Front break stuck-1982 ltd 550

[mudychs]

I have a 1982 Lttd 550 that is in good condition usually no problems. I was riding today and all of a sudden my bike started to slow down and I pulled the trottle more and more and my rpm went higher I noticed after a lil bit my front brake was locking up. I drove a lil farther to get into a parking and the brake locked up even more. Any ideas?


I just replaced my clutch cable yesterday I dont think that is an issue.

Milage-17,000
I have owned it for about 1.5 years
I did not notice anything up too it just happened

sorry mispelled brake in the heading....

[sfair]

Nice looking bike!
Your front braking system (caliper and master cylinder) need a complete rebuild. It is old and is probably original. Anything short of a total job will put your safety in jeopardy!
If this is something you would like to tackle, in order to not recieve conflicting information, and for your safety, you should obtain a service manual for your model and follow the instructions. A third party manual usually does a pretty good job in this area if you cannot find a Kawasaki manual.

Good luck.

[MFolks]

Look inside the master cylinder and locate two small holes in the bottom. Most sticking problems are due to having one of those holes get plugged.

A wooden toothpick should open up the clog. Rebuilding the caliper and master cylinder will ensure all parts are working like designed.

[zoro]

Originally Posted by MFolks

Look inside the master cylinder and locate two small holes in the bottom. Most sticking problems are due to having one of those holes get plugged.

A wooden toothpick should open up the clog. Rebuilding the caliper and master cylinder will ensure all parts are working like designed.

Yes, do dismantle and clean the entire system (calipers and master cylinders) and then refill with fresh DOT-3 brake fluid. It sounds like you have an obstruction in one of the lines and/or the relief ports in the MC that Mr. Folks described. Brake fluid absorbs moister over time lowering its boiling point, if an obstruction occurs causing a pad to drag, the fluid overheats and begins to expand applying pressure to the caliper piston and can cause a "lock-up" followed by an ugly "crash!"

[mudychs]

hey thanks guys I will redo the caliper and master cylynder It was preety dirty inside I opend it.

[herk]

If the bike has the original brake lines, it might be a good idea to replace them. I installed Goodridge SS lines & fittings.

From the photo it looks like the handlebars are tilted forward. If those are the stock bars, that would be understandable. Another solution would be to replace the stockers w something better. If you expect to do so, it would be best to get replacement bars first before getting the brake lines, because different bars would most likely use a shorter upper line.

[sfair]

I always recommend a brake system overhaul if poking the relief port fixes the problem because one never knows what exactly was dislodged and where it came from. A flake of EPDM??? Bad news!
Always putting safety first!

[wdhewson]

Every bike I've owned needs really frequent brake fluid changes as everything seems to plug and lock the brake on. At least it fails "on" and not "off". When brake fluid decomposes it releases acids that react with aluminum which form the gooey white crud that jams and plugs. Car systems are steel and seem surgically clean at 12 years. Some of my old bikes with cable brakes seem pretty good on these occaisions.

[jbsmd]

I had a bike that I think the front aluminum calipers would not allow the pads to retract and release enough. I'm sure the guy that got the bike will figure it all out