I own a 2000 recon and I went riding on it saturday. I noticed that the master cylinder reservoir was a little low. I didn't fill it up like I should have. Well I got home and I had no brakes at all. So I figured that some air got into the lines. So far I have done a number of things. First I adjusted both brakes. Then I bled both brake lines. I hardly had any air come out at all. So then I broke the banjo fitting up top and bled it there. Still nothing. So i called the dealership and spoke to a very knowlegeable mechanic. He told me to bleed it from the banjo fitting because air rises on these systems. He said that it could take between 8-10 times. So I must have beld it 15 times. Still nothing. So I tried bleeding the whole system one more time. I even went as far as to bleed the master cylinder. Afer I did that I bled the brakes again and I had no air at all come out of them. It's funny though that everything was wroking fine until I went riding that day. I get a small brake lever after I pump it really fast for about 5-6 times. The only other thing that I think that it could be would be the master cylinder. Does anyone know of a trick that i'm not doing? Thanks for any Info. Or do you guys think that it's the master cylinder.

 

It sounds like the master cylinder to me, or you have a small leak somewhere else in the system. I have had a master cylinder seal start leaking on me and it acted like what you are describing. I would bleed the brakes until I was blue in the face with no progress made, then just pump them and I'd have a little brake. Changed the master cylinder and that fixed it. It was obvious to me however that there was a small leak. Good luck!

 

Make sure your wheel bearings are good. Use Ferodo brake shoes they have a lot of metal in them. DO NOT break the bleeders lose. Do one side at a time leave the brake drum on the other side that you are working on. With the shoes off and the reservoir cap off pump the handle a few times to get the brake piston to come out. Be careful not to pop the piston out of the cylinder. Then compress the piston back in with a pair of large channel locks. Watch the reservoir for air bubbles keep repeating the process till there are no more bubbles then do the same with the other side. Sand or sand blast the glaze off the inside of the drum and you will have very good brakes.

 

Did you repalce the master cylinder or did you rebuild it?

 

do i need a brake bleeder to bleed my brakes? theres a screw that you can undo to drain the fluid and i took it off. it seemed to work at first but i dont know if its still working. i pured a little more fluid in it to see if it make it push the rest out but it doesnt seem to be working. is it possible that i made it even harder for myself by doing this?

 

Stop wasting time and energy. If you believe it is an issue with needing to bleed your brakes, reverse bleed them. Before going to bed, just pump up the brake the best you can and then put a tie cord around the lever so it stays touching the handlebar. Loosen the reservoir and brake the seal so the cover is just sitting so as to let air escape but not letting dirt in. Go to bed. When you get up in the morning, do the same thing again and then go to work. When you get home, your brakes will be back to normal if it is just an issue with them needing bled.

/Jon

 

i think ive gotten all of the air out of the lines because it will finally move the pads when i pull in the lever. the lever still wont pump up and get harder to pull. i tried to adjust the brakes by twisting the thing on the bottom where it says nissin. i cant get it harder to pull. why is this? and what and where is the master cylinder and the caliper?

 

What is pumping the brakes and then tieing the handle up suppose to do exactly?

 

make sure your self adjusting screws arent siezed.

peace
scaboy

 

When does the cap need to go on? Before you release the handle or afterwards? I think this might work. I didn't have a brake at all and last night I had a small one. Thanks Again