Locked front wheel....

TJD1200

TJD1200

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This morning, on my way to work, the bike inexplicably started to slow...approaching a roundabout.... not putting 2 and 2 together I rode it across the roundabout and gunned it as I came off it.... only to be met with lots of what I thought was a wheelie for about 30 ft...or so. Lots of brick wall building etc later I managed to stop without falling off and discovered a 30ft or so black line down the road and a very seized front brake disc.....?(front LHS) Rode it for about 30miles since and it all seems to be working normal?

My question is .... after kicking the life out of the caliper it seems to have gone away for now, but I will have to do something to stop it happening again....
What do I have to do .... complete strip of calipers.... is there a special cleaner ..... does it have to go to a dealer?

Regards
Terry D
 
First thought I have is how did you think it was a wheelie when the front brake has jammed on? I'm impressed you stayed on though - 30 feet of front wheel lock would normally just result in an off.

First thing to do is give it a good clean - there's lots of gunge on the roads this time of year and then check its operation. Its easy enough to do yourself with Brake Cleaner - available anywhere including Halfrauds.
 
Seized calliper piston? Pads jamed?

Surprised the front wheel didn't tuck under.
 
TJD1200 said:
............
My question is .... after kicking the life out of the caliper it seems to have gone away for now, but I will have to do something to stop it happening again....
What do I have to do .... complete strip of calipers.... is there a special cleaner ..... does it have to go to a dealer?

Regards
Terry D
Click to expand...

I would be stripping and cleaning the callipers to start with. It's not a hard job but, with all due respect, from the Q's you've asked, I'd be tempted to give the bike to somebody familiar with doing this.

What I can't quite understand is, from your description, the brake has locked on as you've accelerated out of the roundabout. A sticking (dirty) calliper is gonna stick on once you've applied the brake and I've never heard of a brake sticking so hard that the wheel is locked as you accelerate hard :confused:

Andres
 
If your front brake seized on then, yes, it does need to be completely stripped and sorted out.:blast
I would suggest that, as you needed to ask the question, that you should take it to a garage.
 
Beemerman59 said:
First thought I have is how did you think it was a wheelie when the front brake has jammed on? I'm impressed you stayed on though - 30 feet of front wheel lock would normally just result in an off.

First thing to do is give it a good clean - there's lots of gunge on the roads this time of year and then check its operation. Its easy enough to do yourself with Brake Cleaner - available anywhere including Halfrauds.
Click to expand...

Well, giving it a handfull lifted the wheel enough to lose grip 'cos it was locked up...... although it didn't actually leave the ground fully hence the 30ft ish black line left on the road..... and yes a good clean I think is the first thing. just looking for ideas... rode home 40miles without a problem. .. may of been something jammed? still gonads clean it though. thanks for your help :-)
Tjd1200
 
Getting the calipers off and giving them a clean is a fairly straight forward job. As already been mentioned, if you are unsure, take it to a grown up who can do it for you and maybe show you how to do it next time.

All the shite on the road can build up quickly in the calipers so it's worth doing a couple of times a year:thumb
 
I'm wondering whether it might be something to do with the master cylinder.
Many years ago, I actually had a rear caliper seize on so tight on a bike, that it ripped the disc off the disc centre.
Another (same model) bike seized on so tight that it set fire to the rear mudguard. In both cases it happened quite quickly.
These were not BMW's. And it turned out that the most likely cause was that the master cylinders had jammed.
They were customers' bikes left standing for long periods.
Just a thought.
 
i dare bet one of the pads has fell to bits with the ferodo coming of its back plate and jamming between the disk and top of the calliper,take the pads out and have a look its only a couple of minutes :beerjug:
 
ha ha ,i have worked in the motor trade all my life ,old habits and all that.:aidan:aidan
 
Much more likely to be:

Front brake lever not returning fully to home position, thus not venting the caliper back to master cylinder. As you drive, the brake comes on as the pads heat up, and eventually locks wheel solid. Push lever forward and check.
Myke
 
Myke Rocks said:
Front brake lever not returning fully to home position, thus not venting the caliper back to master cylinder. As you drive, the brake comes on as the pads heat up, and eventually locks wheel solid. Push lever forward and check.
Myke
Click to expand...

This is a possibility........!
I notice a lot of "back flap" (never nice that!) and the lever feels as if it has moved towards the bars slightly....?
Came to work this morning and all seems ok, clean-up this weekend I think!!!


Thanks all for your thoughts .......

TJD
 
Nippy Normans supply Touratech, Wunderlich, Desert Fox and many other makes of accessories.
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