbed water and boils at a much lower temp, the resulting bubbles are compressible and will give the described results. It may also lead to brake failure under heavy braking if not attended to. The fluid should have been changed a 1 year and every 2 after.
2) Sticking calipers or pistons, a high initial pressure is needed to dislodge them and once freed the lever will seem very soft and travel a long way.
3) Warped disks, or disks jamming on the bobbins. This will push the pistons and pads much further in than usual, more lever travel is required to push them back into contact with the disk.

All very easy to check, spin the wheels and check the disc's run easily and are true, look to see if the caliper moves from side to side. Push and pull the disk, it should move easily on the bobbins. Push the caliper against the disk, it should slide away from you easily as the piston is compressed. Don't forget to pump the brakes a few times before you ride the bike again.

 

[chas820]

It shouldn`t be that spongy.If you dont want to bleed it yourself get it in to a dealer asap.

 

[Sooty09]

I forgot to add one possible cause, do you have ABS? I have not riden a GS with ABS but my old R1150R had virtually no brakes with the engine turned off, The lever would almost pull back to the bars. With the ignition on an electric servo pump did all the hard work. Do you need to have the power on for the latest ABS systems to work?

 

[HR0]

hi. i am sure that i have seen on here that you can tape the lever back over night and it opens the vales and lets the air out or just settles the systems. but if in doubt contact rudimoto ace technician of this (ukgser) parish and not a million miles away from you

H
ps the F GS are not elec servo assisted its "normal" systems
ex 1150gs adv owner !!

 

[steve hughes]

CHEERS HRO I use that technique on my mountain bike disk brakes. Didnt consider the crossover, Ill try iy tonight.

Steve

 

[Dave Ett]

Just in case you missed an obvious one - has the span adjuster been wound all the way in/out meaning the lever is now closer to the bars?

 

[steve hughes]

Good suggestion Dave looked at that span is OK. Also tried firing it up , no change so now the brake has 4 elastic bands on and is close to bars for an overnight air relief.
Ill update tomorrow.
Steve

Should have said before thanks to everyone for the positive suggestions

 

[steve hughes]

Top result following elastic band on brake lever over night. Lever travel halved, lots of feel , spongyness gone.

Steve

 

[Dave Ett]

Hmmm, must have been trapped air. Not very good post servicing!