OK, so I've got my Brembo 19x20 master cylinder fitted to the front brakes on my Dayonta 600 and that's working well. I can't get the lever anywhere near the bar anymore ;) But I'm still lacking bite in my brakes.

This is what I've done so far:
    * took the calipers off last night, got the toothbrush and brake cleaner in there and got all the brake dust out and got the pots moving
    * cleaned the pads and they've still got 5mm left on them (EBC HH sintered)
    * we've got steel braided hoses as standard
    * discs have no imperfections - scrubbed them with the brillo pad too
    * brake fluid is DOT 5.1 instead of DOT 4 (changed on Monday when the Brembo was fitted by FWR)

Can't think of much else I can do to get the bite back.

Thanks to the Brembo, I can get some really good pressure to the pads but they're just not quite gripping that sharply. I thought it was the old master cylinder but the Brembo hasn't cured it. I'm missing that feeling when you snatch on the lever a little bit too hard and you get that really sharp dip at the front. Riding around town, that sharpness to the brakes is important.

Might double check to see if there's a little bit of air in the fluid and I've got some new EBC HH pads I can throw in there to test but I doubt it's the pads. The current ones have done one track day but they're in good shape - no purple/blue overheating marks on them. The pads on one side do have a little knick in them but nothing that would cause these issues. I went for the single banjo bolt as advisedand I'm sure FWR would have said whether I needed the double when they fitted the Brembo.

Off to Rockingham on Saturday so hoping I can cure it for then. If not, I'll have to ride like Rossi and stay off the brakes ;) (joking) Any other help would be gratefully received!

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Sorry - you've done everything I would suggest already.  As you say - maybe there's some air in the system.  Have you tried tieing the lever back over night? To force out the air?

I can't really comment on  brakes - I dont have enough experiance of other motorcycles to judge what ours are like. 

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Kwacky:

have you got the single brake line on your bike?

I've got the single brake line heading down from the master cylinder - the right hand caliper then feeds the left hand caliper. So the banjo bolt is correct.

Kwacky:

If it's a red one that should be the dual line system.

Red brake line or red bike?!!! I know the reds are faster so would probably warrant a dual brake line - unfortunately mine is a single line ;)

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If I've read your post correctly, you had a problem, then changed the m.cyl and fluid and hoses etc, but the problem is still there. The only thing you haven't changed is the pads?

 

 Plus, 5mm of pads is pretty thin.

I suspect they're glazed (not always visible to the naked eye) and you are probably down to the region of the pad that gets chemically changed by the bonding process that sticks it to the backplate.

If the lever is rock hard and the pistons on both sides of each caliper are moving under load (i.e.pairs of opposing pistons can crush a piece of wood when the lever's pulled) you haven't got air in the system.

Change pads, bed them in gently (not on track!) and then flip yourself over the front bar when you approach the hairpins ;)

Thanks guys. I'll swap the pads over anyway - easy thing to do. Hopefully I'll get a couple of hundred miles on them around town and on my way to Rockingham. Should be just about enough if I take the first two sessions easy enough (I'm only in the novice group too).

I'll try the trapped air issue too. Seems plausible but I can get a hard feel on the lever so I don't think there's any trapped air in there.

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MAKE SURE - the lever can be hard but the pistons may not be moving.

Check very carefully that each piston is moving freely both in AND out when you release the lever - one of the seals may be 'nibbled' or rolled over.
Also, check that the relevant opposing pistons in each caliper move in and out at the same rate, i.e. the leading pistons in the left caliper both move at about the same time and speed, plus check that the leading pistons in the left caliper move at the same time and speed as the leading pistons in the right caliper......it may reveal an imbalance between calipers indicating a problem with the fluid transfer hose.

My brakes have started squealing since the Mallory trackday. I need to take the pads out and check them over when i get the chance!

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daytona63:

My brakes have started squealing since the Mallory trackday. I need to take the pads out and check them over when i get the chance!

D63 Put some copper based grease on the back of the pads but obviously be very careful not to get any on the friction material or disc.

On the original post I would agree glazed pads or trapped air in the hose or sticking caliper piston, if no result take back to FWR and say it was nt like that befroe can your mechanic have a look.

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Racing is everything, anything before or after is waiting

Got an early start in this morning to swap the pads over. The old pads look a little glazed - the wonders of working daylight!!

Will see how she is on my commute into work.

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If it's anything like mine were they'll be absolute pants for the first 10 miles or so and then improve for the next 100 miles until they end up being a bit too good

The guy that replaced them thought they were so bad to start with that he was trying to get me to replace the disk as well even though that was ok. I'm glag I took the bike and said I'd give it a few miles. They were rubbish to start with though. Hardly any braking power at all.

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Judging by the fact that my head and shoulders beat my front wheel into my parking space at work this morning, I think I can safely assume that everything is ok now! Must have been glazed pads.

I didn't really have a bad start to be honest. I'll just have to watch how I go as they bed in if they're going to get any better than this ;)

Thanks for the advice guys. I reckon that warrants the addition of a "sportsbiker.net" sticker on my screen - does such a thing exist Kwacky?

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Sportsbiker.net screen stickers certainly do exist...i've got a few if you want to pm your address, i'll send some on.

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