Hello all

I have a Y2K 500 auto. 800 miles mostly mud and dirt. My hand brake lever sometimes goes to the grip and I have to pump it back up to stop. then it gets normal again. I asked the dealer about this (dealer is fantastic) He said the brakes usually dont ware out that fast and to check the front wheel bearings because they will wobble if bad, causing the piston to open up and when you hit the brake it has to travel the distance back to normal bafore they make contact. This sounds right and there is wobble in the front bearings, Not extreamly bad but a good 1/4" movement. So i got the front bearings and seals. Both wheels was $60. Havent put them on yet, Does anybody know the procedure? Also I asked about the brake pad price Holy cow!!! each pad is $14. $28 a set times 3. CRAP!!! Where is the cheapest place to get them? Any information would help.

Thanks SLY

 

The cheapest thing to do is get you a piece of 1/4" or 3/8" flat brass bar. Lay your old pads on the brass bar and trace them onto the brass. Cut these out with a bandsaw or jig saw, they look better if you grind the edges smooth. Drill your hole, If you use 3/8" you may need to sand them down a little, to make them thinner. If you use 1/4" just mount them.
These work great, don't scratch the rotor, they will squeek just a little right before you stop. You can paint the back side if this bothers you. It is just the pad vibrating on the caliper piston. They also sell stuff for auto brakes to stop squeeking.
I've always got around 1000 miles out of my brakes. I ride a lot of mud & water too, but may not use them as much. You should get more out of the brass brakes.
With a little bit of time, and what it costs to buy one pad you can have a whole set. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

 

Hi Sly

Go to My post "Just a little info" & do mod #3 it's the next page back.

Check the piston on your master cylinder, if it comes out slowly or only part way then you will need to bleed the brakes.

If your pads are bad you will have to do the above after you change the pads anyway.

To learn how to bleed the brakes do a search on the subject there are several good posts.