My 86 Honda 250R has very mushy brakes. I have bled them in different ways but I always end up with the same amount of lever travel before the brakes start to do anything which is pretty much all the way to the handlebar. The brakes are completely stock and the master cylinder has all new parts. Just wondered if anyone had any ideas on what to look for to fix the problem. Thanks!

 

1 mod will solve your problems

-steel braided brake lines

 

No, No, No! Your quad is completely worn out. You need to sell it to me before it falls apart.
Seriously, the steel brake lines are correct, but it sounds like you have air in the lines. Bleed them again. Tap the caliper with a wrench, wiggle the rubber lines. That will help you dislodge any air bubbles you may have.

 

Add a dime to the master cylinder.

Place it where the brake lever pushes the piston into the master cylinder. This takes out some of the mushy feel and gives it a little bit more leverage.

Also try tilting your quad on it's side and pump the brakes. This gets traped air bubbles to travel to either your master cylinder or your calipers. Then try bleeding again. Repeat for the other side.

Waymod

 

Make sure your brake lever isn't bent in first. From handlebars to lever about 2 inches in from the pivot it should be around 2 1/4" to 2 1/2". Make sure its getting full travel. A friend had a bent lever and kept thinking that the brakes were mush. Measured mine and compared to his. It was off. Fixed that and bled the brakes again and they are perfect. Also if you want the best feel for a solid pull, buy some steel braided lines.

 

You can do all of the mod's that have been talked about; dime, lever, air in line, etc. But what is wron is what the first person said. You have rubber lines that are 16 years old. When you apply the brakes the rubber hose expands from many years of use. Put steel lines on and the problem will be fixed for good and you will have better brakes than stock.