hey guys,the other day i was out riding and all of a sudden my brakes stopped working,if i pull in the lever on the bars it seems like i have a broken brake line,because the lever goes to the bars and there is no stopping..the lines are all good,the fluid is full,brake pads are good,whats the deal?im pretty sure there isnt any air in the system because the brakes were working fine and then just stopped..the rear brake seems to have pressure in the pedal but my rear pads are junk so they wont stop me..

 

Sometimes I can pull the lever to the grip and nothing happens but if I just let it out and pull again it works fine. Seems to do that when I get stuck and I'm trying to back out in 4x4. No clue why it does it though I might need new pads. My left front brakes better then the right so I think new pads could help.

 

Could be your master cylinder failed. Ihave had it happen on a car, the pedal just droped to the floor with zero pressure and zero warning. But before replacing that, I would bleed the brakes. If your caliper piston comes all the way out, it can let air back in when you release the lever. The piston may be able to get fully extended if your pads and or disk are very thin. So try to bleed the brakes and if your pads are toast, replace them anyway.

 

My question to you is, where you riding through snow in subzero temperatures? If the answer is yes then your problem is probably due to ice build up on your front rotors. As the ice builds up it pushes the slave cylinder piston out, which in turn pushes the master cylinder out resulting in the brake pads having to travel that much further to contact the rotor. Usually enough pressure is exerted onto the brake disk to break the ice away but now you don't have enough travel on the brake lever to make good contact with the rotor. Pump it once or maybe twice and everything is fine again. In some cases the ice can be felt in the brake lever as the pads ride over the uneven surface of the ice, the lever moves in and out slightly.
The other cause can be if the park brake was left on slightly and you continue to ride. In this case the brakes get very hot and boils the brake fluid in the slave cylinder which causes it to vaporise. (Gasses can be compressed thus rendering your brakes useless) Once it cools off all is well again.
Something for you to think about.

 

i was riding in wet conditions but not freezing,i can pump the brake lever a million times and it wont change nothing..when i pump them it feels like there is no brake fluid,or kinda like it would feel if i was to take a line off and pump them..my front pads are still like new,rears are shot..

 

Try to bleed the brakes!

 

The thing to do in this situation is check the simple things first. Check the fluid level in the master cylinder reservoir, if it's low you could have air trapped in the brake lines. Fill the reservoir and bleed the brakes. It is very important to keep the reservoir at least 1/2 full while bleeding the brakes. If your back brake is shot and the fronts are like new it would appear that the front brakes haven't been working, probably due to this problem. After bleeding the brakes and if you still have the problem it's time to check the master cylinder. Let us know what you find and we will help wherever we can.

 

the reason my back brakes are shot id because i pretty much only use the foot brake,i just dont undersatnd why or how air couldve got in my lines?the back brake still has plenty of pressure but the lever on the bars has none?and why would they just quit along the ride i was taking?

 

The back brake has its own system hence the resevoir under the seat, I would say that you cylinder is shot although I would try to bleed the brakes.

 

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It is very possible your master (lever brake) or slave cylinder/s have a leak. If you're only using the foot brake this would explain your dilemma.</FONT>